The Boris Karloff cult film Isle of the Dead is being remade by RKO Pictures. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Brian Horiuchi and Matt Lazarus have been hired to adapted the original screenplay, updating it for today's hipper audiences.

The 1945 film revolved around a Greek military commander (Karloff) who gets stranded on an island where a zombie plague has broken out. When the island is quarantined, some begin to suspect a vampire-demon is responsible for the deaths that have occurred there. This new version will be set against the backdrop of a viral outbreak in Afghanistan.

RKO chairman and CEO Ted Hartley stated, "Val Lewton (director of the original) made his name by taking the horror genre to a new place. Brian and Matt have the same kind of genre-bending sensibilities that will give this classic tale the perfect blend of contemporary themes and timeless scares."

RKO is currently looking for a director to helm the thriller. No official start date has been set yet.