The Art of the Film Franchise Re-Reboot
Rebooting a franchise is like putting everything on seven — a risk in even the best environment. Sometimes the attempt to start over pays off and births a new series of films for the next generation (see The Amazing Spider-Man) and sometimes it crashes and burns (See the new RoboCop...Or rather don't see it). And sometimes Hollywood wants to take another crack at reviving a franchise, which appears to be the latest film trend. If the aughts was the era of the film reboot (with Batman Begins and Casino Royale) then the 2010s is the era of the second franchise reboot, or re-reboot. Last year alone we've already had Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (which failed miserably to revive the Tom Clancy character for the big screen) and still had to watch the attempts at resuscitating the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Godzilla. In that vein, here are four prime examples of Hollywood film franchises that got a second take on a do-over.
Franchise: Superman
The Reboot: Superman Returns, 2006
Having lifted Batman from the ashes, Warner Bros. decided to do the same for the world’s first superhero. Superman was in even worse condition than Batman — his last outing in the movies was the cheaply and hastily filmed Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 1987. From 1987 to 2001, Warner Bros. had reached out to multiple creators, like Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, and J.J. Abrams, to breathe new life into the Man of Steel. They eventually turned to Bryan Singer, the man who steered the X-Men franchise to success. Singer, a lifelong fan of the original Superman movies, jumped at the idea and decided to make a movie that was a continuation of the beloved Christopher Reeve films. The result, though, was not what fans were looking for. Instead of an actor who looked like he stepped out of a comic book panel, we got Brandon Routh, a slim actor who looked like he should have been an underwear model. Instead of a man of action and heroism, we got a Superman who abandoned the planet Earth for five years, fathered a child out of wedlock and used his super-powers to spy on Lois Lane. Superman? More like Super-Jerk. Oh, and Lex Luthor’s “big evil plan?” Once again, it came down to real estate. It might have worked for Gene Hackman in the 1970s, but it was met with a collective yawn in the 2000s.
The Re-Reboot: Man of Steel, 2014
After 2006's Superman Returns failed to live up to expectations, Warner Bros. decided to go back to the drawing part. First, they got Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer — the director and writer who resurrected Batman — on board. Then, they got Zack Snyder, known for his action-packed popcorn-friendly flicks, to direct. Snyder's film was a direct reaction to its predecessor's: Man of Steel never stopped moving, climaxing in an all-out war between Superman and General Zod that wreaked havoc and destruction in Metropolis. The movie made over $600 million worldwide and a sequel — featuring Ben Affleck as Batman, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor — is set for 2015 and is widely speculated to be the launching pad for a long-awaited Justice League movie.
Franchise: Star Trek
The Reboot: Star Trek: The Motion Picture, 1979
After years of stops and starts in the 70s, Star Trek: The Motion Picture launched the U.S.S. Enterprise onto the big screen and revived the classic science-fiction franchise. It also nearly sunk it. Although eagerly anticipated, many fans got what they felt was the cinematic equivalent of watching people watching TV — as most the cast spent much of the movie reacting to what was happening on the Enterprise viewscreen. Gone was the tension, the conflict and the action of the original series. In its place was a think piece about an entity returning to find its creator. The film went into production with an incomplete script (due to constant tinkering by creator Gene Roddenberry) and barely made its release date because the special effects weren't ready until the very last minute. And although the film grossed $82 million domestically, critics and fans alike were disappointed by the snail’s pace of the action and lack of protagonist. Paramount decided to pretty much pretend that “the Motionless Picture” never happened and started back at square one for the sequel in 1982. The result? The much-loved Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which launched twenty years of Trek movies.
