Cinematical Seven: Franchises J.J. Abrams Should Reboot
Filed under: Fandom, Cinematical Seven, Lists
Now that J.J. Abrams has reinvented, and especially, reinvigorated Star Trek for an all new generation of fake-pointy-eared fans, it would be unfair to let the filmmaker simply take time off to garden or crochet, much less celebrate the film's projected $72 million opening weekend. Especially since there are just so many other franchises and film series that deserve – or perhaps more accurately – need his golden touch. As such, we've thoughtfully assembled a short list of franchises that Abrams could and should take over, tackle, and reboot. And while we tailored our selections to suit the filmmaker's writing and directing strengths, we encourage you to leave your comments and suggestions which films and franchises you think might be better suited to Abrams' cinematic style.
In no particular order:
1. Serenity / Firefly. Since "Angel" ended in 2004, Joss Whedon has struggled to find a new idea that was both true to his idiosyncratic sensibility and commercially viable. Where his approach generally takes a big idea and makes it small and intimate –therefore connecting only with a narrow audience – Abrams' tactic is the opposite, expanding small and specific ideas to mythic, and ultimately universal proportions. With Serenity, Abrams could take the whole space-western concept and turn it into a true space opera, building either a new film or series (or both) that celebrates Whedon's original concept while giving it stronger mainstream appeal.
2. Back to the Future. Suffice it to say that no one is clamoring for a relaunch of this film series, and no one could ever replace Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, but Abrams' ability to combine science fiction with straightforward human drama makes him well-suited to helm a reboot, should Robert Zemeckis pass on doing it himself. In particular, we'd love to see Abrams take on a time-travel conceit that isn't subject to the whims of episode ratings, as has been the case with "Lost," and construct a space-time continuum where the hero actually has fun while figuring out where, and of course when in the hell he is. 3. Speed. The fact that even Sandra Bullock acknowledges how bad Speed 2 is seems to confirm that the series didn't quite develop in the way that it could. But Abrams could change all of that with a breakneck adventure that takes place in a contained environment, reunites the first film's two stars and re-molds them into middle-aged action heroes. Or, if Keanu and Sandra aren't interested, get their next-gen counterparts Paul Walker and Michelle Monaghan, throw them inside something that can't slow down and watch the moolah start rolling in.
4. Wonder Woman. The aforementioned Whedon was attached to this for a while, and an appropriate choice given his years making Buffy a postfeminist icon. But Abrams has his own pedigree creating strong female characters thanks to "Alias," and he could do wonders elevating Diana Prince from what she essentially is now – namely, the female sidekick of her male counterparts - to the first successful big-screen superheroine. Abrams writes strong, smart and sexy female characters, and if anyone can create a character that will satisfy fanboys and the females who love them, it's him.
5. True Lies. James Cameron has flirted with the possibility of making a sequel to this for years, but at this point it seems best to let him indulge his 3-D sci-fi fantasies and have Abrams come in and take it over. Looking at Mission: Impossible III, which Abrams used to humanize and reinvent spy movies by subjecting a usually-unflappable hero to limitless failure, the writer-director could really combine personal conflict with larger political and social themes in a way that is fun, funny, exciting and truly evocative.
6. Superman. While I'm actually a big fan of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, I acknowledge that the film is a little long, and has a few problems towards the end. (The biggest being the end.) Abrams has a real gift for finding the humanity in these larger-than-life characters, and maintaining their ideals while giving them new challenges and conflicts, and Superman would benefit enormously from the Abrams treatment, since like in Trek and M:I-III the world is established and the director would need only come up with a formidable physical and emotional conflict to allow the character to manifest and embody those core elements.7. Star Wars. Regardless of the fact that an untrained chimpanzee could write and direct a better and more emotionally compelling Star Wars film than George Lucas, J.J. Abrams could not have offered a better audition reel for future installments than Star Trek. Abrams understands that to reboot a franchise you must include and understand the core elements of the canon, and yet develop them in a way that isn't purely designed for folks who are already authorities on their mythology. The human conflict was the weakest part of the prequel films, and that's precisely what Abrams excels at – finding a way to connect the larger picture (say, battling the Empire) with the smaller one (say, Leia and Han's marriage). Not to mention his work during the space sequences and the action scenes in both Trek and M:I-III demonstrate that he could manufacture some of the best battle sequences in Star Wars history, even if they would have one or two more lens flares than they probably need.
