Whay are so many old movies remade by Hollywood, what about new ideas?

Answer 1

There is no shortage of writing talent in the world and new ideas are had by artists all the time. This is all about money. The amount of money required to make a quality film with star actors is so huge that movie moguls are terrified of losing it if they movie they commission ends up a turkey. So, they fudge things. They play it safe by rehashing popular story lines (old films remade or TV ideas translated into feature length films) or commission countless sequels. It's pathetic!

We're doing better stuff on this side of the pond, methinks. The fear of losing one's shirt seems less pronounced in London and Paris than it is in Hollywood.

Answer 2

I've noticed this as well, it also applies to sequels. Basically I tihnk the big corperations have become stuck in a rut and fear movie go-er ratings going down because of the internet or some other thing that is threatening the cinema. So they are playing extra safe and going with ideas they know will draw in crowds because they've already been a hit in some form. To break away form this you need to have one heck of a pitch for your film to convince them to spend the moeny on a new idea, only one doing this so far is Paramount because they have a new boss. Other than that are the independents getting picked up because they always have worked outside Hollywood so have no controlling elements over their films and then get picked up for dsitribution.

In the pipeline this week was also news of Peter Jackson's new films, based on a series of novels. I forget the name but it's about the Napoleonic Wars but including dragons. Peter Jackson is "the" hot director in Hollywood and he can make a film about anything he wants, they aren't going to say no to him after he made hobbits and elves into a huge seller, dragons sounds safer than that.

Answer 3

The reason they a making remakes is because they get a larger return due to the fact that all the hard work was done with the original. Also, with the demise of the studio system, there is not the personnel employed to research new ideas/storylines as under Louis B. Mayer et al.

Answer 4

Here is what I think:
By using the name that people have been exposed to in the olden days, the producers would have more opportunity in making the film a box office hit, amidst the growing number of movies released per week.

There is a certain period of time designated for the "accumulation" of remake movies. Then, there would be another period for another type of movies, such as science fiction, romance, et cetera. But that's what I think!

Take King Kong as an example, isn't it a box office hit? Or, Miami Vice, the remake from the hit TV series. Maybe what I have said is true?

So, what are you now waiting for? Remake of King Kong again? Or its "box-office enemy" Chronicles of Narnia?

Answer 5

Is Star Wars really a new idea? If you think deeper, it is a John Wayne Western in a "new" setting. Wisdom does not change. Love, betrayal, loyalty etc, etc are as constant as the sun rising and setting. There are some themes that does not change no matter the superficial changes. Apart from not changing, they are also universal i.e Bollywood, the Geisha etc are enjoyed by all cultures. They make us laugh and they make us cry because deep down we are all the same!!!!

Answer 6

Over the last few years there have been numerous industrial disputes in Hollywood with the Guild of Screen Writers. This led to a strike and a long period where there were remakes allot.

Answer 7

It's not they lack originality. It's just that mainstream Hollywood is first a business before anything else. Huge profits come before artistic expression. Good, original films still exist though - in the indie film industry.

Answer 8

thats the point, hollywood seems to have run out of original ideas for now so they remake old money makers to try and cash in on the popularity. most fail.

Answer 9

I have been wondering about this myself. I think the writers are running out of good ideas for movies so now they are going back in time and taking classics and remaking them.

Answer 10

I am an artist, and I too will go back to a previous piece of art and redo it and give it new life... I love to see the progress of the artist, and King Kong turned out magnificent.