Are any films safe from Hollywood's reboot hysteria? It doesn't seem like it. I've been pretty vocal in my dislike for the past few years' obsession with rebooting, remaking or creating sequels for every quasi-successful film made over the past half a century, but recently studio executives have reached new lows.
Somehow the Weinstein Company and Miramax thought it was a good idea to create sequels to films like "Shakespeare in Love," "Clerks" and "Rounders" (still scratching our heads over those), and now Warner Bros. is focusing its attention on rebooting some of its more successful films from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. If only they could reboot Mel Gibson's career as easily as they're planning to reboot "Lethal Weapon."
Yep, that's right, a "Lethal Weapon" reboot could soon be in the works. This news comes at us after WB executive Jessica Goodman departed the studio after 13 years. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the studio has reassigned her portfolio to several other executives working there, which means that long in-development remakes of "The Dirty Dozen," "Lethal Weapon," "Tarzan," "Westworld," "The Wild Bunch" and "Oh, God" may finally see the light of day.
It seems redundant to restate why I think this is a bad idea, but honestly I just don't see the point. If you want a creative remake of "The Dirty Dozen," just look at "Inglorious Basterds." Seriously, it's good enough, we don't need a straight remake. Why not just re-release the film in theaters and call it a day.
Some of these reboots -- like "The Wild Bunch" or "Westworld" -- might do fine in a modern audience, but recreating them for a new generation decreases the integrity of the original property and also reaffirms the idea that the average American movie-going audience is lazy. I mean, honestly! Go watch a foreign film or rent a classic, for goodness sake. Every good film idea ever created does not need to be recreated and turned into a cash-cow film franchise. What's next, a remake of "Casablanca" with four sequels in the works? Justin Bieber starring in a straight remake of "Citizen Kane"? When will this obsession end?
Am I the only one getting fed up with this continuous cycle of remaking or green-lighting a sequel to every successful film ever made, or do you completely disagree with everything I just ranted about in the above article?
Tags lethal weapon, tarzan, the dirty dozen, westworld
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'Lethal Weapon,' 'The Dirty Dozen' And 'The Wild Bunch' Reboots Could Soon Be Coming Our Way
Posted 1/20/11 1:40 pm EST by Terri Schwartz in Commentary, News
Somehow the Weinstein Company and Miramax thought it was a good idea to create sequels to films like "Shakespeare in Love," "Clerks" and "Rounders" (still scratching our heads over those), and now Warner Bros. is focusing its attention on rebooting some of its more successful films from the 1960s, '70s and '80s. If only they could reboot Mel Gibson's career as easily as they're planning to reboot "Lethal Weapon."
Yep, that's right, a "Lethal Weapon" reboot could soon be in the works. This news comes at us after WB executive Jessica Goodman departed the studio after 13 years. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that the studio has reassigned her portfolio to several other executives working there, which means that long in-development remakes of "The Dirty Dozen," "Lethal Weapon," "Tarzan," "Westworld," "The Wild Bunch" and "Oh, God" may finally see the light of day.
It seems redundant to restate why I think this is a bad idea, but honestly I just don't see the point. If you want a creative remake of "The Dirty Dozen," just look at "Inglorious Basterds." Seriously, it's good enough, we don't need a straight remake. Why not just re-release the film in theaters and call it a day.
Some of these reboots -- like "The Wild Bunch" or "Westworld" -- might do fine in a modern audience, but recreating them for a new generation decreases the integrity of the original property and also reaffirms the idea that the average American movie-going audience is lazy. I mean, honestly! Go watch a foreign film or rent a classic, for goodness sake. Every good film idea ever created does not need to be recreated and turned into a cash-cow film franchise. What's next, a remake of "Casablanca" with four sequels in the works? Justin Bieber starring in a straight remake of "Citizen Kane"? When will this obsession end?
Am I the only one getting fed up with this continuous cycle of remaking or green-lighting a sequel to every successful film ever made, or do you completely disagree with everything I just ranted about in the above article?
Tags lethal weapon, tarzan, the dirty dozen, westworld
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