“Shrek”, “Puss in Boots” To Reboot

When is it too early for a reboot?

A new Robin Hood movie starring Taron Egerton as Robin Hood and Jamie Foxx as Little John is coming out November 21, 2018.  It seems every generation demands its own Robin Hood movie or TV show, if not two.  Disney and Illumination have teamed up for a new Grinch movie, although the Jim Carrey version is only 18 years old. Lost among this wave of reboots comes surprising news.

According to Variety,  Shrek, which is only 17 years old, or as my son pointed out, not old enough to drink yet, is going to be remade for a new generation.  Universal Pictures has tapped Chris Meledandri, the producer of Despicable Me, to overseeing the reboots for both Shrek and Puss in Boots, who had said that he wants to reunite the original voice actors for the reboots.

When is it too soon for a reboot?  Both Shrek and Puss in Boots are easily available to modern audiences on DVD or Blu-ray.  Harrison Ford waited fifty years before attempting to fill Humphrey Bogart’s shoes in the remake of Sabrina.  Mel Brooks waited 41 years before remaking To Be or Not to Be.  Now Shrek is to be rebooted when it is less than 20 years old.  Meledandri has not yet said what changes he wants to make to Shrek, based upon the 1990 children’s book by the late William Steig.  He did mention “while you certainly could make a case for a complete reinvention,” he has not said what needs to be altered to improve the movie for younger generations.

We like our familiar stories. They’re a comfort, especially in these dark times. But there’s also a saying in Hollywood: “Everybody wants to be first to be second.” Doing a remake of a known property with a good box office record is infinitely more attractive to investors than taking a chance on a new property, and yet original ideas are where all these reboot opportunities came from in the first place.  Where is the enterpreneurial courage these same studios exhibited even 20 years ago?

Would you be interested in a Shrek or Puss in Boots reboot?  What alterations would you want to see?  Tell us in the comments section below.  We want to hear your opinions.

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