4. Thou Shalt Resist Stunt Casting From The Original
A massive impulse filmmakers can't seem to get over when undertaking a remake is paying tribute to the original. Granted, it's nice to tip your hat towards the work that inspired you in the first place, but when's too much too much? Take, for example, the remake of Get Carter: a '60s revenge flick starring Michael Caine, remade into a more modern revenge flick with Sylvester Stallone. The remake shifted Stallone into the Carter role, and Michael Caine into a supporting role as a surprise villain. Admittedly this trick had been ripped from the Mission: Impossible playbook, but at least with that example it was a different actor playing the role of Mr. Phelps. Michael Caine as a villain in a remake of a Michael Caine movie is just a little too reaching, if you ask me. If you want a good example of nodding towards the original, without sacrificing integrity, one only has to look at the recent Fright Night remake. During the climactic scene where Charlie's family is being chased down the highway by a very angry Jerry, an innocent motorist somehow gets involved, only to ultimately be eaten by Jerry. The innocent motorist in this scenario is played by Chris Sarandon, the original Jerry from the 1985 source material. This sort of cameo gets a quick laugh, paying only enough attention to the gag for it to be funny, and then merrily rolls along with the flick.