Listicle: 10 movies that deserve a do-over

Colleen Hoover’s books are written with an eye on adaptations. Screen versions of Verity, Reminders Of Him, and Regretting You are all in the works. Unfortunately, It Ends With Us was completely overtaken by the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni backstage drama, the legal notices it spawned and those terrible costumes. Domestic violence deserves to be portrayed right. Do better.

The book it was based on, Where Rainbows End by Cecilia Ahern, had so much heart, so much soul, so much wit and emotion. But on screen, the will-they-won’t-they romance just came off as sappy. Lily Collins and Sam Claflin had chemistry and looked good, sure. But maybe a true-to-source adaptation with sparkle and Irish actors might help. Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan, anyone?

A thriller, set in a future when people grow until 25 and promptly die, unless they can buy extra years (and still look young). Justin Timberlake’s character is accused of murder and is on the run but is also running out of time. Amanda Seyfried is wasted as eye candy. Nothing is explained well. Maybe a remake might explore the idea of time being currency. Black Mirror the hell out of this, Nolan.

Don’t come at us. The movie is perfect, and perfectly dated. Harper Lee’s 1960 novel deserves to be retold to a MAGA/TikTok/ChatGPT generation, with a more contemporary pace, full colour, and a cast and director that can do justice to the movie and book. You know what, give this to Jordan Peele or Ryan Coogler. *Chef’s kiss*.

A 2014 remake, set in 2028, sucked and sank. But RoboCop is really a superhero film and should be treated as one in a remake. It has all the ingredients: Sci-fi, crime, violence, justice, a hero, machines, guns, super VFX, and AI. Set it in the year 2082 (far enough ahead to be creative) and give it to the Wachowski siblings. Of course, Keanu Reeves will have to cameo.

Hollywood knows how to make terminal-illness weepfests (Dallas Buyer’s Club, The Fault in Our Stars, My Sister’s Keeper, A Walk to Remember). India’s benchmark can’t be a 54-year-old hit. The story of a man dying of cancer but living large needs an updated setting, cast and crew. Ramesh Sippy has shown interest. May we suggest Gurfateh Pirzada or Dulquer Salmaan? Why not both?

No one’s tired of fictional elite covert super soldiers – but after four flop attempts, this one is crying out for a proper redo. Give it to Disney. Set it in the 1980s. Go the way the new Superman movie is going and question the ethics of war. Or do a snarky comedy about boys and their toys. Nostalgia is low-hanging fruit. Come on execs, pluck this one.

Sophie Kinsella, who gave us Confessions of a Shopaholic, also wrote this hilarious book about a woman who keeps her many opinions and doubts to herself, until she confesses them all to a man on a plane. Of course he turns out to be her CEO. Let’s do better than the insipid 2019 movie. Reimagine this meet-cute alone with Emilia Jones and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.

That this film could have been one of India’s greatest romcoms is a hill we will die on. The tale of a prince falling in love with a ‘commoner’, a royal family hiding royal secrets, kidnappings, drama, runaways, accidental room swaps: It’s all ripe for remake. We’re thinking Kriti Sanon, Taapsee Pannu, or Mrunal Thakur. Maybe keep Ratna Pathak Shah. Yummy.

Funny detectives. Cheesy gadgets. Tycoons. Contract killers. This film is classic 1990s Shah Rukh Khan masala – what we call brain rot today. No need for anymore Byomkesh Bakshi films, no need for Sherlock Holmes-ish capers. Someone please just hand the reins to Farah Khan. The best part? We think SRK could do just as good a job this time around, as could the OG soundtrack.