The 1996 version of The Island of Dr. Moreau, which was directed by John Frankenheimer (who replaced Richard Stanley after half a week of filming), is a well-known disaster, but that was just one of many cinematic adaptations H.G. Wells’ 1896 novel has received over the years. That novel has inspired the 1932 classic Island of Lost Souls, 1959’s Terror Is a Man, 1972’s The Twilight People, a 1977 film that actually kept the The Island of Dr. Moreau title, the Full Moon production Dr. Moreau’s House of Pain, and more. Now we can add another title to the list, as Deadline reports that Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins has signed on to star in the The Island of Dr. Moreau reimagining Eyes in the Trees.
Timothy Woodward Jr., who most recently directed the horror comedy Til Death Do Us Part, will be directing Eyes in the Trees from a screenplay by B. Harrison Smith (Where the Scary Things Are) and Mike Manning (Son of the South). Hopkins will be taking on the role of a geneticist who has been isolated after the government stopped funding his research following the violent outbreak of one of his test subjects. Later, two renowned filmmakers and their crew embark on a journey of discovery, only to find their excursion turned into a fight for survival for not just themselves, but the entire human race.
Woodward has more than a decade of feature directing credits to his name, including Finders Keepers: The Root of All Evil, Throwdown, 7 Faces of Jack the Ripper, Gnome Alone, SWAT: Unit 887, Checkmate, 4Got10, Decommissioned, WEAPONiZED, Traded, American Violence, Hickok, Gangster Land, Silencer, The Final Wish, The Outsider, The Call, and Vanished: Searching for My Sister.
Artisha Mann-Cooper, Daemon Hillin, and Sasha Yelaun are producing Eyes in the Trees alongside executive producer Landon B. Gorman.
Wikipedia reminds that the text of Wells’ novel was the narration of Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the island home of Doctor Moreau, a mad scientist who creates human-like hybrid beings from animals via vivisection.
What do you think of Anthony Hopkins signing on to star in a reimagining of The Island of Dr. Moreau? Share your thoughts on Eyes in the Trees by leaving a comment below.