View source for Remake

{{Short description|New version of a film or TV series}}
{{Other uses}}
{{distinguish|Adaptation (arts)|Reboot (fiction)|Spinoff (media)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Original research|date=June 2015|reason=The definition of "remake" in this article seems at odds with the dictionary definition. There is only one source in the television section to support claims of a remake. There is nothing to support claims for most of the content, which has been added to in dribs and drabs over the years.}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2015}}
}}

A '''remake''' is a [[film]], [[Television show|television series]], [[video game]], [[song]] or similar form of [[entertainment]] that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Larke-Walsh |first1=George S. |title=A Companion to the Gangster Film |date=12 November 2018 |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|John Wiley & Sons]] |location=[[Hoboken, New Jersey]] |isbn=9781119041733 |page=449 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y8RsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA449 |access-date=23 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> A remake tells the same story as the original but uses a different [[Casting (performing arts)|set of casts]], and may use actors from the original, alter the [[Theme (narrative)|theme]], or change the flow and [[Setting (narrative)|setting]] of the story. In addition, since a remake is released some time after the original work, it may incorporate new technologies, enhancements, and techniques that had not existed or been commonly used when the original work was created.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Porter |first1=Lynnette |title=The Doctor Who Franchise: American Influence, Fan Culture and the Spinoffs |date=4 September 2012 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] |isbn=9780786465569 |page=61 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GjI31iwUTKoC&pg=PA61|access-date=23 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The International Journal of Indian Psychology, Volume 3, Issue 4, No. 56 |date=25 July 2016 |publisher=REDSHINE Publication |isbn=9781365239922 |page=199 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=25LADAAAQBAJ&pg=PA199 |access-date=23 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Iain Robert |title=Transnational Film Remakes |date=8 March 2017 |publisher=[[Edinburgh University Press]] |location=Edinburgh |isbn=9781474407250 |page=180 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wi1WDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA180 |access-date=23 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Galician |first1=Mary-Lou |last2=Merskin |first2=Debra L. |title=Critical Thinking About Sex, Love, and Romance in the Mass Media: Media Literacy Applications |date=10 July 2007 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=9781135250485 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LUSPAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA246 |access-date=23 July 2021 |language=en |chapter=Remakes to Remember: Romantic Myths in Remade Films and Their Original Counterparts}}</ref> Similar but not synonymous terms are '''reimagining''' or '''reboot''', which indicates a greater discrepancy between, for example, a movie and the movie it is based on.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Benshoff |first1=Harry |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FtKPCgAAQBAJ |title=Film and Television Analysis: An Introduction to Methods, Theories, and Approaches |date=16 September 2015 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=9781136473883 |language=en}}</ref>

==Film==
{{See also|Lists of film remakes}}
[[File:Ben hur 1959 poster.jpg|thumb|''[[Ben-Hur (1959 film)|Ben-Hur]]'' remake]]
A [[film remake]] uses an earlier movie as its main source material, rather than returning to the earlier movie's source material. The 2001 film ''[[Ocean's Eleven]]'' is a remake of 1960's ''[[Ocean's 11]]'', while 1989's ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' is a re-interpretation of the comic book source material which also inspired 1966's ''[[Batman (1966 film)|Batman]]''. In 1998, [[Gus Van Sant]] produced an [[Psycho (1998 film)|almost shot-for-shot remake]] of [[Alfred Hitchcock]]'s 1960 film ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]''. The 2025 film ''[[Snow White (2025 film)|Snow White]]'' is a [[live-action]] remake of the [[animated]] 1937 film ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]''.

With the exception of [[shot-for-shot]] remakes, most remakes make significant changes in character, plot, genre, and theme.<ref name="digitalcommons.liberty/masters/7">{{cite book |last1=Haygood |first1=Ashley |title=<!-- The Rise of Controversial Content in Film -->The Climb of Controversial Film Content |date=1 May 2007 |publisher=[[Liberty University]] |url=<!-- https://www.proquest.com/openview/3ac16f87bc4089029de864f45e0ba3c7/1 -->https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/masters/7/ |quote=Master of Arts Dissertation, Mass Communication; This study looks at the change in controversial content in films during the 20th century. Original films made prior to 1968 and their remakes produced after were compared in the content areas of profanity, nudity, sexual content, alcohol and drug use, and violence.}}</ref> For example, the 1968 film ''[[The Thomas Crown Affair (1968 film)|The Thomas Crown Affair]]'' is centered on a bank robbery, while its [[The Thomas Crown Affair (1999 film)|1999 remake]] involves the theft of a valuable painting. The 1999 remake of ''[[The Mummy (1999 film)|The Mummy]]'' was viewed primarily as a "reimagining" in a different genre (adventure). 

