Basically that's what they did with Ocean's 11. The original Frank Sinatra version was shit. But it was a good idea, a crew of super cool dudes get together to rob a casino.
They remade it and it was very successful.
The Thing has a similar origin.
But it's rare things like that happen because Hollywood execs usually need an existing property with good numbers to greenlight a movie.
Ghost in the Shell was an unnecessary remake of a fantastic original animation that was improved by the series that followed it. There was never a need for a live action version.
This is how we've ended up with 17 different attempts at the fucking Fantastic Four. Each one is shit, and EVERY director thinks that they've got the chops to make it work.
Hollywood...please....fucking stop. It doesn't get better. It's a cursed movie. Stop fucking trying to get the Fantastic Four to work. Just....put the poor thing out of its misery and let it sleep peacefully.
I don't care what anyone says, the worldbuilding that was done for the 1990s Super Mario Bros. movie was awesome and if the movie had lived up to it, it would have been great.
Remember that when the movie was made, Mario was a plumber that jumped on mushrooms and turtles to save a princess and he had a brother named Luigi that did the same thing. That was pretty much the entire storyline they had to work with.
Battlestar Galactica is a great example of something mediocre that was made great by a remake, but also something that might be greatly improved by another remake because the second half was so flawed.
Stanley Kubrick never really had an original screenplay. His movies are based from an already existing story. He reasoned that it's better to adapt a story that is good but not considered classic, because it means there is plenty to improve from such story.
Dragonball Evolution was so shit that it drove Akira Toriyama out of retirement, which led to Battle of Gods, Resurrection F, Broly, Super Hero and an entirely new anime/manga series titled Dragon Ball Super.
It even technically is leading to Dragon Ball Daima, which looks like a serious effort to try and do the whole 'Goku is a kid again' concept that Dragon Ball GT fucked up 25 years ago.
I decided a few years ago to simply stop watching anything that was a remake, reboot, update or 'franchise'. Too many of them have used nostalgia and familiarity to compensate for shortcomings in storytelling. Even more cynically, leveraging intellectual property is all about money and business, whereas for me storytelling and art are about the human experience and spirit, so it's no wonder these IP films are usually so poor.
Some older movies that come to mind:
Enemy Mine. Great sci fi premise that was ahead of its time. Just plagued with bad effects and limitations.
The Last Starfighter Not bad even for the day but I think it's a solid enough concept that could use a refresh. Set in the 80's to get the retro video game vibe. I think it could even be a multiple movie property.
Masters of the Universe It was a goofy premise with some interesting characters that were wasted. Even the updated animated series didn't do great. Or even go off in a space Western and do a Rio Blast movie.
Krull was really missing the visual elements to tell the story and it ended up cheesy and stilted (still holds some nostalgia for me though). It could still be a fun space fantasy.
I would love a proper remake of Eragon. That movie felt so rushed, like they just chopped the meat out of the story and gave us the bloody mush instead of the whole thing.
The live action GitS? It was aight, but could've been better. As a huge fan of the story I wasn't that upset. I just didn't like what they did with Major (made her weak), and also didn't like that Section 9 was getting cucked, no one cucks section 9
I’m assuming you’re talking about the live action movie and I would agree. I had such high hopes for it and they (Hollywood) dropped the ball. I think it’s also a lack of understanding the source material and trying to adapt something to have a wider audience and western audience. When you involve those two things you know you’re going to be kind stepping in it. That being said I do think the props and effects done by Weta Workshop really were definitely highlights of that movie. They far exceed the casting and story. I would love to have it redone but Hollywood is gonna Hollywood and at the end of the day they (Hollywood) will shit all over source material if they think it’ll make them a buck.
And give it time! I don't want a do-over of a failed movie just a couple years later. The Ghost in the Shell movie was a disappointment, but don't just keep plugging away at it until something works.
Or roll with some story driven videogames. TONS of content compatible with the big screen, provided they put someone who actually knows the franchise in charge.
Mass Effect comes to mind.
Or a SW film focused on Revan or Kreia.
They already fucked up Halo with the TV series, but an unrelated movie could be good.
Half Life... jfc, Half Life 3 as a movie would be simultaneously such a slap in the dick and absolutely hilarious for not giving us a game. Definitely cinematic potential.
Elder Scrolls or Enderal.
