Anything Goes : What Film Needs A Remake/Reboot? by David Levy

This was a hypothetical question. Every writer regardless of level has a dream project they wished they could be on or have been involved in. That was my point. Comic book fanboy's talk about what they would do if they had creative control and in wrestling, veteran's in interviews are asked to "play the booker" if they gad control over angles and to book the storyline.

Logan's Run.

One of my all time fav's! I almost put that!

1984.

With Ralph FIennes as Winston, Ian McKellan as O'Brien and Helena Bonham Carter as Julia.

Noah and Exodus should have been brilliant films, but failed miserably - how good was The Ten Commandments and that was made in 1956 with better effects, shame on some modern filmmakers.

I love sci-fi, how about The Forbidden Planet and 2001 A Space Odyssey.

2001 I wouldn't.

Sorry Chanel, but I'd hate to see Forbidden Planet ruined with a remake.

David, Pierre, I'm making the presumption that they were well made, sure, a huge leap in faith - it's just a wish list - I can't recall too many remakes/reboots that I've enjoyed, except perhaps Sabrina, but geez, the lemons - Planet of the Apes was very ordinary, Total Recall not near as good, I've already mentioned Noah and Exodus - actually, I really enjoyed True Grit, except for the ending - definitely more misses than hits, fingers crossed for Mad Max.

True Grit had its moments. I mention The Last Starfighter as that was the 1st commercial film to feature computer special effects. I love the film but know with today's FX it would not look so campy and I LOVE the campy!

Sheena made me purr as an adolescent. While I wouldn't personally pursue the endeavor I would definitely like to see it revamped. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony doesn't already have the rights in collection of comic/action hero rights. Who knows?

I'd like to see a Millennium movie made (based on the now-old TV show) or a third X-Files movie. Both had franchise potential beyond what was ever done with them, IMHO.

Logan's Run

Remakes/reboots/re-imaginings... just shouldn't be allowed for movies that are already very good or great, there should be an abitration panel that can veto such ideas, no one under 40 allowed on the panel. The exceptions I would suggest, are attempts at improving poor movies and extensions of TV franchises, And no foreign remakes either, an unwillingness to read subtitles isn't excuse enough!

@Liz, I loved Millennium, until Morgan and Wong ruined it.

The Last Starfighter looks a little dated now, but like you, I enjoyed it, good choice.

Funny thing happened while I was writing today. Usually once I leave my stories they are in my head for while. But for some dumb reason this discussion and a comment made by Anthony Cawood gave me an even more expanded idea about Sheena. It was a fairly crappy movie that lost like 20 mil I think. Anyway I started seeing visuals like a cross between the latest version of King Kong and Life of Pi. I also think the dialogue can be greatly improved either making Sheena herself intelligent (I know intelligent blonde an oxymoron right. I’m being facetious any blonde ladies out there) or to expand since Sheena was set originally in the thirties bring it up to date and have Sheena’s granddaughter Sheela, daughter of Shera fight the modernization of the jungle or at least make those wanting to destroy her habitat be eco friendly and diplomatic. Another cool thread would be as tradition of her great grandmother to her has called for she is nearing 35 and needs a suitor. The suitor could either be a co-protagonist or antagonist that arcs. I know this concept is somewhat generic but it’s easier to do well and sell I believe. Strong female leads are appealing to some. There is something a little sexy about the naturalistic aspect of the Sheena character. It would probably be either a pushing the window PG-13 nowadays or a soft R rating. Well I’ve blubbered enough on stage32 for a while. This is just a bit of a window on how I think of things. If you get kind of bored I have a website called Cite Sight of Write Site Right http://michaellburris.com Peace out for a while again all. Hope everybody is enjoying some creative juices flowing.

Glad to have inspired, even if accidentally ;-) Have to say that my idea generation process is not dissimilar, read, hear, see something, then imagine... what if this was that way round instead, or roles were all reversed, or it was in the future/past etc... Good luck with Sheela though.

I'd be too afraid for someone to screw up an old favorite. Many remakes pale in comparison to the originals sadly. On the flip side though, it would be interesting to see a box office bomb remade into something enjoyable. There were many films made whose stories or themes had potential but were executed poorly or just looked downright cheesy because of budget restraints.

@Joseph Chastain 1984 is a good pick even if for no other reason than the times we live in. A few years back, it was even presented on stage at 59E59 and it's a story I think that always resonates.

@Pierre Langenegger See DM ;)

Off the top of my head, two movies that I enjoyed as originals and as remakes were "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Escape From New York." Definitely not opposed to seeing remakes/reboots of good material myself.

