BY GRACE MCQUADE
Hollywood knows when it has a good thing. That’s why there are so many film sequels, series, and the just as fruitful branch of motion pictures, movie remakes.
Continuing a story that movie fans love, or reintroducing a tale to a new generation of moviegoers, takes vision and skill to innovate, yet keep the original film’s magic.
Many consider “The Godfather: Part II” the gold standard when it comes to movie sequels. Since then, there have been peaks and valleys.
“Superman II” soared, but “Grease 2” tanked. “Back to the Future Part II” rocketed, but “Speed 2: Cruise Control” crashed. “Toy Story 2” (and 3) were hits, but “The Hangover Part II” (and III) missed the bar.
Sequels that take off often lead to film series’ fandom as seen with the “Star Wars,” “Indiana Jones,” “Jurassic Park,” “Harry Potter” and “The Hunger Games” franchises, to name a few.
And a successful film series doesn’t always have to be comprised of action and sci-fi flicks.
“Before Sunset” reunited star-crossed lovers Jesse and Celine nine years after their first meeting in “Before Sunrise,” and paved the way for their ongoing journey nine years later in “Before Midnight.” Will there be a fourth “Before” or perhaps an “After” in this charming series? Fans hope so.
As for movie remakes, the production and reception can be trickier.
Film purists prefer to leave movie classics alone, while other movie buffs believe that some stories never get old and are ripe for retelling.
There are filmmakers in the latter category who stick close to the original script and simply spruce up a remake using modern technology, music, and casting.
Other movie creators completely reinvent a familiar story by setting it in a different place or time, switching up the genre, or giving it a new title.
For instance, how do you match screen legends Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart in “The Philadelphia Story,” one of the greatest romantic comedies ever made?
The answer is to cast Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra in a musical rendition of the film set amongst Newport’s elite and call it “High Society.”
Critics snubbed the remake of Long Island’s version of blue blood romance, “Sabrina,” in which Audrey Hepburn first played the starry-eyed title character who pined over her love while perched in a tree.
However, many filmgoers, particularly those on the North Shore of Long Island, enjoyed watching suitors Harrison Ford and Greg Kinnear tool around Dosoris Lane in tuxedos and fancy sports cars.
Regardless of individual opinions, few can argue that when done right movie sequels, series and remakes give audiences the chance to fall in love with favorite films and characters all over again.
The following films will return to the box office this fall. From timeless love stories and a horror classic, to enchanting fairy tales and a boxing drama reboot, here are stories that are evergreen.
SEPTEMBER
“Little Women”
(Sept. 28; PG-13; drama/family): This release coincides with the 150th anniversary of the Louisa May Alcott classic novel. The Civil War-era story gets a makeover by setting the four March sisters in modern times. The young women still grapple with their relationships and issues relating to growing up, but now audiences get to see them do so in today’s world.
OCTOBER
“A Star is Born”
(Oct. 5; R; drama/musical/romance): Bradley Cooper directs and stars alongside Lady Gaga in the fourth version of the tragic love story about a celebrated musician who helps an aspiring singer and actress find fame, but leaves his music protégé and newfound love to face the spotlight alone as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.
“Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween”
(Oct. 12; adventure/comedy/family): The sequel to the 2015 family film, which grossed more than $157 million worldwide and has a series in development, is based on R.L. Stine’s best-selling children’s books – this time involving a Halloween caper that spooks and stumps the Quinn siblings and their thrill-seeking friends.
“Halloween”
(Oct. 19; R; horror/thriller): It’s been 40 years since moviegoers first encountered Michael Myers, one of the most chilling serial killers in horror film history. This film is a direct sequel to the 1978 original, as if the events in subsequent films in the series never happened. Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode, now a grandmother, in her final confrontation with the masked stalker.
“Johnny English Strikes Again”
(Oct. 26; R; action/adventure/comedy): Rowan Atkinson returns as the accidental secret agent who comes out of retirement to solve a case that stems from a cyber-attack against the British Secret Service. The assignment takes him on a wild ride to the South of France to undo the catastrophe for the Prime Minister played by Emma Thompson.
NOVEMBER
“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms”
(Nov. 2; adventure/family/fantasy): Disney reimagines the enthralling tale of a young girl who is transported to a magical palace that has four realms – Land of Flowers, Land of Snowflakes, Land of Sweets, and a Fourth Realm with creepy forest inhabitants – in a lavish production starring Mackenzie Foy, Keira Knightly, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren.
“The Grinch”
(Nov. 9; PG; animation/comedy/family/fantasy): Another holiday classic returns with the Grinch, first introduced in a Dr. Seuss story and then immortalized in the 1965 televised special, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Now Benedict Cumberbatch provides the curmudgeonly voice behind the green grump who plots to ruin Christmas for the village of Whoville using some high-tech hijinks.
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
(Nov. 16; adventure/family/fantasy): In this spinoff of J.K. Rowling’s beloved “Harry Potter” series and sequel to “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the wizardry adventures continue as magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) embark on a quest to take down Gellert Grindewald (Johnny Depp).
“Creed II”
(Nov. 21; drama/sport): Sylvester Stallone reprised the role that made him famous in the 2015 “Rocky” reboot “Creed,” earning a Golden Globe Award and Oscar nod for his performance. Now, under the wing of this hard-knocks mentor, newly crowned heavyweight Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) dons his boxing gloves and trunks once again to face off against the son of one of Rocky’s former rivals.
“Robin Hood”
(Nov. 21; PG-13; action/adventure): The early renegade who goes out on a limb to steal from the rich to give to the poor returns in this latest dramatization in which the war-hardened Crusader and his Moorish commander mount a revolt against the corrupt English crown, with Taron Egerton playing Robin Hood and Jamie Foxx taking on Little John.
“Second Act”
(Nov. 21; PG-13; comedy/romance): This reworking of “Working Girl” casts Jennifer Lopez as a woman who assumes a new identity to take the business world into the palm of her hand. Instead of Wall Street, the familiar career story is set on Madison Avenue, where Lopez’s character intends to prove what street smarts can do with a little help from her partner in love played by Milo Ventimiglia.
DECEMBER
“Mary Queen of Scots”
(Dec. 7; biography/drama/history): Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I of England have received their share of big screen depictions over the years. Now Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie play these 16th-century ruling cousins embroiled in a bitter rivalry over power and position that inevitably leads to war and ruin… and the title character no longer able to stay out of the woods.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”
(Dec. 14; animation/action/adventure/sci-fi): The story of Marvel’s Spider Man and alter-ego Peter Parker has been told in a series of blockbuster films. Now the many shades of this nimble superhero are revealed in this animated adventure in which Spider-Man crosses parallel dimensions and teams up with Spider-Men of other realms to stop a threat to all of reality.
“Mary Poppins Returns”
(Dec. 19; PG; family/fantasy/musical): Closing out the fall season and arriving just in time for mistletoe and holly, Disney continues the classic story of the loveable nanny who falls from the sky. After a tragic loss, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks from the original tale, along with Michael’s three children, are visited by Mary Poppins, who helps the family rediscover joy and wonder.
