With First Class?s revolutionary approach to the reboot / comic book movie and our theme this month being ?revolution? I thought I?d drop you five more ideas for other revolutionary approaches to this most maligned of Hollywood practices.
Holy Shark Repellent Spray Batman!
After the success of The Dark Knight there has been a tendency to go gritty and realistic with these kind of adaptations. But why not go the other way? How will Warner Brothers follow the conclusion of Nolan?s Batman trilogy? There?s always the chance of going to a different extreme with a new version of the Adam West Batman. Sound Effects, The Bat Dance and George Clooney?s rock hard nipples (Hang on I might be thinking of something else there.)
Twists without the twist
There are a number of films that are absolutely defined by their shocking twist endings. The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, Planet of the Apes all fall into this category. Twister surprisingly does not. But how do you repeat the visceral impact of these twists in a reboot or remake? You don?t put them in. Bruce Willis is just some creepy guy who hangs out with kids, Seven has a happy but mathematically incorrect ending. Tim Burton kind of tried this approach with his Planet of the Apes. That didn?t work out so well.
Jarring Genre Shifts
You might have seen the mash up trailers online (If you haven?t ? check them out) but what if studios went about releasing the same films but in new genres. The Shining as a family comedy, Cheaper By The Dozen as a harrowing drama about a family whose resources are stretched to breaking point by the parents? fertility, Sex & The City 2 as a watchable film.
Mamma Meow
The Internet used to be little more than an efficient pornography delivery service. Now we use it for social networking and looking at funny cat videos too. There must be a way of taking these hilarious feline friends and turning them into cold hard movie dollar. The Fast & The Furriest, Garfield of Dreams, The Cat in the Hat. The possibilities are endless!
Originality
How about taking a pre existing title and remaking it with new ideas, new characters and new story? Give writers, directors and actors the opportunity and backing to craft an original tale and express themselves. When you?ve gone that far you might as well give it a new title too. The reboot that isn?t a reboot, it could be a thing.
