Recreating a classic film with a new modern vision has been an attribute of filmmaking ever since the very beginning, as the prospect of recreation with new technologies and possibilities in mind makes filmmaking an ever-evolving medium. This trend has largely persisted into the modern age of cinema, with it often being utilized to draw in fans of the original film to experience this new vision. Whether it’s a modern reboot of a beloved franchise or a reimagining of a classic from a previous era, modern cinema is filled with notable remakes.
Not only in the present, but the near future has set the stage for many prominent movie remakes to take the world by storm, following in the footsteps of the original fan favorites they are bringing into the modern age. These are far from the only notable remakes set to release in the near future, but they’re certainly the ones worth getting the most excited about, whether it be due to having an exciting filmmaker attached or the possibilities of a modern rendition of a classic story of the past.
10
‘Tangled’
Release Date: March 31st, 2028
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Disney’s live-action remakes of their animated movies have been a pervasive trend for over a decade at this point, massively fluctuating in popularity with audiences as they shift back and forth between billion-dollar success stories like Lilo & Stitch or massive box-office bombs like Moana and Snow White. This places all sorts of expectations upon the potential success of Tangled for the future of Disney’s live-action remakes, with it seeming to have a lot of the pieces required to be a genuine success.
While the immediate standout aspect of the film is its casting, with Teagan Croft, Milo Manheim, and Kathryn Hahn all seeming like great fits for their roles, the real reason to be excited for Tangled comes from the talent behind the camera. Director Michael Gracey has proven himself to be one of the defining musical filmmakers of the modern age with his work on The Greatest Showman and Better Man, with cinematographer Erik Wilson also having a great resume, including all 3 Paddington films. At the very least, Tangled will certainly be a pretty film to look at in live-action, certainly able to live up to the Disney classic.
9
‘Cliffhanger’
Release Date: Spring 2027
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The original Cliffhanger was one of many wildly over-the-top cult classic action thrillers that made up Sylvester Stallone‘s career, largely finding strength through telling a classic crime thriller story while its characters are suspended thousands of feet in the air climbing a mountain. If any filmmaker was going to adapt this wild premise for the modern day, it’s difficult to find a better pick than Jaume Collet-Serra right after the cusp of what is arguably his career-best thriller, Carry-On.
With an exciting cast including the likes of Lily James and Pierce Brosnan, the film certainly has the capability of upgrading the stakes and scale of its mountain-climbing tension while also staying true to the wild, over-the-top nature of the original. The film has been bouncing around a variety of different release dates due to shifting distribution rights, and while it doesn’t have a concrete date in mind, Vertical has plans to release the film in Spring 2027.
8
‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’
Release Date: June 11th, 2027
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While Disney has been the face of live-action remakes of animated movies in the modern age, DreamWorks gave them a run for their money with their first live-action remake, How to Train Your Dragon. The film received a lot of praise thanks to just how much it stuck to the strength of the original film, a feat that can largely be attributed to having the original director of the animated films, Dean DeBlois, directing the live-action film. The success of the initial film led to an immediate greenlighting of a live-action remake of the fan-favorite sequel, How to Train Your Dragon 2.
This marks one of the only times that an animated sequel is getting the live-action remake treatment, as many of the previous live-action movies decided to have their own continuity in terms of sequels or prequels. It isn’t exactly a stretch to say that DeBlois will probably use the same playbook that he did for the first live-action remake, almost creating a shot-for-shot remake of the sequel so as to maintain its narrative strengths. It even continues the trend that the first film set with the reprising of Gerard Butler as Stoick, with Cate Blanchett set to reprise her role as Valka.
7
‘The Thomas Crown Affair’
Release Date: March 5th, 2027
Set to be the second remake of the classic 60s heist film after John McTiernan‘s notable remake in 1999, The Thomas Crown Affair updates the story of a suave executive looking to pull off a massive billion-dollar heist while facing off against his perfect match in a sly insurance investigator. However, being a remake of a remake is only half of the story when it comes to the inherent appeal of The Thomas Crown Affair, as the film’s main appeal is through the star power of leading man Michael B. Jordan with his second directorial work after Creed III.
