3. Now, Voyager
Everyone loves a good makeover. This beautiful story starring Bette Davis is about a woman whose tyrannical mother makes sure she stays unattractive and house-arrested. After she undergoes an emotional and physical makeover, her world opens up and she falls in love with a married man. So goes one of the greatest love stories of all time.
Why We Need It: The story is so organic that even a mediocre version would stand above the romance fare of today--and that's reason enough to re-imagine it.
But With Who?: It's hard to replace Bette Davis' matronly Charlotte and Paul Henreid's swoon-worthy French sojourner Jerry. Debonaire Jean Dujardin (The Artist) is almost a carbon copy of Henreid, thus the perfect replacement. Everyone else seems to have tired of Renee Zellwegger, but she understands self-awareness better than most actresses out there and would hit home Charlotte's battle with self-image and acceptance. And the film is begging for Nancy Meyers to write/direct.
The Spin: Meyers has a talent for making romances about middle-aged people engaging, realistic, and entertaining. A little humor couldn't hurt what was more of a classic weepy. And Meyers sentimental comedic touch would help make it lively without sacrificing its melodramatic core.