Karl Freund's 1932 classic The Mummy, featuring Boris Karloff and Zita Johann, will be released in a 2-Disc Special Edition DVD set on July 8th, 2008, as part of the Universal Legacy Series. The set comes out just a month before the theatrical release of The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (a sequel to Stephen Sommers' 1999 Mummy remake). According to DVDTimes.co.uk, Freund's original will be presented in 1.33:1 aspect ratio with the soundtrack in mono.

Entertainment Weekly has posted an interview with makeup effects wizard Rick Baker on their website, where they discuss the ins and outs of making Benicio del Toro into a werewolf for Universal's remake of their 1941 classic The Wolf Man. Accompanying the interview are two sweet pictures of del Toro in makeup. I have to say, at least they have the look down -- there's a clear lineage from the old school look, but it's been updated to utilize modern sensibilities and techniques.

Click the picture below to open a larger version in a new window.

Michael Bay's production company Platinum Dunes, responsible for remaking Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror, now turns its attention to Roman Polanski's seminal thriller Rosemary's Baby. According to ShockTillYouDrop.com, they're in talks with Paramount to produce a new version of the 1968 film. Dunes is also busy with remakes of A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Birds, as well as a revisit of the Friday the 13th mythos.

Joe Johnston (Jumanji, Jurassic Park III) has replaced Mark Romanek on Universal's remake of the 1941 horror flick The Wolf Man. Johnston was selected from a shortlist of directors that included Brett Ratner (Red Dragon), James Mangold (Identity), Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters) and Frank Darabont (The Mist). The Wolf Man, which is budgeted at $85 million with an additional $15 million from tax breaks for shooting in the UK, will begin filming in March.

Bloody Disgusting first broke the news in January that New Line Cinema was considering a return to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, but had no solid ideas. Today, The Hollywood Report brings the official word -- New Line will team up with Michael Bay's remake-machine production company Platinum Dunes for what appears to be a remake of the 1984 original.

Alfred Molina and Hope Davis have signed on to star in The Lodger, an adaptation of the Marie Belloc Lowndes novel that also inspired Alfred Hitchcock's 1927 film. In this new version, set in modern-day Los Angeles, a police detective (Molina) tries to track down a killer while a landlady (Davis) takes in an enigmatic tenant. David Ondaatje is writing and directing the film, which is being produced by the Sony imprint Stage 6 Films.

Genius Entertainment will release Rob Zombie's Halloween, a remake of the 1978 John Carpenter classic, in separate rated and unrated two-disc special editions on December 18th, 2007. The rated disc will feature the film as it played in the theaters and buyers will have a choice between widescreen and fullscreen. The widescreen-only unrated version, which features 11 minutes of additional footage, is being touted as Zombie's director's cut. Features for all editions include:

The fine folks over at Bloody-Disgusting have exclusive word on who might be directing the on-again, off-again, on-again Hellraiser remake for Dimension Films. The news is cool enough that I'll let them tell you all about it. You can click here to read the news over at their site (link opens a new window).

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the upcoming Friday the 13th film from Platinum Dunes will be a remake, in a manner of speaking. The film, written by the Freddy vs. Jason team of Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, will focus squarely on Jason Voorhees, who will wear his infamous hockey mask as he stalks the campgrounds of Crystal Lake.

David Cronenberg is about to see another one of his films remade. Screenwriter Cory Goodman is set to write a script for a new version of Cronenberg's 1979 horror-thriller The Brood. Spyglass Entertainment will produce the film alongside Clark Peterson (Monster). Dimension Films is already putting together a remake of Scanners, Cronenberg's 1981 science fiction film, with Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II and III) attached to direct.