This year, pop culture has been replete with remakes of popular TV shows and films. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen a Jurassic Park reboot, a Star Wars reboot, as well as live-action remakes of classic Disney films, like last year’s Cinderella and this year’s The Jungle Book— with more in the works. 2016 is no different, as there has been a similar resurgence of the Harry Potter universe through Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Pottermore updates, and the announcement of five spinoff films for the new franchise Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But it doesn’t end there.
There seems to be a cyclical nature to pop culture, and it often makes me wonder if it’s due to a drought for original content or if it’s because there are clear commercial motivations behind these remakes. But maybe it’s also about giving the people what they want.
To jog your memory, this post contains a list of 2016 reboots and revivals — as well as a list of future (confirmed) remakes to look forward to in the next few years.
*Note about definitions in this article: A ‘reboot’ is a reinvention of a project, i.e. a narrative with new characters but with similar elements and themes as the original. A ‘revival’ is a production that comes after a years-long hiatus; it is a story that follows the same characters and marks a continuation of a previously established plotline.
2016 Reboots and Revivals:
Ghostbusters
Since its announcement, the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot was met with little enthusiasm if not scathing disapproval from audiences, as its trailer is the most disliked in YouTube history. The premise of the reboot lies in the concept of having female counterparts to the franchise’s original all-male cast. Since its release on July 11th, the film garnered a low score of 60— an average among critics.
Fuller House
The announcement of a Full House revival brought excitement among fans. It was released on February 26th, and you pretty much either loved it or thought that it wasn’t for you. It was clear that the show banked largely on nostalgia, and while many critics thought it was overwrought, there were some critics who appreciated the series’ audience-awareness.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life
After much nudging from its devoted fanbase, Gilmore Girls is coming back for a four-episode arc on Netflix on November 25th. Much of the plotline remains hush-hush, but fans anticipate answers to questions left open by the series’ unexpected cancellation in 2007.
Bridget Jones’s Baby
The Bridget Jones series started as a modern-day Pride and Prejudice adaptation. And many of the motifs from the first two films were present in this year’s Bridget Jones’s Baby, which premiered on September 16th. The premise for this one is familiar and somewhat simple. It is familiar in that Bridget finds herself choosing between two male suitors. The question this time is, simply, who’s the father of her baby? In the end, the film generally received positive reviews.
Other 2016 reboots and revivals:
The X-Files
Jason Bourne
The Magnificent Seven
The Powerpuff Girls
MacGyver
Prison Break
Pete’s Dragon
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Future Reboots and Revivals:
Beauty and the Beast movie (March 17, 2017)
Will and Grace revival series (TBD)
Hey Arnold! TV movie (2017)
Power Rangers movie (2017)
Baywatch movie (May 19, 2017)
Mary Poppins movie (December 25, 2018)
Jumanji movie (December 22, 2017)
Ocean’s Ocho, Ocean’s Eleven all-female remake (June 8, 2018)
That’s So Raven spin-off series (TBD)
None of the images or gifs used belong to the author or Her Campus UC Davis.