Selton Mello’s Hollywood Debut ‘Anaconda’ Opens in Brazil to Early Praise

Overview

• The sixth entry in the franchise is now screening in Brazilian theaters, with a Dec. 25 rollout that includes Boa Vista.
• Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Steve Zahn and Thandiwe Newton star as friends who head to the Amazon to film an amateur reboot that collides with a real giant snake.
• Critics from IndieWire, Deadline and Collider single out Mello as the film’s standout, calling him the production’s “trump card” and “the great find.”
• Director Tom Gormican frames the story as a metalinguistic blend of horror and comedy that pokes fun at Hollywood’s reboot machine.
• Principal photography took place in Australia, with second‑unit footage shot in the Amazon and Brazilian music and casting choices used to bolster authenticity; Mello notes viewers need no familiarity with earlier films.