12 Movies You Might Not Have Known Were Being Remade

It’s pretty easy to see why everyone loves reboots.

They offer up a healthy dose of nostalgia, and give parents a chance to share some of their beloved memories with their kids. As such, movie and television reboots have been a prime export of Hollywood for years now and they don't seem to be showing any signs of letting up. Mad Max, Godzilla, Fantastic Four, Ghostbusters, while some these re-imaginings have been universally praised (Mad Max: Fury Road) the more likely outcome is that they'll be universally panned (Fantastic Four), but there almost never fails to be a huge amount of hype and exceedingly high expectations leading up to their release (Ghostbusters), which is probably why production studios will never stop churning them out. And with that said, here are 12 more movies you might not have known were getting a remake.

The Crow

Thanks to The Crow's dedicated cult following, the planned movie reboot that has been stuck in development hell since 2011 is still moving forward. Initially, Bradley Cooper was attached for the lead role, but after legal issues delayed production Cooper was dropped, leading to the announcement that Mark Wahlberg was going to take on the part. However, he also dropped out so the role was then passed on to Luke Evans, who likewise dropped out, leading to the casting of Jack Huston who, of course, was later dropped.

After all the casting changes, as well as just as many director changes, the production studio for the film (Relativity Media) went bankrupt in 2015, leading to another irritating production stall. Filming was supposed to start in early 2016 with Corn Hardy in the director's seat, but, as it would happen, he dropped out too. Relativity Media seems beyond desperate to keep this film franchise alive, but it seems like they're going to need some serious help to get this project back on track.

Highlander

This planned remake of the mystic katana-wielding cult classic has been brewing for quite some time as Summit Entertainment has been trying to nail down a director and cast. The lead role of immortal Scotsman Connor MacLeod remains unfilled, with Ryan Reynolds originally being attached but then dropping out to pursue other options. At least current director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan has his bad guy in place in the form of Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy, Spectre) who is set to play Kurganthe arch-nemesis of MacLeod. At one point Tom Cruise was also rumored to be joining the cast as Ramirez, the man who trains MacLeod who was portrayed by Sean Connery in the original; however, we're not really expecting that casting choice to pan out.

Predator

Okay, technically this is going to be a direct sequel to the 1987 movie, but after the lackluster 2010 Predators movie, this is definitely an attempt to re-reboot the franchise.

Eyeing a 2018 release date, The Predator will be directed by Shane Black (writer of Iron Man 3 and the Lethal Weapon movies) and could see the return of Arnold, as fans seem to think the film will be returning to its roots with a team of tough-as-nails action heroes taking on the alien murder machine. This would probably be a welcome premise after watching Adrien Brody's pathetic attempt at badassery in Predators. Although, now that we think about it, despite Predator being one of the most iconic aliens in pop culture spanning all forms of media, the original film was really the only good movie to ever feature the blade-wielding extraterrestrial hunters. Let's face it, the movie could probably star Justin Beiber and Jaden Smith fighting space creatures on a boat cruise. As long as "Predator" is in the title, we'll probably go see it.

Jumanji

Though many fans of the original feel this is an unnecessary remake, Sony is still reportedly moving forward with the project and has now tapped two of Hollywood's busiest actors to get involved. According to Variety, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart are in early talks to star in the new adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's original 1981 adventure book. The duo showed some great chemistry while co-hosting the MTV Movie Awards, and with a lot of buzz surrounding their upcoming action comedy movie Central Intelligence, Sony is thinking this will be an ideal to pair up the actors again on-screen.

While the original Jumanji had a lot of action elements and CG special effects, Robin Williams' comedic talents helped shape the movie into the the light-hearted family adventure that the studio wanted, so it should be interesting to see how the how both Johnson and Hart's talents are utilized in this remake.

Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon has had a pretty turbulent history since the character first appeared on screen in 1936. Since then he's appeared in a 13-picture science fiction film series, a '50s TV series, a '70s movie, an '80s movie and cartoon show, and a failed 2007 Syfy show. Production details are still pretty spotty at this time, but thanks to an interview conducted by the people over at Den of Geek, we've learned that Matthew Reilly, VP of production at Fox Studios, acquired the screenplay rights to Flash Gordon in 2014, and he hired producer John Davis (Predator, Chronicle, Man From U.N.C.L.E.) and his staff to write the script.

No word yet on who will be playing the title character, but Sam J. Jones, who played the hero in the '80s movie (which many people consider to be the definitive version), joked about the prospect of the studio going with a younger model, promising to outdo him in every way: "If he can do 100 push-ups, I can do 150 push-ups." Fans of the '80s Flash Gordon movie are hopeful that Jones will still have a role in the new movie, whether it's only a small cameo playing an older Flash, or a bigger role, perhaps as the mentor of a younger Flash.

The Naked Gun

Detective Frank Drebin is set to hit the streets again with Ed Helms on board to reprise the role originally portrayed by Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun series of comedies. Helms will have some pretty big shoes to fill considering the original Naked Gun films pretty much owe all of their success to the charms and style of deadpan humor Nielsen brought to the character. But chances are the comedy stylings of the new Frank Drebin will be in an entirely different league that will play up the large emotional reactions and frequent musical interludes that Helms has become known for.

