The Most Rebooted Movies Ever

Reboots and remakes tend to get a bad rap. Of course, that doesn't stop Hollywood from rebooting old franchises and putting new spins on familiar storylines. Yes, people may complain that there are just too many reboots these days — but audiences still turn out in droves to see them. Despite the griping, it's clear that viewers will still come out to see their favorite characters on the big screen, time and time again.

But are reboots always a bad thing? Not necessarily. Sometimes, an older movie's world really can benefit from a little polishing. And in the hands of a different director, a particular narrative can become even more compelling. However, how many times can you reboot a certain idea before it starts to feel stale? Some studios are perfectly willing to reboot a franchise every few years or so, and no matter how many millions they spend, the law of diminishing returns is difficult to escape. Here are a few movies that have been rebooted plenty of times already — and there's nothing stopping other directors from rebooting them all over again.

In 1967, the animated musical The Jungle Book introduced children everywhere to Rudyard Kipling's classic stories, with a catchy soundtrack that included infectious songs like "The Bare Necessities." Mowgli, a young boy who had been abandoned as a baby and raised by wolves, spends his time exploring the jungles of India with his friends Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear, until the day comes when he has to decide between running wild or living among humans. 

The story was originally adapted for film in 1942, but after the release of Disney's adaptation, other reboots and spinoffs were released around the world, like the Soviet film series Adventures of Mowgli and the anime series Jungle Book Shōnen Mowgli. The original story may have been set in India, but clearly, it has cross-cultural appeal. It wasn't long before a studio decided to reboot it with another live-action adaptation in 1994, but without anthropomorphic animals and sing-along tunes, this version lacked the animated version's charm. 

A more faithful iteration of Kipling's original tale was released in 2016, featuring the voices of actors like Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray, and Christopher Walken. The heartwarming tale of Mowgli finding his chosen family, combined with stunning, dreamlike visuals, was favorably compared to the original Disney film. Rudyard Kipling's stories were also adapted into the 2018 Netflix film Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was produced on a small budget with unknown actors, and it's safe to say that the cast and crew had no idea that a film about a group of teenagers encountering a family of cannibals in rural Texas would turn into one of the most successful franchises in the horror genre. The original movie was released in 1974, and although the violence depicted sparked some controversy, it became a favorite amongst horror fans and spawned several sequels and reboots.

In 1995, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation was released, starring Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey. This slasher fell somewhere between a reboot and a remake — it followed the plot of the original horror classic quite closely, but the events of the original are also referenced. A similar follow-up came along again with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2013. 

The franchise went in a new direction with the 2017 fright flick Leatherface, which served as a prequel to explain the origin of the series' main villain and explore questions about the nature of evil. Turns out this vicious cannibal wasn't born a mindless killing machine — he was corrupted by his murderous parents. 

There are more TCM movies on the way, with another reboot planned for the future. However, judging by the mixed reviews for most of these sequels and reboots, it might finally be time to wrap up this franchise.

Only a few years after being published, the 1963 French novel Planet of the Apes was adapted for film. Audiences were captivated by the fictional world in which human beings and apes battled for control of their planet, and the story inspired a long-running movie franchise. More films and two TV series followed, but these four sequels couldn't measure up to the original in terms of critical and commercial success.

After the release of a 2001 remake, it was finally time for a total reboot. In 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes kicked off a new series for the franchise. A hyper-intelligent ape named Caesar is born to a chimpanzee who was used in drug trials for a new Alzheimer's treatment. As he discovers exactly what he's capable of, he fights back against the constraints imposed by humans and leads an ape uprising. The 2014 follow-up, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, explores the aftermath of the uprising and the ensuing plague, following Caesar as he attempts to maintain control over the rebellious apes. In the third sequel, War for the Planet of the Apes, Caesar must go up against another enemy — remaining factions of the US military. 

All three films were praised for their visual effects and engaging plots. A fourth film in the rebooted series is in the works. Based on the response to these films, this was a franchise worth reviving for the modern era.

