Universal Pictures has begun development on the long-rumored remake of the 1981 horror-comedy classic "An American Werewolf in London," with Max Landis, son of original filmmaker John Landis, set to write and direct.

Deadline reports that "The Walking Dead" producers Robert Kirkman and John Alpert will produce the project under their Skybound Entertainment banner as part of a first-look deal with Universal. John Landis will serve as an executive producer.

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The original film told the story of two American college students who are attacked by a wolf while backpacking through the English countryside. The lone survivor is hospitalized and begins to have disturbing visions of his dead friend, who warns him that he'll transform into a werewolf with the next full moon. Mayhem ensues.

Incredibly influential, the 1981 original won the first-ever Academy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup, for Rick Baker's special effects, and has developed a cult following over the decades. However, its loose sequel, 1997's "An American Werewolf in Paris," was widely panned.

Best known as the writer of the surprise 2012 hit "Chronicle," Max Landis has also penned "American Ultra" and "Victor Frankenstein." He's also the writer and executive producer of the BBC America adaptation of "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency," and executive producer of Syfy's "Channel Zero."