Studio Pitch-man: Hey! I know what we should do! Let’s take a movie that is so iconic, that had actors who will be forever burned into our collective psyche as the characters they played, and we’ll do a newer version with GREAT special effects!!!!
Upper-level Hollywood Exec: Which movie?
Studio Pitch-man: (Waving his arms wildly) THE 10 COMMANDMENTS!!!!!!!
Upper-level Hollywood Exec: Hmmm… that could work…
Sigh.
Since McG is off of Superman now, maybe they could get him to direct. But who to play Moses? They’ll probably choose Jack Black since his name seems to come up for everything these days.
Please make it stop. The rule to remaking a film should be that the original should be either:
A. Awful or mediocre at best (Ocean’s 11).
B. Relatively unknown (The Italian Job).
You don’t remake a classic, beloved film… you’re only asking for trouble unless you think you can beat the odds. Of course EVERYONE in Hollywood thinks they can beat the odds.
Sure, remakes work once in a while, but the higher up the chain you go as far as the original, the lower your odds of doing a remake that will be embraced by the public. Sure, it might make money out of the gate based on the curiousity factor, but it won’t have the staying power that will continue to generate revenue for years, or decades to come. Of course studio execs are not known for long term planning.
Here are just a few best forgotten remakes: Walking Tall, Miracle on 34th Street, Planet of the Apes, Psycho, Godzilla, King Kong (although I do think Peter Jackson will do this one right), Rollerball, Mighty Joe Young, and The Blob.
Source: Variety.com
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