You could almost set your watch by these remake announcements (this one courtesy of TTTWLAM):
You know that you're getting old when movies that you first saw as a teenager are being remade. The latest movie project that is helping to advance old age for kids of the 1980s is a remake of the 1984 comedy picture REVENGE OF THE NERDS, a tale of how the geeks strike back against the jocks and popular kids that was told well before Bill Gates made his first billion dollars.
Putting together the remake are CHARLIE'S ANGELS director McG and his biz partner Stephanie Savage (they'll produce the new NERDS); Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah, creators of ABC's new series LIFE AS WE KNOW IT, are writing the film's screenplay; and O.C. star Adam Brody and GROUNDED FOR LIFE's Brett Harrison are co-producing the movie as well as may star in it.
According to the story in Variety, Brody and Harrison came up with the idea for a remake and then pitched it to McG on the set of THE O.C., the Fox series the director is an executive producer of. They took it to Fox Searchlight Pictures, who bought it, and now it's in development.
Figures. The O.C. is nothing more than a remake of every other piece o'crap teen drama that's come down the pike since...I dunno, The Hardy Boys. I'm curious as the thought process behind "coming up with the idea" for a remake, though. In this case, it sounds like it involved multiple bong loads and an afternoon spent watching "Eighties Week" on TBS.
As horrifying as the news about McG's involvement is, I can't help wondering if the existence of three lousy sequels (the last two going straight to video) doesn't already take some of the sting out of Revenge getting remade. The only cast members with any vested financial interest in the original series of films continuing are probably Robert Carradine and Curtis Amrstrong, who starred in all four films (others made cameos throughout). Carradine's got Lizzie McGuire to tide him over, while I suspect Armstrong would work for a bar tab at this point.
I saw the original in the theater. My dad took me, putting a Band Aid on his glasses and donning a pocket protector before buying the tickets. My 15-year old, desperately yearning for coolness self was understandably mortified. 'Course, he also took me to see The Wall when I was 13, which - while extremely cool - was probably ill-adivsed.
You can remake this movie, McG, but you'll never take my memories.
Arg, this remake insanity has got to stop. All I'm saying is, they better never touch "Better Off Dead".
Forgive me, but wasn't the FIRST ONE super bad? I remember a dorky guy with glasses getting laid with a hot, excrutiatingly dumb blonde. That must be the appeal here, eh? Every geeky guy's fantasy... so that explains the popularity of a movie that had a dull plot, rather poor acting, and if I may say so, substandard humor. Oh God I hope I haven't offended anyone... :-)
I recall "Revenge of the Nerds" being one of the great T&A movies of the 80s (three words: "We have bush!"). I think the likelihood that this will be remade as a skin-free PG13 travesty offends me more than the idea it'll be remade at all.
Dammit, when's 'Hot Wheels: Da Movie' coming out? McG, you magnificent bastard! I read your book!!