The Princess Bride is one of the most beloved films of the 1980s, but according to a Sony executive, some big Hollywood players want to remake it. Directed by Rob Reiner and released in 1987, The Princess Bride is a tale famously presented via the framing device of a grandfather (Peter Falk) reading a bedtime story to his grandson (Fred Savage). While the kid is at first dismissive of the story, he quickly grows enraptured, and he’s not the only one. Audiences felt the same way, and continue to do so today, decades later.
While The Princess Bride wasn’t a major box office success, it’s become a treasured piece of pop culture for many, many people since, being passed down to newer generations of movie lovers by family and friends as well. The phrase “fun for all ages” has been used to describe many a film, but it’s rarely so true as with The Princess Bride, which really does contain something for everyone. There’s pirates, adventure, swordfights, romance, comedy, danger, and even the late, great Andre the Giant. Such a blend would’ve once been thought inconceivable.
Unfortunately, in a development that’s already ruffling feathers, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra recently told Variety during a profile on Princess Bride producer Norman Lear that “Very famous people whose names I won’t use … want to redo ‘The Princess Bride.’ Naturally, this isn’t sitting well with many fans. After some began speculating that the filmmaking duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller might be the people Lear mentions, Miller even went on Twitter to deny responsibility.
While The Princess Bride is certainly a movie many can’t imagine ever being remade, the fact is that it probably will be at some point, if the past is any indication of the future. Some of the greatest films of all time have already gotten the remake treatment, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, Disney’s The Lion King, and classic western The Magnificent Seven. In Hollywood, it would seem nothing is truly sacred, and while it might not happen soon, a Princess Bride remake may well be an eventuality. Still, Cary Elwes, Princess Bride’s dashing hero, probably sums up the reaction of many fans to the prospect with the following Tweet.
Putting aside the fact that Princess Bride being a “perfect” movie is debatable, it’s certainly a great one, at least by most accounts. And despite the fact that it’s now 32-years-old, Reiner’s film seems to work just as well now as it did then, and will surely continue to be introduced to new fans via streaming, cable airings, and Blu-Ray rentals. While a Princess Bride remake might ultimately be unavoidable, until it happens, fans of the original will continue to have fun storming the castle.
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Source: Variety
