Anaconda (film series)

Last updated
Anaconda
Anacondas DVD Collection.jpg
Cover for the DVD-box containing the first four films.
Created by
Original work Anaconda (1997)
Owners Sony Pictures
(Sony Pictures Releasing)
Years1997–present
Films and television
Film(s)

Anaconda (also known as Anacondas) is an American horror film series created by Hans Bauer, Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. Produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, the series began with Anaconda (1997) directed by Luis Llosa, and was followed by one theatrical stand-alone sequel, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004) directed by Dwight Little, and three television sequels, Anaconda 3: Offspring (2008), Anacondas: Trail of Blood (2009), both directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy, and Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015) directed by A.B. Stone and being a crossover with the Lake Placid film series. Along with a 2024 Chinese remake of the same name, Anaconda (2024) directed by Xiang Qui Liang and Xiang He Sheng. [1] Each installment revolves around giant man-eating anacondas and the efforts of various groups of people to capture or destroy the creatures. The fictional plant known as the Blood Orchid and the company Wexel Hall Pharmaceuticals as well as the fictitious Murdoch family are repeatedly referenced in the films.

Contents

A reboot is currently in development from Sony Pictures. [2]

Films

FilmU.S. release dateDirector(s)Screenwriter(s)Story byProducer(s)
Anaconda April 11, 1997 Luis Llosa Jim Cash, Hans Bauer & Jack Epps Jr. Verna Harrah, Carol Little & Leonard Rabinowitz
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid August 27, 2004 Dwight H. Little John Claflin, Daniel Zelman, Michael Miner & Edward Neumeier Jim Cash, Hans Bauer & Jack Epps Jr.Verna Harrah
Anaconda 3: Offspring July 26, 2008 Don E. FauntLeRoy David Olson & Nicholas DavidoffAlison Semenza
Anacondas: Trail of Blood February 28, 2009David Olson
Lake Placid vs. Anaconda April 25, 2015A.B. StoneBerkeley AndersonPhillip Roth & Jeffery Beach
Anaconda March 1, 2024 (China)Xiang Qui Liang & Xiang He Sheng

Anaconda (1997)

When a documentary crew traveling through the Amazon jungle picks up a stranded man, they are unaware of the trouble that will occur. This stranger's hobby is to capture the giant Anaconda snake, and plans to continue targeting it on their boat.

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)

A scientific expedition sets out for Borneo to seek a flower called the Blood Orchid, which could grant longer life. Meanwhile, they run afoul of snakes and each other.

Anaconda 3: Offspring (2008)

A team of mercenaries join forces with a herpetologist and an assistant from the billionaire owner who both worked in a genetic research lab, Wexel Hall, to capture the snakes after they escaped from the lab, until they find themselves needing to stop them before it's too late.

Anacondas 4: Trail of Blood (2009)

A herpetologist is on a mission to destroy the Blood Orchid from the billionaire who wanted a serum to cure his cancer, until a dangerous snake threatens everyone.

Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015)

In Black Lake, Maine, an accident allows the two giant species, crocodiles and anacondas to be regenerated and escape towards to Clear Lake. Now, Reba teams up with Tully to find his daughter Bethany and a group of sorority girls in a deadly match between the two creatures.

Anaconda (2024)

A group of circus performers, on their way to what they think is a new performance location, become stranded in a lush rainforest after the boat they were on, and the captain leading the way, are eaten and destroyed by an anaconda. They cross paths with a deadly poacher who is hunting the anaconda, who realizes that he might now have enough bait to catch him. But being circus performers, they have a few survival tricks up their sleeves.

