Hollywood loves its remakes, sequels, and reboots. Frequent complaints from the film community is that Hollywood doesn’t know how to come up with original ideas anymore. Even though it appears audiences don’t mind remakes or sequels since many of them make millions of dollars.
That said, sometimes even Hollywood can’t figure out what movies make for the best remake. Some films simply can’t be remade because they were very much a product of their time and wouldn’t translate well for modern audiences. Other remakes just can’t seem to get things right behind the scenes. Here are some of the remakes Hollywood has tried (yet failed) to make.
Stargate
The 1994 science-fiction film, Stargate, created by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich was the first in what became a popular and fairly lucrative franchise. Stargate may have never reached the grand heights of Star Trek or Star Wars but it amassed its own cultural relevancy. The movie focused mainly on how alien life could affect mankind.
Talk of a reboot began in 2008 with Roland Emmerich claiming he was planning a new Stargate trilogy with MGM. However, nothing has ever come of it officially. Then in 2016, when speaking with Empire Online, Emmerich confirmed that plans for the intended new trilogy had been stalled and likely were not going to happen.
The Incredible Mr. Limpet
The Incredible Mr. Limpet is a 1964 animated/live-action hybrid comedy film about a man who can turn into a talking fish. He aides the US Navy in destroying Nazi submarines. The movie had the first underwater premiere at the Weeki Watchee Underwater Theater in Florida. It was optioned for a live-action remake in the late 1990s with Jim Carrey attached to star.
The movie even made it pretty far into production with millions being spent on motion capture for Carrey’s body to be used in the movie. It was mostly forgotten until 2009 when talks started up again, this time with Zach Galifianakis in the lead. Richard Linklater was set to direct but then he left the project and nothing more came of it after 2014.
Road House
Back when Patrick Swayze was one of the number one hit actors in Hollywood he starred in the film Road House alongside Kelly Lynch. The movie was poorly received by critics and it was even nominated for Golden Raspberry Awards. It is because of how much people hated it that it amassed a strong cult following and even spawned sequels.
There was a planned remake of the film announced in 2015. Ronda Rousey, a popular fighter at the time, was attached to star. Nick Cassavetes was meant to direct the film. But it never panned out. The remake was canceled not long after in 2016.
Romancing the Stone
Romancing the Stone is the action-comedy film best known for launching the careers of stars Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. The movie even went on to spawn a sequel, although it wasn’t as well-received as the original. The film still carries its charms. In 2008, a proposed remake surfaced from 20th Century Fox.
It’s rumored that Katherine Heigl was being considered for the lead role. It didn’t pan out. Then in 2011 news crept up that Romancing the Stone would be reimagined as a television series instead. again, nothing ever came of it. We can assume the project has been dropped with all the other dead remake ideas in the Hollywood graveyard.
Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds is a film that was very much a product of its time. It was about a group of nerds in college who were attempting to seek revenge against the sororities and fraternities that constantly bullied them. A remake was planned, cast, and even began filming, but ultimately the movie was shut down in 2006.
20th Century Fox claims that a remake is unlikely to ever happen. It’s not hard to see why given the idea of the film is a really outdated one that wouldn’t be received as well by modern audiences. Among the potential cast were actors like Adam Brody, Katie Cassidy, Dan Byrd, and Jenna Dewan.
Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine is a movie inspired by The Beatles and their music. Even though The Beatles didn’t actually play their roles in the film (they were only officially part of the ending scene) their music was used and the film became a hit with audiences and fans for its colorful palette and imaginative storyline.
Disney had planned to remake the film back in 2009 with motion capture technology in one of their studios. Then films like Mars Needs Moms and A Christmas Carol fell short of expectations and Disney closed the studio. They tried to sell the idea elsewhere but it was passed and the remake has been dead since.
The Warriors
The 1979 film, The Warriors, is considered an iconic action film. It has reached cult status despite being negatively received when it first premiered. The movie also garnered plenty of controversy due to the amount of violence. But because of its cult following and large fanbase, the idea of a remake has been tossed around for several years.
Initially, Tony Scott was planning to remake the film, but he, sadly, passed away. In 2016 it was announced the Russo brothers would direct a pilot for a TV series that would be a reimagining of the film. There has been no news on the project since.
Barbarella
Starring Jane Fonda, Barbarella was a 1968 science-fiction film by director Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez initially had a few ideas for a sequel and then eventually a remake. But when the film’s budget exceeded $80 million, Universal backed off. Then Rodriguez left the project because shooting the film on location in Germany would cause him to be away from his family for too long.
The Neverending Story
Talk of a Neverending Story remake has persisted for years, even decades. It has become a rumor in Hollywood that always seems to exist and yet never come to fruition. The film is a beloved German fantasy film based on the novel of the same name. It tells the story of a young boy who must stop the Nothing from devouring a strange world that he becomes part of by reading a magical book.
Recent rumors say, acclaimed director, Peter Jackson, has his eye on doing a Neverending Story remake but no concrete proof has ever been brought about this. Warner Brothers were also rumored to want to make an adaptation but nothing has been confirmed.
The Crow
The Crow was an early superhero film made in the ’90s that also served as Brandon Lee’s final performance. He played a rock star who was revived from the dead to avenge his fiancée’s death as well as his own. There were sequels released and the film was a success with critics, scoring high on Rotten Tomatoes.
Because of its popularity, Hollywood has been trying to remake The Crow for years to no avail. The farthest they’ve gotten was in 2016 when Jason Momoa joined on to star and Corin Hardy was set to direct the movie. But then both Momoa and Hardy left the project. Supposedly there were issues with financing the movie behind the scenes.
