At this point, Hollywood needs to be stopped. Not every movie needs a sequel. Not every television show needs a reboot. Not every childhood favorite needs to be dragged out of the vault, given a new cast and sold back to us as if we have been desperately waiting for it. And no, just because a movie was successful 20 years ago does not mean we need to see it again.
When I go to the movies, I want to see something new. I don’t need to see a preview for a movie I have watched before. There are so many new and original ideas that Hollywood can come up with, but it seems as if the industry has no original ideas. Yes, there are constantly new movies coming out with concepts we haven’t heard about, but why can’t we continue to do that and not go back to our old ways? Somewhere along the way, I genuinely think Hollywood stopped asking, “What should we make next?” and started asking, “What have people already heard of that made a lot of money?”
And the answer seems to be absolutely everything.
A new Harry Potter television series? I mean I understand that it has a massive fanbase, with myself being a die-hard fan. But we never asked for that. We asked for a Marauder’s story, not a 7-season reboot of each book. Aquamarine is coming back as a television show. The Devil Wears Prada 2 was released recently in theatres. Legally Blonde just got a television series. The Cheetah Girls are being brought back. Baywatch is being rebooted. Scrubs is returning to the screen. Scooby-Doo is getting yet another television reboot. Narnia is being revisited. 13 Going on 30 is reportedly getting another look. And somehow, we’re still not done with The Princess Diaries.
Then come the sequels.
National Treasure 3, Moana 3, Frozen 3, Coco 2, Lilo & Stitch 2, Incredibles 3, Zootopia 3, Aladdin 2, etc. At what point do we admit that maybe we have enough?
Don’t get me wrong, I loved Coco. I loved The Incredibles, Frozen, and The Princess Diaries. That is exactly why I don’t necessarily want another installment. There is something special about watching a movie, loving the characters and getting an ending that feels complete. Not every story needs another chapter just because a studio knows audiences will recognize the title. Not only does it seem like a money grab, but it also takes away some of the magic of the originals.
And this is where Hollywood’s obsession with nostalgia becomes a problem.
Nostalgia is powerful, and the studios know that. If they put a familiar name on a poster, they already have millions of people who recognize it. They don’t have to convince audiences to care about a completely unknown character or world. They just have to convince us that we should care about the thing we already loved. I think it’s a pretty convenient business model.
But here’s the problem: as audiences, we are running out of new things to watch because Hollywood keeps giving us the old things back. And I don’t want another version of something I already know. I don’t want the next Harry Potter. I don’t want the next Coco. I don’t want the next Legally Blonde. I want a movie that I’ve never heard of, with characters I don’t recognize, that somehow becomes the movie I can’t stop talking about.
But instead, we’re being sold the same stories with different packaging. And nowhere is this more obvious than Disney. Because apparently, if Disney has an animated movie, the next logical step is to make it live-action.
We’ve watched The Lion King. Remake it. Aladdin? Remake it. The Little Mermaid? Remake it. Mulan? Remake it. Snow White? Remake it. Lilo & Stitch? Remake it. Moana just got a live-action movie too. In the works is the Tangled remake.
At some point, you have to wonder: Does Disney actually believe we need these movies again, or does Disney simply know we’ll pay to see them again?
On this same topic, if you are going to do a remake, let’s try to get some new people to play the roles. I don’t need some A-list actors. Give me someone new and fresh who deserves the part more than just some big name. Just because they are well known doesn’t mean they should just get every role.
Of course, these movies make money. Of course people go see them. Of course studios are going to continue doing something that works financially. But audiences should be allowed to admit that something can be profitable and still be creatively exhausting. Maybe the problem isn’t that Hollywood has run out of ideas. Maybe Hollywood has simply become too afraid to make them.
A completely original movie is a risk. A reboot of a recognizable franchise isn’t. A new character might fail. A familiar character already has fans. A brand-new story has to build an audience. A sequel comes with one. So why take the risk?
Well, it seems like an easy answer: money.
And honestly, I understand it. Studios are businesses. They want movies that make money. But as an audience member, I don’t have to pretend that the end result is exciting. Give me something I haven’t seen. Give me a story that isn’t based on a movie from 20 years ago. Give me characters who aren’t already part of a franchise. Give me an ending that doesn’t secretly set up the next installment. Give me a movie where I don’t recognize the logo before I even know what the movie is about. Because eventually, nostalgia stops being nostalgic. It becomes a business strategy. And maybe it’s time for Hollywood to realize that audiences don’t just want to revisit the past.