Future

On January 24, 2020, it was announced that Columbia Pictures was developing a reboot of the 1997 cult film Anaconda , with Evan Daugherty attached to write the screenplay. [3] In March 2023, Tom Gormican was attached as the director of the film. [4] In August 2024, Jack Black and Paul Rudd were cast in the leading roles, with Tom Gormican confirmed to direct from a screenplay written by Gormican and Kevin Etten. [5] In September, Daniela Melchior joined the cast. [6]

Cast and crew

Cast

Key
  • An A indicates an appearance through archival footage.
  • A dark gray cell indicates the character was not in the film.
CharacterFilms
Anaconda Anacondas:
The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
Anaconda 3:
Offspring
Anacondas:
Trail of Blood
Lake Placid vs. Anaconda
19972004200820092015
Terri Flores Jennifer Lopez Mentioned 
Danny Rich Ice Cube  
Paulerson "Paul" Serone Jon Voight  
Professor Steven "Steve" Cale Eric Stoltz  
Warren Westridge Jonathan Hyde  
Gary Dixon Owen Wilson  
Denise Kalberg Kari Wuhrer  
Mateo Vincent Castellanos  
Poacher Danny Trejo  
William "Bill" Johnson  Johnny Messner  
Samantha "Sam" Rogers  KaDee Strickland  
Dr. Jackson "Jack" Bryon  Matthew Marsden  
Cole Burris  Eugene Byrd  
Gail Stern  Salli Richardson-Whitfield  
Trenton "Tran" Wu  Karl Yune  
Gordon Mitchell  Morris Chestnut  
Dr. Benjamin "Ben" Douglas  Nicholas Gonzalez  
John Livingston  Andy Anderson  
Stephen Hammett  David Hasselhoff  
Dr. Amanda Hayes  Crystal Allen  
Peter "J.D." Murdoch  John Rhys-Davies Mentioned
Pinkus Ryan McCluskey 
Nick Patrick Regis 
Andrei Alin Olteanu 
Grozny  Anthony Green Anthony Green A  
Victor Toma DanilăToma Danilă A  
Sofia Milhaela OrosMilhaela Oros A  
Professor Eric Kane Şerban CeleaŞerban Celea A  
Darryl Alin ConstantinescuAlin Constantinescu A  
Peter Reysner Zoltan Butuc 
Murdoch's Assistant Cristina Teodorescu 
Jackson  Linden Ashby  
Scott Danny Midwinter 
Alex Călin Stanciu 
Heather  Ana Ularu  
Wendy Anca Androne 
Eugene  Emil Hostina  
Will "Tully" Tull  Corin Nemec
Reba  Yancy Butler
Jim Bickerman  Robert Englund
Bethany Tull  Skye Lourie
Sarah Murdoch Annabel Wright
Beach  Stephen Billington
Tiffani Laura Dale
Margo Ali Eagle
Deputy Ferguson Oliver Walker

Crew

RoleFilm
Anaconda Anacondas:
The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
Anaconda 3:
Offspring
Anacondas:
Trail of Blood
Lake Placid vs. Anaconda
19972004200820092015
Composer(s) Randy Edelman Nerida Tyson-Chew Peter MeisnerClaude Foisy
Cinematographer Bill Butler Stephen F. Windon Don E. FauntLeRoy Ivo Peitchev
EditorMichael R. Miller Marcus D'Arcy
Mark Warner
Scott ConradCameron Hallenbeck
Production companies Columbia Pictures
Cinema Line Film Corporation
Screen Gems
Middle Fork Productions
Stage 6 Films
Hollywood Media Bridge
Castel Film Romania
Really Big Snake Productions
Destination Films
UFO International
Distributor Sony Pictures Releasing Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Running time89 minutes97 minutes91 minutes89 minutes92 minutes

Reception

Box office performance

FilmRelease dateBox office grossBudgetRef.
North AmericaOther
territories
Worldwide
Anaconda April 11, 1997$65,885,767$71,000,000$136,885,767$45 million [7]
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid August 27, 2004$32,238,923$38,753,975$70,992,898$25 million [8]
Total$98,124,690$109,753,975$207,878,669$70 million [9]

Critical response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Anaconda41% (54 reviews) [10] 37 (20 reviews) [11]
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid26% (121 reviews) [12] 40 (28 reviews) [13]