David Zucker, the film's original director, has stated that he isn't a fan of the reboot's casting choice and that he would have preferred an actor who was a relative unknown in the comedy scene. In any case, despite there being few updates about the state of production over the past year, Ed Helms is still attached. We're pretty anxious to find out who the studio casts for O.J. Simpson's character.

The Mummy

Tom Cruise has officially signed on to take the lead in Universal Studios reboot of The Mummy franchise. Unlike a number of other reboots on this list, the casting here is pretty great. Sure, everyone likes to take shots at Tom Cruise for being a little crazy, but that doesn't change the fact that he's one of the best and hardest working action stars in the business, delivering a number of excellent recent performances in movies like Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Edge of Tomorrow, and Oblivion. Sofia Boutella will also be joining Cruise and playing the role of the mummy. Boutella was fantastic in Kingsmen: The Secret Service, and is set to have a breakthrough year also starring in the new Star Trek film. Jake Johnson (New Girl, Jurassic World) is also expected to play a supporting role that will most likely involve some form of comedic relief, given his most recent role in Jurassic World.

Surprisingly, this remake is actually shaping up to be better than the original. By the way, has anyone talked to Brendan Fraser recently? He was probably hoping to get a call for this.

Uncle Buck

John Candy fans might remember Uncle Buck as that movie about a loveable slacker who learns how to take care of his nieces and nephews after their parents go out of town. Though it's usually recalled with fond memories, the original story is actually full of borderline child abuse including a scene where Buck throws his niece's boyfriend into the trunk of his car. So, unsurprisingly, the new ABC sitcom based on the movie has a few noticeable changes. First off, it stars Mike Epps. Granted that John Candy has been dead for more than 20 years, but it's hard to imagine a bigger divergence than going from Candy, a fat guy who generally plays the role of a boorish slob with a heart of gold, to Mike Epps, a skinny guy who typically dresses dapper and dates beautiful women. We're guessing this series isn't going to give off quite the same vibe as the '80s movie.

Zorro

For years now, 20th Century Fox has been toying with the idea of doing a new and very different Zorro movie. Rather than have the masked character defend the commoners against tyrannical officials in the 1800s, the new movie would see the superior sword fighter transplanted to a future with less horses and six-shooters, and more hover bikes and laser blasters. Though this idea eventually faded into the background, The Hollywood Reporter posted an article last year that would indicate the project is actually moving into development.

Producers are saying that this version of Zorro will be a grittier version of the beloved charactersomething along the lines of Batman in The Dark Knight. A number of other Zorro movies are also rumored to be in the works, including a bizarre crossover with Django Unchained, but the tentatively titled Zorro Reborn sounds like it's taking the coolest approach setting Zorro in a world we've never seen before and giving him new challenges to face. Basically if the trailer shows him carving a "Z" into a robot using some sort of lightsaber-like weapon, you can count on us buying our tickets in advance.

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Speaking of Sean Connery, here's another one of his movies that are being remade. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is based on a comic book that features famous fictional characters like Captain Nemo and Dr. Jekyll joining forces to fight evil-doers. Although the the comic has always been well-received, the 2003 movie was full of plot holes and basically just showed the heroes doing a bunch of stuff without any real motives. There are a lot of fans of the source material out there who are hopeful the reboot will rectify the mistakes from the last movie and revitalize the franchise.

Charlie’s Angels

It's getting pretty hard to keep track of just how many times this franchise has been rebooted. After the wildly popular '70s TV series, there was the 2000 movie remake which was successful enough to spawn an awful sequel. That then led to the awful 2011 TV reboot which, unsurprisingly, only lasted four episodes before ABC pulled the plug on it. The major problem seems to be that studio executives don't seem to realize that the show's concept doesn't really translate all that well for today's audiencemostly because it was somewhat degrading towards women.

When Charlie's Angels first debuted in 1976, it was during a time when telling your secretary to dress a little sexier or giving them a slap on the ass as a show of gratitude was acceptable workplace behavior. Needless to say, we've progressed a little bit since then and most people don't have any nostalgic feelings about reliving those days. Now, that's not to say that the latest TV remake didn't attempt to move away from this idea, but with audiences already associating the title with the sexist show that it once was, there were probably lots of people who didn't even consider tuning in. And, to be fair, a TV show or movie about a trio of female super spies is a pretty kick-ass idea, it's just unfortunate that it always needs to be tied to the Charlie's Angels context. However, there's still a glimmer of hope for the new movie that comes in the form of Elizabeth Banks taking on directorial duties.

King Kong

2016 Academy Award Best Actress winner Brie Larson will be headlining the upcoming Kong: Skull Island. The movie has a star-studded cast that will also feature John Goodman, Tom Hiddleston, John C. Reilly and Samuel L. Jackson. So, needless to say, expectations will be pretty high by the time it's released next year. At the very least it should be better than the 2014 Godzilla remake, which had fans pretty excited after they found out Bryan Cranston was in it. The new King Kong film is all part of the setup leading to an epic confrontation between the two monsters in Godzilla vs. Kong, currently scheduled to hit theaters in 2020. Of course, knowing this fact is sort of a huge spoiler since it would entail that Kong probably won't die at the end of this remake as he does in the original.