10 Sacred Movie Franchises That Should Never Be Remade Or Rebooted
Thankfully Robert Zemeckis was smart enough to hold onto the Back to the Future rights.
People have been saying for decades that Hollywood has been running out of ideas, and the industry hasn't exactly shied away from a reputation of sliding into creative bankruptcy thanks to the endless parade of sequels, remakes and reboots that arrive on an annual basis.
The business is more financially-orientated than ever, which has led to the widespread demise of the mid-budget movie because everything apparently has to be either a $200m blockbuster or a tiny independent production. This is one of the major reasons why so many high-profile filmmakers have been heading to streaming, because they both get the money and creative control required without having to compromise their vision.
In an age where nothing is truly safe from the prospect of a remake or a reboot, there have nonetheless been a few longtime holdouts. Whether the material doesn't seem to easily translate itself to a modern re-telling, the rights-holders know they won't be able to recapture the magic or there aren't enough superheroes and explosions to make it worthwhile, some franchises have, and hopefully will, remain untouched for a long time yet.
10. The French Connection
We've seen plenty of times over the years that even classic movies aren't safe from a modern-day retelling now matter how unnecessary it seems, and with Hollywood's cop thrillers becoming increasingly stale and formulaic it's a little surprising that they haven't started cannibalizing more of the all-time greats yet.
The French Connection has endured for almost half a century as one of the greatest thrillers ever made, and as well as winning Academy Awards for Best Picture, Actor, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Editing it was also a huge box office that earned its budget back 40 times over and spawned a sequel.
Admittedly, the second installment didn't fare anywhere near as well from either a critical or commercial perspective, but it still couldn't dent the reputation of the first, or Popeye Doyle's distinction as one of cinema's most iconic police officers.
The character did return in a self-titled TV movie in 1986, but so far the industry has resisted the temptation to try and update the story for modern audiences, which is exactly the way it should stay.