Attention, Fans of Cinema!
A lot has been written about Hollywood running out of original ideas. In fact, it may be argued that this has already been partially addressed with the Hollywood “black list”, which started back in 2004 – It’s a publication of the top 100 screenplays yet to be produced.
This blog post rather focuses on what Hollywood loves to do best – producing remakes and sequels. And I’m fine with that. Maybe the following list of 30 movies (not counting follow-on sequels to round out trilogies, and such) will help guide the big-wigs in right direction. Mind you, I’m not privy to the politics, copyright tie-ups, or industry in-fighting related to the background of releasing these movies. So, apologies to those in-the-know if my list is a no-brainer, or already in pre-production (some in fact, already are planned to be released shortly). If that is the case, then consider this post as affirmation that producers are on the right track.
…I take that back… no apologies from my side! I’m just another humble movie lover, just like you (if you a reading my post). I love being immersed in a great story, on a THX certified 15 meter screen with 22.2 surround sound, chowing down on popcorn that has been marked-up by 3,000%!
So here we go… This is my collection of great movies that seriously need to be remade, or at least get green-lit for a sequel immediately – for no other reason than they were awesome, and are due for some serious modern-day production infusion. Have I missed anything? Chime in with your comments below.
Heroes
 City Hunter (1993) |
This movie was my introduction to Jackie Chan. Back in 1993, when I first moved to Prague, I went to the movies with my friend Rob Fridrich, deep in the suburbs of Prague, in an aging shopping mall. We were planing to see something totally different, and found ourselves sitting and watching City Hunter. We decided to give it 10 minutes – If we didn’t like it we would leave. It was initially difficult to overcome the quirky English dubbing, but after that it was a wild ride through to the end, and the experience created two more life-long Jackie Chan fans. I just can’t figure out why he didn’t make a whole bunch of these. |
 Wonder Woman (TBD) |
 Unbreakable (2000) |
| What’s taking so long!? Was Megan Fox asking for too much money? Just pay her what she wants, and make the film, so that my expectation-anxiety can be put to rest. Anyway, it seems that something is already in the works. I wait with baited anticipation. | Both Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis are at their best as villain and hero. With Night (we’re on a middle name basis) not able to pull off the same level of brilliance in his recent pictures, maybe a sequel is in order, no? |
Thriller
 28 Days Later (2002 & 2007) |
 Cabin in the Woods (2011) |
| Please do “28 months Later”. This then leaves room for “28 Years later”, to round out a beautifully constructed quadrilogy. | This movie was simply brilliant! It redefined the horror genre for many people. I can only hope that they will do a series of prequels and/or sequels. |
 Let Me In (2010) |
 Martyrs (2008) |
| In fact, I loved the Swedish original “Let the Right One In” better than this one. Regardless, I think there is a lot of scope to turn this into a franchise. | Granted, this is a very hard movie to watch. But for the torture-porn genre, it’s a giant amongst men. The story-line is Hostel-esque, and deserves the same trilogy treatment. |
 Triangle (2009) |
 The Thing (1982 & 2011) |
| This is such a completely mind-blowing film. I’m surprised it hasn’t resulted in a franchise already. | Prequel, sequel, remake! I don’t care! Just make another one, two, or three more of these, please. |
Drama & Suspense
 9½ Weeks (1986) |
 Battle Royale (2000 & 2003) |
| Who, in my x-Generation, didn’t fall in love with Kim Basinger, and want to be cool like Mickey Rourke when this movie first came out? I think that a remake would be a real treat for the Millennial generation. Who’s with me? | I had such an adrenaline rush when I saw this the first time ’round. I think it would be an awesome Hollywood remake for today’s American audience. |
 The Game (1997) |
 The Warriors (1979) |
| This is another example of great story telling, with David Fincher at the helm. I can’t figure out why they didn’t franchise this one, as well. | I saw this in my teens, and it was riveting at the time. I think it should be redone as a Mixed Martial Arts movie. MMA fans chime in and let’s start a petition! |
Historical
 Roots (1977) |
 Gladiator (2000) |
| Now that 12 Years a Slave won the best picture Oscar in 2014, maybe the world is ready for a reboot of this Alex Haley epic novel? Looks like it may already be in the works… | How many times does Ridley Scott have to be asked in an interview if he will make a prequel/sequel to Gladiator, before he finally gives in? I think it’s Russell Crowe‘s Magnum Opus. |
Fantasy
 300 (2006) |
 Addams Family (1991 & 1993) |
| The sequel is already in the theaters as I write this blog post. I’m just hoping for a trilogy. Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes stole the show, in my opinion! | OK, I know that the brilliant Raul Julie died in 1994 (RIP), preventing this franchise from continuing. But there must be another way! |
 Hancock (2008 & TBD) |
 Jumper (2008) |
| We should have already seen this as a trilogy… like… a long time ago! Am I right? What’s up with that? Will Smith was awesome. This is another obvious trilogy in my view. IMDB is indicating that something is in the works… sigh! | What happened to this story? I thought it was an obvious candidate for a sequel. |
 Lord of the Rings (2001, ’02, ’03) |
 Michael (1996) |
| I’m not talking about the Hobbit trilogy. Once they make a billion US$ from that, then please keep going and bring Silmarillion to the big screen. I understand that it will probably need some serious rewriting, but I’m confident that the artistic collective of Hollywood, and the Shire, can pull it off. | John Travolta did a great job as a convincing angel. There seems to be a lot of scope for many more angel movies. How about “Gabriel”. Maybe I just have an affinity to angel movies 🙂 Wink Wink Nudge Nudge. |
 Pacific Rim (2013 & TBD) |
 Priest (2011) |
| My boys and I loved this movie. Guillermo del Toro did an wicked job of bringing great characters together in this Godzilla + Transformers theme. | Paul Bettany was fantastic in this flick. Please make it into a trilogy! Vampires in a dystopian future! What’s better than that? |
 Jumanji (1995 & TBD) |
 Reign of Fire (2002) |
| Seems that something may be in the works. They buried the game at the end of the movie, for f’s sake! A sequel is a no-brainer. Bring back all the original cast, …even if they’re just cameos… pretty please! | One of Christian Bale‘s pre-A-list movies. I loved the dystopian + dragon story line. This is one of the few live action dragon movies that I like. |
 Sin City (2004 & 2014) |
 Small Soldiers (1998) |
| I know we are in for another one this year. I just hope that Robert Rodriguez keeps making more of them. | Wouldn’t today’s CGI be awesome for this story? I think it’s due for a long overdue reboot. Lots of scope here. Message to Hollywood: “It’s Toy Story on steroids!” |
SiFi
 12 Monkeys (1995 & 2014) |
 Ender’s Game (2013) |
| This is early Brad Pitt as a crazy dude. Unforgettable! Definitely scope for as sequel. What are you guys in Hollywood waiting for? Can I help in any way? Just give me a call… Something is in the works,… maybe? | OK, I don’t know what Hollywood will do with this one, but there are six books in the series, right? Besides the fact that the poor kid has ‘ass’ and ‘butt’ in his name,… never mind… Asa Butterfield was brilliant! …I digress… |
| This movie is simply epic. Best performances ever from Ethan Hawke and Jude Law. I would love to see this as a mini-series. |
 Gattaca (1997) |