Houston Howard, Transmedia Author/Speaker: What J.J. Abrams did was Star Wars (with the
Force Awakens) he essentially rebooted Star Wars without rebooting star wars.
Film Courage: Houston what are your thoughts on Hollywood reboots? What
are we doing wrong? What are we doing right?
Houston: I think reboots in general, I’m not a huge fan of them. I think in large respect
people talk about they ruined my childhood and things like that. We have nostalgia about the
things that we loved before but at the same time reboots reintroduce the story to a new generation
that wouldn't necessarily go back and watch an older film and we have to understand that
reality of it. I loved Ghostbusters when I was a kid but I tried to show Ghostbusters to my little
girl and it just wasn't jiving with her like she it's different filmmaking different storytelling
styles in different eras right? I mean even with with Star Wars the original Star Wars she's she
just thinks it's like a weird old movie because the filmmaking's so different now right and so
she likes the new Star Wars movies more than the old Star Wars movies when I think artistically
the old Star Wars movies were were better but but with reboots I think is there a generation
of kids that will actually go back and watch the old 21 Jump Street series probably not should they
yeah of course they should of course yeah but will they probably not and so that means
there's going to be a generation of kids that don't know the the 21 Jump Street story and so
rebooting 21 Jump Street in a different way reintroduces the ip to a new generation so
in that regard I'm down with it I like it I think though what's better is let's figure out how to do
a soft reboot but still extend the story I think that's the sweet spot and you really look to see
something like what J.J. Abrams did with Star Wars with that with the force awakens he essentially
rebooted Star Wars without rebooting Star Wars he he technically told the new story
but if you look at the way that movie was structured and the story and the characters
it was basically a soft reboot of Star Wars for people that haven't seen Star Wars
and it basically retold a new hope just in a very new and different way and and but at the same time
for legacy fans it still extended the story for us so technically it was new stories new story for us
didn't ruin our childhood because they weren't just wiping away the old and re-establishing
the new and that's what fans don't like about reboots they're saying the thing that we love
before is now no more we're erasing that from canon and we're we're we're now creating this new
thing and we're going to start here comic book fans uh it's it's referred to as a renumbering
when they they'll say this there's superman 731 issue 731 they'll say we're going to renumber
we're going to start over number one which means we're going to wipe out the cannon
of all the old stuff that's always painful for fans to do that but that's essentially
what reboots do they say the old Hawaii 5.0 is no longer now it's the new Hawaii 5.0 and
the fans the old old get surly about that because they're precious and there's nostalgia and there's
memories attached to it and things like that even though technically is the new stuff better because
there's better filmmaking techniques and better technology maybe probably that's that's that's a
subjective call right but but I think the sweet spot is let's figure out how to do soft reboot
reboots that ex that extend for legacy audience but but create a new entry point in for a new
audience find that that intersection if the you look at what they're doing with the Ghostbusters
and my little girl didn't like the old the old Ghostbusters then the female Ghostbusters
that when that dropped that just didn't work because Ghostbusters fans rejected it
because they're saying wait a minute like those aren't my Ghostbusters I love Dan Aykroyd and I
love I love my Ghostbusters where's egon and all that like that's the kind of nerdy stuff that
that fans get into now there are there's also the layer of the the misogynistic these are women and
we didn't like that there's that whole sort of political angle to it but I think a large degree
legacy Ghostbusters fans just just didn't like their their Ghostbusters being deleted for new
Ghostbusters I think if they were if it was all men it probably wouldn't have worked either
right may have been a different commentary around it listen and and of course I'm not
denying the fact that there were people that were just misogynistic jerks about the whole thing of
course there was that I don't know if that was the bulk of it I think it just wouldn't work
regardless because that movie is so precious to so many people that but now
it's a whole different conversation with the new Ghostbusters movies that's coming out which
effectively is a is a reboot of Ghostbusters for people who have never seen Ghostbusters
but it still extends Ghostbusters for people that have seen Ghostbusters the legacy audience right
and so you you have to try to find that sweet spot I think of of how do we extend and continue
rather than stop delete and then restart right and so that's I think that's what we that I think is
a better way forward than just the the the hard reboot and and maybe there's there's a different
term for it but but I think from a from a you can't you have to you have to get a buy-in from
a legacy audience especially something like iconic iconic like like like Ghostbusters right that has
a community a fan community around it maybe there wasn't a fan community around Hawaii 5-0 or maybe
maybe there was maybe there was I'm not sure but but things that have actual fan community
around it I think I really feel like you have to you have to you have to continue
rather than just restart and delete everything that that's old they're they're facing this with
the reboot of the pirates of the Caribbean franchise and which is crazy they're already
talking about rebooting pirates of the Caribbean they feel like it was just out five minutes ago
but but there it's going to be a hard reboot which means they're just going to start over
and start telling different stories with a new jack sparrow and and and and that's that's that
for all the fans that love Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow and all those old movies then then that's
going to be a hard tough pill to swallow to say all this stuff that I love doesn't count anymore
and because now it's this new thing and there's going to be a division in the fandom you can't
divide fandom like that and expect to be a success and so so so yeah I'm not ideologically against
reboots of like all reboots are terrible I think some are smart and some reintroduce
fans to new stuff like what if they would I ever want them to reboot the princess bride
no right but do do kids today go back and watch the princess bride will they ever maybe I don't
know like that's the that's that's the calculation right but but I think it would be better
to do the princess bride now so many years later that extends the original but still is a soft
entry point for new fans but still serves the legacy audience how do we how do we find that
balance I'm not saying it's easy J.J. Abrams did it with force awakens did it really well
but and I think the Ghostbusters is doing that really well but it's not easy it's a balancing
act but I feel like in today's fandom-driven market you've got to find that balance.
What do you think about reboots?