Remakes are as much a part of Hollywood as the actors and filmmakers who help make them — they’re always going to happen, they always have happened, and they’ll never stop happening. It’s a no brainer, to be honest. Remakes are an easy way to make money and an easy way to bring in audience members. Just look at the live-action Disney remakes as of late: they’re hugely successful, and they’re showing no sign of stopping. They’re a thing to be embraced, no matter how good or bad you feel they are as a concept. That being said, some movies are remade far more frequently than others. Whether its because their story is good enough to be rehashed for eternity because the original just doesn’t hold up anymore, there are films that have been remade three, four, five times throughout film history with more remakes destined to happen in the future.
A Star is Born
The fourth iteration of this relatively simple story arrived in late 2018, and the reason for it being remade so many times seems pretty simple: music changes so often, it makes sense to remake a movie about music so often. 1937, 1954, 1976, and 2018 are all very different in terms of music, style, and the film itself. You can see why they’d feel the need to remake this movie four times (and why it’ll certainly be remade at least one more time in our lifetimes).
Seven Samurai and Yojimbo
Akira Kurosawa might be the most influential filmmaker of the 20th century. Plenty of westerns, plenty of science fiction, and plenty of action films have borrowed from his two biggest films — including, but not limited to, the many versions of The Magnificent Seven and the many versions of A Fistful of Dollars. Both of which are based on two of his biggest films—Seven Samurai and Yojimbo. These have been remade to no end, and they’re certain to be remade again and again as time goes on.
Godzilla and King Kong
Monster movies like these are always going to be remade. It has nothing to do with the quality of the originals and everything to do with their recognizability as brands and the ever-changing nature of special effects technology. Recently, Warner Brothers have capitalized on both these monsters and the idea of a cinematic universe by combining the two. Still, Godzilla has over 30 films to its name and King Kong has eight.
Freaky Friday
A relatively simple concept — body switching — means relatively frequent remakes, it seems. Freaky Friday has been remade four times so far since its creation in 1972 in book form, most recently in 2018 on Disney Channel. It’s a harmless idea, one that recalls safe lessons about motherhood and childhood and family friendliness. They’ll never stop remaking Freaky Friday.
Annie
Another relatively simple concept that seems to be remade every decade or so, Annie follows the story of a young orphan who is taken under the wing of a rich man. There isn’t really a reason for this — each version is more or less the same — beyond being a recognizable brand and a feel-good story that will always suck audiences in.
Spider-Man
While superheroes are constantly remade and reimagined in comic book form, it’s hard to imagine a superhero who has been remade on screen more than Spider-Man (although Batman might come close). With eight different films so far and even more television series adaptations, it seems the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will always have a place in the hearts of audiences.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Even though the most well-known version of the film came out in 1978, it was actually the second time the film had been made. After this, it was remade twice more — once in 1993 and again in 2007. It’s a fun idea and a creepy film, practically a staple of the body horror genre, so it’s always interesting to see how modern technology is incorporated into each passing remake.
Night of the Living Dead
Just like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, evolving technology and a never-ceasing interest in the body horror genre practically demands the original zombie film to be remade every ten years or so. Right now, at the time this article is published, Night of the Living Dead has been made and remade dozens of times (and that’s not even counting how many other zombie-centric projects the film inspired since its release in 1968).
