The remake/reboot/prequel game is now in full swing around Hollywood, but Disney has shown some promise in this area with the likes of the upcoming Tron Legacy, which made a huge (and somewhat unexpected) splash this past summer at Comic Con. If you haven't seen the Tron Legacy trailer, then you probably don't yet know why polishing up an old property can sometimes be a good thing.

Well, Disney is now dusting off another old property and giving it a modern polish - this time it's the 1970s "groundbreaking" sci-fi adventure, The Black Hole, which is being put in the hands of the Tron Legacy team and the scribe of the upcoming Clash of The Titans remake. The actual names behind this project are Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski, producer Sean Bailey and Clash of The Titans writer Travis Beacham. If you're like me, and not all that familiar with what the original version of The Black Hole was all about, here are some fun facts:

  • It was Disney's first PG-rated film (scandalous!).
  • At the time, the film was the most expensive project ever produced by Disney ($26 million - unheard of!).
  • It did fairly well at the box office ($36 million) and earned Oscar nods for cinematography and visual effects.
  • The opening credits featured the most elaborate computer graphics shot to date.

Much like Tron (the original version), The Black Hole seems to have been a bold foray into the filmmaking techniques of the then slightly-out-of-reach digital future. When you think about it like that, a modern remake suddenly makes sense, no?

As for WHAT they will be remaking, here is the trailer for the original:

If that informative trailer didn't explain it all, here is an IMDB synopsis:

For five years the crew of the PALOMINO has ranged through deep space, searching for evidence of alien life--with no result. Then, their mission almost at an end, they discover a giant collapsar--the largest black hole ever encountered--and, drifting perilously near it, is the long-lost legendary starship CYGNUS...Incredibly, the ship is not a lifeless hulk. Its commander--the genius who designed the CYGNUS and planned its epic voyage--still survives, served by a horde of mechanical slaves. But Commander Hans Reinhardt has no desire to be rescued. He has a rendezvous with the incredibly hellish forces of the collapsar--and he plans to take the PALOMINO'S crew along on his doomed adventure.

LOL! Normally I'm the first to lambaste a remake, but the original version's computer graphic space grid thingy could definitely use an upgrade! Though, I'm sure in 1979 seeing that grid ultimately form into a "black hole" funnel probably blew peoples' minds! We'll have to ask Screen Rant's Vic Holtreman what his Senior citizen ticket cost for that film ;-) .

Maximillian-Black-Hole_l

For fans of the original, I can tell you that as of now, we know that the red robot "Maximillian" (seen above) will be returning for the remake. Does that make you happy to hear?

Slash Film speculates that (like everything these days) Disney will develop The Black Hole remake for digital 3D. We also know that the plot will be much more rooted in the "science of a black hole," which has certainly progressed a ways since the original was made.

No word yet on when The Black Hole remake is looking to be in theaters or go into production, but we'll keep you posted.

Sources: THR via Slash Film