One thing the 1950s did very well was craft the ultimate stream of monster movies and creature features. From Earth Vs. The Spider to The Blob and Creature from the Black Lagoon there was no shortage of creature terror to mesmerize audiences and make big bucks for studios.
Now, it seems Universal are banking on that nostalgia as they seek to remake one of their creature-features for the modern age.
1956’s The Mole People starred studio contract player John Agar and followed a group of archaeologists as they unearthed a race of middle-earth dwelling “mole people.” The beings in question lived in darkness and were hideously deformed, led by a high-priest that didn’t take too kindly to invaders.
Whilst the original may seem dated by today’s standards, it kept audiences on the edge of their seats 67 years ago. Universal’s eagerness to remake the property fits with their plan to reinvent their creature catalogue for modern audiences. Already they’ve had great success with 2020’s The Invisible Man, but stumbled a little with their Tom Cruise driven reboot The Mummy.
In a plot breakdown, the film is described as follows:
“In the new take, a woman travels to a town veiled in a conspiracy to rescue her grandchildren from their father. To do this, she must fight through hell in the underground tunnels where the Mole People reside.”
Produced by The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman, The Mole People is currently in the very early stages of development and has not yet been issued a release date.
We will keep our eye out for further developments on this one, including cast announcements.