The film appears to be sleek and filled to the brim with style and elegance, perfectly befitting the tone and style of the original film while seamlessly updating it to the modern age of high-class and heist filmmaking. Jordan is continuously cementing himself as one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the modern age with each passing year, especially after his Academy Award win, with The Thomas Crown Affair acting as the next step in his continued growth as a bankable star.
Four criminal masterminds. One of them was always going to be yours.
Here is who comes for you, why they picked you out of everyone available, and what they want from
the encounter.
Your nemesis does not want to beat you. He wants to know you
completely, and he is patient enough to wait for it. The frightening part is how good the
conversation is.
- Lecter is the most dangerous kind of opponent: the one who finds you interesting. He
never raises his voice, because he has never needed to. - You keep a great deal to yourself and you are careful about what you show. That reserve
is exactly the door he would knock on. - The films understood something other thrillers missed. The horror is not the violence.
It is being perfectly understood by the wrong person. - He would be unfailingly polite about all of it. That is the worst part.
Your nemesis is not after money, territory or revenge. He is
after a demonstration, and you are the person he has chosen to prove his point on.
- The Joker only picks opponents who believe in something. Your decency is not a defence
against him. It is the entire reason he showed up. - He has no plan you can predict and nothing you can take away, which removes every tool
you would normally reach for. - His whole argument is that you are one bad day away from being him, and you would spend
the rest of your life proving him wrong. - He would call it a magic trick. You would call it the worst night of your life.
Your nemesis respects you, which sounds flattering until you work
out what it means. He chose you because nobody else was worth his time.
- Moriarty is the original criminal mastermind, the template every later one borrows from:
a mind the equal of the hero’s, pointed the wrong way. - You enjoy being the cleverest person in the room. He is counting on exactly that, and he
has already built the room. - This is the rare nemesis who would be genuinely disappointed if you lost badly. He needs
the game to be worth playing. - It ends the way these things always end. Two people, one problem, and only one way down.
Your nemesis has no personal interest in you whatsoever, and that
is precisely what makes him unsurvivable. You are not a rival. You are a stop on the way.
- Chigurh does not negotiate, gloat or explain. He arrives, he asks one question, and the
answer was decided long before you opened your mouth. - You trust yourself to handle things. He is the one problem in the world that has no
interest in how capable you are. - No Country for Old Men rewrote the screen villain by removing the thing audiences
quietly rely on: the sense that talking might work. - Call it. He will wait.
6
‘A Christmas Carol’
Release Date: TBA
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Few literary works have been as constantly adapted and remade for film time and time again as Charles Dickens‘ A Christmas Carol, which seemingly ends up getting new adaptations and remakes every year like clockwork to benefit the holiday season. However, one of the quickest ways to stir up interest and excitement for a new interpretation of this timeless Christmas story is through the lens of an exciting original voice, with few modern filmmakers being more exciting in their work than Robert Eggers.
Eggers has become an icon of gothic filmmaking in the modern era thanks to films like The Witch, Nosferatu, and the upcoming Werwulf, so the prospects of him creating a darker, more gothic take on the Dickensian classic are super tantalizing for fans of the story. Even more exciting is that the legendary role of Ebenezer Scrooge is set to be played by Willem Dafoe, a longtime Eggers collaborator who is about as perfect a casting as one could ask for.
5
‘Miami Vice ’85’
Release Date: May 19th, 2028
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Miami Vice ’85 is an interesting case as far as being a film remake is concerned, as while there was already a famous adaptation of the 80s television series directed by Michael Mann that has grown into a cult classic of the modern age, leading to the excitement for this remake. However, ’85 is not remaking the Mann film, but instead basing its story on remaking the pilot of the original show, with A-list stars Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler playing the roles of Ricardo Tubbs and Sonny Crockett.
