What's your take on putting your spin on a classic idea. For example, over the last ten years or so, the zombie craze has hit pretty unprecedented heights. Are you of the mind that they've been done and they'll never have an original feeling to them, or do you believe it's possible to put your own twist and finger print on an idea that has been done by so many other people? Personally I think it's possible to do it, but it probably increases the amount of skeptics who will read the log line or the first page and say "oh god not another zombie flick.". Nothing like a challenge though, and obviously each topic has different challenges. Other examples : Mafia, Serial Killers, War, CSI-types... post others you could think of if you'd like.
Screenwriting : Ideas That Have Been Done to Death by Doug Doucette
Ideas That Have Been Done to Death
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Two genres stand out to me as being milked to death in the past few years - the revenge flick or hit man as protagonist movie and supernatural horror. I think if you just write what you are into and be true to yourself, that is the way to go. So if you're really into zombies and have an idea for a zombie movie that you're passionate about, write it and don't worry that zombies are overplayed. But at the same time, don't go 'hmm, I see a lot of hitman movies on Netflix, I should write one of those to cash in'
Id like to think that theres unexplored avenues in every story, even ones that have already been told. So there's no reason why you can't have success in a heavily saturated topic. It just creates more obstacles, in my opinion.
I think if you know the sub-genre well enough then you can put a twist on it, if not then I'd Google your idea first to make sure it doesn't exist already... But, don't forget a great story, with great characters and a compelling plot can still effectively tread old ground... I mean how far away from Dawn of the Dead is The Walkind Dead (or many other zombie flicks)... it's not always the twists that make these things work. Anthony
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Personally, I think there are plenty of original ideas out there. But the people who front the money don't want to LOSE money and it's a risk to chance on something that people may not "get". It's so much easier to sell something with a "proven track record" which is how we get a gazillion of a theme that makes us want to gouge out our eyes with a pencil. It's the rare person indeed who takes a chance on something new. But when they do, it's often so wonderful.
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Perhaps when being 'pitched' you state what is different and entertaining about it. There is a Niche for that Genre to be sure. As far as something being repeated... Well take a look at Network and the procedural shows with only different actors or regurged for that matter in a different city... Talking about an over milked goat. ©