Fletch is an '80s comedy starring Chevy Chase that follows the titular LA Times reporter who is paid to kill a terminally ill millionaire, and it's now being remade with Jon Hamm in the lead role. While Chase was hilarious in the 1985 movie, Hamm seems like he was the perfect candidate to carry the torch in Confess, Fletch, and it looks like he was born to play the clumsy reporter.
The '80s is a treasure trove of comedies with interesting concepts, and while remaking these films comes with a bad stigma, a select few comedy remakes from the decade have the potential to be great. Between time-traveling slackers, an anthropomorphic duck, and an angry TV network head, these characters could be adapted perfectly for a 2020s audience.
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is one of the few '80s comedies that are both clever and outright hilarious. The movie sees two slackers time travel to collect historical figures and bring them back to the present day for a school assignment. A remake could follow the same story, but the new Bill and Ted could collect completely different historical figures.
At the very least, there could be a soft reboot of the series starring Bill and Ted's kids. The fairly recent legacy sequel, 2020's Bill & Ted Face the Music, introduced their daughters, who had great chemistry and were just as funny as their fathers. And though gender-swap reboots haven't been that successful in the past, as movies like Ocean's 8 and 2016's Ghostbusters were critically scammed, Billie & Thea deserves to happen.
The Breakfast Club (1985)
The original The Breakfast Club is a coming-of-age teen comedy, but it wasn't knee-slappingly funny and it focused just as much on the message. The film depicted a group of teenagers in weekend detention, and they're all part of different cliques and have very different upbringings. Despite them having an immediate ignorant hatred for each other, they learn to understand each other's perspectives.
School life hasn't gotten any easier; in fact, it's only gotten harder with the likes of social media, and a Breakfast Club remake could tackle that and be another coming-of-age movie that encourages positivity and discourages bullying just like the original.
Coming To America (1988)
While several remakes of and follow-ups to Eddie Murphy's '80s comedies are currently in development, most notably Beverly Hills Cop 4, the one that deserves it most is Coming to America. While it's another hilarious Murphy vehicle, the movie's premise is timeless, as it follows a foreigner moving to America looking for the love of his life.
Any great comedy actor could take the reins and deliver a truly funny, faithful, and romantic remake. There might have been a sequel that was released fairly recently, but that doesn't mean the original can't be remade, especially considering Coming 2 America was a critical dud and it certainly won't get a threequel anytime soon.
They Live (1988)
There's a gap in Hollywood for John Carpenter-esque high-concept horror comedies. That might be because most of Carpenter's movies were box office bombs and only became cult hits after the fact, but films like Big Trouble in Little China have become so beloved. The industry doesn't make movies like that anymore. However, while Big Trouble might be too much of a cult classic, They Live could easily be remade, as it doesn't hold as much of a legacy as the Kurt Russell-starring movie.
The film follows a man who can see that all politicians are actually aliens when he wears special sunglasses, and it would make for a hilariously meta remake. And it could be remade by Jordan Peele, as he's yet to make a political comedy horror, which might be a logical next step following Us and Nope.
Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
The 1986 movie isn't original, as the Little Shop of Horrors dates all the way back to 1960, and it was an original film directed by Roger Corman. However, the 1986 release was more based on the stageplay than anything else, and while it's a fun and scrappy little film, it makes little effort to feel like anything other than a play.
Though the scruffy, off-the-cuff feel is part of the aesthetic, a proper movie with a decent budget behind it could be a fantastic high-concept comedy musical. It could even feature an updated version of the old music. And as Lady Gaga has become as much of an actor as a singer, there's no better role for her than Audrey, a character she was born to play.
She-Devil (1989)
Though Hollywood studios are looking at classic movies to remake, that's exactly what they shouldn't be doing. It surely makes more sense to remake bad movies, as some terrible films still have a lot of potentials and there are no high expectations from any fanbase. And that's why She-Devil is the perfect candidate for an '80s comedy that should be remade.
The film has a shocking 40% on Rotten Tomatoes and 5.6 on IMDb despite starring three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep. But the movie still has a great premise, as it follows a woman who attempts to get revenge on her husband, who left her and their children for a romance novelist. Streep is such a great actor that she could even have a major role in the remake too.
Howard The Duck (1986)
Howard the Duck has become a meme character in the Marvel franchise, be it comic books or movies. Nevertheless, 1986's Howard the Duck was still surprisingly the first ever major Hollywood Marvel film. The movie was badly written, featured a disturbing practical design of the character, and failed to even become a cult classic.
But with the Marvel Cinematic Universe being the well-oiled machine that it is, a Howard the Duck movie in the universe could easily be a success, especially if it was James Gunn or Taika Waititi at the helm. The character has already quietly appeared in a couple of MCU releases, including Guardians of the Galaxy, and he was even in the battle in Avengers: Infinity War.
Scrooged (1988)
Scrooged is one of Bill Murray's funniest comedies, and it has such a unique aesthetic, as it's both gothic and festive, and it almost feels like Tim Burton directed Bad Santa. But it's time for an update, as so much comedy could be added given that it's about the head of a TV network and that the television landscape has changed so much in 34 years.
Not only that but there has been a distinct lack of great Christmas classics in recent years, so a Scrooged remake could end that dry spell. And while some might argue that remakes can't be classics, Scrooged itself was a remake, or at least an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, of which there have been many.
Brewster's Millions (1985)
Baseball movies are almost always crowd pleasers. Whether it's Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, or Moneyball, sports dramas about the ball game have always been successful, but it has been a while since the last great one and it might be time to look to the past.
However, baseball is just the jumping-off point for Brewster's Millions, which follows the titular character who attempts to spend $30 million in 30 days. While many hold Brewster's Millions close to their hearts, a remake wouldn't be as insulting as other remakes to classics, as the 1985 movie was already the seventh film based on the story.
Working Girl (1988)
Working Girl is about a boss who attempts to take credit for an idea that wasn't hers, which leads to backstabbing and loads of romance. Not many comedies are nominated for Academy Awards, especially not when it comes to acting categories, but the romantic comedy was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture.
The movie is already fun, but it isn't all that well remembered or iconic 34 years after its release, so a faithful remake in a modern-day setting could be great. Katherine Parker is one of the greatest villains in a grounded comedy, and the movie has strong themes of female empowerment, and in that respect, it's better to remake the film than to let the original become all but forgotten.