Say what you want about Max Landis, but for a guy who takes as many punches online as he does, he’s not afraid to lean into a project that’s guaranteed to bring him even more scrutiny. Last fall, the internet rolled its eyes when it was announced that he would be writing and directing a remake of his father John Landis‘ beloved “An American Werewolf In London.” A redo has been in the works for years, and while you might think that Landis Sr. might be a bit more relieved with his son at the helm, that’s not the case.
Speaking with Collider, John Landis revealed that he tried to warn his progeny from doing the movie, if only because it’s a high mountain to climb….and fall from if it doesn’t work.
“Truthfully, I’ve not seen his script. I advised him not to do it. I think he’s putting himself in a bad position. My son is brilliant, he really is, and he wants to do it. So what am I going to say? No? I know it won’t be as bad as ‘An American Werewolf In Paris,’ which was shit. So, I don’t know,” he said. “He’s a great writer. He’s been writing since he was 7. He wrote a whole series of scripts about these characters called Yelp and Dopey, two dumb dogs, when he was under ten. They were so funny.”
In a followup interview, John Landis elaborated on his thoughts.
“I just wanted to clarify that I didn’t just warn Max, I think anyone who attempts to remake a movie that is held in high regard is really risking something. The truth is that I’m not against remakes at all. I mean, David Cronenberg’s ‘The Fly‘ is a great movie and it’s a remake of a beloved classic, same with John Carpenter’s remake of ‘The Thing.’ ” he said. “Sequels don’t bother me either, ‘The Godfather Part II‘ is one of the great American films. So any apprehension that I expressed is because I think it’s daunting. But the truth is that as I said, Max is brilliant and he wants to do it. He’s an incredibly smart, passionate guy and I was horrified to see that the impression everyone got is that I am somehow trash talking my son, which could not be farther from the truth.”
Essentially, it’s a veteran in the game passing on some hard won wisdom to the next generation. Whether or not Landis Jr. will heed the advice of Landis Sr., we’ll have to wait and see.