Similarly, when the 1969 film ''[[The Italian Job]]'' was [[The Italian Job (2003 film)|remade in 2003]], few aspects were carried over. Another example is the 1932 film ''[[Scarface (1932 film)|Scarface]]'' which was [[Scarface (1983 film)|remade in 1983]] starring [[Al Pacino]]; the 1932 version is about the illegal alcohol trade, while the characters in the 1983 version are cocaine smugglers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lehman |first1=Peter |last2=Luhr |first2=William |title=Thinking about Movies: Watching, Questioning, Enjoying |date=1 October 2018 |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|John Wiley & Sons]] |isbn=9781118337561 |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZClxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA24 |access-date=22 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

Sometimes a remake is made by the same director. For example, [[Yasujirō Ozu]]'s black-and-white ''[[A Story of Floating Weeds]]'' was remade into the color ''[[Floating Weeds]]''. Hitchcock remade his 1934 black-and-white ''[[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 film)|The Man Who Knew Too Much]]'' in color [[The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956 film)|in 1956]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Man Who Knew Too Much |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/82739/the-man-who-knew-too-much/#articles-reviews?articleId=104984 |website=Turner Classic Movies}}</ref> ''[[Tick Tock Tuckered]]'', released in 1944, was a color remake of ''[[Porky's Badtime Story]]'', released in 1937 with [[Daffy Duck]] in [[Gabby Goat]]'s role. [[Cecil B. DeMille]] managed the same thing with his [[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|1956 remake]] of his silent 1923 film ''[[The Ten Commandments (1923 film)|The Ten Commandments]]''. [[Sam Raimi]] directed ''[[Evil Dead II|Evil Dead 2]]'' in 1987, a quasi-remake of his 1981 film ''[[The Evil Dead]]'', blending original elements with an emphasis on comedy.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 10 Best Horror Movie Remakes of All Time |url=https://nofspodcast.com/the-10-best-horror-movie-remakes-of-all-time |website=Nightmare on Film Street |date=27 January 2024 }}</ref> In 2007, [[Michael Haneke]]' remake ''[[Funny Games (2007 film)|Funny Games]]'', was an [[English-language]] remake of his original [[German-language]] ''[[Funny Games (1997 film)|Funny Games]]'' (this is also an example of a shot-for-shot remake), while [[Martin Campbell]], director of the miniseries ''[[Edge of Darkness]]'', directed the [[Edge of Darkness (2010 film)|2010 film adaptation]].

Not all remakes use the same title as the previously released version; the 1966 film ''[[Walk, Don't Run (film)|Walk, Don't Run]]'', for example, is a remake of the [[World War II]] comedy ''[[The More the Merrier]]''. This is particularly true for films that are remade from films produced in another language such as ''[[Point of No Return (1993 film)|Point of No Return]]'' (from the French ''{{Lang|fr|[[La Femme Nikita (film)|La Femme Nikita]]}}''), ''[[Vanilla Sky]]'' (from the Spanish ''{{Lang|es|[[Abre los ojos]]}}''), ''[[The Magnificent Seven]]'' (from the Japanese ''[[Seven Samurai]]''), ''[[A Fistful of Dollars]]'' (from the Japanese ''[[Yojimbo (film)|Yojimbo]]''), ''[[The Departed]]'' (from Hong Kong's ''[[Infernal Affairs]]''), ''[[Secret in Their Eyes]]'' (from the Argentine ''{{Lang|es|[[El secreto de sus ojos]]}}''), ''[[Let Me In (film)|Let Me In]]'' (from the Swedish ''[[Let the Right One In (film)|Let the Right One In]]'' or ''{{Lang|sv|Låt den rätte komma in}}''), and ''[[The Ring (2002 film)|The Ring]]'' (from the Japanese ''[[Ring (1998 film)|Ring]])''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Laemmerhirt |first1=Iris-Aya |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UHqiBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA149 |title=Embracing Differences: Transnational Cultural Flows between Japan and the United States |date=31 March 2014 |publisher= |isbn=9783839426005 |location=[[Bielefeld]] |page=149 |language=en |access-date=23 July 2021}}</ref>

Remakes are rarely [[film sequel|sequels]] to the original film. In this situation, essentially the remake repeats the same basic story of the original film and may even use the same title, but also contains notable plot and storyline elements indicating the two films are set in "the same universe". An example of this type of remake is the 2000 film version of ''[[Shaft (2000 film)|Shaft]],'' which was the second film adaptation of the [[Shaft (novel)|original novel]] but was also a canon storyline sequel to the [[Shaft (1971 film)|original 1971 film adaptation]]. The 2013 remake of ''[[Evil Dead (2013 film)|Evil Dead]]'' was also a storyline sequel, featuring a post-credits cameo from [[Ash Williams]].