Moby Dick! From the time I read Melville's classic while at school, I have been itching to write/rewrite the screenplay, ably supported by today's VGI and diegetic and non diegetic sounds. Is there any film maker reading this and waiting for my script? :-)

The Miracle Man (lost silent)

for a book impossible to make before CGI "Bored Of The Rings" by the Harvard Lampoon

Had to think about this, reach back to what captured my imagination as a kid. My idea: to adapt the original Phantasy Star video game as a TV series.

They have remade Moby Dick, K. It's called In the Heart of the Sea directed by Ron Howard. Will be out this year.

There was a version of Moby Dick out in 2011... now that is an ultrafast remake/reboot. Scanners - I'd have to veto that, they'd do the head explosions with CGI and it'd look awful... see original The Thing versus new The Thing, the move to CGI from physical effects didn't work at all. Admittedly a poorer cast probably hurt the remake more Which leads me to a build on my idea of a Panel who allow remakes or not... anything with an IMDB rating of 7 or more is auto excluded on the basis they are unlikely to make it better.

Wow, a lot of sci fi musings here! What I would love to see is "A Tale of Two Cities", based on the Charles Dickens novel. I have never seen a modern version of this movie, which amazes me because it would be such a powerful showcase for an actor to play two different characters (not identical twins, but doppelgangers). (The female villain would also be quite a showcase for the right actress!) They have remade so many Dickens stories over the years, but not this one--which has one of the most amazing story climaxes ever, complete with an unforgettably inspiring line from a redeemed character. ("...a far, far better thing I do today than I have ever done....") No clue why Hollywood hasn't taken this one on in recent years. The actor I had in mind for it is too old now, but there are plenty of 30-something actors who could do this spectacularly.

It's a thought Anthony! We all know some movies we love would look great remade, but should NOT be. There will always be scripts that will be treated like carbon papaer used 40 times over (dated reference, huh?). I like the "Escape from New York" idea but with the loss of the Twin Towers, I say a remake should never be done. That was an iconic part of the original and would not have the same feel if remade. @Chanel, there will ALWAYS be lemons. Planet of the Apes should never have been remade, I agree. Look at Footloose! Look on TV right now, The Odd Couple that just premiered. I think Logan's Run is something every sic-fi fan talk's about! Great film and endless potential. With Hercules and these other mythological films being done I really hope they do not remake "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad", "Sinbad And The Eye of the Tiger", "Jason and The Argonauts".

Overall, I am not a fan of remaking great movies. What I like to see remade are movies that were done in a much earlier time period, with an old-fashioned, unnatural, overwrought style of acting. Or movies that had a great premise but terrible execution. And God help me but I don't understand why we need new Batman or Spiderman movies every two years for the past two decades?! (Oh, I know, it's not Hollywood's fault--it's the public's fault for continuing to go see them over and over and over again!)

I keep reading the news on The Highlander remake and it always makes me sick! I am sorry, but when it comes to that movie there can be only one!

I didn't see the film because I heard it was AWFUL...but, my favorite novel is Bonfire of the Vanities...would love to see it made again...

Ender's Game...subpar....could be much better...

Andrea, what film did you not see because you heard it was awful?

Think she meant Bonfire of the Vanities, the book of which she loves, but didn't see the film as she'd heard it was rubbish - which it is,

right! I also loved the book, "Unbroken" and based on what I heard...will not see the film. Heard that they left out the last third of the book. ...I did however like the film, "The firm" better than the book....I think sometimes it's better to see the movie first, then read the book, did that with Accidental Tourist and was not disappointed.

sorry if my message was not clear, now that I'm reading it, it doesn't really make sense...was out of order

No worries, yeah, some movies like that do fizzle.

None. No remakes please. Some things are better left alone. Besides, I'd rather look ahead towards new ideas not redo what's already been done... and done... and done again. :)

After five years, of original content in the theaters, it would be nice to see a sequel to Unbreakable. I think the realistic nature of that kind of comic film could be interesting to explore with a physically impressive character Bruce Willis', taking on another physical presence, aided by a super mastermind in prison, Samuel L Jackson. The older actors may need to pass on their legacies, at this time though., to a younger, small, crew of thespians.

Would like to see a remake, or, should I say more to the point, a re-vamp of the movie, 'Men in Black', but this time taking the story back to its original meme as it is really depicted in Ufology legend and lore.

I enjoyed the silent movie "The Artist" so much that I'd like to see a reboot of anything Rudolf Valentino was in -- and, oh, please let the brilliant Guy Maddin direct the silent movie remake. Sigh.

Starship Troopers. I'm a Heinlein fan and the movie was terrible and it was all because of the script. A real insult to Heinlein.

@Trey 2nd one was almost unwatchable...

I like the suggestion about remaking bombs and films that didn't quite resonate - I would love to see an HBO series on Clan of the Cave Bear - Trey, I was initially appalled by Starship Troopers, but have seen it several times since and quite enjoy, it - it's an excellent B movie.

