Do you remember when Ashton Kutcher dipped his toe in more dramatic roles? No? Well that's because the voyage ended right out of the gate prematurely with 2004's time-travel based thriller The Butterfly Effect. The mind-bending original was hated by critics (33% on Rotten Tomatoes) but audiences dug it and it endures in fan reputation with a 7.7 rating on IMDB. In comparison, that's even a better rating than last year's much raved Looper and 2011's Source Code. Perhaps this is why a new reboot is in production, with
Variety breaking the news on Thursday. It is unknown if Ashton Kutcher will return but Eric Bress (original co-director and co-writer) is writing the script for FilmEngine and Benderspink, the original producers of the first movie. Kutcher portrayed a troubled character who had the ability to travel back in time and change mistakes in the past to alter the present - though of course The Butterfly Effect of modifying childhood traumas and incidents created unforeseen consequences. The Butterfly Effect may not have cleaned house at the box office but even anchoring an R-rating it earned $95 million worldwide on a $17 million production budget for New Line. That isn't too shabby. The franchise has already expanded with direct to DVD sequels that didn't star Kutcher or Amy Smart but have always performed well within home video markets. While the news is definitely random the number crunching declares that the franchise is profitable and that a market exists regardless of what critics thought. Personally, I feel the Directors Cut actually presented a fantastic thriller which features one of the darkest and more depressing endings in recent cinema history. Though what exactly could be achieved with a reboot that couldn't be with a new original thriller, is unclear. What do you think of The Butterfly Effect receiving a reboot? Let us know below!