By: Johnny Wellens
Reboots are a hot commodity. Studios are always looking for the next property they can reinvent. Reboots can bring in an already established fan base and invite a brand new audience to delight in rebooted goodness. And while there are some films that definitely should not be touched, looking at you Back to the Future, there are a lot more that deserve to have another go around. Here are five films and one TV show that I think Hollywood should seriously consider:
Ghost Rider
Nicholas Cage’s run as the flaming (ha ha) skulled anti-hero lasted two films. And that was two films too many. They never landed with critics or the general public for many reasons, but in my opinion it was the casting that doomed this movie. Nic Cage is not Johnny Blaze. And while Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing a bangup job with Robbie Reyes, the original Ghost Rider is crying out for redemption. The character exists in a dark pocket of the Marvel universe and what better way to explore that darkness than a literal demon, albeit one on a motorcycle. With a compelling character (or rather two) and some villains that could legitimately terrify, Ghost Rider is an R Rated character that can really bring the...heat.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Remember when the classic Alan Moore comic starring our favorite Victorian delinquents was going to be adapted into a feature film that definitely should not have been terrible? I remember. But it happened and the franchise can never be revisited again. Except that it totally can and should. Scratch the attempts to make it something it isn’t and stay true to the absurdity and starkness of the world. This franchise is ripe for the juicing and must happen. Universal is starting it’s own shared universe with the Universal Monsters, some of which appear in the pages of these comics. But that doesn’t have to negatively affect this roster. Option 1 is to keep them entirely separate universes and that gives flexibility to the characters. Option 2 is to share the universes by having this series take place decades before Universal’s current one. Which is my preferred choice. How fun would it be to have The Invisible Man reference a predecessor and have said predecessor appear in LXG?! 20th Century Fox announced a reboot over a year ago, but until it actually happens I’m holding out hope that Universal acquires the rights and slaps it all together.
Soylent Green
I. Love. This. Concept. It’s a mystery wrapped in science fiction that takes place in a dystopian future with a huge twist. It’s awesome. Here’s my pitch for it: 2072, humans live aboard a space station orbiting a now uninhabitable Earth where food is produced by the Soylent Corporation. The people living on this habitat have known peace for years with no major crimes committed until one day a man is murdered. A detective is assigned to the case and...look long story short you find out that there ARE still people who live on Earth but they are cattle for the Soylent Corporation who use the bodies to produce all manner of food for the space station. ...I know right?! I can copyright this idea can’t I?
Avatar: The Last Airbender
It always sucks when a movie that has solid source material, a director who says he loves said material and comes out with an awesome trailer flops miserably. I mean, they didn’t even pronounce Aang's name right. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a phenomenal series with interesting characters, a diverse world and a story that fulfills. And M. Night Shyamalan ruined it. He just ruined it. Though Dev Patel was great as Zuko, so credit where it’s due. But now it’s time to reboot. It’s time to give this series the justice it deserves. Diversify the cast accordingly. Plan this franchise out from beginning to end. The original series had three seasons (Water, Earth and Fire), I say make four movies. There’s enough material for that many and you can title the fourth one “Air.” And if you’re wondering why this series is deserving of such treatment...watch it. It’s amazing.
Steel
1997 brought the first and only live action version of Steel. With Shaquille O’Neal starring and Judd Nelson being all villainous, how was this not a...slam dunk?! John Henry Irons was poorly...poorly...so poorly represented and the man warrants another chance. Given the current status of Superman in the DCEU, he dead, this is a great opportunity for John Henry Irons to suit up and take to the heroics. The DCEU is in need of some hope, Geoff Johns has said as much, and what better way to represent that hope than focusing in on a character who took inspiration from a fallen hero and chose to do some good in the world. Like Iron Man, Steel became disgruntled when he found out that some of his inventions fell into the wrong hands. There’s your story DC, a nice and clean adventure for a man who could show up in future DC films and work as an auxiliary member of the Justice League. Also, it doesn’t need to be a trilogy. Give him an origin and let him then just exist to be used later.
Quantum Leap
How much fun could this be? It’s been 23 years since the last episode of this show and SO MUCH has happened. Imagine an episode where Sam leaps into Edward Snowden’s body. Or how about going insanely meta and leaping into the body of Scott Bakula’s best friend and encouraging him to pursue acting! The possibilities are as endless as we want them to be. This show can play fast and loose with history and doesn’t have to adhere itself to the same laws of time travel that other shows struggle with. The original series was rife with drama, humor and social commentary. You can have episodes that deal with real issues and others that focus on bringing the laughs. And, how funny would it be to see him leap into Ryan Reynold’s body and leak that Deadpool test footage...
Honorable Mentions
Fantastic Four (Just give it back to Marvel)
TimeCop
Zorro
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Moby Dick
Eragon
Hellraiser