Actors Who Slammed Reboots Of The Movies That Made Them Famous
Remakes and reboots are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. Rather than attempt to create their own original property, major studios instead try to piggyback off a recognizable name in order to make a quick buck. Although there are some exceptions, many remakes and reboots come off as soulless and unnecessary because they do not compliment their usually iconic source material.
Since many remakes and reboots are of classic films that didn't need to be remade in the first place, the original films' fans are often up in arms about the potential butchering of something they love. People who complain about remakes and reboots include not only individuals who regularly watch movies but also actors who starred in the movies that were remade or rebooted, which, honestly, makes sense, considering that their legacies are possibly being trampled upon. With that in mind, this article will look at ten actors who slammed remakes and reboots of movies that made them famous.
Gene Wilder - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Gene Wilder is a big reason why 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is considered by many to be a classic film. His enigmatic yet compassionate performance as the reclusive billionaire elevates this character to often being considered one of his best and most iconic roles. The same cannot be said, however, about Johnny Depp's portrayal of Willy Wonka in 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In fact, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a whole received more negative reception from critics and fans compared to the more positive consensus of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
One such critic of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is none other than Willy Wonka himself, Gene Wilder. When asked about the remake during a 2013 interview with Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osbourne, Wilder had this to say: "I think it's an insult. It's probably Warner Bros.' insult. Johnny Depp, I think, is a good actor, but I don't care for that director. He's a talented man, but I don't care for him doing stuff like he did." It's understandable that Wilder would feel this way, since Tim Burton's muted color palette in his movie doesn't stand out like the dynamic color palette of the original film.
Michael Caine - Alfie (2004)
1966 saw the release of the film Alfie. Based on the 1963 play of the same name, the movie centers around a young man named Alfie (Michael Caine) who realizes the errors of his womanizing ways. This film was remade in 2004 with Jude Law in the titular role, but it wasn't quite as well-received as its predecessor.
In fact, Michael Caine is among the people who are not fans of the Alfie remake. In a 2009 interview with the Irish Independent, Caine said that he thought Law was miscast for the part of Alfie. "Alfie was a sort of innocent blunder, shagging birds here and there for a nice apple crumble, at the end he's puzzled why everyone's pissed off at him. Jude, being so knowing looking, looked like it was deliberate and it became sinister instead of funny." Jude Law's portrayal of the titular character probably wouldn't work quite as well in a post-MeToo era, either.
Kirsten Dunst - all subsequent Spider-Man Movies (2012-)
Kirsten Dunst has played many roles throughout her career, but perhaps none are more recognized than her portrayal of Mary Jane Watson in all three of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films. Even though those first two films are hard to beat, that didn't stop Hollywood from trying. Sony released The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2 in 2012 and 2014 with Andrew Garfield before the franchise was rebooted into the MCU in 2016 — this time with Tom Holland as Spider-Man.
No matter how many times Spider-Man is rebooted, Dunst will always believe that the Raimi films are the best. The actress said as much in a 2017 interview with Marie Claire when she was asked about the most recent Spider-Man reboot: "We made the best ones, so who cares? I'm like, 'You make it all you want.' They're just milking that cow for money. It's so obvious. You know what I mean?" Spider-Man movies do make money, so she's not wrong about the franchise being a cash cow.
Leslie Jones - Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)
In 2016, Sony released a remake of the classic 1984 film Ghostbusters with an all-female cast. Although this remake received generally positive reviews from critics, it failed to break even at the box office, and Sony decided not pursue a sequel as a result. Three years later, Sony announced that they were developing another Ghostbusters movie that will serve as a sequel to 1989's Ghostbusters II.
Although many fans were happy that the series was returning to its roots, not everyone shared those same sentiments. Leslie Jones, who starred in the 2016 reboot, went on Twitter to express her disdain for Sony not following up the Ghostbusters film she was in. "So insulting. Like f**k us. We dint count. It's like something trump would do. (Trump voice)"Gonna redo ghostbusteeeeers, better with men, will be huge. Those women ain't ghostbusteeeeers" ugh so annoying. Such a d**k move. And I don't give f**k I'm saying something!!" One thing's for sure: Jones did not hold back with her comments.
Brendan Fraser - The Mummy (2017)
Stephen Sommers' The Mummy delighted audiences when it first released back in 1999. This film took the classic Universal monster and made him the villain of an Indiana Jones-style action-adventure. Universal rebooted the franchise once again in 2017 in an attempt to jump-start their own shared universe of classic Universal monster properties known as the Dark Universe. This reboot was a box-office bomb, however, and the Dark Universe never continued as a result.
One of the 2017 movie's many critics is Brendan Fraser, star of 1999's The Mummy. Fraser wrote into Funny or Die (via Radio Times) to discuss his thoughts on the reboot. In his review, Fraser said, "Perhaps the most disappointing plot turn occurs at the end of the film, when the audience finally realizes (SPOILERS AHEAD!) that I do not make an appearance in this film." Fraser also commented that Russell Crowe's appearance as Dr. Jekyll is "completely unnecessary" and rated the film one and a half flesh-eating scarabs. Man, what a harsh critic.
