After directingGet OutandUsfor Universal,Jordan Peeleis set to produce a remake ofThe People Under the Stairsfor the studio, Collider has exclusively learned.
Wes Cravendirected the 1991 horror satire, which starredBrandon Adams,Everett McGill,Wendy Robie,A.J. LangerandVing Rhames. The movie celebrates its 29th anniversary this coming Sunday on Nov. 1.
The original film followed a young boy and two adult thieves who become trapped in a house belonging to a strange couple known as the Robesons after breaking in to steal their rare coin collection. They find a lot more than they bargained for waiting for them in the basement.
The People Under the Stairswas hailed as a disturbing and deranged horror satire that offered biting social commentary, and while numerous reviews compared the Robesons to nightmare versions ofRonald and Nancy Reagan, one LA Weekly critic compared them to noted racistsDonald SterlingandDonald Trump. The latter Donald proved to be a particularly apt comparison, seeing as the Robesonsalsokeep kids in cages.
Peele will produce the remake alongsideWin Rosenfeldvia their Monkeypaw Productions banner, and though Peele is not expected to direct the film himself, it remains unclear whether he and/or Rosenfeld will have a hand in writing the script, as they did in co-writingCandymanalongside directorNia DaCosta.
The People Under the Stairsis the first Craven movie to get the remake treatment since the director’s death in 2015 – two months after theScreamTV series debuted on MTV. In fact,Craven was developingaPeople Under the StairsTV series for the SyFy Channel prior to his death. That show never moved forward, but it was described as “a contemporaryDownton AbbeymeetsAmityville Horror” that would’ve followed “a young woman [who] goes missing at the grand Robeson Family Manor” and the “centuries-old horrors that lie deep within the estate.” Expect Peele’s company to steer things in a different direction and emphasize the film’s social commentary.
Peele has yet to announce his third feature as a director, and the only acting gigs he has announced are voice roles inHenry Selick’s animated horror-comedyWendell and Wild,Evan Marlowe’s animated horror movieAbruptioand the fourth season of Netflix’s animated comedyBig Mouth, in which Peele voices the Ghost of Duke Ellington.
Peele is one of the executive producers behind HBO’s buzzy new seriesLovecraft Countryalong withMisha GreenandJ.J. Abrams, and he’s also an executive producer on the Amazon seriesHunters, which is, shall we say, more my cup of tea. Additionally, Peele continues to serve as the narrator and executive producer ofThe Twilight Zoneon CBS All Access. He’s represented by CAA, Artists First and attorney Jared Levine.
Watch the original trailer forThe People Under the Stairsbelow, and thenclick hereto watch the chilling black-and-white animated prologue for DaCosta’sCandyman.
