How did Hollywood become so obsessed with prequels, sequels, and reboots? Whether you’re flipping through the channels or deciding what to stream on Netflix, there’s never a shortage of “remade” content.
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00:00 "This is true about sequels. If something is good, why ruin it?"
00:04 Whether you're flipping through the channels or deciding what to stream on Netflix,
00:07 there's never a shortage of remade content.
00:10 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're talking about what makes reboots,
00:14 remakes, sequels, and prequels so appealing to Hollywood studios.
00:18 "There was recently a reboot. They did some interesting things with Splinter and Krang's backstory."
00:22 As much as television and film can be entertaining and even educational,
00:27 that's not the driving force behind why it hits our screens.
00:30 "Give us some money!"
00:31 At the end of the day, it's really about making a buck.
00:35 For every successful film and TV show, there are countless others that fail,
00:39 costing studios millions of dollars.
00:42 "Oh! A Plan B?"
00:44 "No time for a Plan B."
00:46 So when coming up with ideas for new projects, why not try recycling what's worked before?
00:51 The success of one project becomes the inspiration for five new ones.
00:55 It's an ongoing quest to find the secret formula for repeatable profit margins.
01:00 "I wonder, will we ever see each other again?"
01:02 "Who knows? God willing, we'll all meet again in Spaceballs 2 to search for more money."
01:09 And while every production wants to earn money, filmmakers also want it to cost less.
01:14 "Was it worth it?"
01:15 "What?"
01:15 "Compromising yourself for money?"
01:18 Prequels and sequels are advantageous in that the original actors may not play
01:22 a significant role in the new narrative.
01:24 "I don't plan on staying here for long."
01:26 "Why not?"
01:26 "This was my parents' idea."
01:28 Therefore, the studio doesn't have to pay for their high salaries.
01:32 Production costs are reduced by reusing sets, CG models, and locations.
01:36 "Wow! Love your place."
01:39 "Thanks! It was a total score. We got it from this old married couple who posted it
01:43 on the Wesleyan alumni group. We even got them to leave their swords."
01:46 "Wow! Nice touch."
01:48 Some studios have even cut corners by reusing old footage or deleted scenes
01:53 that never made it into the original film.
01:55 "For Hotel Transylvania, from the first movie to the second movie,
01:58 we repurposed most of their character designs and the castle itself."
02:02 This both brings down the price of making the film,
02:05 and taps into a comforting sense of familiarity for fans.
02:08 "We're in a franchise, and there are certain rules to a continuing franchise."
02:14 On the rare occasions that we do get something truly new and unique,
02:17 filmmakers may want to tell further stories within that same setting.
02:20 "Whoa."
02:22 The Matrix is a perfect example of a film becoming a franchise of its own.
02:26 Its blockbuster success spawned three sequels, video games,
02:30 comic books, and an animated anthology film, creating an entirely new cinematic universe.
02:36 "You've stepped to the edge of the looking glass."
02:38 Good or bad, this type of expansion can also be seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
02:44 and other similar properties.
02:45 With each new installment in these expanding franchises,
02:48 the studios also find themselves reaching new audiences.
02:51 "No, no, no, please don't tell me that you know what I'm going through. Okay."
02:56 When you binge and enjoy an entire season of Stranger Things,
03:00 you'll inevitably tell your friends who are likely to then do the same.
03:03 "Hey guys, does anyone want this?"
03:06 "No."
03:07 Word of mouth plays a huge factor in increasing the popularity of any media project.
03:12 Producers are aware of this,
03:13 and are constantly looking to find new ways to bring attention to their projects.
03:17 "Attention, please. Attention!"
03:21 This includes taking foreign properties and remaking them for new audiences,
03:24 and it isn't limited to movies.
03:27 Many popular TV shows like The Office or Ghosts
03:30 started in the UK and found their way across the shore.
03:32 "No, comedy is a place where the mind goes to tickle itself. That's what she said."
03:38 As much as actors are seen as the face of film and television,
03:45 the real heroes are the writers.
03:47 "We're fellow travelers, warriors of words, soldiers of syntax, pugilists of prose."
03:53 "Writers."
03:55 Overlooked by audiences,
03:57 these artists use their imagination to create these incredible franchises.
04:01 One of the oldest adages in writing is "write what you know."
04:04 And what could be easier than writing about characters everyone knows?
04:08 "How can I be adopted when I have a twin sister? Think, monkey, think."
04:13 When Young Sheldon was first released,
04:15 the titular character had already been on the air for 10 years.
04:18 "Bazinga!"
