Screenwriting : More Hollywood reboots and adaptations. by John Kevin Bell

We shouldn’t dismiss remakes/reboots off-hand. Oceans 11 took an original that was pretty much a star-studded dumpster fire and remade it as a stand-out example of the heist genre. And the recent Planet of the Apes prequels turned out to not only be better than the original prequels but superior even to their sci-fi contemporaries. So I will reserve judgement until I learn more about who is involved in production and, of course, until after viewing the films.

no Wachowskis, no Matrix anything. It's theirs, in every sense of the word. They went out on a huge limb to do the first one.

Some of the most famous films of all time are remakes ... The Magnificent Seven was a western version of Seven Samurai. It also had three sequels, in case you were going to make the next complaint of "there's too many sequels."

If someone has a new, interesting take on an older property then I don't see the issue... let's see the story being told before throwing our hands up.

Isabeau, the Animatrix produced positive results, so I’m not so sure the progenitors needs to be involved.

I don’t lose sleep over reboots and remakes. Looking forward to new Terminator, Avatar, Lion King, Top Gun 2.

The folks doing Matrix reboot are All Stars: Zak Penn writer, Michael B Jordan lead actor, Lana Wachowski directing, John Wick stunt team.

I rarely see a remake that I like. The Ghostbusters reboot was very flat. However, I'm looking forward to the Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure sequel. I'm invoking my right to a senior's discount.

I agree with Dan MaxXx. Every generation deserves its version of something. And the film with the most versions is actually Romeo & Juliet, which has around 25 direct remakes - and that doesn't even include the hundreds of films "inspired" by it.

Poor William Shakespeare - talk about missed royalties! Heh-heh.

And just to give you a little encouraging info....in every single year, more "original screenplay" films are released than any other category - films based on novels; films based on comic books/graphic novels; films based on real life events; films that are sequels/remakes. or any of the other 22 categories Not bad, eh?

Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, John, and keep writing your original screenplays!

“Film is the most important art and it has the power to change the universe.”— Milos Stehlik

REST IN PEACE, MILOS STEHLIK (February 6, 1949 - July 6, 2019)

I have heard a word a few times. Don’t know if it is used widely, “Requel”. It is a retell of a story.

I think it is unneeded. But that might be what we are experiencing. A retell of stories in a new way.

But I am just happy film is being made.

Bill Costantini , I don't knock the "each generation deserves" theory for remakes - but can we skip a generation, please? The REQUEL's are getting old. (thanks for "requels". Craig D Griffiths )

I'd love to see a Casablanca remake starring Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande

faints, from the trauma of Steve Cleary 's comment

Kay Luke , now you are on to something!

While I'm fine with some remakes and reboots, I'm hoping they don't touch The Matrix. I love that franchise too much to see any hard done to it :'( It's good as it is, and can stand the test of time.

Teresa Barber: you will be happy to know that seven of the 14 films playing near you are not sequels, prequels,or re-imaginings. And it only gets better and better next month and for the rest of the year!

You might also be happy to know that I will finally be seeing my first viewing of Little Women later this year - which is the eighth film adaptation of that fine story that was written 151 years ago, and that first premiered as a film in 1917 - and I will be seeing it only because the great Greta Gerwig directed it. And I will love it! (It's about....uh...men and women...right?)

Best fortunes in your creative endeavors, Teresa!

“Film is the most important art and it has the power to change the universe.”— Milos Stehlik

REST IN PEACE, MILOS STEHLIK (February 6, 1949 - July 6, 2019)

Money, money, money! Because they don't have original contents, they try to refresh those beloved franchise and use the fandom to meet their goal. Some fans indeed are asking for it cuz of the nostalgia and the lack of original contents. It's a safe bet in some way. Very few franchise succeeded trying to refresh their slates: Terminator, Alien, Predator, Die Hard, Indiana Jones and so on. I think the problem comes from the fans and movie goers also, we just have a hard time to let things go.

Part of it is on the studios. They're focusing on the business aspect of it too much. Think of it from their shoes: it would cost more, and be of greater risk, to work on something that's original because the concept is uncharted territory and unproven. But if you have another project that already has a proven track record (The Matrix, Star Wars, etc.), then all you'd have to do is hire a writer to either rewrite it (which would cost less) or to write a sequel or prequel to it (of whish they would already have a general idea for).

The other part of it is the fans. Take the Disney live action remakes for instance. A Disney film's target audience is children. However they get to double-dip because not only are they showing it to kids who did not see the original ones but they are also showing to adults who remember the originals and still love them (thus, making them more money).

The only way to change this vicious cycle is to get the fans to stop going to those kinds of films (unwanted sequels/prequels, remakes, reboots, live action remakes, etc.). And the only way to do that? Create original content that is a rock solid homerun.

Keep writing, everyone!

Tony. That is true but you can't change what people will pay money to go see and studios know that. Their main focus is to make money.

Why not. The have a built in audience. The profits may make them want to risk on smaller projects.

Audience is everything. Can you sell tickets to a Matrix and Ghostbuster movie? Yeah. So these movies already have most of what they need to get made.

the irony is that many of these movies long ago in a galaxy far away WERE original writing....so there's still a need to keep writing. and so I am. without green eggs and ham and my name's not sam. ;-)