BESIDES SEQUELS, GET SET FOR PLENTY OF REMAKES, REBOOTS

Fans attending the Comic-Con gathering in San Diego this week are being entertained with preview showings of a plethora of remakes, reboots, and even remakes of remakes, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The newspaper noted that Hollywood is even taking superhero movies that bombed the first time around and repurposing them in hopes of getting them right with a fresh approach. They include Daredevil, the failed 2003 superhero movie that starred Ben Afleck, a new version of Judge Dredd, the 1995 flop starring Sylvester Stallone, The Fantastic Four, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Remakes and reboots of several hit films are also due out, including Highlander, RoboCop, Total Recall, and Man of Steel. Some critics put the blame on the current regime of studio executives for imaginative insufficiency, but, commented the Journal: “In addition to letting filmmakers sidestep the challenges of inventing new characters, such reboots can help studios save money by building upon existing brands and enlisting inexpensive new actors and directors.” And, when they work, they can become enormously profitable. After all, the Journal noted, the latest Spider-Man version took in nearly $140 million in its first ten days.