Music

Soundtracks

TitleU.S. release dateLengthComposer(s)Label
Anaconda: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack April 22, 199733:56 Randy Edelman Edel America Records
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) August 30, 200460:57Nerida Tyson-Chew Varèse Sarabande

Other media

Novelization

Anaconda: The Writer's Cut is a novel by Hans Bauer published in 2014. Bauer also wrote the screenplay for the 1997 film Anaconda and its 2004 sequel Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid. [14]

Video games

Quake Anaconda Mod (1997)

Promoting the original film's release, Sony released a free total conversion mod for Quake Mission Pack No. 1: Scourge of Armagon , which featured new snake enemies and a large Anaconda boss character. [15] [16]

Anacondas Arcade Game (2004)

Anacondas Arcade Game is an online interactive game produced by Sony Studios in 2004 to promote the film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid from the same year. [17]

Anacondas 3D: Adventure Game (2004)

Anacondas 3D: Adventure Game is an online interactive game produced by Sony Studios in 2004 to promote the film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid from the same year. [18] [19]

Snakes on a Babe (2008)

Snakes on a Babe is an online interactive game produced in 2008 to promote the film Anaconda 3: Offspring from the same year. [20] [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anaconda</span> Genus of snakes

Anacondas or water boas are a group of large boas of the genus Eunectes. They are a semiaquatic group of snakes found in tropical South America. Three to five extant and one extinct species are currently recognized, including one of the largest snakes in the world, E. murinus, the green anaconda.

<i>Quake</i> (video game) 1996 video game

Quake is a first-person shooter game developed by id Software and published by GT Interactive. The first game in the Quake series, it was originally released for MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux in 1996, followed by Mac OS and Sega Saturn in 1997 and Nintendo 64 in 1998.

<i>Anaconda</i> (1997 film) 1997 American horror film by Luis Llosa

Anaconda is a 1997 American adventure horror film directed by Luis Llosa and starring Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, and Owen Wilson. It focuses on a documentary film crew in the Amazon rainforest that is led by a snake hunter who is hunting down a giant, legendary green anaconda. The film received generally negative reviews, though it became a cult classic. It was followed by a series of films.

<i>Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid</i> 2004 American adventure horror film by Dwight H. Little

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid is a 2004 American adventure horror film directed by Dwight H. Little. It is a stand-alone sequel to the film Anaconda (1997) and the second installment of the Anaconda film series. The film follows a team of researchers set for an expedition into the Southeast Asian tropical island of Borneo, to search for a sacred flower which they believe will bring humans to a longer and healthier life. They soon become stalked and hunted by the deadly giant anacondas inhabiting the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KaDee Strickland</span> American actress (born 1975)

Katherine Dee Strickland is an American actress. From 2007 to 2013, she played Charlotte King on the ABC drama Private Practice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salli Richardson</span> American actress and television director (born 1967)

Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield is an American actress and television director. Richardson is known for her role as Angela in the film A Low Down Dirty Shame (1994) and for her role as Dr. Allison Blake on the Syfy comedy-drama series Eureka (2006–2012).

Johnny Messner is an American film and television actor best known for his portrayal of a muscular military man in the 2004 film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid.

James Willis Cash was an American film writer, noted for writing such 1980s films as Top Gun and The Secret of My Success.

Jack Epps Jr. is an American screenwriter, author, and educator, known chiefly for such popular 1980s films as Top Gun, Legal Eagles, and The Secret of My Success, which he wrote with longtime partner Jim Cash. Epps Jr. graduated from the College of Arts and Letters at Michigan State University, and he has since gone on to teach at the University of Southern California.

<i>Anaconda 3: Offspring</i> 2008 American television film

Anaconda 3: Offspring is a 2008 American-Romanian adventure horror television film directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy and stars David Hasselhoff, Crystal Allen, and John Rhys-Davies. The film is a sequel to Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004) and the third installment in the Anaconda film series.

