You know what they say, when Hollywood is out of ideas, it will dig up the archives and choose to remake and rehash some old classic, giving it a hint of CGI and some new character development siding. In an industry dominated by franchises and long series of movies that seem to never end, maybe a remake is healthy and welcomed from time to time, although there are voices who ask for originality and films that will never receive a sequel and do not ask for one in the first place.
But thinking back to the old glorious days of the art of making movies and searching through the rumors and the words whispered at every corner, it seems that the next year, and maybe the next two or three, we will witness the revival and the rebirth of some old classics. And given their titles, there are some classic movies that deserve a remake, better directors, a new take on the script and just a bit of modern special effects. While everybody’s eyes are set on the upcoming Robocop and Godzilla remakes, let’s take a step forward and see what else is out there in terms of classic movies that deserve a remake.
1. Stephen King’s IT
Nobody knows much about this project, except for Cary Fukunaga’s name being announced as the movie’s director, and while he is not that famous or world – known for his abilities of creating blockbusters out of nothing like other colleagues in Hollywood, the scariest story in Derry is one of those classic movies that deserve a remake. Old Pennywise gave everybody some nightmares back in the day, not to mention the fact that Mr. King managed to turn the harmless and amusing concept of the “clown” in something that terrorizes the soul out of children and adults alike, so, conceptually speaking, IT deserves a modern, technically advanced, better played, better filmed story. Nobody knows exactly how Mr. King is going to collaborate or how deep his involvement in the project will be, but we hope they will make a great movie out of this one, because let’s face it, all Stephen King’s books can be and deserve to be rehashed and remade to rise to the expectations.
2. The Neverending Story
Not only among the classic movies that deserve a remake, but a classic in its own rights, both as a book and a silver screen adaptation. Word goes around that Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company is interested in revamping the old, fascinating and marvelous story, but officially, there are even less details on this project that regarding IT. Imagining what can be done today with the tech available, with a better thought and written script and a deeper view and take on the original novel, this can turn into a fantasy movie to sky rocket for children and adults alike.
3. Jumanji
It is rumored and everything you can officially find out about it is that the project is described as “A “re-imagining” of the 1995 film, “Jumanji”, with director Zach Helm in charge. You probably know him better for “Stranger than fiction“, but thinking about classic movies that deserve a remake, Jumanji is the least favored one by critics and movie commentators. Well, the first movie was alright even for 1995, although you probably liked Zathura too, a movie based on a similar idea but taking place into space and released 10 years later. But let’s face it, be it 2014 or 2015, revamping Jumanji may not be a winning lottery ticket for the Oscars, nor maybe for making the box office explode, but it should be nonetheless fun to watch. Without Robbin Williams, for sure.
In case you missed this bit of information, the next two years will get loaded with reboots of old and classic movies, with titles like The Crow, The Thin Man and The Legend of Conan – with good old Arnold to take command of the leading role and superstar director Paul Verhoeven behind the camera. This last one is just in the rumor phase, but don’t be surprised if you see it in cinemas in a year or two. Among the best classic movies that deserve a remake, we can’t wait for rumors involving Stephen King’s The Shining or Frank Herbert’s Dune. There is so much potential there, their success could be Earth – shattering.