In the late 1800s, Edward Rice Buroughs published his first novel about Tarzan, the man raised by apes whose life in the wild is turned upside down when he falls in love with Jane Porter and must choose between remaining in the jungle or adapting to civilization. In 1918, the story was adapted for film for the first time with the silent movie Tarzan of the Apes. Other silent films followed, and the first adaptation with dialogue, Tarzan the Tiger, was released in 1929.

Over the next few decades, more Tarzan movies were released, but the classic tale found a whole new audience with Disney's animated musical adaptation in 1999. Phil Collins' soundtrack added a whole new dimension to the story. In Disney's retelling, Tarzan encounters Jane and her father when they visit the jungle to study the gorillas — and after fighting off Clayton, the hunter who wanted to seize the animals for his own benefit, they decide to stay. 

The popularity of the animated film introduced the character to younger generations, and a few years later, the musical Tarzan began running on Broadway. In 2016, a new live-action adaptation of the story was released, starring Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan and Margot Robbie as Jane. This adaptation explored Tarzan's life in civilization as "Lord Greystoke" and his eventual return to Africa — but with a darker, more serious tone.

The original Halloween is a classic slasher movie: released in 1978, it follows the story of Michael Myers, who escapes from a mental institution on Halloween night and goes on a killing spree. Today, there is no mistaking Michael's iconic white mask, and you're bound to see a few trick-or-treaters and Halloween partygoers donning it every October. 

As a standalone film, Halloween was sufficiently terrifying — it didn't necessarily need to be expanded on. Yet it was followed by seven sequels. And that wasn't the end of the franchise, either. 

In 2007 and 2009, Rob Zombie directed Halloween and its sequel H2, which closely followed the plot of the original while further exploring Michael Myers' psyche. Another film in the franchise, titled Halloween, was released in 2018. This version was meant to serve as a sequel to the 1978 film, wiping out the storyline of the other sequels. It received surprisingly positive reviews — perhaps the return of Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle in their original roles as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers helped. Curtis played a convincingly played an older, PTSD-stricken Laurie, and Castle's portrayal of Michael Myers can still keep you up at night. 

Two more films, Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends, are already planned for the future. Hopefully, these installments will serve as a fitting end for the franchise.

The image of King Kong on top of the Empire State Building is unforgettable — and by now, we've seen similar visuals in a few different films. The original, released in 1933, is a classic — Kong is an enormous, gorilla-like monster who lives on secluded Skull Island before being discovered by a film crew and becoming infatuated with a beautiful actress, which leads to his eventual demise in New York City.

A sequel was released only a few months after the original premiered, and in later years, there was a crossover with another famous monster titled King Kong vs. Godzilla. A remake came out in 1976, and the story was re-introduced to today's audiences with another remake in 2005, starring Jack Black and Naomi Watts. This remake was generally faithful to the original, and the modern special effects gave the monster an intimidating sense of scale — seeing the massive, wounded Kong fall to his death from the Empire State Building was even more dramatic with the help of CGI. 

The franchise was rebooted yet again in 2017 with Kong: Skull Island. In this reboot, a group of scientists and Vietnam War soldiers end up in the middle of a battle between Kong and the ancient Skull Crushers. The final scene hints that other monsters are out there, and we'll be seeing a sequel in 2020: Godzilla vs. Kong.

Rebooting A Star Is Born has become something of a Hollywood transition. Every few decades, the story is revived once more, and with such a long time span in between versions, it feels totally new to every subsequent audience. Each film puts a twist on the initial story, so the narrative never gets stale.

It all started with the original A Star Is Born, released in 1937, which tells the story of an up-and-coming actress as she struggles to make it in Hollywood, her path to finding a mentor who becomes her husband, and his battle with alcoholism. It's a powerful, touching drama that explored the pitfalls of fame and the price of success.

The film was remade for the first time in 1954, starring Judy Garland in the leading role — this time, it's about an aspiring singer, but the rest of the plot progresses in a similar fashion. Garland's incredible vocals lent a new level of emotional depth. The third version was released in 1976, again as a musical, with Barbara Streisand playing a singer who falls for a dysfunctional rock star. 

In 2018, Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper took on these iconic roles in the latest Star Is Born. Their beautiful rendition of the song "Shallow" won Best Original Song at the Oscars. It's safe to say that there could be another version in the future — just give it another two decades or so.