Ever since his directorial debut withHouse of 1000 Corpses,Rob Zombiehas been a mainstay in the horror genre. He has written and directed many movies since then, with varying critical results. In 2009, Zombie was planning to make his own version ofThe Blob, although that project would eventually fall through. The concept of Zombie taking onThe Blobin a new movie certainly sounds intriguing, but it’s not something we’ll ever see come to pass. Still, we can now get a basic idea of what it’d have been like, thanks to artist Alex Horley sharing early concept art he created for the movie.
In the images, we can see how Zombie’s idea for the titular blob was a bit darker than simply featuring a giant,red ball of gloop. Zombie’s blob seems to possess the people it consumes, turning them into some kind of, well, zombies. One picture shows the blob-zombies converging on a woman on the rooftop of a car, which seems to be a role Sheri Moon-Zombie would have played. Another image has one of the creatures attacking a nurse, with armed soldiers trying to stop it. A music festival with a band playing on stage is also featured, which seems to have been a prime location for the zombie-spewing blob to attack.
So, what happened with Zombie’s version ofThe Blob? According to the director himself, he was apprehensive about doing another remake from the start. He had ventured down that road already withHalloween, after all. Zombie’s take on the story was certainly original which allowed for some more creative freedom, but something about it just didn’t feel right to the filmmaker. “I didn’t feel good about the situation and I just walked away from it,” Zombie said about the project. “My gut told methis was not a good place to be.”
If Zombie had made the movie, itwould not have been the first remake for the franchise. With the first movie releasing all the way back in 1958, it was later remade in 1988 by Chuck Russell. Although the planned remake with Zombie has been resting in development hell ever since, producers Richard Saperstein and Brian Witten are still hoping to get the movie made. In 2015, Simon West was announced as the new director of the movie, with original producer Jack H. Harris executive producing. With no apparent updates since then, however, it remains to be seen if the movie will ever come to fruition.
As for Rob Zombie, he has been focusing on telling his own original stories in the years since abandoningThe Blob. He completed filming earlier this year for his next movie3 from Hell, which serves as a direct sequel toThe Devil’s Rejects. An official release date hasn’t yet been given, but Zombie says the movie will be released sometime in 2019. You can take a peek at the concept art of Zombie’s plannedBlobremake below, and see more from the artist over atAlex Horley Art.
