Well, here’s a unique take on a remake for a film: take a classic movie and remake it, only with an African American cast. Imagine that: an African American Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Dances with Wolves. I know – let’s make an inspirational tale of the African American Rudy!
Okay, maybe I’m being a little extremist, but that sort of remake is exactly what’s coming from Screen Gems. According to Variety, the studio is planning a remake of The Big Chill with an African American cast, to be produced and include Regina King (Ray) along with her sister Reina King and Will Packer (Stomp the Yard).
In theory the original movie’s story will remain the same – a bunch of college friends gather together years later for the funeral of a friend. As they reminisce about the past, the friends contemplate where their lives have taken them. Rewrites for the script are planned, although Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote the original screenplay, is not expected to be involved. The idea is to contemporize the story, and, of course, to change the roles for African American players. The new version will feature characters that grew up in the 1990s instead of the 1960s, although there is some interest in maintaining the original Motown soundtrack.
Despite the fact that I’ll get hate mail, I’ll still say it: this is just a case of making an ethnic film for ethnicity’s sake. There is absolutely no need to remake this film with a different racial focus. I think the basic story of friends gathering for a funeral is universal enough that a completely different story could be written about it. Instead we’re taking a classic movie and specifically announcing that it’s being remade with this ethnic twist – something I find pretty insulting.
I suppose next we’ll make a non-Semitic version of Fiddler on the Roof…
