Big fish making a return

Chuck Russell is in talks to remake Joe Dante's 1978 cult horror classic 'Piranha'.

Jan 12 2006

Chuck Russell ('The Blob', 'The Scorpion King') is in negotiations to direct a remake of the tongue-in-cheek cult classic 'Piranha'.

For the uninitiated, the 1978 original was made to cash in on the success of 'Jaws', and told the tale of man-made mutant piranhas escaping from an army base and embarking on a killing spree.

A combination of comedy and horror, the film had a good pedigree, having been directed by Joe Dante ('Gremlins', 'The Howling') and written by John Sayles ('Lone Star', 'Sunshine State').

Russell's remake will be loosely based on Sayles' script, and revolve around a series of minor earthquakes taking place in Arizona and stirring an ancient school of the deadly fish from their slumber, with lethal results.

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