Deus Ex.
Pooooossibly Legacy of Kain - admittedly hard to see them getting that one right as a movie, but it's a take on vampirism that I don't think anything comparable has made it onto the big screen. If it went well, it'd be a nice redemption after all the Twilight BS.
This has the potential to become a very long list, but that's the point: there is some KICK ASS content that the big screen hasn't ever touched, so rather than remaking old flops, bring on some adaptations!
A few months ago, I got the idea of looking for scripts of some movies I watched, liked the concept or some part of it, but disliked the overall execution, and doing a revamp of it. I have no idea of where to post my scripts, or if anyone would be interested in reading them, but your meme made me rethink and reconsider this idea. Thank you.
I think instead of this they should just start doing more high profile versions of what they already do sometimes, where they bring back movies that were already in the theater once for another go around, instead of just remaking everything all the time. I'd also give this a +2 if it was a movie that was old, and you have to rent instead of just being able to watch on some service. Like Legend (1985), or maybe Brazil (1985). Maybe there are some other movies from 1985, I dunno.
Why not games, too? Final Fantasy VIII comes to mind as one super deserving of a glow up, as well as YIIK, and especially Drakengard. All RPGs, of various flavours, with substance that just needs to be simmered right.
Wonder Park was a bland, risk-averse animated film in 2019. A little girl's imaginary theme park (and coping mechanism for her grief) actually exists. Remake it as an ongoing animated series.
I think the main thing here is that the original was such a flop that they don't want to repeat the error.
It's a hard sell to take an unsuccessful film (with admittedly a good underlying story/concept), and then convince the suits that this time will be different because reasons.
When they can remake an old hit, even if it's done poorly, most people will want to see it for themselves, if for no other reason than to join in on the chorus of hate. Those ticket sales are still sales. So whether people like it or not, they stand a good chance to turn a reasonable profit.
Meanwhile, films that did poorly, whether due to script issues, or poor execution of the underlying material or whatever, people will be more willing to let it pass them by unless they have it on his authority that it's good. Of course, not everyone will think this way, but it's the basis for judgement for most.
Additionally, by remaking a movie they can renew their copyright on the film, which is why, I believe that many of the older films are getting unnecessary remakes and sequels. Even if it's bad, it locks them in on copyrights for a while longer; so if they want to continue to profit from the property, whether through licensing, promos, merchandise, whatever, they can. The base point being: does anyone want to license this property? If not, the suits wouldn't care as much if the copyright expires.
Think about something like star wars. It had a pretty strong following at the first three films, even decades after the release, it was very likely that there were ongoing licensing deals. So to renew the copy rights, they remastered and rereleased it to theatres. Even if it flopped, it would have ensured they can continue their licensing deals for years to come. Since it didn't, they decided instead to expand the franchise and see if they can get more money from it, and they did. Which is how we ended up with the sequels and several spin off shows.
Simply put, it's just too risky to invest more money into properties to renew copyright when there's no interest in licensing the content in the first place. Many of the production companies are happy to let a property rot while they're collecting paycheques on licensing. It's all about the numbers.
I agree with the premise, but your example is, like, spectacularly bad. The Ghost in the Shell movie you're thinking of, the recent one? THAT WAS A REMAKE THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE, IN THE FIRST PLACE.
The original is good. It didn't need a remake. You're literally talking about the opposite of your whole premise. They took a movie that was already good and made a remake of it, to make it suck, except for the fact that it had Scarlett Johansson in a very tight robot suit.
EDIT: nevermind! The title is an example of how it's currently done wrong. That makes so much sense, now that someone pointed it out.
I always felt like Flowers For Algernon was such a compelling book and the only movie i know of is one of the worst things I've ever seen. You would think it was a comedy based on that movie.
I either want a remake of Stealth or a sequel. It wasn't terrible, but could have been much better and a desired franchise....by me at least. Guess I'll go re-watch Macross Plus again...
haha Hollywood go FffPrprprprprrpFffFrfFrPPPprprpPrPrPpPpFfRrppffhfpfffprprprorrOh godFdRRrrrRrRrRFRppplPPpPppCorn? When did I have corn??!FrrrrpfppfppPpfhdhfpfpfhfffpfpfpfpffhhfpfhddhdpfhpphpppppppplMarvel movie.