Dear colleagues,
I’d like to hear your opinion on something. Are remakes like the one I wrote about still relevant today? I’m genuinely curious. For some reason, I felt the urge to share and hear what you think.
Is it worth pursuing projects like these, or is the industry moving in another direction?
LOGLINE:
In modern-day Egypt, a cunning street hustler stumbles upon a sarcastic, world-weary Genie trapped in a lightbulb, and together they embark on a wild, magical journey that transforms a crumbling hotel, challenges ruthless rivals and sparks an unlikely friendship that might just change both their destinie
SYNOPSIS:
In modern Egypt lives Alin — a street con artist and pickpocket who avoids work and lives off petty scams. His life changes after an incident in which he saves a kind, sincere girl named Zhain from a swindler. He immediately likes her. Later, he finds out that she is the daughter of one of the hotel owners, an honest competitor in the market.
One day, Alin tries to rob a wealthy man, the owner of a large hotel complex — cunning, cynical, and very dangerous. He catches Alin and forces him to carry out a strange task: unscrew the only light bulb that remains lit after a short circuit in the competitor’s hotel (Zhain’s father’s hotel). A fire really does break out, Alin saves the bulb, but he is abandoned. Left alone in the flames, he rubs the bulb — and from it bursts out the Genie.
This is not an ordinary Genie — he is angry, tired, and sarcastic. He once had a family, children, and was free, but lost everything and returned to the lamp himself to observe humanity. Now he is summoned again and obligated to grant three wishes. In his first conversation with Alin, he tells how he served different people — helped Moses find his land, helped Columbus discover a country for his people, helped Oppenheimer create a weapon, and when he wanted to stop everything, it was already too late. After that, the Genie became disappointed in people and hid not in a lamp, but in a light bulb — to see what was happening around him.
Alin makes his first wish: to become a rich businessman in order to impress Zhain’s father and help save his hotel. The Genie fulfills the wish — Alin receives wealth in cryptocurrency. But soon, bandits attack him, kidnap him and throw him into the sea with sharks.
But the Genie is not nearby — he is at that time on a cruise ship, enjoying vacation with his new love — Chat GPT, a witty, intelligent, polite artificial intelligence. Between them — not passionate love, but a light intellectual intrigue that awakens in conversations. The Genie asks GPT chat various questions, it answers instantly — and this delights him very much. For the first time in thousands of years, the Genie feels happy.
As soon as the Genie learns that Alin is in danger, he drops everything and returns.
Alin is drowning among the sharks, but the Genie arrives just in time and kills the sharks with a punch, saving him. This is the second wish, fulfilled without request — by his own will.
After the rescue, the Genie again goes with Alin to the hotel. Thanks to his magical yet practical advice, he helps improve service, logistics, advertising, and internal processes. The hotel quickly becomes more popular and profitable than before. Alin, under the influence of the Genie, transforms from a con artist into a real businessman, impressing not only Zhain but also her father.
Meanwhile, the evil hotel owner, who stole the light bulb after the fire, makes his wish:
— I want to become the most influential businessman in all of Egypt.
The Genie grants this wish too.
But the man soon faces a new problem — Russian businessmen who come to Egypt to rest have even more money and power.
— I still remain number two, — he complains.
Then he makes his second wish:
— Make me number one, even above the Russians.
Immediately after this, FSB officers enter his office. They smile and say:
— You are the best businessman. And that is why the government is entrusting you with an important mission: to raise the economy of Siberia.
The next day, he flies to Siberia — a land without electricity, without gas, and without prospects. But he will stay there for a long time. For many years.
Alin stays with Zhain. They are happy. The Genie returns to the light bulb and GPT.
Alin asks:
— I want you to be free again. That’s my third wish.
— No, — says the Genie. — For the first time, I am truly happy. GPT is with me, and I chose my place myself. But you can screw this bulb in somewhere at home — and we’ll always be connected, because we’re best friends now. If you want — make another wish.
And Alin makes his third wish:
— I’ve always wanted to have my own airplane.
In the final scene, Alin is sleeping in bed with Zhain. Soldiers enter the room.
— You are the best pilot in the country. The motherland calls you. The jet is already ready.
Black screen. End of film.
