by Ryan Burton

Created on: January 14, 2009

It is certainly a risky gamble for any major Hollywood studio to try and do a remake of a classic TV show. Some films that have come in the past 10 to 20 years have actually been successful, but then there are the less successful films to take in as a reminder. The only reason for me to vote Yes is because it can certainly be done,but...but you have to consider the care you put into the project, and how relevant you can keep it with today's audiences.

Let's start with a good example: "The Andy Griffith Show." I'm sure that everyone who will just now read this would immediately say no. That would be my answer as well. The first thing to consider is that you can never replace Don Knotts as Barney, the deputy of Mayberry, and you could never replace Ron Howard as Opie. No one could ever replace those actors, or how much the audiences who grew up, and still watch re-runs of the show. They are un-replaceable. The second thing to consider is the family values and lessons that you took in from that show. In todays world, that would not be as marketable an item as it was back in the 60's. Today, not many audiences would take in those simplistic values because our society is more open-minded, and they have better taste. Even if you did try to, you have to respect the material. It's Americana, and it's part of our history. So the plan would be to keep it straight, and honest as possible without having it be a carbon-copy.

Other shows like "Star Trek" have certainly paved the the way for box-office success, and this show has spawned 10 films. The reason is because not only do they have good special effects, and often times good stories, but because its about the formula they used. They stick with the shows characters, and they expand on them like good soap opera material. It allows audiences who have never seen the show to get involved with it. Even though the show is over 40 years old, and it has 4 other television spin-offs, there grows the fear that it will become to old, and the storylines could often repeat themselves. After seeing the last few films, I can believe that. However, the smart thing that is being done with the next film is that it will in its own way go back the formula of the characters, and tell us how they came together in a story that has never been told before. Though the film will be one for the fans of the show, it will also draw in a new audience with its group of young castmembers.

Now in a way, that means a reboot (or remake in this case) which

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>