A lot of news stories have been doing the rounds lately about various 1980s films either being remade or given a sequel.  Sequels and remakes can be great if done well and if they treat the original with respect, otherwise you end up with Superman IV or The Pink Panther (the Steve Martin one).  Below is a recap of the latest crop of possible remakes and sequels of our favourite 80’s movies.

Indiana Jones

The Originals: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989)

Just in case you don’t know, Indiana Jones (played by George Lucas favourite, Harrison Ford) is an archaeology professor, that goes on fantastical adventures in his spare time, often involving Nazi’s and biblical artefacts. The first three films were great (imho, The Last Crusade was the best) and gave birth to the now iconic “running away from a huge boulder” scene.  The perfect blend of adventure and humour, these films were excellent family viewing and are perfect examples of why Spielberg is so good at his craft.

The Sequel: Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (2008)

Lucas and Spielberg team up once again for this long-awaited third sequel in this “quadrilogy”. Set 19 years after The Last Crusade (the actual period of time since the release of the last film and this one), this time around he will battling against Soviet agents in order to retrieve the Crystal Skull, and will take him to Peru and Mexico.

This looks like it could be a worldwide smash when its released in May 2008.  The first three instalments all did very well, and with the same team behind it and the same stars on screen, the general opinion is that this will be one worth watching.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

The Original: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Ferris Beuller was one of John Hughes’ best creations.  The embodiment of adolescent rebellion and teenage dreams, all rolled into one Matthew Broderick-sized parcel.  The premise of the film is that Bueller decides to pretend he’s ill so he can take the day off of school.  He convinces his hypochondriac friend Cameron to do the same, and also bring along his father’s prized and lovingly restored 1961 Ferrari 250GT (he’s even memorised the mileage!)  Ferris even manages to invent a way for his girlfriend Sloane to get out of class.  Their subsequent adventures as they drive into Chicago almost lead to Ferris being caught out by the school dean, Edward Rooney.  A classic film that still stand up well by today’s standards.

The Sequel: Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off (????)

Ferris Bueller is about to turn 40, and is a successful self-help guru, with a business run by his best friend Cameron.  Turning the big 40 is freaking Ferris out a bit and decided to take a day off of work.  This is only a rumour, and could be a good thing.  The script has been written by a guy called Rick Rapier, and John Hughes has never directed a film he hasn’t also written.  Its rumours that Broderick and a few other members of the cast have shown an interest, but its unlikely to happen.  If it did, I’m pretty sure that under the hand of another director it would not fare so well, and it could end up being a straight-to-DVD turkey.

Goonies

The Original: The Goonies (1985)

The Goonies is set around the “Goon Docks” area of Astoria, Oregon, and follows the adventures of Mikey and his friends in an effort to save the Goon Docks area from being sold to developers.  Directed by Richard “Superman” Donner and written by Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg, the pedigree for this film is completed by a great cast.  Sean Astin and Josh Brolin play the main protaganist and his brother, and along with Corey Feldman and co, The Goonies were a very likeable group of kids, without stereotypical teenage performances.

The Goonies attempt to find the treasure of legendary pirate, One Eyed Willie.  This leads them to a series of underground caverns and tunnels, all the while being chased by The Fratellis (yes, the Glasgow band took their name from the film).  Personally, this is a childhood favourite and even now I watch it when its on TV.

The Sequel: The Goonies 2 (????)

There are mixes messages for a Goonies sequel.  Richard Donner apparently had a story in mind, and Spielberg was onboard too, but Warner Brothers decided against it.  There’s even been rumours of a cartoon and even a musical based on the film.  However, there is one glimmer of hope - Sean Astin told MTV that Goonies 2 is an “absolute certainty”, in October 2007.  I’ve mixed feelings about a sequel - so much time has passed that either it will feature an old cast, or maybe the kids of the original characters.

The Lost Boys

The Original: The Lost Boys (1987)

The Lost Boys probably ties for first place with Falling Down as Joel Schumacher’s best film.  Set in Arizona, the tale of teenage angst takes a supernatural twist as the neighbourhood turns out to be populated with vamprires.  Jason Patric, Corey Haim and Kiefer Sutherland play the main roles, but also stars Dianne Wiest and Alex Winter.  A great mix of comedy and horror, mixed with a “coming of age” movie twist, plus a great soundtrack.  “Lost Boys”, incidentally, is a reference to Peter Pan.

