Thandiwe Newton joins cast of new 'Anaconda' movie

'Mission: Impossible' actress Thandiwe Newton has joined the cast of the new 'Anaconda' movie. 

She joins 'Ant-Man' star Paul Rudd and 'School of Rock' actor Jack Black in the film. Rudd and Black were announced as the movie's lead actors in August last year. 

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Selton Mello, Ione Skye and Steve Zahn have also been added to the cast. Filming has already begun in Australia. 

The new 'Anaconda' movie is due for release in December 2025. It is a reboot of the 1997 version starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Owen Wilson, Jonathan Hyde and Jon Voight.

The reboot is a comedic reimagining of the '90s film. According to Variety, it will focus "on a group of friends who are facing mid-life crises and set off to remake their favourite movie from their youth". 

Newton, who has starred in movies like 'Mufasa: The Lion King' and '2012', will reportedly play a childhood friend who travels with Rudd and Black's characters to a rainforest where they encounter one of the world's most feared snake species. 

ALSO READ: Darren Maule's movie review: 'Mufasa: The Lion King'

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The 1997 version of the film was a major hit, especially in South Africa, where most millennials, thanks to e.tv, have watched the movie at least 10 times. 

The channel was notorious for repeatedly playing the movie at 8 pm on a Saturday or Sunday night.

It became a running joke over the years, with scores of memes and jokes made about the channel's "obsession" with the film. 

"The public prosecutor in South Africa needs to investigate Etv and their obsession with Anaconda," one X user joked in 2022. 

Another use teased in 2023, "I wish someone can love me the way ETV loves Anaconda." 

A third person said, "Etv wants to make sure no South African dies without watching Anaconda. Unreal commitment."

The 2025 'Anaconda' movie will be released in cinemas on December 25. 

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Main image credit:Instagram/@thandiwenewton