Hollywood, CA With the sustained popularity of rebooted franchises it was inevitable that Hollywood would start to mine some of their smaller properties to receive the treatment. With cult classics such as Night of the Demons and The
Stepfather already in production, the industry is proving that there is no better idea than an old idea. No stranger to remakes, Fox has reportedly fast tracked a remake of yet another cult classic, 1987s Mannequin. The studio is already planning multiple sequels to the film.
The original film detailed the events of a struggling artist who moved from job to job before stumbling upon an opportunity on the night crew at a department store. While working at the store he discovers that a mannequin he had once created comes to life, only around him, and inspires him to great success at the job and in his personal life. Amongst other accomplishments credited to the film, the careers of Kim Cattrall, James Spader, and Andrew McCarthy hit high gear with the box office success of the film, leading to fruitful careers and success well into the twenty-first century, something the studio is looking to resurrect with the remake.
Everyone is actually really excited about the prospect of a remake, something that
even took them by surprise. It was a script treatment from an outside source that really got the ball rolling and made everyone sit up and take another look at the property. From what Ive heard they dont see this as a one off type of deal. They think that this could be made into a series of films and could be a big mainstream success, said a Hollywood insider who preferred not to be named. They see this as an early or late summer release with tons of upward potential. They are already looking at ancillary markets. From what Ive heard its a blend of genres. Think Twilight meets Hannah Montana.
The original film was based on the legend of Pygmalion and was itself an un-credited remake of the 1948 film A Touch of Venus.
There are very few companies that have the kind of depth of the Fox library. They are also able to draw on the MGM properties which gives them a huge back catalogue of titles to choose from, which puts them in a prime position in the current environment. I doubt anyone would have seen this one coming, but it really kind of makes perfect sense given the young audience and their appetites, said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. It will be interesting to hear details of the revamped plotline and the casting of the film. If they are able to score an actress like say Miley Cyrus for the eponymous role they would have a massive hit on their hands right out of the box which would mean Mannequin movies for many years to come.
A sequel to the original film was released in 1991 to poor critical and box office results, something producers have frequently blamed on the almost total recasting of the film.
Im sure they wont totally ignore the fans of the original and if they are able to they would try and snag some of the original actors. Kim Cattrall is pretty much out but James Spader and Andre McCarthy havent been doing anything lately so Im sure theyd be up for at least a cameo, continued Temple. Perhaps the best thing about this is a renewed interest in the original film that will inevitably happen. Im sure we will see a blu ray release of the original picture just in time to coincide with the release of the new film. Im sure the picture will look great and Andrew McCarthy will look even better in hi-def.
We contacted Meshach Taylor who starred in both the original film and the sequel for comment. He spoke with great enthusiasm for the remake but expressed no interest in appearing, citing his affection for the originals.