The Italian film ''[[Perfect Strangers (2016 film)|Perfect Strangers]]'' (''{{lang|it|Perfetti sconosciuti}}''; 2016) was included in the [[Guinness World Records]] as it became the most remade film in cinema history, with a total of 18 versions of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://video.repubblica.it/spettacoli-e-cultura/perfetti-sconosciuti-da-guinness-la-commedia-di-genovese-e-il-film-con-piu-remake-di-sempre/339676/340267|title='Perfetti Sconosciuti' da Guinness, la commedia di Genovese è il film con più remake di sempre|date=2019-07-15|website=Repubblica Tv - la Repubblica.it|language=it|access-date=2019-07-16}}</ref>

==Television==
{{main|List of international television show franchises}}
{{See also|List of television programs based on films}}
Remakes occur less often on television than in film, because television mostly  favours the concept of "reviving" a series instead. But some remakes have happened from time to time, especially in the early 21st century. Examples include ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]'' (2003), ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'' (2002), ''{{Lang|fr|[[Nikita (TV series)|Nikita]]}}'' (2010), ''[[V (2009 TV series)|V]]'' (2009), ''[[Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series)|Hawaii Five-0]]'' (2010), and ''[[Charlie's Angels (2011 TV series)|Charlie's Angels]]'' (2011).

One area where television remakes are particularly common is remaking [[List of American television series based on British television series|British shows for the American market]] or, less frequently, [[List of British television series based on American television series|American shows for the British market]]. For example, ''[[Three's Company]]'' is an American remake of the British ''[[Man About the House]]'': not only was the original show re-created (with very few characters or situation changes initially), but both series had [[Spin-off (media)|spin-offs]] based on [[List of Man About the House characters#Mildred Roper|the Ropers]] (in the United Kingdom, ''[[George and Mildred]]'', in the United States, ''[[The Ropers]]''), and both series were eventually re-tooled into series based on the male lead (in the United Kingdom, ''[[Robin's Nest (TV series)|Robin's Nest]]'', in the United States, ''[[Three's a Crowd]]''). The British sitcom ''[[Till Death Us Do Part]]'' inspired the American ''[[All in the Family]],'' while ''All in the Family''<nowiki/>'s spin-off ''[[Maude (TV series)|Maude]]'' was remade in the United Kingdom as ''[[Nobody's Perfect (British TV series)|Nobody's Perfect]].''

Another example is the long-running American sitcom ''[[The Office (American TV series)|The Office]]'' (2005–2013), which was a remake of the 2001 BBC sitcom [[The Office (British TV series)|of the same name]]. The American version's [[Television pilot|pilot episode]] followed its British counterpart "nearly verbatim", though later episodes had their own unique plot.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Goodman |first1=Tim |title=Miracle time -- Americanized 'Office' is good |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F2005%2F03%2F24%2FDDG03BT6Q51.DTL |access-date=23 January 2020 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=24 March 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525141500/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F2005%2F03%2F24%2FDDG03BT6Q51.DTL |archive-date=25 May 2011}}</ref> The American television show ''[[The Killing (American TV series)|The Killing]]'' is an [[Whodunit|investigative crime drama]] based on the Danish series ''{{Lang|da|[[The Killing (Danish TV series)|Forbrydelsen]]}}''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cutchins |first1=Dennis |last2=Krebd |first2=Katja |last3=Eckhart |first3=Voigts |title=The Routledge Companion to Adaptation |date=2018 |publisher=Routledge |location=Abingdon, Oxon |isbn=978-1317426554 |edition=1st |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oR9WDwAAQBAJ&dq=the+killing+remake+tv-series&pg=PT466 |chapter=24: Reconfiguring the Nordic Noir Brand}}</ref>

==Video games==
{{Main article|Video game remake}}

In some cases, only models and environments are remade, while retaining the game's original code. Remakes are produced for the purpose of modernizing a game for newer hardware and new audiences. Typically, a remake of such game software shares its title, fundamental gameplay concepts, and core story elements with the original. With the advent of such notable video game remakes such as ''[[Resident Evil 2 (2019 video game)|Resident Evil 2]]'' in 2019 (followed by ''[[Resident Evil 3 (2020 video game)|Resident Evil 3]]'' in 2020) and ''[[Final Fantasy VII Remake]]'' in 2020, these strict notions are being called into question and brought into a broader perspective. This can even be seen as early as 2004 with the release of ''[[Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes]]'' as that title features newer gameplay additions and voice acting.

Remakes are often made by the original developer or copyright holder, although some are made by the fan community. If created by the community, video game remakes are sometimes also called [[Fan game|fan games]] and can be seen as part of the [[retrogaming]] phenomenon.

==See also==
* [[List of British television series based on American television series]]
* [[List of English-language films with previous foreign-language film versions]]
* [[Cover version]]s of songs
* [[Retelling]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Appropriation in the Arts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Remake| ]]
[[Category:Film and video terminology]]
[[Category:Television terminology]]