Made for $750,000 and featuring a cast of mostly little known actors, many were surprised when Michael Schultz’s “Cooley High” made a whopping $13 million in 1975. The movie has became a cult favorite ever since, and marked something unique in the midst of the blaxploitation era — a coming of age movie that many called the “black ‘American Graffiti.’” It’s an important film of its time, and one that’s a pretty nostalgic watch today. But of course, it’s getting a remake.
MGM is dusting off the property, and setting DeVon Franklin, Common and Tony Krantz to produce the new flick that will presumably offer an update on the source material, which focuses on a group of high school kids living in North Chicago in the 1960s, who get mixed up with the wrong guys. Certainly, there’s still a lot to say about adolescent life in Chicago today, but I’m not sure why you need to brand it as “Cooley High” to do that. But good luck to the filmmakers of this one as they try to top the killer Motown soundtrack of the original.
Nothing yet on a director, cast, or even a screenwriter, but the producers feel the volatile racial climate at the moment makes “Cooley High” ripe material for a redo. But let’s hope they retain some of the original movie’s lighter touch too. [Deadline]