<i>Anacondas: Trail of Blood</i> 2009 film by Don E. FauntLeRoy

Anacondas: Trail of Blood is a 2009 American horror thriller television film directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy and starring Crystal Allen, Linden Ashby, Danny Midwinter, and John Rhys-Davies. The film is a sequel to Anaconda 3: Offspring (2008) and the fourth installment in the Anaconda film series. It premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel on February 28, 2009.

Don E. FauntLeRoy is an American cinematographer and film director. He has over 70 credits as cinematographer, and more than 50 as a camera operator and second unit assistant. He has collaborated with director Victor Salva on such films as Jeepers Creepers, Jeepers Creepers 2, Rosewood Lane, and Dark House. He directed the Steven Seagal films Today You Die, Mercenary for Justice, and Urban Justice. He also directed Bering Sea Beast in 2013.

Hans Bauer is an Austrian screenwriter, author, and photographer, working in the United States, who is best known for his writing for the films Anaconda (1997) and Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004). Bauer is also the co-author of the children's adventure novel, Fishtale, and the author of Anaconda: The Writer's Cut.

Paul Pattison is an Oscar-winning makeup artist who was a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He, along with Lois Burwell and Peter Frampton, won at the 68th Academy Awards in 1995 for Best Makeup for the film Braveheart. He also won the BAFTA award for his work on Braveheart in 1996. In 2004 and 2012 he was a nominee for the Primetime Emmy Award for his work on Ike: Countdown to D-Day and Hemingway & Gellhorn. His work on Hemingway & Gellhorn also won the Online Film & Television Association award. Paul won the APDG and AACTA Awards for his work on Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015 and Lambs of God in 2019. He is also known for his work on The Cave.

<i>Lake Placid vs. Anaconda</i> 2015 film by A.B. Stone

Lake Placid vs. Anaconda is a 2015 American comedy horror television film directed by A.B. Stone, written by Berkeley Anderson and starring Corin Nemec, Yancy Butler and Robert Englund. The film premiered on April 25, 2015, on Syfy. It is a crossover between the Anaconda film series and Lake Placid film series, and the fifth installment in both their respective series.

<i>Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle</i> 2017 film directed by Jake Kasdan

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is a 2017 American adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan from a screenplay by the writing teams of Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and Scott Rosenberg and Jeff Pinkner, based on a story conceived by McKenna. The film is the third installment in the Jumanji film series and a stand-alone sequel to Jumanji (1995). It stars Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Rhys Darby and Bobby Cannavale. The story focuses on a group of teenagers who come across Jumanji, now transformed into a video game twenty-two years after the events of the 1995 film. They find themselves trapped inside the game as a set of adult avatars, seeking to complete a treacherous quest alongside another player who has been trapped since 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flowers TV</span> Indian-Malayalam language TV channel

Flowers TV is an Indian Malayalam-language, general-entertainment, pay television channel owned by Insight Media City. The channel was launched on 12 April 2015. Flowers TV HD feed is only available through their YouTube channel.

References

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  4. Kamal, Nathan (March 11, 2023). "Exclusive: Anaconda Reboot In Development From Massive Talent Director". Giant Freakin Robot. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
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  9. "Box Office History for Anaconda Movies". The Numbers . Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  10. "Anaconda (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  11. "Anaconda". Metacritic . Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  12. "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  13. "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid". Metacritic . Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  14. Anaconda: The Writer's Cut - Kindle edition by Hans Bauer. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. 23 January 2014.
  15. "Blue's Quake News - March 29 - April 4, 1997". www.bluesnews.com.
  16. "anaconda.zip - Anaconda by Magicman in the Quake map archive at Quaddicted.com". www.quaddicted.com.
  17. "Play Anacondas | Play Free Addicting Games Online". www.freeaddictinggames.com.
  18. "Anacondas: 3D Adventure Game FULL GAME - download". Gamepressure.com.
  19. "Anacondas 3D Adventure Game. Get the software safe and easy". Software Informer.
  20. "Anaconda 3 – The Offspring Presents: Snakes on a Babe". Beyond Hollywood. 2008-10-28. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  21. "Archived copy". Archived from the original (flash) on 2009-01-22. Retrieved 2016-02-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)