Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino (Up) is set to make his feature directorial debut with a reboot of the 1954 monster movie Them! for Warner Bros.
Gordon Douglas directed the original WB movie, which concerned giant ants that have been exposed to radiation and are discovered in the New Mexico desert, where they quickly become a national threat as they make their way to Los Angeles.
Giacchino recently directed Marvel’s 53-minute special Werewolf by Night, which debuted last October on Disney+, so he’s been working his way up to this moment, and is currently meeting with writers in the hopes of starting production sometime next year. He also plans to score the film himself, and have his brother, fellow Oscar-winning composer Anthony Giacchino (Colette), involved in the project in some capacity.
Deadline broke the news about the reboot of Them!, and Giacchino told the trade that not only has he been a fan of the original since he was a kid, but that the current version looks at immigration through the lens of a monster movie.
“Michael Giacchino is a unique talent. We’re excited to be working with him and have him at the studio,” WB’s Jesse Ehrman told Deadline. Ehrman was reportedly blown away by Werewolf by Night, and he’ll oversee Them! for the studio.
Giacchino has composed the scores for some of the biggest movies in recent memory, including Spider-Man: No Way Home, Star Trek, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Just last year, he scored The Batman, Jurassic World Dominion, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Pixar’s Lightyear. However, Giacchino has never directed a proper feature, as Werewolf by Night ran less than an hour, though surely he has picked up a few things from the many talented filmmakers he has worked with over the years. He also directed the short Monster Challenge and an episode of Star Trek: Short Treks for Paramount+. Them! may be the perfect vehicle for him then, as he’ll be able to put his own stamp on the material without upsetting a legion of fans.
We wish him — and them (Warner Bros.) — the best of luck on this one, which sounds like it could be fun, particularly with the Monsterverse winding down next March.