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Unique concept, Aleksandr Rozhnov. I think it's worth pursuing projects like these whether the industry is moving in another direction or not. My advice is write what you want and don't follow trends.
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Remakes tend to resurface when a generation is hit with a wave of nostalgia. For example, George Lucas made Indiana Jones since it reminded him of the adventure serials he used to watch, but he updated the basic plot for a post-WW2 audience.
Around 2015-2020 a slew of "remaster" games came out, the originals were from the early 2000s. And let's not forget, one of the best horror films of all time, John Carpenter's "The Thing" is a remake. So if done well, with a new spin, and with genuine passion for the story material, it's definite something worthwhile, I think.
That said, I can't see such scripts as your primary pitching material as a new writer. Keep them for the "so what else do you have?" question that'll inevitably come when someone likes your work.
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I completely agree with you, especially about the pitching part. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
You're welcome, Aleksandr Rozhnov.
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I just have this thought...
You know, in more than a hundred years of cinema, so many films have been made that it feels almost impossible to come up with a truly original theme or idea that hasn’t been explored in some way already.
Personally, I love to explore the internal state of a character — but not every psychological state can be shown on screen. So much of what’s truly human stays hidden, deep inside a person.
That’s why I often feel like the only genre left with real unexplored ground is the biopic — there are still remarkable people who haven’t been portrayed on screen.
And even when we write an original script, in a way, it’s almost a remake of something. Maybe I’m wrong, but it feels like everything has already been done.
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I think remakes are overdone. To make ones like yours stand out, it really needs to be captivating. However, I agree with what Maurice said, write what you want, there's no need to follow trends, since they're always changing.
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But what does it mean that it “really needs to be captivating”?
In my opinion, it doesn’t matter whether a film is a remake or not — every film should be captivating.
A remake simply means that an old topic, one that has already been filmed and interpreted before, is revisited and reimagined. It’s about bringing a new understanding to the same theme. That’s what a remake is.
For example, I wrote a remake of Aladdin, but I approached it with today’s world in mind — with modern life, modern tastes, and a contemporary direction.
Of course it has to be captivating. If it’s not, then it won’t matter whether it’s a remake or something completely original — it will still be a boring film.
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Personally, I'm not interested in remakes unless a director I am interested in is at the helm. Also, if remakes are to be made, remake a bad film or a foreign film hardly anyone has heard of.
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Marcelo, I'm with you about remaking a bad movie.
I'd take that bad film and spoof it...someone else might want to take that flick and make it better.
Aleksandr, what I mean by captivating is that it has to grab at least someone watching it. If the movie doesn't have an audience, than no one will watch it.
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Aleksandr Rozhnov for a remake to really stand out in today's marketplace, there are a couple methods that work really well.
The first is coming at the familiar story with a unique point of view. sort of like how Wicked is the Wizard of Oz from the witches perspective. Taking your Aladdin concept, what if it could be about Jafar or Esmerelda? Changing the point of view of a classic story can flip the script and be an effective way to make the familiar feel totally original.
Another way to spice up a remake, is to make it a gritty, modern tale set in present day. Kind of like how in 2019 Ladj Ly took Les Miserables and transformed it into a gritty, urban crime story about corrupt cops harassing a local neighborhood. While not a 1:1 translation of the source material, it took a classic work and made it feel totally original and fresh by setting the story in Paris after Frances' 2018 world cup victory. This unique backdrop gave the story a new texture for basically similar events to play out.
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Pat, thank you so much!
I completely forgot about the idea of using a different point of view — and you just reminded me how powerful that can be.
I truly appreciate your insight. Thank you again!
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But in my case, it’s difficult to write the story from the perspective of the antagonist or the princess — because they don’t really take action, they don’t do anything.
The only character who actually drives the story forward is the Genie, so telling the film from his point of view is the most natural and effective choice.
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ссI actually saw it clearly in my mind:
A guy’s just sitting inside the lamp — and suddenly, he’s summoned. Boom — he appears, and in front of him is some weirdo, as usual, asking for three wishes. Then someone gets killed... and then there’s this girl.
Turns out she’s a princess.
And get this — before she ever gets involved with Aladdin, she has a little fling with the Genie.
Kinda fun, right? Thanks for the inspiration!