Top 10 Actors and Directors Who Hated the Remakes of Their Movies
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Top 10 Actors and Directors Who Hated the Remakes of their Movies
You can't please everyone. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 10 Actors and Directors Who Hated the Remakes of their Movies. For this list, we'll be ranking the actors and directors who came out, either in the press or in social media, to negatively criticize aspects of the remakes of their famous films. Some of these performers and filmmakers may have softened their stances eventually, but they've all had something negative to say about the Hollywood remake machine at one point, or another.
#10: Brendan Fraser
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"The Mummy" (2017) "Not my mummy." This was one of the hashtags used by actor Brendan Fraser in reaction to the 2017 Universal Studios reboot of "The Mummy" franchise. Fraser had seen a lot of success in the late nineties and early millennium with a starring role of his own in the series. Yet, he was passed over for Universal's new “Mummy” movie in favor of Tom Cruise. The "School Ties" star would also write in to "Funny or Die" on the subject, joking that the 2017 "Mummy" didn't have “enough Brendan Fraser," while also negatively critiquing Russell Crowe's portrayal of Dr. Jekyll.
#9: Alan Parker
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"Fame" (2009) In a perfect world, the creators of an original film and its remake would get along great, and the end results would come out smelling like roses. This... wasn't the case between Sir Alan Parker and MGM Studios, as the filmmaker who directed "Fame" in 1980 claimed that no one even contacted him when the studio, who owned the film's copyright, decided to move ahead with a remake in 2009. Parker compared his feelings on the subject to being mugged, while the end results of director Kevin Tancharoen's "Fame" did no one any favors, failing in every respect to capture the unique and gritty vibe of the original.
#8: Christopher Lee & Robin Hardy
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"The Wicker Man" (2006) Just as Parker didn't appreciate being left in the dark about the remake of "Fame," so too was Robin Hardy miffed about the lack of communication from Warner Bros. regarding Neil LaBute's 2006 remake of "The Wicker Man." Hardy spoke to the New York Times on the subject, claiming that Warner Bros. dragged their feet getting a script to him. Hardy went on to add that he felt "The Wicker Man" was too unique to be remade, at least without the studio informing him about exactly how they were going to do it. Christopher Lee, who starred in Hardy's original, echoed his director's sentiments in a separate interview, stating that he didn't “believe in remakes."
#7: Robert Englund
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"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (2010) For "Nightmare on Elm Street" fans, there's simply no denying it: Robert Englund IS Freddy Krueger. Englund wasn't included in the 2010 remake, however. This fact has had followers up in arms to this day, most of whom still clamor for the versatile actor to don Freddy's iconic, razor-fingered glove one last time. Englund, ever the class act, actually had some positive things to say about Jackie Earle Haley, the "Watchmen" actor who took over the role of Krueger for director Samuel Bayer. It wasn't a total love fest, though, as Englund has also gone on record in the past claiming that the remake suffered from ineffective make-up effects and a lack of empathetic characters.
#6: Angela Lansbury
"Beauty and the Beast" (2017) Angela Lansbury has had an amazing career, starring in a number of undeniably classic films. The Hollywood legend was more than a bit cold on two high profile remakes of her work, however, including the live-action remake of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast." Lansbury's reactions to both remakes could best be described as "nonplussed," as she told Entertainment Weekly that she wasn't exactly sure why Disney was deciding to remake it in the first place. Her reaction was similar in a 2004 interview with The Guardian with regards to Jonathan Demme's remake of "The Manchurian Candidate," commenting that she regretted they had to "mess with something that was so perfect."
#5: Michael Caine
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"Alfie" (2004) Our next entry could be considered something of mirror image to Angela Lansbury's remake reaction, only this time featuring a fellow acting icon, Sir Michael Caine. Caine had a certain point of view about remakes and told IndieLondon that only bad films should receive the treatment, lamenting the fact that his film "Get Carter," (xref) had been remade with Sylvester Stallone. His feelings didn't change all that much when speaking to Metro, commenting that Jude Law was "miscast" as the titular "Alfie," and criticizing the behavior of Law's character as "knowing looking."
#4: Nancy Allen & Paul Verhoeven
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"RoboCop" (2014) It's a very common and oft-repeated old adage: "if it ain’t broke, don't fix it." This sentiment was echoed by "RoboCop" co-star Nancy Allen during a 2014 interview with SYFY WIRE. Allen pointed to a lack of ideas from major movie studios as part of the reason for the seemingly endless glut of remakes, and stated, very matter-of-factly, that she didn't think one should "remake iconic films." Allen went on to praise the original's script and crew before quoting another reaction from "RoboCop" director Paul Verhoeven, who called the remake "very depressing."
#3: George A. Romero
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"Dawn of the Dead" (2004) George A. Romero's original "Dawn of the Dead" is a horror classic for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the biting social satire and commentary Romero was making about the nature of consumerism. This was one of the reasons why Romero disliked Zack Snyder's 2004 remake of the film, telling The Telegraph in 2013 that Snyder's film "lost its reason for being." Romero went on to criticize the remake's use of fast, running zombies, declaring that he just had a hard time buying into what Snyder was selling.
#2: Jerry Lewis
"The Nutty Professor" (1996) Jerry Lewis left behind an incredible body of work when he passed away in 2017, but he also took with him a reputation for being a bit... cranky. The comic legend didn't suffer fools, nor did he ever shy away from speaking his mind. Case in point? His reaction to the 1996 remake of what was perhaps his career defining film, "The Nutty Professor." Lewis actually had nice things to say about the remake's star, Eddie Murphy when he spoke to Entertainment Weekly in 2009, but balked at what he felt was the film's reliance on scatological humor. He commented that his original film was "perfect," and added that wouldn't go through with the process again.
#1: Gene Wilder
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"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005) For many, the picture-perfect film adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" still resides in 1971. Gene Wilder defined the character of Willy Wonka with his appearance in director Mel Stuart's "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," essentially owning the role for generations to come. So, when Wilder was asked in 2013 about his thoughts concerning Tim Burton's 2005 reimagining of Dahl's book, the beloved actor pulled no punches. "I think it's an insult," Wilder said, although he placed most of the blame upon Warner Bros. and Burton, specifically the latter's visual style, of which Wilder wasn't a fan.
