I thought all the talk of board game and bubblegum movies would give us a break from news of remakes, and yet Hollywood is there to oblige us with the latter once again. This time it’s the cult 1986 film Flight of the Navigator that’s getting the update treatment.
Let the anticipation and excitement commence… not…
The Flight of the Navigator remake will be written by Brad Copeland, best known for writing Arrested Development, as well as for My Name is Earl and the funny-at-times TV show Grounded for Life. Oh, and don’t tell anyone, but he also wrote Wild Hogs. Yeah, way to go on that one, Copeland…
Mandeville partners David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman will be acting as producers on the remake, with the executive producer from the original, John Hyde, stepping back into the role of exec producer for the remake.
I don’t know about you, but original Flight of the Navigator was a beloved film for me when I was young. I don’t remember everything about it as it’s been years and years since I’ve seen it, but I do remember it constantly being on my TV screen. And this just makes me even more annoyed that they’re remaking it.
All this complaining about the rash of movie remakes from us bloggers may be getting as annoying as the prospect of remakes itself, but if they’re going to keep (re)making them at the rate they are, then we’re going to keep saying why they shouldn’t. The original Navigator definitely has its fans – a “cult” film it most definitely could be described as – but I doubt it still has enough mainstream recognition to capitalize on the name.
That begs the question, then: are they just going to use the name, forget about the original story – a 12 year old boy gets abducted by aliens and is returned 8 years later, un-aged and with no memory – and go completely their own way with it? If so, why base it on Flight of the Navigator? Why not call it something like “Jimmy’s Flying Alien Space Adventure“?
It would be as good of an idea to call it that as it would having the remake in the first place…
Like most remakes of ’80s movies, it just won’t be the same. Part of the charm of the original Flight of the Navigator is that ’80s feel it had about it, and no doubt that would be eradicated in lieu of expensive special effects (although the special effects in the original were considered awe-inspiring back in the day) and cheap laughs. And, like pretty much all remakes, if the new version sucks it soils the name of the film we enjoyed so much, which is a damn shame…
What is your opinion on a Flight of the Navigator remake? Are you looking forward to it? or is this another movie that just should not be remade?
Source: THR
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I love the original and I don't think another remake would be needed I agree with the writer of this article it will loose something the original was great special affects in all so i say no to the remake.
PLEASE, MERCIFUL FATHER IN HEAVEN… Don't it suck!
i agree the original was great i just finished watching it and all through the movie i was loving that phat 80′s style bass guitar singing strong in all the songs throughout the movie! i just dont think they can really improve a movie like this.
southpark did a great episode where they touched on the subject of steven spielberg and george lucas remaking and ruining classic films.
anyway its been a year since the original post and i havent heard anything about it so hopefuly the plan has gone down the gurgler.
or better yet it has been done and was so unsuccessful i still havent heard of it and cant find info on the net!(not likely)
Please dont remake this im sick to death of film company’s just tryin to make a quick buck with doing remakes just look how bad the willy wonka remake came out or the 4th Terminator the wonka one for me tho was the biggest disgrace ive ever seen the original is priceless how did they think anyone could have done it better than Gene wilder!
If only in 3D….
yes in 3D and change the story somehow like a different version
Well, there’s no Surprise of a remake here, and like the rest they will proably mess it up, but… If somehow they don’t, which I know, is quite a longshot, but, if they dont it will be amazing.
And that’s the biggest shame really, There are More than plenty of incredible talented, intelligent and creative people out here to make something like this good, but that doesn’t matter to sudios. Its about marketability and profitsharing, and not Art.
Is it the end of the world? Really? In the 90′s almost every TV series from every decade since the invention of television itself was re-made. Cartoons were rendered live-action while live-action was animated. Classics are endlessly being regurgitated into a soupy CGI bile of “hip” modernism as if movie makers are purposefully playing on the nostalgia of the current generation in an effort to make money while simultaneously hiding their inability to conjure an original thought. Finding out that a movie that played an integral part in my personal up-bringing is being subjected to the movie industry’s inability to consider films as works of art is quite depressing to say the least.
I actually just bought FOTN a few days ago. My wife and I were at Wal-Mart and I was doing my usual movie browsing and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw FOTN for sale. I was so ecstatic and grabbed it without hesitation. My wife had never seen it so I made her watch it with me and share in my nostalgic glee. She loved it. Now just tonight I told myself wait a sec… If they’re selling this movie now… OH NO!!! I searched to see if they were going to “remake” it, and sure enough, they are. I have mixed feelings about all these remakes Hollywood has been pooping out lately. I always think, Awww Crap! They’re doing it again. But I watch the movies. Some of them turn out o.k. But they should not be remakes. They should just “base” these movies on classic movies. Give them a different title, change the characters, etc. I have nothing against a Director, Producer or Writer thinking back on an older film and saying I love this part in this movie, but I would do it this way. Take inspiration from he films you love, don’t destroy them for he rest of us. Example… Clash of the Titans. Should not have been touched. I absolutely loved the original. It is one of my favorite movies. Actually all Ray Harryhausen movies are my favorites. But that new Clash of the Titans, was not Clash of the Titans. They hanged oo much. I liked the remake, but it should have been a completely different movie. I’m losing faith in Hollywood to produce original movies. Have they run out of original concepts? Good original concepts. At the rate they’re going, by the time I’m 45(32 now),I’m sure I’ll get to see a “remake” of Star Wars, Back to the Future, E.T. etc. Damn!!!
