Channing Tatum’s recent efforts in Hollywood have been about giving his fans more of what they’d expect from his line of charming and handsome entertainment. The 2023 new movie releases already have at least one film that fits this particular bill thanks to next month’s debut of Magic Mike’s Last Dance. Well, loyal fans of Tatum had better prepare themselves, as the actor’s announced he’s remaking Ghost, and they’re probably as sold on the prospect as I am.
During an entertaining and pottery-enhanced interview with Vanity Fair, Tatum randomly let slip that his production company Free Association actually has the rights to the 1990 Patrick Swazye/Demi Moore love story. He didn’t include many other details, but here’s how Channing Tatum teased his version of Ghost:
Yeah, we have the rights to Ghost. But we’re going to do something different. I think it needs to change a little bit…
Those changes apparently allude to what the interview cites as “problematic stereotypes” that the Magic Mike star is looking to correct in this reboot. That alone makes Ghost ripe for a remake, but that’s not why I’m sold on the movie. Honestly, I’m surprised a new version of this movie hasn’t already happened, especially with Tatum connected to its very fate.
Channing Tatum’s best movies have basically proven him to be the modern incarnation of Patrick Swayze. Between helping originate the Step Up series of dance-centered romance and taking on everything from dramas like Dear John to his contractually obligated G.I. Joe movies, Channing Tatum has established the same sort of range that the late Dirty Dancing and Road House star did back in the day.
Square at the center of the Patrick Swayze-verse was Ghost, the 1990 hit that was part romantic drama, part supernatural thriller, with a little bit of comedy and sexiness thrown into the mix. Just as that equation was the right vehicle for Swayze to further diversify his resume, it’s definitely a formula that sounds like it hits all of Channing Tatum’s sweet spots.
Again, hearing Tatum and Ghost in the same sentence feels like a bolt of lightning. It’s matching the perfect lead with the right project, already conjuring images of how good it could be. The actor’s fans would even have to admit that when the mention of pottery above came into play, the first thought that came to their minds was Channing Tatum and a random scene partner reenacting that still very influential Ghost scene. Yes, I’m going to include that clip below, because I’m not a monster.
The most action that Ghost has seen in the decades since its 1990 release was a Broadway adaptation that opened (and closed) in 2012. That happened roughly around the time Channing Tatum’s career was starting to really pick up steam, as The Vow, 21 Jump Street and Magic Mike all debuted throughout that same year.
How did not one studio executive stop and think about a Tatum-fronted Ghost remake after those movies basically laid out the breadcrumbs needed to sell this project? Answering that question doesn’t matter, as Channing Tatum is now developing that remake of Ghost with his own production company. Unlike Tatum’s experience with G.I. Joe, he won’t have to ask to be killed off in order to avoid sequels.
It’s going to be very exciting to see how this clear fan of the Patrick Swayze classic is going to update this romantic classic. For now, if you want to catch some more Channing Tatum action, you can check out the trailer to Magic Mike’s Last Dance ahead of its February 10th arrival in theaters.