I haven't watched any of the other Starship Troopers. Didn't have the stomach for them.

@Trey, you didn't miss much

The first Starship Troopers is strong. I looked at it like Fast and the Furious, Tokyo Drift. I didn't know what to expect. What I did see, was fun, and interesting.

William, looking at just the movie it is not bad. The issue is with the translation of the book. It was purposefully insulting to the original author Robert Heinlein. I have similar issues with Conan the Barbarian the one with Arnold in the title role. Cinematically it was a beautiful movie, but it has little resemblance to the character in the books.

One of the more successful adaptations was J.R.R. Tolkein's "The Hobbit" although I am still somewhat miffed that the book as written wasn't put to film, it can be said that it is the book he would have written if he was not being held back by the people at his publishing house. Now the toughie would be translating "The Simarillion" to the screen.

Trey, this seems to be the way for text, adaptions, brought to the screen. Willy Wonka was not translated well in the 1971, version of the film, though I think it's a better quality piece than the Tim Burton version of the film. It's that "sell factor" It's unfair, but its almost like what will bring people to the audience more.

William, it's not about fair, its all subjective so there is no right or wrong. My dislikes are specific to those movies that are translations of my favorite books. My personal judgements are based more on the respect given to the original works. Changes have to be made for a visual medium to tell the same story as a literary one. I just dislike it when they make major changes to who the characters are. But at the end of the day, its all up to personal preference.

Wonka was a book I enjoyed when I was younger. It's almost like you have to propose the perfect plan for literary accuracy, and respect of the material along with the perfect plan to make money from the work.

I'm thinking a remake of "The Monolith Monsters" (though Superman Returns has a section reminiscent of the film).

I fully appreciate the disappointment when a movie deviates too far from the book - I experienced this with American Sniper - though I haven't read the book, I was shocked how much and how far the film deviated from the truth - I can live with a stretch, but not that level of fabrication - the film/story was very good and great entertainment, but don't sell it as a true story when in fact it was fiction.

On the subject of books adapted for the screen, I was actually rather pleased with how "The Exorcist" and "Jaws" made the transition...and in the process trimmed a lot of extraneous material (IMO). I would have to echo the sentiments regarding "The Hobbit" - I much prefer the book, and when I consider the audio version is only about 10 hours long, vs. the total length of all three movies (including drastic changes from the book 'as written'), I feel the entire effort by Mr. Jackson was more for his benefit than for that of the audience. Reminds me of something I heard on commentary for "Godzilla Vs. The Thing" - how the director (Honda) felt "obligated" to make changes to the original story/script in order to make the film "his own" (a technique he'd learned from his mentor).

I'd like to see a new SCARFACE.

You're right, Owen, who would want to touch Scarface, why would you want to touch it without inviting disaster - I'm a Peter Jackson fan, but I prefer the original King Kong - Star Trek worked, but now that I look back, most reboots fail and do so miserably - one I anticipate to succeed though is Mad Max.

I would really love to see a major studio do a feature-length version of The Call of Cthulhu. I like the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society's black-and-white film, but I would really like to see what someone could do on a large scale. And, speaking about Lovecraft: I am still holding my breath in hopes that some studio will finally give the green light to At the Mountains of Madness. I remember when Peter Jackson (mentioned quite a bit in this thread) was slated to direct it - then quite unceremoniously bowed out to do his King Kong remake. The director's mantle was then taken up by Guillermo del Toro, but this time the studio (Paramount) didn't have to guts to let the production go ahead (since Mr. del Toro was intent on making his version an R-rated one - no doubt due to violence and disturbing imagery - remember, this is Lovecraft).

Paul Muni and George Raft in "Scarface" (1932) ---- if we could only resurrect those two!!!

I used to love watching the old movies though I barely watch TV anymore, but really enjoyed watching Paul Muni.

I think Sid and Marty Kroft Productions needs to pick up where they left off with H.R. Puff n Stuff, Sugmund the Sea Monster, Lidsville, The Bugaloos, etc. Hell, even the Banana Splits! TV needs that entertainment back! No need to remake, just continue on!

'Firefox' could have been done better...

I'm thinking an updated Network might be kinda fun.

Great idea, but use a google like company as the skeleton!

I wish there was a Knight Rider movie. Michael Knight, Kitt, and Knight Foundation, can play the "villain." It would give an opportunity for a corruptible young group, and individual, to play the protagonist. It would be a sort of switch places, but in the end we're all on the same side type of movie. I thought it would be interesting to give a youthful group power, but essentially have them follow the hero's journey, in order to weed out the real heroes, anti-heroes.

My favorite novel is The Bonfire of the Vanities - I didn't watch the film because I knew it was a disaster. Would love for some good to remake it. Also, I loved Atlas Shrugged and heard that film was not good.