Universal Picturesand Jordan Peele are reteaming for a remake ofdirector Wes Craven’sThe People Under the Stairs.Peele will produce the remake of the horror-comedy, having previously directedGet OutandUsfor the studio.
Released in 1991, Craven’sThe People Under the Stairscenters on a young boy and two thieves who break into the home of an eccentric couple named the Robesons. While the trio had hoped to steal the couple’s rare coin collection, they end up being trapped in the home and make a horrifying discovery in the basement. Partly inspired by a news story involving two burglars who broke into a Los Angeles home and inadvertently led police to discover two children being kept locked away by their parents,The People Under the Stairswas credited for its satirical approach to exploring themes of class warfare, gentrification, and capitalism.
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Craven had been developing aPeople Under the Stairstelevision seriesfor the Syfy Channel, but the project never moved forward following his death in 2015. Now, Collider reports Peele is set to produce a feature-length remake of the film alongside Win Rosenfeld through their Monkeypaw Productions company. However, Peele is not expected to direct the remake and it is unclear if he will play a role in writing the screenplay at this time. The filmmaker recently co-wrote the screenplay for Universal’sCandymansequel from director Nia DaCosta.
DaCosta’sCandymanwas originally scheduled to be released in theaters in June 2020 before being delayed on multiple occasions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the horror film isset to debut in theaters on August 27th, 2021. Described as a “spiritual sequel” to the original 1992 film of the same name, DaCosta’sCandymanstars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as an adult Anthony McCoy, the baby from the first entry in the franchise.
While Peele had been best known for his work in comedy for some time, he has since made a name for himself in the horror genre since directingGet Out, for which he earned the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. In addition toCandymanand the upcomingPeople Under the Stairsremake, Peele produced and narrated a reboot of thehorror anthology seriesThe Twilight Zonefor CBS All Access.
Meanwhile, Craven’sScreamfranchise will also be moving forward without the late filmmaker. However,returning star Neve Campbellnoted that she gave the project her blessing after conversations with theScream 5directors convinced her they were respecting Craven’s legacy.
Craven’sThe People Under the Stairsis now available on Amazon Prime Video.
