The New Hollywood Spin — “It’s Not a Remake . . . Even Though We Remade it”

Hollywood gets a lot of negative press for constantly remaking movies. The creative executives at movie studios enjoy the remakes because the promotion is easy, and the risks are limited. But no matter how you spin it — a remake is usually a creative cop-out, and because there are so many, the movie industry has begun to dig its grave. So how do you solve the problem? Well, you remake a movie, and then you release statements to the press about how your film is not actually a remake. Confused? Allow me to provide an example. Tony Scott, the director of Tom Cruise’s Top Gun, is looking to make another Top Gun without Tom Cruise. It’s being painted as a “sequel.” When asked about the project, Scott said, I don’t want to do a remake. I don’t want to do a reinvention. I want to do a new movie.” And that’s not the first time I’ve heard this spin. A new Jason Bourne movie is in the works, and Matt Damon won’t star in it. Tony Gilroy will direct the new film, saying, “this is not a reboot or a recast or a prequel.” Wow, Tony — perhaps you can define what this is then, considering its mighty confusing to make a Bourne movie without Jason Bourne. As for Matt Damon, he isn’t pleased with the news. Damon told Parade that he’s not in it, but “Universal just wants to call everything the ‘Bourne’ something. So I guess they are trying to make another franchise.”  Perhaps I have to start coming up with more creative terms for this type of thing.  How about . . . ripoff?