'Night of the Comet' Remake Being Developed

The schlock zombie classic Night of the Comet is getting remade from one of the producers of [...]

By Russ Burlingame

The schlock zombie classic Night of the Comet is getting remade from one of the producers of V/H/S.

Orion Pictures has tapped Roxanne Benjamin to pen a reimagining of the 1984 sci-fi/horror comedy, according to Deadline.

Orion itself is a bit of a relic of that era, of course; it spent years in bankruptcy and is best known for '80s and '90s staples like Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and The Silence of the Lambs.

The original Night of the Comet centered on two sisters who had to fight their way through a zombie apolcaypse after a comet wiped out most of the life on Earth and transformed most survivors into flesh-crazy cannibals.

Benjamin has prevously served as a writer, producer, and director on a number of smaller genre projects, including producing the V/H/S anthology series. Her anticipated feature film Body at Brighton Rock is currently in post-production with an eye toward a 2019 release.

As noted in the Deadline piece, the movie's blend of horror and comedy, as well as its no-nonsense female protagonists at a time when that was not common, were part of what inspired Joss Whedon to create Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The remake, apparently, will steer more toward the sci-fi horror and less toward the comedy.

The original Night of the Comet was made for less than $1 million and took home $14 million at the box office. It was written and directred by Thom Eberhardt (Captain Ron, Naked Fear), and starred Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Beltran, and Kelli Maroney. There are no casting rumors attached to the remake yet, suggesting that it is the property and/or Benjamin that is the draw for the studio.

Orion, whose return to the film world was 2016's The Belko Experiment from Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn, is currently developing Child's Play and The Prodigy, and will have a financial stake in Bill & Ted Face the Music if that film ever gets off the ground.

There is no firm date yet for either production or release to begin on Night of the Comet, but expect more information to come once Body at Brighton Rock is in theaters.

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