Some stories are too good to be told just once. At least, that’s what Hollywood would have us believe. ‘Hocus Pocus’ (1993) is a cult classic, a Disney film that failed to impress at the box office and was thrashed by critics. But nearly 30 years later, it’s become a fan-favourite and an essential re-watch every Halloween. And now, rumours of a reboot are gaining steam. The film follows three 17th century witches who are accidentally summoned by teenager Max, who then assembles an oddball crew in an attempt to defeat them. The sleeper hit found success after regular television re-airings and is now housed on Disney+ in America (OSN in the UAE). And though the nature of the new ‘Hocus Pocus’ project is yet to be confirmed, it looks like a reboot may be on its way to Disney’s standalone streaming platform. As we wait patiently to see what’s in store, we revisit massive remakes across every genre…
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'A Star is Born' (1976) / 'A Star is Born' (2018): Bradley Cooper made his directorial debut with ‘A Star is Born’, starring himself and Lady Gaga, and boy did he break our hearts. The film follows Jackson, a troubled rock star, who sees talent in budding musician Ally and helps her find her way, even as he slowly loses his. The film has been made several times before, including in 1937, 1954 (starring Judy Garland) and in 1976, starring Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
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'Freaky Friday' (1976) / 'Freaky Friday' (2003): In this hilarious fantasy-comedy body swap film, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan play a warring mum and teen daughter who wake up to find they’ve switched bodies. Therapist mum Tess (Curtis) and aspiring rock musician Anna (Lohan) have to find a way to get back to normal. The film was a remake of the 1976 film, and it was remade again in 2018 into a musical film for TV. The adaptations are based on a 1972 comedic children’s novel by Mary Rodgers.
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'Ocean’s 11' (1960) / 'Ocean's 11' (2001): The heist comedy starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Brad Pitt and Julie Rogers is the definition of an ‘all-starrer’… It follows a crew of 11 friends who plan an ambitious heist of $160 million from a casino owner. The film is a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film of the same name, which starred Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. It also got an all-female reboot in 2018, starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina and Rihanna.
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'Ju-On: The Grudge' (2002) / 'The Grudge' (2004): The supernatural horror film was first introduced to American audiences 15 years ago in 2014. It starred Sarah Michelle Gellar as an American nurse in Tokyo, who comes across a mysterious supernatural curse that locks a person in a powerful rage before killing them. But the original was a Japanese film, ‘Ju-On: The Grudge’, two years earlier.
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'Ghostbusters' (1984) / 'Ghostbusters' (2016): An all female reboot of the 1984 supernatural comedy, ‘Ghostbusters’ (2016) stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, as well as Chris Hemsworth as a ditzy receptionist. Various original cast members make a cameo in the rebooted film.
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'Free Willy' (1993) / 'Free Willy: Escape from Pirate’s Cove' (2010): This straight-to-TV reboot of ‘Free Willy’ stars Bindi Irwin, Steve Irwin’s daughter, in her first ever acting role. She plays an Australian girl who goes to stay with her grandfather in South Africa, and finds a baby orca stranded on a lagoon and named him Willy. It’s the fourth installment in the franchise, but the first not to feature any cast members from the first three films.
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'Friday the 13th' (1980) / 'Friday the 13th' (2009): A group of young adults visit a boarded up campsite named Crystal Lake, when Clay Miller’s (Jared Padalecki) sister Whitney (Righetti) goes missing, thanks to the mysterious and deadly Jason Voorhees. The original 1980 film spurred on a massive franchise featuring a total of twelve slasher films.
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'Godzilla' (1954) / 'Godzilla' (2014): 'Godzilla' first entered into the pop culture stratosphere in the 1954 Japanese film, ‘Godzilla’, and has since become an iconic figure in film, TV, gaming and more. The 2014 remake broke the record for the biggest weekend debut for a disaster film and creature feature; it was followed by a sequel in 2019, and the third installment is set for 2021.
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'Mad Max' (1979) / 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015): The original post/apocalyptic 'Mad Max' films began in 1979, with Mel Gibson as the titular character Mad Max. The reboot, which was a massive critical success, follows Max (Tom Hardy) and Imperor Furiosa (Charlize Theron) in a desert wasteland as they try to flee from cult leader Immortan Joe.
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'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (1990) / 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' (2014): While the 2014 film is the fifth theatrical release in the Ninja Turtles franchise, it marks the first of the reboots. It stars Megan Fox and Will Arnett, and while critics panned the film, it was a box office hit, and led to a sequel in 2016.
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'Tomb Raider' (2001) / 'Tomb Raider' (2018): Angelina Jolie became synonymous with Lara Croft in Hollywood in the early 2000s, so Alicia Vikander, who won an Oscar for her performance in 'The Danish Girl', had a tall order ahead of her when she signed on to play the British archeologist that originated in the video game series. The film received mixed reviews, but a sequel is set for 2021.
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