Anaconda (film series)

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Anaconda
Anacondas DVD Collection.jpg
Cover for the DVD-box containing the first four films.
Created by
Original work Anaconda (1997)
Owner 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 ShengEvan Daugherty

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: 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

In January 2020, Sony Pictures announced a reboot is in development, with Evan Daugherty serving as screenwriter. [3] In 2023, Tom Gormican was announced to direct the film. [4]

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 [5]
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid August 27, 2004$32,238,923$38,753,975$70,992,898$25 million [6]
Total$98,124,690$109,753,975$207,878,669$70 million [7]

Critical response

Film Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic
Anaconda41% (54 reviews) [8] 37 (20 reviews) [9]
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid26% (121 reviews) [10] 40 (28 reviews) [11]

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. [12]

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. [13] [14]

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. [15]

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. [16] [17]

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. [18] [19]

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>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 Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, 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, but was a box office success, grossing $136.8 million worldwide against a $45 million budget, and also 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 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.

Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. Most of the studio's films are distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Releasing under their Columbia Pictures label, while all direct-to-video releases are released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

<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 (2007–2013).

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.

<i>Jumanji</i> 1995 film directed by Joe Johnston

Jumanji is a 1995 American fantasy comedy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor and Jim Strain, based on the 1981 children's picture book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The film is the first installment in the Jumanji film series. It stars Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde and Bebe Neuwirth. The story centers on a supernatural board game that releases jungle-based hazards on its players with every turn they take.

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 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.

<i>The Smurfs</i> in film Films based on The Smurfs

The Smurfs have appeared in five feature-length films and two short films loosely based on The Smurfs comic book series created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo and the 1980s animated TV series it spawned. They theatrically debuted in a 1965 animated feature film that was followed by a 1976 animated film titled The Smurfs and the Magic Flute. Twenty-eight to thirty years after The Magic Flute was released in the United States, a 2011 feature film and a 2013 sequel were produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released by Columbia Pictures. Live-action roles include Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jayma Mays, while the voice-over roles include Anton Yelchin, Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, and George Lopez. A fully animated reboot titled Smurfs: The Lost Village was released through Sony in April 2017. An animated musical film titled The Smurf Movie produced by Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies will release in February 2025.

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.

<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. It is followed by Lake Placid: Legacy (2018) and Anaconda (2024).

<i>Lake Placid</i> (film series) Natural horror comedy film series

Lake Placid is a series of American natural horror comedy films created by David E. Kelley. Produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, the series began with Lake Placid (1999) directed by Steve Miner, and was followed by five television sequels, Lake Placid 2 (2007) by David Flores, Lake Placid 3 (2010) by Griff Furst, Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012) by Don Michael Paul, Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015) by A.B. Stone, being a crossover with the Anaconda series, and Lake Placid: Legacy (2018) by Darrell Roodt. Each installment revolves around the presence of giant, 30-foot-long man-eating crocodiles in the fictional location of Black Lake, Maine, and the efforts of various groups to capture or destroy the creatures. All of the films reference members of the fictitious Bickerman family.

Anaconda is a 2024 Chinese–American adventure horror film directed by Hesheng Xiang and Qiuliang Xiang. It is the sixth installment of the Anaconda film series, and a remake of the 1997 film of the same name. The film stars Nita Lei, Terence Yin, Paul Che and Xingchen Wang.

References

  1. Squires, John (2024-03-26). "'Anaconda' Trailer – Preview Brutal Chinese Remake of the 1997 American Creature Feature!". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  2. Prasad, Sumith (2023-10-23). "Anaconda Reboot: Plot and Character Details Revealed". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved 2024-03-27.
  3. Kit, Borys (January 24, 2020). "'Anaconda' Reboot in the Works With 'Snow White and the Huntsman' Writer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  4. Kamal, Nathan (March 11, 2023). "Exclusive: Anaconda Reboot In Development From Massive Talent Director". Giant Freakin Robot. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  5. "Anaconda (1997)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  6. "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  7. "Box Office History for Anaconda Movies". The Numbers . Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  8. "Anaconda (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  9. "Anaconda". Metacritic . Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  10. "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  11. "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid". Metacritic . Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  12. Anaconda: The Writer's Cut - Kindle edition by Hans Bauer. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com. 23 January 2014.
  13. "Blue's Quake News - March 29 - April 4, 1997". www.bluesnews.com.
  14. "anaconda.zip - Anaconda by Magicman in the Quake map archive at Quaddicted.com". www.quaddicted.com.
  15. "Play Anacondas | Play Free Addicting Games Online". www.freeaddictinggames.com.
  16. "Anacondas: 3D Adventure Game FULL GAME - download". Gamepressure.com.
  17. "Anacondas 3D Adventure Game. Get the software safe and easy". Software Informer.
  18. "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.
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original (flash) on 2009-01-22. Retrieved 2016-02-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)