Tim Burton to Remake ‘Attack of the 50 foot Woman’

‘Gone Girl’ novelist and screenwriter Gillian Flynn will work on the script for the new movie, which sees an abused socialite grow to giant size.

(Left) Tim Burton attends the world premiere of Netflix's 'Wednesday' on November 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Netflix. (Right) 1958's 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.' Photo: Allied Artists Pictures Corporation.

Preview:

Tim Burton is making a deal to direct a new ‘Attack of the 50 Foot Woman’.
‘Gone Girl’s Gillian Flynn will write the script.
Warner Bros. is backing the new movie.

Now that he has finally wrapped shooting his ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel –– which Warner Bros. has recently revealed is titled ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’–– Tim Burton can split his time between getting that movie finished and his duties on the second season of ‘Wednesday’.

But if the studio has its way, he’ll also be figuring out development on another movie project, as Deadline reports that the filmmaker is attached to direct a new take on 1950s sci-fi ‘Attack of the 50 Foot Woman’.

Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

"A titanic beauty spreads a macabre wave of horror A terrifying masterpiece of shock and chills"

Not Yet Rated1 hr 6 minMay 18th, 1958

Showtimes & Tickets

Watch Attack of the 50 Foot Woman Online

What’s the story of ‘Attack of the 50ft Woman’?

Allison Hayes in 1958's 'Attack of the 50 Foot Woman.' Photo: Allied Artists Pictures Corporation.

The 1958 original, written by Mark Hanna and directed by Nathan Hertz, is considered more a pulpy cult classic than a truly great movie (though it does boast one of the most iconic posters of all time).

Allison Hayes stars as Nancy Archer, a wealthy but extremely troubled socialite whose problems include mental health issues, a history with drink and a philandering husband (Harry, played by William Hudson) who would rather spend time with his latest girlfriend than help his wife.

One night, Nancy has an encounter with a strange alien craft and its giant occupant, and the incident leaves her growing to enormous size. Using her newfound stature, she seeks revenge on her cheating other half.

Most impressively, the movie was made for $88,000. We’d guess a new take would have a significantly higher budget.

In 1993, a more comedic take on the story was made for television by director Christopher Guest (of ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ and ‘Waiting for Guffman’ fame ), with Daryl Hannah playing the main character.

Who else is making the new movie?

Director Tim Burton, Cinematographer David Lazenberg in 'Wednesday.'

While the story certainly sounds like something that Burton could get a lot out of (after all, retro imagery is often a part of his movies, and he even turned a set of trading cards into campy sci-fi movie ‘Mars Attacks!’), he’ll need a script.

Fortunately, one is underway from ‘Gone Girl’ writer Gillian Flynn, who feels like the right person to tackle a conflicted woman’s story.

Flynn’s work has been adapted several times, including into HBO TV series ‘Sharp Objects’ and movie take on ‘Dark Places’, which starred Charlize Theron, but largely flew under the radar.

She’s currently also working on a new small screen version of ‘Dark Places’ for HBO/Max, so Flynn is certainly busy right now. Outside of adaptations of her work, she wrote crime thriller ‘Widows’ for director Steve McQueen and developed an American version of British TV series ‘Utopia’.

When is Burton’s ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel arriving in theaters?

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ will be hitting screens on September 6th this year, taking advantage of the Labor Day weekend.

Tim Burton attends the world premiere of Netflix's 'Wednesday' on November 16, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.