In the past few years, there have been a fair amount of movie remakes that, while maybe not quite up to par cinematographically, were fun to watch and well-received.
For instance: 21 Jump Street, The A-Team, The Three Musketeers, and Fright Night. But moviegoers have more to look forward to in the upcoming years, and not just in this summer’s Total Recall reboot.
Take a look at these in-development movie remake projects you may or may not have heard of:
1. RoboCop (2013)
A remake of the 1987 blockbuster starring Peter Weller as the title character, this film will include recent stars like Gary Oldman, and Samuel L. Jackson, but will star Joel Kinnaman as RoboCop himself. As far as anyone can tell, the plot remains the same – a wounded cop comes back as a cyborg to defend Detroit from crime.
2. Buck Rogers (????)
Buck has had a few tv serials and movies in his time, but none more recent than 1979. This in-development movie project will modernize the story, making the title character a 20th century astronaut who, like in the originals, wakes from stasis after 500 years to save the world from an oppressive overlord.
3. Dune (2014)
Just about everyone who’s seen the 1984 version of this Frank Herbert classic agrees: the movie adaptation could not have been more boring. However, with a remake looming on the horizon, and an approximate release date set, Herbert fans and sci-fi enthusiasts alike may have something to look forward to.
4. Highlander (????)
The immortal swordsman Connor MacLeod has had six films to date, and his fair share of tv series and video games, despite an initial box-office flop. With Ryan Reynolds rumored to be taking over as the title character, moviegoers can only hope that director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo hits a home-run with this remake.
5. Mad Max: Fury Road (2013)
Max Rockatansky last graced the silver screen in 1985, played by Mel Gibson in Mad Max: Beyond the Thunderdome. Not much has been revealed about the plot of this upcoming franchise reboot to date, but with Tom Hardy as Max, Charlize Theron on board, and filming already begun, Fury Road is promising so far.
6. Tomb Raider (2013)
Though the films starring Angelina Jolie weren’t exactly Oscar-worthy, to say the least, they were great for anyone mindless action and emotionless plot. All that’s needed at this point is another tough actress to play Lara Croft, as Jolie is reportedly not involved, and a cheeseball script to go with.
7. Time Bandits (????)
A remake of the 1981 Terry Gilliam film with Sean Connery, this remake has been announced but not extensively confirmed. Response so far hasn’t been great – the first movie was very strictly ’80s-material, and many are not eager to see it redone. But the original was so good that the remake deserves at least a fighting chance.
8. Arabian Nights (2014)
No films based on the collection of stories One Thousand and One Nights have been terribly successful thus far, but there’s hope for this adaptation yet. With Liam Hemsworth as Ali Baba, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson rumored to play Sinbad the Sailor, director Chuck Russell has the raw material for a hit.
9. Pinocchio (2014)
Everyone knows the classic Disney movie, in which a puppet is aided by his cricket conscience in his quest to become a real boy. This film will be animated as well, but with a darker take on the children’s fairy tale. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe is already signed on to voice the title character, one of his fist non-Potter roles.
10. WarGames (2014)
The 1984 film starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy tells the tale of a teen who hacks into a government supercomputer and ends up playing a “game” that could bring about World War Three. This remake project is still largely in-development, so any info so far is speculation, but moviegoers can hope for a hit.