The Re-Reboot: Star Trek, 2009
The first Star Trek movie of the 21st century, 2002’s Star Trek: Nemesis starring the Next Generation cast, garnered an anemic $67 million in its entire run. Plus, for the first time in franchise history, a Star Trek movie didn’t open at number one at the box office (it lost the top spot to the Jennifer Lopez opus Maid in Manhattan). Oh, the Star Trek franchise was dead, dead, dead in the 2000s. Which, if you know anything about Star Trek, meant that it was surely coming back. Paramount hired director J.J. Abrams to reimagine and reinvigorate the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Abrams decided to broaden the audience by hiring a group of younger actors to play the iconic characters originally played by William Shatner and company. He also decided to discard some of the more cerebral elements and focus more on action and character development. While this left some Trekkers up in arms, it also enabled the rebooted Trek to hoover up $79 million...in its opening weekend. It also virtually guaranteed a sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness, which was released to theaters this past summer. A third film is reportedly being readied for release in 2016 - just in time for Star Trek's 50th anniversary.
Franchise: Planet of the Apes
The Reboot: Planet of the Apes, 2002
Starting in the mid-80s Fox sought a new franchise to be a cash replacement for the then-completed Star Wars trilogy. Bringing back Planet of the Apes seemed like a sure thing, but it got stuck in development hell for years. At one point, it looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger would star in an Oliver Stone-directed version. Fox eventually brought in Tim Burton, who was looking for a new project after his Superman movie was killed at Warner Bros. Burton didn’t want to make a remake or a sequel, so instead started to work on his own vision. Filming began in October 2000, even before the script was completed. Fox insisted that the movie be ready for a July 2001 release, so special effects and editing were both rushed. The result was a movie that was met with tepid reviews and never really seemed to click on all cylinders, that seemed to mistake atmosphere and window dressing for actual plot (as evidenced by the nonsensical ending, where Mark Wahlberg’s character lands back on Earth at the Lincoln Memorial — only to discover that the statue is the image of an ape).
The Re-Reboot: Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 2011
After the failure of Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes, 20th Century Fox wasn’t exactly looking to get back into the monkey business. Screenwriter and producer Rick Jaffa, however, came across an article about how domesticated chimpanzees were turning on their owners and decided that would be a great motif for a new Apes movie. Jaffa and his wife/screenwriting partner Amanda Silver added other elements, such as animal testing and genetic engineering into the plot and sold it to Fox. The result was a film that was not only a box office success, but a critical one as well, even winning the prestigious Saturn Award for Best Sci-Fi Film. It also spawned a sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, due to hit theaters in July.
Franchise: The Hulk
The Reboot: The Hulk, 2003
Yes, this is actually the Hulk's big-screen debut. But we're going to count this as reboot of the iconic comic book character since it found mainstream success on the classic television show and a variety of TV movies. To bring Bruce Banner and his giant green rage monster alter ego to celluloid life, studio heads turned to director Ang Lee. Although Lee was coming off the successful actioner Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, he was an odd choice, having mainly made his bones with indie fare such as Sense and Sensibility and The Ice Storm. The result was a slow-moving think piece into the why and how of the Hulk, but leaving little the audience wanting, well, to see more Hulk smash.
The Re-Reboot: The Incredible Hulk, 2008
In 2008, Marvel Entertainment had plans. BIG plans. Although they were making both Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk side-by-side, few people knew that these movies would be the building blocks to a blockbuster Avengers flick. Indeed, that was a big reason why Marvel film head Kevin Feige decided not to go ahead with a sequel to Lee's Hulk film. Much like Man of Steel, The Incredible Hulk listened to the critics of the previous movie and ramped up the action, culminating in an all-out brawl between the Hulk and his foe, the Abomination, right in Harlem with Edward Norton starred as Banner. The movie borrowed a tone from the TV show, focusing on Banner being on the run from the government and his angst living outside society. Of course, the biggest moment occurred during the credits, when Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark popped in. Unfortunately, Norton — who reportedly demanded script and editing changes - was replaced by Mark Ruffalo for Avengers.
We're looking forward to see what films are being re-reboot this year! Or not.
[All pics via Flickr. Top - Ares Ryo. Superman - Nicholas Rumas. Star Trek - Al King. Planet of the Apes- Ares Ryo. Hulk - cplbasilisk.]
