Remakes and reboots are all the rage these days. In fact, they're so popular that even
films from this century are already getting the refresh treatment. From fantasy films
to slasher flicks, these are the remakes of 21st-century films we can expect to see in
the near future.
With a star-studded cast including James McAvoy and Tilda Swinton, 2005's The Chronicles of
Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe made $745 million worldwide and was one of
the most popular films released that year. It even went on to win a well-deserved Academy
Award for best makeup and hairstyling.
The next installment was Prince Caspian in 2008, followed by The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
in 2010. The films continued to be popular, but not enough to warrant another film, and
the series fourth entry, The Silver Chair, was scrapped altogether.
However, now that Game of Thrones is over, there's a great big fantasy-shaped hole for
Hollywood to fill, so Netflix is preparing to reboot the Narnia series, in both TV and
movie form. With seven books to adapt and both feature films and series in the works,
the streaming service is about to become a truly magical place.
"You'd love it there, Edmund. It has whole rooms simply stuffed with Turkish Delight."
With its iffy script and hokey special effects, 2011's Green Lantern was a disaster of heroic
proportions. In fact, the only positive anyone can seem to find about Green Lantern is the
film introduced Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, who fell in love on the set and are now married
with three children.
DC is bringing the Lantern back, already.... The film's working title is Green Lantern
Corps , and the screenplay is being written by DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns,
who also wrote Aquaman and Wonder Woman 1984. Johns is well aware of the various missteps
from the first film, and he's working to make sure those aren't repeated in his new screenplay.
With all their success turning animated classics into live action films, it should come as
no surprise that Disney has a Lilo and Stitch project in the works. Lilo and Stitch follows
a rambunctious little Hawaiian girl named Lilo and her caretaker-sister Nani after the
death of their parents in a tragic car accident. To help Lilo deal with her grief, Nani gets
her a pet named Stitch, who turns out to actually be an alien science project that escaped to
Earth. Filled with ukulele tunes and lush Hawaiia=n imagery, Lilo & Stitch is ultimately
a story about ohana.
"Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind."
Soon, we'll be welcoming a new Lilo and Stitch into the Disney family. The remake is being
penned by Mike Van Waes, and live-action Aladdin producers Dan Lin and Jonthan Eirich will
be overseeing production. No casting information is available yet, but hopefully the cast will
reflect Lilo's home of Kaua'i and feature lots of Native Hawaiian representation.
The hit Pirates of the Caribbean franchise may have worn out its welcome by the fifth
film, but that hasn't stopped Disney from pushing ahead with a remake with a fresh new
cast.
Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick had been on deck to write a screenplay that
would bring an edgier twist to the franchise. However, both writers jumped ship in February
2019, leaving the project without a captain or rudder. For a while, the future of the
project seemed uncertain, but in late 2019, Disney brought on Chernobyl creator Craig
Mazin and former Pirates scribe Ted Elliott to craft the screenplay, leaving the future
of the franchise looking bright.
For a moment there, it looked like the Resident Evil franchise was coming to an end with The
Final Chapter in 2016, but two years later, a new reboot was already in the works. The
news broke during Cannes Film Festival 2018 when it was announced that 47 Meters Down
director Johannes Roberts would write and direct the new film. Screenwriter Greg Russo
has already written a screenplay, but we're not sure if Roberts is revising Russo's version
or starting from scratch.
As for Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich, she's been vocal about her displeasure with
the news, voicing suspicions that the producers are doing this just for money and not for
love of the game or the fans. It sounds like there may be some bad zombie blood behind
the scenes.
Shrek was a global phenomenon that spawned several equally-loved sequels and television
specials, as well as multiple spin-offs. It may seem almost sacrilegious to reboot the
2001 film, but upcoming writer and director Chris Meledandri has said,
"When you look back on those vocal performances [from the original], they're awesome, and
while you certainly could make a case for a complete reinvention, I find myself responding
to my own nostalgic feelings of wanting to go back to those characterizations."
Melendandri has said he'd be interested in bringing back the original cast, which makes
the next Shrek film sound like more sequel than reboot. However, he has also said that
it's been challenging finding a story that doesn't feel like just another sequel, and
that the story he's working on is entirely new, leaving us unsure of exactly what form
the new Shrek will take.
Dreamworks' 2011 animated comedy Puss in Boots followed Puss in his pre-Shrek adventures,
and was so successful that it was subsequently adapted into the television show The Adventures
of Puss in Boots, produced by Netflix. But if you still can't get enough of cats swinging
swords, then prepare for another adventure, since a reboot is coming soon.
Despicable Me creator and Illumination Entertainment founder Chris Meledandri told Variety he's
working on an entirely new story for the swashbuckling feline. We don't have any details on the plot
yet, but Meledandri says he wouldn't be averse to having the old cast return for the remake.
Yeon Sang-ho's heart-stopping South Korean zombie film, Train to Busan, was an instant
classic, and a tall order to remake. But if anyone’s up to the challenge, it’s James
Wan.
The harrowing story follows a father and his young daughter who find themselves trapped
on a train at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse. Between the tender story that unfolds between
the father and daughter and endearing performances from the supporting cast, Train to Busan's
ability to balance its high-concept premise with the humanity of its characters helped
it achieve both critical and financial success.
After an extensive bidding war, New Line will be the studio behind James Wan's English-language
remake, written by his longtime Annabelle collaborator Gary Dauberman. While there's
no casting or other news available yet about the remake, the upcoming sequel to the original
film, Train to Busan 2: Peninsula, can help pass the time.
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