In the near future, we plan to write a book titled “Valley of the Dull: An Insider’s Look into Why Hollywood Can’t Make Original Films anymore.” Of course, “Das Reboot” wouldn’t make a bad title either. Whatever the title, it looks like Leonardo DiCaprio will get a chapter in the book, as Production Weekly‘s Twitter feed gives us news that the actor is looking to ” reboot the 80’s thriller ‘War Games’ at MGM.”
“What the Matthew Broderick,” you say? We agree. The original film, released in 1983, starred the thespian as an underachieving computer whiz who hacks his way into a super intelligent military computer known as Joshua. When Joshua starts confusing game with reality, the computer pushes the world to the brink of World War III. The film is a solid ’80s PG-13 picture for its time and also continued the hot streak of Ally Sheedy. However, with a presumably modern take on the material, the cold war plot has to be taken out, making things a bit more complicated, no?
There’s absolutely no need for a remake/reboot, but the only way we could be possibly excited is the chance to bring back our favorite Texas Longhorn alum … Dabney Coleman. Even then, it’s no huge draw, let the past be.
The remake will likely offer a chance to show off the improvements in special effects Hollywood has made over the past twenty-five years, as the greatest technical achievement in the original were those Atari-like ping-pong effects. Why are they calling it a “reboot” and not just a remake? It’s the Hollywood language du jour of course.