The Sequel: The Lost Girls (never made), Lost Boys: The Tribe (July 2008)

Origninally a sequel called The Lost Girls was going to be made.  Kiefer Sutherland character apparently survives the first film.  The film was scripted, but never made it into production.  Instead, Lost Boys: The Tribe was green-lighted 20 years later and is due for release later this year.  Corey Haim has been confirmed to be reprising his role, but Warner Bros has said that this will be a straight-to-DVD sequel.

Bill & Ted

The Originals: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)

Barely making it into the eighties, Bill & Ted (played by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter) quickly became iconic, due to their distinctive look, their nonsensical adventures and their numerous catchphrases. The first film saw them trying to complete a history mid-term paper but naturally they no nothing about history.  A guy named Rufus travels back in time in a phone box to help them complete their mid-term paper so they can fulfil their destiny by forming their band Wyld Stallyns and their music uniting everyone bringing about world peace!  They use the phone box to go back in time to learn about history and pass their mid-term.

The second film is a little more abstract, visiting heaven and hell, meeting God and the devil and one (but sometimes two) aliens.  In my opinion the second film is superior, with a great heavy soundtrack and much easier to get into.

The Sequel: ?????

It seems almost certain that another Bill and Ted film will be made.  However, both Reeves and Winter have both said that they will no be in it, so its looking more likely that a remake of the first film will be made rather than a second sequel.  Updating it might work, but without the two leads it just won’t be the same.  If the remake is a success though, they may consider remaking the second film and then a sequel with the new cast.

Short Circuit

The Originals: Short Circuit (1986), Short Circuit 2 (1988)

Starring Ally Sheedy and Steve Guttenberg, Short Circuit is the story of Number 5, a military robot that has its programming radically altered during a lightning storm.  After being transported away from the facility that house it, Number 5 takes refuge in the home of Stephanie (Sheedy).  Number 5 develops a sentience that sets it apart from the other robots and Stephanie, along with scientist Newton (Guttenberg) help Number 5 to escape from Nova’s guards (its parent’s company) to live a peaceful life.

The second film follows Number 5 as he moves to New York, to help oversee production of toy versions of himself.  A convoluted plot involving bank robbers follows and Number 5 comes to save the day.  This sequel plays on the appeal of Number 5, but without Sheedy or Guttenberg, something is lost this time round.  It is made worse by Fisher Stevens awful performance as Ben.

The Sequel: Short Circuit (2009)

Dimension Films bought the rights to remake the film earlier this year.  Already on board are S S Wilson and Brent Maddock, the original writers, and David Foster who produced it.  Its been promised that the remake will remain close to the original but will take advantage of advances in technology.  Could be good if the writing is up to scratch (with Pixar’s Wall * E coming out I expect robots to gain popularity over the next couple of years.)

Gremlins

The Originals: Gremlins (1984), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Gremlins is a fantastic horror/comedy film that never takes itself too seriously.  When Billy’s father brings him home a Mogwai for Christmas, there are two rules attached: never get him wet, and never feed him after midnight.  Needless to say, the rules are ignored and eventually the cute Mogwai spawns offspring after getting wet, which in turn become Gremlins.  The Gremlins start to over-run the town, causing chaos wherever they go, and Billy has to save the day.

The sequel sees Billy working for Clamp Enterprises, a large corporation with several divisions including biological research and property development.  Clamp Enterprises acquire Gizmo after they tear down the building he lives in.  Billy find him, but once again a series of events leads to Gremlins taking over the Clamp building.  This time, however, the new batch obtain new powers after ingesting several hormones and other liquids.  Once becomes electrified and can travel down phone lines, another turns into a spider-gremlin, while another becomes super-intelligent and even capable of talking in English.  The sequel is very different to the first, relying on humour more than shocks.

The Sequel: Gremlins 3 (????)

Both director Joe Dante and actor Zach Gilligan have said there will not be a Gremlins 3 movie, but it is also rumoured that Warner Brothers will release the sequel straight to DVD after Goonies 2 and Scooby Doo 3.  Dante has said that if there was a third film then he’d want nothing to do with it, citing CGI Gremlins are not exciting.

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