04:19 That's an entire decade of character development
04:21 that could be drawn upon for the prequel series.
04:23 As creative as writers are, even they need a breather.
04:26 Drawing from existing materials makes the process that much easier.
04:31 "You're joking, right?"
04:32 "Did you see the word 'bazinga' anywhere in that letter?"
04:35 Writers know how passionate audiences can be about a piece of work,
04:38 so it becomes far easier to play on that sense of nostalgia than to build something new.
04:43 "I'm always happy to see you."
04:45 "And I'm always happy to find a reason."
04:47 Despite the fictional nature of these stories,
04:49 audiences often feel a deep emotional connection to film and television,
04:53 especially stories that remind us of our youth.
04:55 "Whoa, I'm having an acid flashback. But I never dropped acid.
05:00 I did take an antacid once. I must be having an antacid flashback."
05:04 In recent years, studios have exploited this by resurfacing beloved characters
05:09 from our past in the hopes of recreating their original successes.
05:13 It's a delicate balance because for every Fuller House or Will & Grace,
05:17 there's a Murphy Brown or Mad About You that just doesn't connect
05:20 with audiences like it may have in the past.
05:22 "Wait a minute. What happened at 13 through 15?"
05:24 "You know what? As I recall, those were not great years. Maybe you threw it out."
05:28 There are also times when filmmakers are overzealous about giving fans
05:32 what they think they want, at the expense of characters and story.
05:36 "I knew it."
05:38 Fan service refers to purposely placing material in a piece of work
05:41 that's meant to satisfy the fans.
05:43 The most common examples of this are through cute cameos or Easter eggs.
05:47 "I don't remember this job being so painful."
05:49 "I do."
05:51 Perceived by studio execs as a way to hook the audience,
05:55 it can sometimes backfire spectacularly.
05:58 Spider-Man 3, for example, included a terrible version of Venom
06:01 that aggravated fans more than excited them.
06:04 "We can find a way to settle this."
06:06 "You're so right. I'm thinking humiliation."
06:10 While these strategies don't always work,
06:12 Hollywood prefers to play it safe by sticking to what we already know.
06:16 "All of this. We're leveling up so fast."
06:20 With the cost of films and television increasing exponentially,
06:23 some studios have shifted their focus from making big profits
06:26 to curtailing potential losses.
06:28 Grand new creative projects are considered high risk
06:31 because studios don't know if anyone will watch them.
06:34 "We can always surrender."
06:35 Reboots and franchises have a lower risk of tanking completely
06:38 and forcing the studio to take a loss.
06:41 Unfortunately, this leaves fans with more rehashed material
06:44 than original content and can ultimately end up driving them away.
06:47 "We're in a degenerate era today where all they think about is what can we remake."
06:53 As much as executives want more profits and tighter control,
06:57 there are some notable advantages to franchises, particularly in film.
07:02 "Franchise. Franchise. Franchise. Franchise. Franchise."
07:07 Whereas television has always been able to tell longer form stories,
07:10 a standalone film struggles with this.
07:12 Franchises like the MCU have shown us that character development
07:16 and extended stories can also be told on the big screen.
07:18 "Avengers!
07:20 Assemble."
07:27 Creatives who love digging into the dirt of these worlds
07:29 are given a chance to tell stories they may not have been able to before.
07:33 Where have these characters been all this time? How did they get there?
07:36 When done right, sequels and prequels give us those extra details many fans crave.
07:41 "It's gonna be fun. It's gonna be amazing."
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07:58 There's one more reason that the culture of endless reboots and sequels has flourished.
08:02 When the original Avatar came out, audiences were charmed by the incredible power of 3D.
08:07 That very quickly spilled over into virtually every other film,
08:14 which now had to cash in on this trend.
08:16 Hollywood saw this as another means of raking in the revenue.
08:19 However, the fad died quickly, killing any chances of it becoming a massive money machine.
08:25 "I don't know, hasn't the whole 3D thing jumped the shark by now?"
08:27 "I don't know, Mr. Lee. You don't understand. This is the best 3D you've ever seen."
08:31 Sure, 3D movies are still out there,
08:33 but the big rush has fallen and Hollywood needed another cash cow.
08:36 Instead of the screen popping out at you like popcorn,
08:39 they decided to go back to the well and try one more time to make what was old, new again.
08:44 Which remakes, reboots or sequels did you enjoy as much or more than the original?
08:52 Let us know in the comments.
08:54 "Well, a reboot, boys, is when Hollywood wants to make a lot of money without the hassle of creating a new movie."
08:59 Do you agree with our picks?
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