I agree with a lot of the other comments. I think it won’t be as good as the first…they never are. The guy writing for the film does raunchy comedy. It’s too bad they couldn’t get someone with the writing skills to give it the same “magic” as the first one.
Like Uriel, I too was amazed to find FotN at Wal-Mart. I too instantly picked it up and all the memories that were associated with that movie came flooding back. I couldn’t wait to get home and watch it, and sure enough I did exactly what I did as a kid; I watched it three times in a row!
I’m really worried about a remake of this movie. I know that some (not many) turn out okay, but the vast majority of them simply turn out awful. There just doesn’t seem to be a happy medium here.
They should have the remake with joey cramer in it
I heard about this getting a remake and was beginning to think that was not necessary. But I remember going to the remake for “The Karate Kid” and although it was not near as good as the original- it did not disappoint me and I think it was a good movie for today. So now I have confidence that a remake for “Flight of the Navigator” may be okay- but the original would definitely be better as it was meant for the time it was made. I just think they should not ruin it by making it too silly. They better not have the main character be a girl or somebody black. I just hope it is a similar story about a young boy disappearing and being returned in another decade to see how everything he knows has been changed. Imagine someone from a year where 9/11 has not happened yet or is a recent event and then finding themself when Barack Obama is now the U.S. President- it would be one heck of a surprise for them to hear about the first black man at the White House when that is still a wonder where they come from.
Is the original producer of Shakespeare’s plays upset about the rewrites and so on of his stories? The movie as it is isn’t dated, but the remake may not be bad. Just in my opinion, the more magic (CGI) they use, the more magic they lose. Actors react, and I’m not sure who they’re supposed to react toa special effect. I personally hate CGI. The way it moves, and the yawnfest generates. Little uses of it are cool – like to change the picture on a TV, or for an insect. But whole scenes? Unless the movie is very mythical, such as Toy Story, not even a great script can save a movie like that.
This movie should NOT be remade, for any reason! A sequel, now that makes more sense, I’d be happy to write it too. The ship can travel through time, the possibilities are endless, I would have Max pick up David a few years after their first encounter, with max on another “mission” remember, everybody else is clueless…David could even end up on Phaelon.
If Justin Bieber or Zac Efron plays David or heck have any part in this movie I will be VERY ANGRY….
Ok I really hope they don’t remake it :C It’s help up pretty well on it’s own and 90% of the time remakes suck in my opinion. Now a sequel, that’d be interesting. They did it with Tron, why wouldn’t it work here? Plus sequels if they work well bring in something new.
And this movie is part of my childhood, I’d rather see kids watching the original, not a crappy remake.
i think it will be a horrrible idea, some of the best moives are ORIGNALS. last time i cheack, everyone’s fav was the orignals not the remake (if they had one). this will be a bad idea anyway, it will be like someone remaking the back to the future moives or the old star war’s movies, or some other classice movies that i can’t think of right now.
it will only make more sense if it was a sequel then i wouldn’t be so annoyed about it
NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooOOOOOOO. I JUST WATCHED FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR AGAIN.AMAZING. AND THEN THE FEAR HIT ME, SO I CHECKED TO SEE IF A REMAKE IS HAPPENING. PLEASE GOD NO. JESUS JESUS CHRIST. SNFJSRNGUNASRGNSARNGJRSNJN
This is def one of my fave childhood movies, I used to have it on VHS but it got lost when we all made the switch to DVD. this movie randomly popped into my head about 2 years ago and I did a bit of research found out what it was called and ordered it from amazon, it was still a thrill to watch 22 years after it was released. we all know remaking movies is a b ad idea, they always suck as remakes, why not just re-release the origonal?
yes in 3d and change the story somehow like a different version
but still classic the hair and the dress.
I think a sequel would be better than a re-make. I really love the original and it would be a shame if they did. It just seems to me that Hollywood writers have lost all imagination to come up with a great new storyline.
Oh a sequal would be awesome…if they do that instead I hope to God they don’t stick a tacky number to it….. Bambi II anyone?…..anyway, I feel the only way a sequal would work is if they did a follow-up movie like they did with Tron…. It still had the feel. How this would play out is beyond me, but something tells me it would work if written and directed well and close to the original.
I was born in 81, i like u loved this movie. I was also a little upset they were remaking it and after hearing u say or ask , do u think they will stick to the story or completely turn it into a transformers movie, which I pray to god they dont and I even recently found and bought itz on dvd , where is I found out about the remake.I just haven’t heard when they will be starting it, and whos will be in it, my favorite part was my father n his father worked till retirement out at KSC,(NASA) and I really loved theu little green alein, so cute !!!!
If they going to make a sequel then the story should be more serious for the ship to come back,maybe to fight world war 3 or a galaxy war something and he wants the kid back.
I personally think since Disney has been popping out 3D renderings of The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, maybe they could just do one of those Clash of the Titans 3D converts to the original move and put it out on the big screen. Although if they were going to put out a new movie I wouldn’t mind seeing David Henrie of Wizards of Waverly Place in the movie. Other Disney stars that I could stand seeing in a remake of Flight of the Navigator. As follows David De Luise, Eric Allan Kramer, Dick Van Dyke, and Debby Ryan(maybe).
Remakes always suck!! The original was pretty good, when I saw it as a kid.
the original as just been on syfy channel in uk. carnt believe there thinking of a re-make something i will stay away from
I really don’t see the point of remaking a film unless it was a complete and utter flop that needs to be redeemed. Hollywood needs to get in some creative screenwriters with some fresh ideas and start taking risks. All they seem to do is repeating stuff that was succesful in the past.