A Lot of Re-Making Is About To Be Done

Over the past month, and still to come this September, we have already been made aware about the remakes of Conan The Barbarian, Fright Night, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, The Three Musketeers and Footloose. But today I read Shortlist‘s post on “20 films you probably didn’t know are getting remade” that took a real shine to my interests. If you’re a twenty-something like myself there’s a number of films that will excite you too, with a few childhood favourites in this re-make line-up, as well as some American classics and a couple of horrors, some of which do not need to be remade but others that have real potential to benefit from the latest technology.

Childhood Favourites:

Possibly my most anticipated remake is for The Never Ending Story which was directed and written by Wolfgang Petersen in 1984, following a young boy who finds himself a part of a fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book. I used to watch this constantly when I was younger, but as I get older I struggle to sit through the whole film. It’s seven years older than I am, so a revamp, which is set to be released in 2014, could really work for this franchise. However, I may be too old for this film altogether, and the 1984 film is said to be very different from the German novel that the film was based on, written by Michael Ende which was first published in 1979 and later translated by Ralph Manheim in 1983, so it could be a whole new film altogether.

Next up is Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, a Disney franchise directed by Joe Johnston which begun in 1989, starring Rick Morani as a ‘nutty professor’ who accidentally shrinks his children to a few millimeters in height. It may lose its 80’s edge, but I’d quite like to see the kids run from a realistic looking gigantic ant whilst they roam their jungle-like garden.

Another 80’s film set to be re-made is Flight Of The Navigator which was directed by Randal Kleiser in 1986, following the story about a twelve-year-old boy who has an adventure on an alien spaceship, only to return home to realise that he has moved 8 years into the future. Thinking back this is quite a depressing ending, yet I loved the film and the phrase, “See you later, Alligator.” Again, as an 80’s film, this may be the reason why this film was so lovable, but it is another remake that I’d be interested in seeing.

American Classics:

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a sci-fi comedy directed by Stephen Herek in 1989 starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, is first to mention, as well as Police Academy directed by Hugh Wilson in 1984; two films that would have at least seen once. There is also Drop Dead Fred, a fantasy drama directed by Ate de Jong in 1991, and Three Men And A Baby starring Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson in 1984. Personally, these two are only films I have heard of, but heard a lot of. Unfortunately, saying we my have seen them ‘at least once’ doesn’t necessarily mean that we remember them that well, enjoyed them at all or that a remake would even get two seconds of our attention. Still, note worthy, I think.

Something to Scare:

Now for the horrors. First up, The Orphanage. Oddly, this film is only from 2007. But what is meant by re-make here is that the film will be re-made in English. Originally in Spanish and directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, the film follows a woman who brings her family back to her childhood home where she opens an orphanage for handicapped children. Shortly after, her son starts to communicate with an invisible new friend. The director for the English re-make is said to be Larry Fessenden and is set to be released in 2013. I loved the original of this so this is one I will definitely be watching.

Another film that we will remember from our childhood, purely because it would have scared anybody into hiding under their duvet, is IT. Based on Stephen King‘s novel published in 1986, the film from 1990 follows an ‘inter-dimensional predatory life-form’ which has the ability to transform itself into its prey’s worst fear, exploiting the fears and phobias of a number of young victims. Everybody remembers the image from the film poster, and whether you’re scared of clowns or not, this is going to be one freaky film.

Finally, there is Poltergiest. Directed by Tobe Hooper in 1982 and produced by Steven Spielberg, the film focuses around a family whose home is invaded by malevolent ghosts that abduct the family’s youngest daughter into the world of the afterlife. This is also bound to be frightening; horrors involving children are never innocent. These horror remakes can only get scarier.

The list of unexpected remakes also includes The Wild Bunch, The Harder They Come, Wargames, Commando, Soap Dish, House Party, Cliffhnger, Overboard, Porkey’s and Videodrome. Some I’ve heard of, some I haven’t. I’m sure there’s a few you can pick from this mix though.

Not only is there all of these films, and probably soon to be more, that are being remade completely, but there is also a whole other batch of films that are being re-released in 3D. Next month we see the release of The Lion King 3D, but it has also recently been announced that Top Gun, Titanic (which will be released to coinciding with the 100 year anniversary since the ship sank) and Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace are also amongst the list of films that are currently being converted into this over-hyped 3D visual.

It’s a good job we’ve got some original films to look forward to over the next few years too. Oh wait, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises aren’t exactly original, are they? There’s always The Muppets….