Robert Englund - A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
It goes without saying that 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most iconic horror movies in cinematic history. Wes Craven elevated the slasher genre and gave audiences a new face in horror: Freddy Krueger. Michael Bay's production company, Platinum Dunes, released a remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street in 2010 with Jackie Earl Haley replacing Robert Englund as Kruger. Unfortunately, this remake received mostly negative reception from both critics and fans.
Even Englund had issues with the remake, as evidenced in a 2012 interview with ComingSoon.net. When asked about Elm Street remake, Englund had this to say: "I thought the movie was a little cold. We weren't really given time to see the kids when they were normal, before they were frantic and haunted by Freddy. That made it harder to connect with them, harder to care what happened to them. Haley made Freddy his own. I think the change to a more 'realist' burn make-up with melted features took a lot of the strength away from the character. The strong nose and chin in the make-up I wore gives Freddy presence and power. And I played Freddy as if he liked being evil, he liked his work. Jackie went a different way." At least he gave the movie a chance.
Jerry Lewis - The Nutty Professor (1996)
Comedian Jerry Lewis left a lasting legacy after he died in 2017. This legacy included appearances in several films such as the 1963 comedy The Nutty Professor, where he plays a socially awkward professor who invents a potion to turn himself into a handsome but obnoxious ladies' man. The movie was remade in 1996 with Eddie Murphy in the lead role. This remake received positive reviews from critics and made enough money to justify a sequel.
One person who was not a fan of the remake, however, was Jerry Lewis. Although Lewis served as an executive producer on both 1996's The Nutty Professor and its sequel Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, he explained in a 2009 interview with Entertainment Weekly that he does not look fondly on those experiences. "I have such respect for Eddie, but I shouldn't have done it. What I did was perfect the first time around and all you're going to do is diminish that perfection by letting someone else do it. When he had to do fart jokes, he lost me." Regardless of what people think of Murphy's Nutty Professor, Lewis' legacy will continue to live on.
Nancy Allen - Robocop (2014)
Paul Verhoeven's Robocop is a classic for so many reasons. This violent '80s action film is not only fun and exciting but also contains relevant social commentary about consumerism and gentrification. In 2014, Sony released a remake of Robocop that was rated PG-13 and lacked much of the original film's biting social commentary, which fans were obviously not happy about.
Some people involved with the original Robocop, such as actress Nancy Allen, who played the titular protagonist's partner Anne Lewis, were also disappointed with this remake. When asked about the Robocop remake in a 2014 interview with Syfy Wire, Allen had this to say: "I don't think you remake iconic films. Ours was created out of an extraordinary script with the right director and an amazing cast. Jon [the film's executive producer] believed in the script and an exceptional movie was made. I'm troubled by studios who take a perfect piece and try to milk more money off it." She has a point.
Christopher Lee - The Wicker Man (2006)
In 1973, British director Rob Hardy released a horror movie called The Wicker Man. This film revolves around a puritanical police sergeant who arrives in a mysterious Scottish town in search of a missing girl. This classic inspired other "folk horror" movies such as The VVitch and Midsommar. The 2006 remake, on the other hand, is known more for Nicolas Cage running around in a bear suit.
Christopher Lee, who starred in the original Wicker Man as Lord Summerisle, was of the many people who criticized the remake. In a 2006 interview with the Daily Record, Lee said the following about The Wicker Man remake, "The Wicker Man was probably the best film I've ever made and it became, next to Citizen Kane, the biggest cult movie in the world and it still has people talking about it. And then I hear it's being remade. I don't believe in remakes. You can make a followup to a film, but to remake a movie with such history and success just doesn't make sense to me." Tell that to studio executives.
Walter Jones - Power Rangers (2017)
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is one of the most iconic television shows of the 1990s. The series is about five teenagers who can morph into color-coded superheroes in order to fight intergalactic threats such as the villainous Rita Repulsa. This series was successful enough to spawn a movie and several reinterpretations of the eponymous team. In 2017, Lionsgate released a Power Rangers movie that served as a reboot to the franchise. Unfortunately, the film received mixed reviews among critics and didn't make enough money at the box office to warrant a sequel.
One person who was disappointed with this reboot was actor Walter Jones, who played Zack Taylor, a.k.a. the Black Ranger in the first two seasons of the original series. At the 2017 Chicago Comics & Entertainment Expo (C2E2), Jones spoke about how he wished that this movie's Zack Taylor used his "Hip Hop Kido" fighting style from the show. "I was a little disappointed that they changed the characters around a little bit because I wanted Zach to be with his kido because Hip Hop Kido was a really important element of who I was on Power Rangers." Well, Paramount and Hasbro are developing another reboot of Power Rangers, so maybe Zack will use Hip Hop Kido this time around.