Hollywood is cashing in on the nostalgia factor, as it remakes another 1980s favourite – Fame.
Despite a different cast and slightly updated music, it still has the same dream – and is just one of many old movies being resurrected for the modern day.
Fame’s cast members are declaring it is more of a “reinvention rather than a remake”.
Naturi Naughton, who plays one of the lead characters Denise, said: “We had a great director who wanted to create this vision of keeping in step with the original but not being afraid to step outside of what people would expect.”
Dirty Dancing was a surprise hit when originally released and it’s that success – and profit – that has inspired Hollywood to try to recreate it.
Others are in the pipeline too, including Clash Of The Titans, Nightmare On Elm Street and The Karate Kid which will star Jackie Chan and Will Smith’s son, Jaden. Disney is also planning a remake of Flight Of The Navigator, with Short Circuit and Robocop rumoured to be on their way too.
Hollywood director Sam Mendes believes the surge in remakes is all down to fear. “I think they’re interested in anything that doesn’t lose them their jobs,” he said. “The idea of making something that was once a success gives them a sense of safety but it’s dangerous.” It doesn’t just stop on the big screen either.
Knight Rider is already on TV with a new cast and Teen Wolf, Michael J. Fox’s cult 80s film, will reappear as a series on MTV.
Sequels are also proving popular with Frost/Nixon star Michael Sheen set to appear in the follow-up to Tron.
But director Jon Amiel, the man behind Creation, says it’s a dangerous move because of what it means for the movie industry in the long term.
“My industry is driven by fear at the moment. Instead of passion and commitment, it’s more committee and consensus.
“This interest in rebooting franchises is because people feel safer if it’s Batman 2 or Spiderman 3. But ultimately, fear is the enemy of creativity.”
There’s no doubt about it the 80s are back, at least on the big screen.
Whether you loved the movies of the era or not, get ready – they look set to stay for a while yet.
In my opinion Hollywood should leave the 80’s alone. The movies may have had more original and far better plots than today’s large budget movies but they represented and portrayed a decade that was far removed from the world we live in today. For that reason alone let us enjoy and remember these wonderful movies with the fondness and love they deserve.