I grew up with the 1954 “Big Bug” monster movie, Them! (Their exclamation point.) It is one of my all-time favorites in any genre, and I have long since run out of fingers and toes to count how many times I’ve watched it. There have been other movies featuring giant ants, but no remake of Them! Until now. Maybe…
WHAT A CAST!
The original version was many cuts above the countless monster movies of the ’50s, thanks in large part to its excellent cast and creative special effects. Them! starred much-honored actor James Whitmore, Oscar winner Edmund Gwenn, and James Arness, who portrayed the alien in The Thing (From Another World), and Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke for over two decades. (Check out my post, Santa Claus Versus The Mutant Ants.) And the script, featuring the inevitable “end of the world” scenario, was riveting.
As of this writing, a remake of Them! is in “active development” at Warner Brothers. Michael Giacchino, an Oscar-winning composer, is set to direct. This comes after countless delays, which begs the question, “Can active development morph into development hell?” In Hollywood, this is not unusual. I guess only time will tell.
As for me, while I’m usually snobbish about remakes, reboots, prequels or sequels to my favorite movies, I’ll check this one out—if it happens. I mean, 72 years is a long time to wait.