While most are ripe for a new adaptation, certain Game of Thrones, which has several spinoffs. When original creative ideas fail, there are always fantasy reboots, remakes, and spinoffs to count on.
However, just because remakes are more prevalent does not mean all fantasy movies and TV shows should get one. In fact, a remake would be disastrous for several fantasy movies and TV shows. There are various reasons why these remakes would not work, ranging from unique special effects to perfectly executed narratives. The explanation is not always because the original work is too iconic to replicate—sometimes, a movie or TV show needs to stay within its era. Regardless of the reason, some fantasy movies and TV shows should just avoid the possibility of remakes.
10 Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Symbolic Status Cannot Be Recreated
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
- Release Date
- 1997 - 2003
- Network
- The WB
- Showrunner
- Joss Whedon
Cast
Buffy Summers
Alexander Harris
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Joss Whedon
- Writers
- Joss Whedon
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is a renowned fantasy teen drama that aired in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The show follows the titular Buffy, the newest Slayer responsible for fighting supernatural forces. Buffy the Vampire Slayer's cultural impact is legendary, to say the least. The show is a fantasy staple, having inspired multiple TV shows that followed, including Veronica Mars, Teen Wolf, and The Vampire Diaries universe. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has become symbolic in fandom spaces and popular culture, so a remake would be disastrous.
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Buffy the Vampire Slayer does not need a remake; it is simply too iconic to have one. Buffy inspired many TV shows, and the fandom keeps growing because the show attracts new generations. Considering Buffy's timelessness, it would be ridiculous to recreate something as special as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Of course, a Buffy the Vampire Slayer revival is in development, but this project will serve as a sequel rather than a complete remake.
9 Descendants (2015-2024)
A Remake Of Descendants After Cameron Boyce's Death Would Feel Wrong
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Descendants
- Release Date
- July 31, 2015
- Runtime
- 112 Minutes
- Director
- Kenny Ortega
Cast
Dove CameronMal
Sofia CarsonEvie
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Josann McGibbon, Sara Parriott
Descendants seems like the type of franchise that could benefit from a remake, but the heartbreaking circumstances surrounding Descendants 3 make it impossible. A few weeks before Descendants 3 premiered, Cameron Boyce, who portrays Carlos de Vil, tragically died. Given how close it was to the premiere date, Disney canceled the Descendants 3 red carpet event following Cameron Boyce's death. The movie still aired on August 2, 2019, as planned, and the film was dedicated to Boyce. However, the Descendants franchise did not end with Descendants 3, and this factor illustrates why a remake would be disrespectful.
Descendants Films |
|
|---|---|
Movies |
Release Date |
Descendants |
July 31, 2015 |
Descendants 2 |
July 21, 2017 |
Descendants 3 |
August 2, 2019 |
Descendants: The Rise of Red |
July 12, 2024 |
Descendants: The Royal Wedding, an animated TV special that premiered in 2021, implies Carlos has died, which is further confirmed in the Descendants movies would be a slap in the face to Cameron Boyce and his character. It is best if Disney continued with the franchise instead of pursuing a remake to respect Boyce and his portrayal of a beloved character. No one else could play Carlos de Vil—Boyce was one of a kind.
8 The Good Place (2016-2020)
The Good Place's Cast Is Already Perfect
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The Good Place
- Release Date
- 2016 - 2020-00-00
- Network
- NBC
- Showrunner
- Michael Schur
Cast
William Jackson Harper
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Michael Schur, Andrew Law, Daniel Schofield
It is rare for a TV show to be excellent from start to finish, but The Good Place is one of those rare few. This fantasy sitcom revolves around four humans—Eleanor Shellstrop, Chidi Anagonye, Tahani Al Jamil, and Jason Mendoza—as they navigate the turbulent afterlife. The Good Place's creator and showrunner, Michael Schur, executed a wonderful story about hope, humanity, and ethics, and he acquired a perfect cast on the first try.
It would be difficult to imagine anyone else playing the unlikely hero Eleanor, the lovably anxious Chidi, the comic relief Jason, and the hilariously self-absorbed Tahani. No one else could portray the timeless Michael like Ted Danson or the robotic but full-of-heart Janet like D'Arcy Carden. Simply put, The Good Place's cast is irreplaceable. There is no sufficient reason to tell this story all over again, and nobody else could capture these characters the way this talented cast can.