'Ridgemont High' Inspirations Are Now Protective Parents
You Say 'Twilight,' Taylor Swift Says 'Firelight'
Robert Pattinson Talks 'Breaking Dawn' & 'Unbound Captives'
Gwyneth Paltrow Joins Nicole Kidman in 'The Danish Girl'
Discuss: The Movies That Haunt You
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
5-10-2009 @ 10:42PM
Peter Hall said...
I vote Terminator.
Reply
5-11-2009 @ 12:29AM
Maeghan said...
I vote Terminator if Salvation is terrible, which I'm sooo hoping it's not.
5-10-2009 @ 10:43PM
William Mager said...
Nice article, but I wouldn't say that ANY of these franchises need rebooting. The announcement of remakes or reboots of most of these films would meet with howls of derision.
Superman/Serenity, maybe. The rest would be left well alone. I can't see Wonder Woman ever being a good film - it's one of the more far fetched superhero properties, alongside Green Lantern (a magical emerald ring from outer space? COME ON...)
Reply
5-10-2009 @ 11:02PM
Saya said...
While I would LOVE to see some new stuff in the Firefly/Serenity universe - I don't wish to see it done by anyone who would have too much control... if that makes any sense... Like I'd really rather Joss and the gang decide that after the success of Dr. Horrible - they could just do some mini episodes without any studio control and run with it... But that is because (other than Joss killing off Wash in Serenity) I feel like the series and the movie is perfect as is - and that if it had been given a decent chance - it would have done much better (I didn't watch it when it was on myself, but I soon found that almost every single friend of mine on facebook is a huge fan of it)
5-11-2009 @ 11:59AM
ML said...
As much as I love, love, love Firefly, I can't bear to see any more. This property IS NOT (I repeat: is not) a movie property; it is a TV show. It was designed for the characters to be revealed over time and for dramatic climaxes to be developed in a way that cannot be done within a two-hour movie framework. The only reason a movie was ever considered for this property was because Fox blew it and they knew it. The movie served as (gah, I hate that word!) closure for fans. This boat has sailed. (It was cold comfort for me, hardly satisfying.) Unless you're going to do the entire series again (and how are you going to cast it?! Everyone's moved on now), with Whedon, it's pretty much pointless.
5-10-2009 @ 11:04PM
Luke said...
Um, do I need to remind you that J.J. Abrams WAS attached to the reboot of Superman and his script got leaked onto the internet and it absolutely F**KING SUCKED!!!!!!!! He had Lex Luthor as a kryptonian for crying out loud!!! How quickly we forget.
Reply
5-11-2009 @ 10:04AM
Nethanel said...
Yeah, I remember Luthor as a kryptonian; it was probably the dumbest idea I ever heard.
Star Wars is beyond reboot status. Every scene is too memorable to be redone. Wait until two or three generations die off.
5-10-2009 @ 11:38PM
victor de la torre said...
Yep, I guess it's quite fair to compare the man responsible for creating the Star Wars cinematic and cultural phenomenon worldwide (which is undoubtedly insignificant next to the spellbinding classics M:I-III and Star Trek) to an untrained chimpanzee. I'm sorry but Abrams hasn't directed anything close to the original Star Wars and if you're gonna state that he's capable of more emotionally compelling stories than the SW prequels you have to admit the effects and action sequences just aren't on the same league as Lucas'.
Reply
5-10-2009 @ 11:20PM
janus carrera said...
i dont know why but i think he would do a very great non kid version of power rangers
Reply
5-10-2009 @ 11:23PM
Hugh said...
Ugh. Surely there are some original blockbusters out there waiting to be made?? NONE of the films suggested here need to be 'rebooted'. Here's an idea, Cinematical: quality not quantity. Instead of 30 posts a day—many of them meaningless, vapid pieces like this—why not have ten *insightful* posts which generate worthwhile, in-depth discussion among visitors?
Reply
5-10-2009 @ 11:31PM
SoulHonky said...
As a fan of neither Star Trek nor MI3, I wouldn't rush to give JJ Abrams another franchise. If I did, the first thing I'd do is have it in his contract that there could be no time travel. My first instinct would be to have him raise a lesser franchise like Underworld or Iron Eagle but I might give him a crack at another Jack Ryan movie (although I'd offer it to Paul Greengrass first).
Reply
5-10-2009 @ 11:44PM
Todd Gilchrist said...
