Remakes we can't wait for in 2018
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In a franchise-driven machine, original properties with the longevity to be made into a series can be hard to come by these days, or at least they come with a huge risk that studios are not always willing to take a gamble on. That is why Hollywood has relied on breathing new life into older properties that had a track record (or an old enough fanbase to draw their nostalgia dollars), but bringing back these properties needs a proper reintroduction.
While not all remakes are made to squeeze the cash cow, some are just an artistic exercise for passionate filmmakers who grew up with these titles and wanted to put their own signature spin with a remake. So while there are reasons to be wary of remakes, there are also genuine reasons to be excited for some of the old titles that are going through a new interpretation.
As 2018 rolls in, Hollywood is out to find that old property that can be made anew and some possibly would have a better chance today than it did during its heyday. So you are looking for new titles to relive some good old memories (or see them ruined by executive greed), here are some of the remakes that are coming in 2018!
The Upside
Hollywood not only remakes what's found on stateside, but occasionally goes across the pond to find stories that are worth telling in an English-speaking context that is universally accessible. 2011's "The Intouchables" was a well-received French story of an unexpected friendship between a black immigrant who has to serve a wealthy and paralyzed white French billionaire from the neck down. In this American remake directed by Neil Burger, Kevin Hart will strike that friendship with a grumpier than usual Bryan Cranston, and has Nicole Kidman, Julianna Marguiles and Aja Naomi King also starring. Already making its premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, it would be making its wide release in early 2018.
Tomb Raider
When video game adaptations were still in its infant days, one that didn't spark strong interest was turning the polygonic voluptuous of Lara Craft into a living actor, which was found in Angelina Jolie. Failing to even complete a trilogy, the video game property has since gone through some grittier and darker interpretations since 2003's "Cradle of Life", and that tone seems ripe for a reboot of the cinematic franchise, this time with Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander slipping on the guns and delving into tombs as the titular character. Taking the helm for this reboot is a relatively unheard of Norwegian director, Roar Uthaug, who made his debut in his native Norway and was Norway's second film student to be nominated for the Academy's Student Academy Awards. "Tomb Raider" would be going all the way back as an origin story of Lara Croft as explored in the recent video games, where she goes to complete her father's research to set her name as a famed tomb raider.
The Wolf Man
2017 was going to be a big year for Universal, launching off a major monster franchise that models itself after the now very lucrative expanded universe of comic book superheroes. With leading man Tom Cruise, a classic Mummy and plans for it to set the stage of a new universe, "The Mummy" was going to make the Dark Universe a big seller. Except that it wasn't. With the amount of faith shaken in the franchise even before it could take off, it has put all the plans for the universe that were slated for 2018 in jeopardy. The next Universal monster in line for a remake was the Wolf Man, last seen in the abysmal 2010 remake, but now that the Dark Universe's foundation are collapsing, all production plans for it has come to a screeching hold, even with a screenplay ready by Aaron Guzikowski. They still haven't changed the release date for "The Wolf Man" though, which is set to 30 March.
General Release Date: 30 March
Peter Pan
It would seem that Disney is on a row for adapting all of its classic animations to the live action, and "Mulan" was initially slated to fill in that gap for 2018. Now that "Mulan" has been set to a new release date in 2019, there is one other announced remake that hasn't had the same fate as of yet. Where Warner Bros.' attempt of making an origin story for the Boy Who Never Grew Up fell terrifically in 2015, Disney is taking another shot with its own live action adaptation for its currently announced 2018 release. Nothing is set in stone as of yet, except for having David Lowery who last did Disney's rather surprising live action take on "Pete's Dragon" in 2016 as director. Things are seeming very unlikely to meet its current release plans, but we will see if we ever get a chance to go to Neverland by next year.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The horror genre is one that is not immune to the remake track, but could be more susceptible to it than others. Despite not having the blessings of Wes Craven and gaining any critical traction with audiences, the 2010 remake did end up as being the 8th highest grossing slasher of all time. 8 years later is probably long enough to spend all that money to make another one, and hopefully this time to get it right. Again, this remake has almost little to no update for a while, other than it having David Johnson of "The Conjuring 2", "Orphan" working on the screenplay. Unless production has been going silently in the past few months of 2017, it's unlikely that Freddy would be keeping us awake at night any time soon.
Scarface
Brian De Palma's 1983 "Scarface" is one of those cultural touchstones that has many influence from cinematic moments to rap music, that the original 1932 film was not. It might seem like an appropriate time for a second remake of "Scarface", given the allegory of an immigrant making it in the Land of the Free and Opportunity, and the many parallels that can be seen with the current Trump climate, it even had some promising potential behind it initially. With a screenplay written by the Coen Brothers among others, casting talks were thrown from Leonardo DiCaprio to Diego Luna and Sofia Vergara as leads. Picking director David Ayer, whose works "End of Watch", "Fury", "Street Kings" (and also "Suicide Squad") proved a solid choice to tell the rise and fall of Tony Montana. Unfortunately, Ayer has since left the project and there has been no news of replacement or even progress of the remake, but it still has a release date set to 10 August.
A Star is Born
Every time "A Star is Born" is made and remade, it has always starred a singing figure who is and was going to be a singing sensation at the time of its making. This third remake of "A Star is Born" will be no differently, centering on a farm girl's dream to make a name for herself in Hollywood. The aforementioned singer this time is played by Stefani Germanotta, otherwise known as Lady Gaga to the world, and she will be living her Hollywood life with Bradly Cooper as her alcoholic manager, Sam Elliott and Dave Chappelle. This would also be the directorial debut for the voice of the Rocket Racoon, so get your tickets to a different kind of Lady Gaga concert when it hits theaters in late 2018.
General Release Date: 28 September
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is one of the timeless Christmas story from the mind of Dr. Seuss. In 2000, the story book got its live adaptation starring Jim Carrey in a Grinch suit, directed by Ron Howard that has become a Christmas tradition for those who hate to love Christmas. Taking some time off from making yellow minions to green is Illumination Entertainment which is making this animated adaptation since their last Dr. Seuss' adaptation "The Lorax" in 2012. There would be nothing more to shout about for this remake, except it has Benedict Cumberbatch voicing the Grinch (and we wouldn't mind if he did any motion capture work for it as well), co-directed by Peter Candeland and Yarrow Cheney, and classical Christmas composer Danny Elfman, doing the score.
General Release Date: 9 November