7 The Lord Of The Rings (2001-2003)
Peter Jackson's Adaptation Of The Lord Of The Rings Is Too Iconic To Beat
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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- Release Date
- December 19, 2001
- Runtime
- 178 Minutes
- Director
- Peter Jackson
Cast
Elijah Wood
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
- Prequel(s)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- Franchise(s)
- The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth series, focusing on the events leading up to Sauron's final defeat. While a remake might be inevitable because all big franchises seem to be getting remakes these days, it would not make sense for The Lord of the Rings. This franchise has significantly expanded since the movie trilogy to include The Lord of the Rings movies. It would be confusing if the original trilogy were to have a remake with all these projects.
The Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy |
|
|---|---|
Movie |
Release Date |
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
December 19, 2001 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
December 18, 2002 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
December 17, 2003 |
Furthermore, Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings is already great. These characters are meaningful to the cast and crew, and to start all over again would be disrespectful. Besides, it would be difficult to beat Peter Jackson's movies, especially given that The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won all 11 Oscars it was nominated for. Thankfully, with The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 officially confirmed and additional movies to look forward to, it is unlikely the original trilogy will get a remake soon.
6 The Polar Express (2004)
The Polar Express' Animation Is One-Of-A-Kind
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The Polar Express
- Release Date
- November 10, 2004
- Runtime
- 100 Minutes
- Director
- Robert Zemeckis
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Robert Zemeckis, William Broyles Jr.
The Polar Express is a fantasy Christmas movie about a boy's journey to the North Pole despite his disbelief in Santa Claus. This movie is a beloved fantasy movie of the 2000s, but that is not why a remake should not be pursued. The Polar Express does not need a remake, and it would be challenging to find someone as dedicated as Tom Hanks was to the role of James the Conductor—but those are not the most significant reasons, either. The biggest reason why The Polar Express should not get a remake is because of its unique approach to filming.
A remake of The Polar Express could use motion capture again, but it would take away the magic of the original film and what makes it so exceptional.
The Polar Express was filmed using motion capture because Robert Zemeckis thought that both live-action and animation would not be sufficient methods to capture the essence of this story (via The Polar Express 2 might still happen, which would be much more exciting than a remake of the film.
5 The Princess Bride (1987)
A Remake Of The Princess Bride Will Not Have William Goldman's Script
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The Princess Bride
- Release Date
- October 9, 1987
- Runtime
- 98 minutes
- Director
- Rob Reiner
Cast
Mandy Patinkin
Chris Sarandon
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- William Goldman
The Princess Bride is one of the most renowned fantasy films of all time, which is enough of a reason to avoid a remake. No one wants to see anyone other than Cary Elwes and Robin Wright as Westley and Buttercup, and it is difficult to believe anyone could capture Inigo Montoya's lines the way Mandy Patinkin could. However, the most significant reason that The Princess Bride should never have a remake is because William Goldman, the author of the book the film is based on, would not be able to write the screenplay.
William Goldman wrote The Princess Bride book and adapted his story for the big screen. Working alongside director Rob Reiner, he wrote the screenplay for the movie adaptation and improved on some book elements, implementing significant differences between The Princess Bride book and the movie. The Princess Bride is perfect the way it is, and no one other than the original author could write a better script. Since William Goldman ed away in 2018, a remake of The Princess Bride should never happen.
4 Riverdale (2017-2023)
Another Archie Comics Adaptation Should Stick To The Comics
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Riverdale is a supernatural teen drama loosely based on the Archie Comics, which is why the show should never have a remake. Although Riverdale lasted seven seasons, only season one had a high-quality story worth telling. The remainder of the show illustrates why any adaptation of Archie Comics should stick to the source material. While it was exciting to see these iconic characters in a different light, it simply got too bizarre once the narrative introduced organ harvesting, and the show included time travel and superpowers.
The Archie Comics are too much of a cultural staple to endure this mess of an adaptation all over again. Riverdale was at its best when it was a thrilling mystery with shocking but believable plot twists. Once the show strayed from that aspect, it felt completely disrespectful to Riverdale's original premise and, more importantly, Archie Comics.