For the record, I am comparing the writer and director of the prequels inferior as a filmmaker to an untrained monkey. Francis Ford Coppola made The Godfather I and II, but he also made Jack and Youth Without Youth. My point is that he failed to successfully translate the mythology of the universe he created into a modern, compelling and emotionally evocative story that could appeal to everyone regardless of the SW fandom. Hence suggesting Abrams, who has demonstrated an ability to take the essence of a franchise (as I believe he did with Trek) and make it open and clear enough that anyone could enjoy it.
That said I will agree that Lucas' facility with effects is unparalleled, but the best action sequences in the Star Wars series were not directed by him. The stuff in the prequels is good, but badly assembled; looking at the opening scene in Revenge of the Sith, the action repeatedly takes second and third place to dumb expository character details and stupid humor.
Reply
5-10-2009 @ 11:59PM
Argent said...
so go find an untrained monkey and have him go film some movies, post them here and we can go judge for ourselves as to the veracity of your observation.
popping off with grand hyperbole once might seem cool and whatnot, but it really lends no substance to your comment. after all, on the internet, everyone and their cousin can make smartalecky remarks.
if you want to get the point that someone else could have done a better job directing the prequels, just come out and say so. but even so, trying to plumb the same crack twice for no appreciable gain just undermines your original point wholly.
5-11-2009 @ 12:14AM
Todd Gilchrist said...
Ok, sorry if I was unclear: someone else could have done a better job directing the prequels.
5-10-2009 @ 11:58PM
Argent said...
1. no.
2. no.
3. no.
4. yes!
5. maybe.
6. yes!
7. no.
2 and 7 stand on their own and imo a 'reboot' at this juncture wouldn't be due to creative constrictions but due to unmitigated greed and creative bankruptcy. pass!
1 -- that series isn't in search of a reboot, but a continuation.
3 -- well, when someone says 'reboot' i generally think of re-casting and re-inventing familar characters into similar or wholly new situations. that said, just which character in the 2 speed movies would you like to see revisited? sandra bullocks post-modern damsel in distress? keanu reeves...nah, i'm gonna stop. just pass on this one.
5 -- a true lies sequel has always intrigued me and i'm kinda sad there never was one. it's so far down the road now that if there were one, they prolly would have to recast -- but that said, without jamie lee curtis and the governator, i think the concept kinda loses it's charm and they might as well just create a wholly new franchise.
so, that leaves wonder woman and superman (which might as well be the same thing, really), either of which would be an interesting project to take on. personally, i'd rather see a wonder woman movie at this point -- we've had our share of superman projects, so why not do a WW one?
Reply
5-11-2009 @ 12:03AM
Roy B said...
Not too interested in reboots, though I realize that's the point of the column. I'd much rather see something original, or from a source material that hasn't been put to film yet. I'd love to see someone do Rendezvous With Rama, JJ Abrams could probably pull off a decent version.
Reply
5-11-2009 @ 12:07AM
Oblique said...
I think a star wars film would be cool with the jj abrams effect, but honestly the day that happens is the day the internet shuts down and geeks around the world riot, so I don't know who would even be stupid enough to try.
But out of that list I would want him to redo superman, I know Luke said he had a leaked script but I never heard that but could be true.
Also @ william mager, I disagree I believe that Green Lantern is going to turn out good, but your correct about wonder woman that just doesn't seem like it will ever work.
Reply
5-11-2009 @ 1:26AM
yep said...
the last starfighter.
Reply
5-11-2009 @ 1:27AM
Ryan said...
If by "reboot" you mean destroy because that's what he did to Star Trek.
You quite stupidly said in your article, the Star Wars one I believe, that "Abrams understands that to reboot a franchise you must include and understand the core elements of the canon, and yet develop them in a way that isn't purely designed for folks who are already authorities on their mythology." Obviously he doesn't because one of things he did in Star Trek was destroy the core elements, i.e. Vulcan, Spock's mother, Spock/Uhura never happened, Kirk's father was alive, Kirk was not a James Dean rebel, Spock was not a douche, the Enterprise didn't look like the Apple Store mixed with a water treatment plant, and I could go on. But yes, you're right, Abrams understands how to keep the canon.
This article=Fail
Reply
5-11-2009 @ 1:53AM
Tim said...
He created an alternate timeline so He could do his own thing with the Star Trek franchise. Because it's not like time travel is possible in a universe with light speed and tons of alien races.