Mike Flanagan Wants to Direct a New ‘Jaws’ Movie

Mike Flanagan has built a career adapting the work of legendary storytellers, from Shirley Jackson and Stephen King to Christopher Pike and Edgar Allan Poe. But the acclaimed horror filmmaker has his sights set on another iconic property: Jaws.

During an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit promoting his latest Stephen King adaptation, Carrie, Flanagan revealed that he’d love the opportunity to make a movie about everyone’s favorite killer shark.

Responding to a fan question about franchises, Flanagan reflected on how his perspective has changed over the course of his career.

“It’s so funny to me because I spent a lot of my career thinking I wouldn’t do franchises or sequels, and – whoops – but I really love getting to play in a world I know and respect and adore, and put my own spin on it,” he explained.

“Honestly, I wish to hell I could make a JAWS movie,” Flanagan admitted.

The filmmaker acknowledged that matching Steven Spielberg’s original Jaws would be a nearly impossible task, but he sees potential in the franchise’s later installments.

“Another example where no one will EVER get close to the original, but there is a ton of room for improvement on the sequels,” Flanagan continued.

He’s also preparing to put his own spin on another legendary horror franchise with The Exorcist: Martyrs, scheduled to arrive next year. Like Jaws, The Exorcist series has struggled to recapture the impact of its original film.

Mike Flanagan Also Wants to Make a Scary Jurassic Movie

A new Jaws movie isn’t the only Steven Spielberg property Flanagan would like to tackle. The filmmaker also expressed interest in taking the Jurassic franchise in a more frightening direction.

“A JURASSIC movie could be a blast too, I’d want to go really scary with it. A true dinosaur horror film would be a blast,” Flanagan said in the same Reddit response.

The Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise remains active, with a new movie reportedly in development and searching for a director. Could Flanagan be a contender? It’s an intriguing possibility, although no involvement has been announced.

As for Jaws, the franchise hasn’t returned to the big screen since the widely criticized Jaws: The Revenge (1987). While another installment could eventually happen, Bruce the shark remains on the sidelines for now.

Would you like to see Mike Flanagan direct a new Jaws movie?