Still, all the pieces are there for ’85 to be a worthwhile addition to the Miami Vice brand, most notably thanks to the prominence of director Joseph Kosinski, who has consistently proven himself as an action director with his work on Top Gun: Maverick and F1. Complete with an absolutely stacked supporting cast including the likes of Alden Ehrenreich, Danny Ramirez, John Leguizamo, Walton Goggins, Andre Holland, Dominic Sessa, and Haley Lu Richardson, this has the potential to redefine Miami Vice in the eyes of many audiences.
4
‘Possession’
Release Date: June 11th, 2027
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The original Possession is an absolute icon of psychological horror, with masterful performances and outright unhinged horror allowing its cult classic status to grow with each passing year. Especially with its thematics and messaging being as timely as ever, it isn’t exactly surprising that the film is finally being remade for modern audiences. This modern interpretation of the film is set to be directed by Parker Finn, best known for his work on the Smile duology of films.
The remake certainly has a lot to live up to, but at the very least it is exciting to see another filmmaker’s interpretation and vision of one of horror’s greatest cult classics. The remake is set to feature Margaret Qualley in the iconic dual lead role of Anna and Helen, a role that seems impossible to cast due to just how perfect Isabelle Adjani‘s performance was, yet Qualley’s work on The Substance proves she has what it takes. The film’s cast also includes the likes of Callum Turner, Paul Dano, and Diego Calva.
3
‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
Release Date: TBA
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Image via Bryanston Distributing Company</figure>
It feels strange to actually be excited for a new remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as many of the franchise’s most recent reboots and modern offerings simply fail to live up to the stature of the franchise, let alone the masterpiece original film. However, if any filmmaker is going to transform this franchise with a striking new vision, it’s going to be Curry Barker, the breakout director of 2026’s defining horror masterpiece, Obsession.
Even before he broke into the mainstream with Obsession, his various short film horror work on YouTube has proven that he has the talent and vision for horror in the modern age, making him a perfect fit to take the reins of this iconic horror franchise and provide his own spin on its display of torture and dread. At the very least, Barker’s remake certainly won’t be afraid to take risks and tell its own vision, a stark contrast to the other reboots that seemed content with pandering over actual storytelling.
2
‘Highlander’
Release Date: TBA
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The original Highlander was an icon of violent 80s action that has become one of the quintessential examples of R-rated violence in a fantasy setting for many audiences. It’s a film that has stayed in the hearts of many 80s audiences since its release, and while a multitude of sequels have unceremoniously failed to live up to the legacy of the original, this long-awaited remake may finally be the return to glory that Highlander needs.
With Henry Cavill in the leading role and John Wick series director Chad Stahelski directing the film, Highlander will certainly be a showing of passion for all parties involved, bringing the modern stylings of intricate choreography to the world of fantasy action and swordplay. At the very least, it will be exciting to see Stahelski leave his comfort zone with the film set to be his first directorial work outside of the John Wick franchise.
1
‘American Psycho’
Release Date: TBA
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From a massively divisive novel adaptation upon release into becoming one of the most prominent examples of a cult classic masterpiece from the 21st century, Mary Harron‘s American Psycho has built up an overwhelming reputation for itself that it manages to live up to in every way. It’s made the prospects of any modern remake of the film preposterous, yet if any filmmaker is going to make an American Psycho remake work, it’s going to be Luca Guadagnino (Bones and All, Call Me by Your Name, Challengers, Artificial).
With a screenplay by Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, The Bourne Ultimatum), so much surrounding this remake is still shrouded in mystery, as it’s still in the very early days. However, it’s hard not to be excited and enamored by the potential of this project, with one of the faces of abstract, psychosexual cinema of the modern age tackling a story that directly deals with themes of toxic masculinity and identity. The potential is certainly there for an all-time great remake, so one can only hope that this project actually comes to fruition and doesn’t fall through the cracks.
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