Rob Zombie Remaking The Blob

Rob Zombie is set to remake 1958's classic science fiction film, The Blob.

Zombie is set to write, direct and co-produce the film, which will reportedly cost around $30 million U.S. to make (about $33 million Canadian). Zombie, who is known for making horror films like House Of 1000 Corpses and Halloween II, told Variety he'd been wanting to break out of the horror genre and do something different.

"My intention is not to have a big red blobby thing — that's the first thing I want to change," Zombie said. "That gigantic Jello-looking thing might have been scary to audiences in the 1950s, but people would laugh now."

The original Blob was an independent production directed by Irvin Yeaworth (Dinosaurus!, Way Out) and starring Steve McQueen (The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape) in his debut feature film performance. The "blob" in question is a gigantic red amoeba which crashes into the earth on an object from outer space and starts absorbing any humans with which it comes in contact.

Zombie told Variety he will release the follow-up to 2006's Educated Horses and tour behind it this fall. He also plans to have the script for The Blob finished around the same time.