3 She-Ra & The Princesses Of Power (2018-2020)
She-Ra & The Princesses Of Power Is Perfect The Way It Is
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She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
- Release Date
- 2018 - 2020-00-00
- Showrunner
- ND Stevenson
- Directors
- ND Stevenson
Cast
-
Aimee Carrero
-
AJ Michalka
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- ND Stevenson
She-Ra & the Princesses of Power would actually benefit from a live-action remake as an animated fantasy show, but it would be silly to pursue this story as an animated show all over again. It would be exciting to see Adora and Catra's beautiful story brought to life through live-action. However, there is no purpose in retelling it with different animators and voice actors. She-Ra & the Princesses of Power does not need narrative changes or dynamic adjustments; the show is perfect the way it is.
Of course, an animated sequel would be welcomed, especially since there are plenty of stories left for Adora, Catra, Bow, and Glimmer. A spinoff is another great idea, given all the other princesses that could be explored further. However, a remake of She-Ra & the Princesses of Power would be a grave mistake and even an insult to this beautifully created animated show.
2 Supernatural (2005-2020)
It Would Be Challenging To Recreate Supernatural's Atmosphere
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Supernatural
- Release Date
- 2005 - 2020
- Network
- The CW
- Showrunner
- Eric Kripke
Cast
Sam Winchester
Dean Winchester
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Philip Sgriccia, John F. Showalter, Kim Manners, Thomas J. Wright, Charles Beeson, Guy Norman Bee, Richard Speight Jr., Mike Rohl, John Badham, Steve Boyum, Amyn Kaderali, Jensen Ackles, Tim Andrew, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeannot Szwarc, P.J. Pesce, Nina Lopez-Corrado, James L. Conway, amanda tapping, J. Miller Tobin, Stefan Pleszczynski, John MacCarthy, Jerry Wanek, Ben Edlund
- Writers
- Meredith Glynn, Davy Perez, Raelle Tucker, Cathryn Humphris, Brett Matthews, Nancy Won, John Bring, Ben Acker, Daniel Knauf, David Ehrman, James Krieg, Trey Callaway
- Franchise(s)
- Supernatural
Similarly to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural had its own impact on fandom spaces and popular culture. The show revolves around twin brothers who hunt supernatural creatures. The show lasted an impressive 15 seasons despite Supernatural's controversial series finale ending. Supernatural continues to have an active fan base, producing multiple written and visual works by fans. Supernatural also established the Omegaverse, a genre of fanfiction that explores humanity within wolf-structured lifestyles (via The New York Times).
Supernatural season 5 ended the way the original showrunner, Eric Kripke, envisioned the show's ending.
It is difficult to imagine a remake of Supernatural because it could not beat the impact the original show had. Of course, many bizarre phenomena resulted from Supernatural, but the show was such an icon for its time. Recreating Supernatural's atmosphere, from the queerbaiting to fandom crises, would be disingenuous and a mistake. There would be no point in a Supernatural remake because it could not become the cultural staple its predecessor was and continues to be.
1 Wicked (2024)
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande's Chemistry Is Tough To Beat
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Wicked
- Release Date
- November 22, 2024
- Runtime
- 160 Minutes
- Director
- Jon M. Chu
Cast
Cynthia ErivoElphaba Thropp
Glinda Upland
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Gregory Maguire, Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, L. Frank Baum
Although Wicked's story is not over yet because of the imminent release of Wicked: For Good, the first film already established why another film adaptation of this iconic musical would be unnecessary. Frankly, Wicked is so brilliantly cast, from Michelle Yeoh as the devious Madame Morrible to Marissa Bode as the wide-eyed Nessarose Thropp. Most notably, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande were born to play Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked's film adaptation, the same way that Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth were born to star as Elphaba and Glinda in the original Broadway production.
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The story of Wicked: For Good would be completely different if Elphaba and Glinda left Emerald City together during the emotional ending of Wicked.
Not only do Erivo and Grande capture the essence of their characters, but their chemistry would be challenging to recreate. Erivo and Grande naturally gravitate toward each other on screen and can easily portray the ever-changing dynamic between Elphaba and Glinda. Wicked's Elphaba and Glinda have a unique relationship that playfully teeters between platonic and romantic undertones. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande successfully portray this tug of war; it is impossible to picture anyone else capturing this dynamic on screen.
Source: Wired, The New York Times
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