The DOs and DON’Ts of Film Reboots and Remakes
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The process of remaking something isn’t new, but it seems that today reboots and remakes have been dominating the film industry at an incredibly high degree. Whether it the superhero reboots that come out within five years of each other or the endless slew of classic horror films that get remade, Hollywood has really banked a significant portion of it’s business on them. So what are some things that make these remakes and reboots successful? I took a gander at the film landscape and came up with some Dos and Dont’s for having a successful remake.
DO
Think outside the box. Want to cast a young TV actor as Batman to go in a younger direction? It’s a decent idea. Or cast a Black guy in traditional white role? Give it a shot. How about making one of the major heroes gay? Switching the genders of the main character? Any of the above ideas is what studios should be thinking regarding reboots, and casting especially. Why not take a chance if you’re going in a “new” direction?
Hire good screenwriters/directors and give them full control. You want to know why Nolan’s Batman films and Whedon’s Avengers went over so well? Because these big studios gave the creators room to play and reshuffle the deck with well worn heroes. And how awesome was True Grit in the hands of the Cohen bros? Films are always better when you give the creatives control and remakes are no exception.
Embrace the silly. I know everything these days has to be “dark and gritty” but unless your superhero fits that aesthetic don’t try and shoehorn him/her into that world.
Pay homage to the original. It is definitely ok to offer bits of fan service like cameos of famous actors, fun visuals, maybe even a scene or two from the original in your reboot.
Give the older films a facelift/reconstruction. The 1932 and 1999 editions of The Mummy couldn’t be more different and The Thing (1982) is vastly different from the original. If you are going to do a remake, putting a new spin or genre on the material helps.
DON’T
Don’t fully ignore the cannon while casting. This has come in really stark view with the whole Tyler Hoechlin possibly being Batman thing. While it’s totally acceptable to shuffle gender/race among reboots, what doesn’t work as well is age. Batman is canonically ALWAYS between 35-mid 40s…so why are you even screen-testing anyone under the age of 30? Casting the centerpiece of the film is so important (what would Iron Man be without RDJ?) so you can’t just throw everything out the window.
Don’t hire Damon Lindelof, Roberto Orci or Alex Kurtsman to write any of your films. Please.
Don’t get lazy. English remakes of Japanese horror films tend to do this often and The Amazing Spider-Man might be the most recent example of a big budget reboot that just barely managed to do enough to act like it wasn’t aping the previous film. Just because you have a template doesn’t mean you don’t have to put in work. And on the other hand…
Don’t do too much. Peter Jackson’s King Kong is a great example of a movie that is just too much for itself. Just because you have better CGI and a bigger budget doesn’t mean you should wild out with it.
Don’t be a slave to the original. Star Trek Into Darkness, for all its goodness, really swung and missed with that whole Khan deal, because it relied on not just audience knowledge of the original Star Trek sequel, but an entire plot from the classic TV show. Gus Van Sant’s Psycho was a dreadful mess even if it was a shot for shot remake.
Don’t fuck with the classics. Sometimes movies are better left untouched. Many of these films also derive their greatness from being from a time period and don’t work as reboots with today’s audiences (2006 The Omen or Red Dawn for example). And can we just call a moratorium on remaking 70s films?
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