10 Popular Movies You Probably Don't Know Are Remakes
There are good remakes of classic films, as well as the bad and ridiculous. And then, there are the ones you didn't know were remakes, considering their popularity. Check out the list:
1. I am Legend (Original: The Last Man on Earth, 1964)
Trivia:
-Vincent Price was the man behind the creepy voice-over in MJ's Thriller music video.
2. Flubber (Original: The Absent-Minded Professor, 1961)
Before the late and beloved Robin Williams took on the role of Professor Phillip Brainard in the 1998 remake, the original Disney-produced family film starred Fred MacMurray as the absent-minded Dr Ned Brainard, who invents a 'flying rubber', which he called 'Flubber'. Directed by Robert Stevenson, it was actually the first live-action Disney film to have a remake. The film was based on the 1943 short story "A Situation of Gravity" by Samuel W. Taylor. A sequel, Son of Flubber, was released in 1962.
Trivia: Nancy Olson, who played the main character's long-suffering fiancée, had a cameo in the remake as a Ford executive's secretary.
3. The Nutty Professor (Original: The Nutty Professor, 1963)
Fans would be shocked, but it's true! The original version of the highly popular 1996 Eddie Murphy film starred Rat Pack member Jerry Lewis, which is regarded as his most defining role. He played an extremely nerdy & accident-prone chemistry professor Julius Kelp, who invented a formula that transformed him into a handsome and suave ladies' man/sociopath. However, the girl he's mainly interested in, Stella Purdy (one of his students), is both attracted and repulsed by his alter ego, 'Buddy Love'. Directed by Jerry Lewis himself (who also co-wrote the story), it was a parody of Robert Louis Stevenson's novella, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, showcasing the main character's dual nature.
Trivia:
While he was a huge Eddie Murphy fan, Jerry Lewis didn't like the 1996 remake when it was released, especially the fart jokes.
3. Freaky Friday (Original: Freaky Friday, 1976)
The original film starred Barbara Harris and a then-14-year-old Jodie Foster as a bickering mother and daughter who switch bodies after they simultaneously made a wish (in anger), "I wish I could switch places with her for just one day", on Friday the 13th, enabling them to live each other's lives the whole day. It was based on Mary Rodgers' 1972 novel of the same name; the screenplay was also written by Rodgers. It was produced by Disney and directed by Gary Nelson.
The 2003 remake, starring Jamie Lee Curtis & Lindsay Lohan, is the third of four adaptations of the novel & the original's second remake. It was also remade in 1995 and 2008. The 2003 version's sequel- Freakier Friday- was released in 2025.
4. The Preacher's Wife (Original: The Bishop's Wife, 1947)
Denzel Washington was memorable as the charming angel Dudley in the 1996 Christmas film, sent to Earth in response to a preacher's prayer for help, but falls in love with the preacher's wife. It also starred Courtney B. Vance as Preacher Henry and the iconic late Whitney Houston as the titular character, Julia. The film was memorable for Houston's soundtrack and the album, which sold 6 million copies on its first run, making it one of the best-selling gospel albums of all time.
The original version starred David Niven as Bishop Henry, Cary Grant as Dudley, and Loretta Young as Julia. The storyline in both films is ironic. Henry saw Dudley more as a rival than a messenger from God, and blamed him for Julia's coolness towards him, instead of realising he was the problem at first.
Yet it is a lovely film to watch on Christmas, as it reminds viewers of the importance of Faith and family.
Trivia: Michael Landon created Highway to Heaven after his wife, who was a huge fan of The Bishop's Wife, said the storyline about an angel sent to Earth would make a great television series.
5. A Star is Born (Original: What Price Hollywood?, 1932)
The award-winning 2018 film, directed by Bradley Cooper and starring him and Lady Gaga, is actually the 4th American remake of the little-remembered 1932 film. Cooper's triumphant directorial debut (also co-writing the screenplay) was released to huge acclaim and earned several awards and nominations, as well as for Lady Gaga. The theme song, Shallow, won Best Original Song at the 91st Oscars, Best Original Song at The Golden Globes, 4 Grammys and a BAFTA.
While some classic film buffs would argue that the 1937 film is the original version, What Price Hollywood?, directed by George Cukor, is more regarded as its original predecessor. It starred Constance Bennet as Mary, a waitress who is signed up as an actress by an alcoholic director. While her career rises, his falls, and he denies himself a romantic relationship with her so as not to drag her down with him. It was the only version where the main character doesn't marry the main lead and becomes a mother.
Trivia:
-Janet Graynor, who played the main character Vicki in A Star is Born, also starring Fredric March, was the first recipient of the Best Actress Oscar.
- Judy Garland was nominated for an Oscar for her role as the main character Vicki in the 1954 musical remake, which also starred James Mason.
- Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson starred in the 1976 remake. Barbara played Esther, a rising singer, instead of a rising actress, while Kris played an alcoholic, fading rock and roll star. The film's theme song, "Evergreen", won a Grammy for Best Original Song, Best Song of the Year & a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.
-Aashiqui 2 is the 2013 Bollywood remake, starring Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor as Rahul, an alcoholic singer who meets the budding newcomer, Aarohi.
7. Father of the Bride (Original, Father of the Bride, 1950)
The 1991 comedy starring Steve Martin, the late Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams & Martin Short, directed by Charles Shyer, was actually the second adaptation of the 1948 novel of the same name, by Edward Streeter. Steve played an overprotective father who is dismayed by his daughter Annie's sudden engagement and the upcoming wedding costs.
Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the original (and first adaptation of the novel) starred Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennet, with Elizabeth Taylor as the bride, Kay. Both versions had the main character serve as the film's narrator, but while Steve's version showed him more of a father unwilling to let go, the main character was more aggressive in the original as he agonises over the cost of the wedding, but ultimately realises Kay was now an adult and deserves happiness.
Trivia: In both versions, one of the wedding gifts was a Venus de Milo statue, with a small clock on its stomach.
8. Father of the Bride Part 2 (Original, Father's Little Dividend, 1951)
Yes, both versions had sequels! Father of the Bride 2 came out in 1995, with the cast reprising their roles, and again directed by Charles Shyer. Set 4 years after the wedding, George and Nina receive news that they're going to be grandparents. George makes it about himself, feeling he's too young to be a grandfather, only to get shocking news that he's going to be a father for the 3rd time!
In Father's Little Dividend, again directed by Vincente Minnelli, Stanley was more resentful about being a grandfather and finding himself in the middle of issues between Kay and her husband before the birth. It also seemed the baby sensed his negative vibe because, for a long while, he was unable to bond with Stanley, until after a mishap.
Trivia:
A short film, about the family dealing with the COVID-19 restrictions, was released by Netflix in 2020, directed by Nancy Meyers, who co-wrote the previous two remakes.
A third version (reboot), but also based on the source material, starring Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan and Adria Arjona as the bride, was released in 2022.
9. Ocean's Eleven (Original: Ocean's 11, 1960)
Yup, the 2001 heist film with George Clooney and the ensemble cast (Matt Damon, Andy GarcÃa, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Bernie Mac, and Carl Reiner), directed by Steven Soderbergh, is NOT the original. Clooney played Danny Ocean, a recently released professional thief who gathers a posse to steal a fortune from 3 casinos; the owner (Garcia) happens to be Danny's ex-wife's new beau. This was followed by Ocean's Twelve in 2004, Ocean's Thirteen in 2007 (Al Pacino joining the cast) and a 2018 spinoff, Ocean's Eight, starring Sandra Bullock and an all-female cast, directed by Gary Ross.
In the 1960 original, Frank Sinatra starred as Danny Ocean, leading his co-members of the Rat Pack- Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop- with Angie Dickson and Cesar Romero. Directed by Lewis Milestone, the film was about 2 war veterans who form a posse to rob 5 casinos at the same time!
Trivia: Don Cheadle played one of Ocean's posse in the remake, while Sammy Davis Jr was one of the actors in the original. Don Cheadle played Sammy Davis Jr in the biopic, The Rat Pack.
10. The Longest Yard (Original: The Longest Yard, also known as "The Mean Machine" in the U.K. and South Africa, 1974)
Comedian Adam Sandler led the cast in the 2005 sports comedy, directed by Peter Segal.
Sandler played Paul Crewe, a disgraced former quarterback who is sentenced to 3 years in prison for causing a car crash, driving drunk and smashing up his girlfriend's Bentley. He is then 'persuaded' by the warden to form & train a team of convicts to play against the semi-pro prison guards in a match. The ensemble cast included rapper Nelly, ex-pro football players Terry Crews and Michael Irvin, wrestlers The Great Khali, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Bill Goldberg, Prison Break alum William Richter, Sandler's co- Saturday Night Live alum, Chris Rock, James Cromwell & veteran actor Burt Reynolds. The movie was co-produced by Sandler's Madison Productions and MTV Films.
Burt Reynolds (who later on co-starred in the 2005 remake with Adam Sandler) was the original Paul Crewe, a disillusioned former professional quarterback who gets thrown in prison after driving drunk and wrecking his rich girlfriend's Citroën SM. He is forced by the football-obsessed prison-warden to form a football team to play against the guards, not realising at first that his team isn't meant to win. It was directed by Robert Aldrich and also starred Richard Kiel as one of the players, James Hampton and Eddie Albert.
Trivia: The 2005 film is actually the 2nd remake of the original. The first was Mean Machine, starring former football pro Vinnie Jones and set in the UK. In this version, soccer was played instead of American Football.
The list ain't over, so stay tuned!
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