Tim Burton’s upcoming remake of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is moving forward with new writers attached. The project, first announced in 2024, will now feature a screenplay by Danya Jimenez and Hannah McMechan, the duo behind Netflix’s breakout animated hit KPop Demon Hunters, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Burton, who signed on to direct the reimagining for Warner Bros., originally had Gone Girl writer Gillian Flynn attached to the script. The original Attack of the 50 Foot Woman premiered in 1958 and followed a wealthy heiress turned giant after an encounter with an alien. The film, written by Mark Hanna, became a cult classic for its mix of sci-fi, melodrama, and gender politics.
Jimenez and McMechan gained attention for co-writing KPop Demon Hunters, which dominated pop culture in 2025. The movie became Netflix’s most-watched film ever, earned a brief theatrical release, and turned its soundtrack into a chart-topping phenomenon. It has since collected three Golden Globe nominations, five Grammys, and ten Annie Award nods. The film’s lead song, “Golden,” is widely predicted to win Best Original Song at this year’s Oscars.
“We’re obsessed with the idea of a fifty-foot woman wreaking havoc because a man did her dirty,” Jimenez and McMechan told The Hollywood Reporter. “We have a feeling a lot of people will relate.”
The writers’ success followed an early recommendation from Guardians of the Galaxy screenwriter Nicole Perlman, who connected them to KPop Demon Hunters co-director Maggie Kang. The pair have since built a busy slate that includes a queer Western, a series titled A Really Bad Person, and scripts for a Cheech & Chong biopic and a Shrek spin-off focused on Lord Farquaad for DreamWorks.
The story was previously revived in 1993 with a made-for-TV version starring Daryl Hannah, produced for HBO. That version leaned more heavily on feminist themes and modern satire, reimagining the original’s revenge-driven plot for a new audience. While critics gave Hannah’s performance mixed reviews, the movie built a small cult following over time for its campy tone and early-’90s visual flair. Burton’s new take is expected to aim higher, blending the original’s pulp energy with a more pointed cultural edge.
Back in August 2025, reports surfaced that Barbie star Margot Robbie was in talks to lead Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, though Warner Bros. has given no casting updates. If Robbie joins the film, her involvement would likely generate major attention for the remake. Analysts say that pairing Burton’s gothic vision with Jimenez and McMechan’s pop sensibility could lead to one of the most significant studio revivals of a 1950s cult property in years.
Many attempts to modernize classic sci-fi titles such as Fantastic Voyage, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Forbidden Planet have failed to materialize. Industry insiders believe Attack of the 50 Foot Woman may finally break that streak. As one source put it, “If any team can pull it off, it’s this one.”
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