10 Movies You Didn’t Know Were Actually Reboots

There’s a common belief in the writing world that there aren’t any original stories left to tell, just original ways to tell them. The same can be said about Hollywood. Some of the greatest filmmakers to ever live have spent decades scouring every nook and cranny in search of compelling stories to tell. And who can blame them? Humankind has been around for so long that it feels like it would almost be impossible to have a truly original idea these days. With over 100 billion people who have walked this planet at some point in time, it’s pretty likely that someone in Denmark has their own version of Batman stashed in a desk somewhere. There is also a very good chance that you’ve seen a number of movies that you didn’t even know were actually reboots.

So what makes a film a reboot as opposed to a standard remake? Simply put, a remake is a new version of a single film, basically retelling the same story with updates for a modern audience. And that’s not always an easy thing to do. Which is why there are plenty of horror remakes that deserve more respect. A reboot is usually considered a fresh start for an entire film series. Reboots often ignore the previous continuity and create a brand new storyline within the same universe — essentially an attempt by a production company to restart a franchise and take it in a new direction with the hopes of producing multiple films. But sometimes, reboots can be a little bit sneakier than others.

The Thing (2011)

We’ll start this list with an example of a very ambiguous reboot. Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., The Thing (2011) could be considered both a reboot and a prequel to its predecessor, also aptly named The Thing (1982). The reboot gives us a heaping helping of backstory to John Carpenter’s horror classic. The movie tells the story of the Norwegian base that we were teased with in The Thing (1982). In the reboot, a team of researchers discovers an alien ship buried in the ice, led by American paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Things go haywire when she finds an organism that appears to have perished in the crash. However, the team quickly finds out that the organism is about to awake from its icy slumber and wreak havoc on everyone inside.

The Thing (2011) gives viewers a chance to watch something similar to a slow motion car crash. We know what is going to happen, we just don’t know exactly how. By the end of the film, we’re able to see an adequate transition into The Thing (1982). With exactly the same title, the movies do stir up a decent amount of confusion, but isn’t that part of the charm? The creature is able to assimilate flawlessly, so it makes perfect sense to mimic the same name. Heijningen Jr. actually teased us with what his idea for a direct sequel would have been. We can only guess what they would have called the movie.

You can rent The Thing on Amazon Prime.

The Mummy (1999)

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Was there anything better than the peak Brendan Fraser era? The popular actor was in the midst of his most successful stretch, where it seemed like he was starring in nearly every movie being churned out. Arguably the best of those films was The Mummy. It follows the story of Rick O’Connell (Fraser), a charming and suave adventurer who finds himself in the middle of an expedition in the Sahara Desert in 1925. Stumbling upon an ancient tomb, O’Connell and his team unwittingly set loose the 3,000-year-old vengeful reincarnation of an Egyptian priest who had been sentenced to an eternity as one of the living dead.

Maybe not the best kept secret, but The Mummy is based on the 1932 film of the same name. While the action-adventure film was met with mediocre reviews, it became one of the highest grossing movies of 1999, raking in over $400 million at the box office. Thanks to the success of The Mummy, the film kicked off a franchise that spawned two direct sequels and even its own prequel. In 2017, The Mummy was rebooted yet again, this time with Tom Cruise as the headliner. But unlike the Brendan Fraser-led franchise, the modern reboot quickly returned to its tomb after failing to receive a sequel.

You can stream The Mummy on Hulu.

Alex Cross (2012)

Who’s the first character that comes to mind when you think of Tyler Perry? There’s a good chance that it’s Madea, his beloved creation based on his own mother and aunt. Madea was able to make Perry a millionaire and a household name, although it kind of altered people’s perception of him as an actor. To combat that, he can be seen in films such as Gone Girl and the 2012 film adaptation of the James Patterson novel, Cross. In the movie, Perry takes over the role of Alex Cross, who was previously portrayed by legendary actor Morgan Freeman in the films Kiss The Girls and Along Came a Spider.

Directed by filmmaker Rob Cohen, Alex Cross follows the titular character while he works as a detective/psychologist for the Detroit Police Department. Cross comes across his most challenging case yet when he is forced to track down Picasso (Matthew Fox), a dangerously smart serial killer hellbent on leaving his mark on the world. Despite the brand new approach to the popular series of novels, Alex Cross was met with lackluster reviews from critics and audiences alike. After making just under $35 million at the box office, the film franchise was sent to the morgue.

You can stream Alex Cross on Amazon Prime.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

When The Wizard of Oz (1925) first came out, you have to imagine that people probably figured that movies couldn’t possibly get any better. At the time, this silent movie had it all. There were elaborate sets and special effects that would have blown anybody’s mind. But just 14 years later, Hollywood took another shot at the whimsical story, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer produced The Wizard of Oz with a budget of $2.8 million. Starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, and Bert Lahr, the movie would go on to gross around $25 million at the box office, which was quite the haul back then.

It should go without saying, but The Wizard of Oz is now considered a classic film that has stood the test of time. It was even selected by the Library of Congress as one of the first 25 films for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” The movie also launched the career of Garland, who became one of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars during her peak.

You can stream The Wizard of Oz on Max.

The Craft: Legacy (2020)

The Craft: Legacy could certainly be considered a hybrid film. It’s essentially a blend of a reboot and a legacy sequel based on The Craft. Although you might not realize that The Craft: Legacy is a reboot because, frankly, not a lot of people even know that it exists. To be fair, the film was released in October 2020, a time when COVID-19 still loomed over the world and many people were uncertain about the future. 2020 was a rough time for any movie to be released, let alone one attempting to create a spark based on a film made in 1996. Similar to The Craft, the reboot follows a group of aspiring teenage witches who get more than they bargained for as they embrace their newfound powers.

Starring Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, and Zoey Luna, The Craft: Legacy unsurprisingly bombed at the box office, scraping together just $2.3 million worldwide. Critics found the movie to be uninspiring, unimpressed by the lack of originality in the story and its use of tropes. Despite the disappointing return at the box office, filmmaker Zoe Lister-Jones revealed that she would be open to revisiting the idea of a third film that tied the first two films together.

You can rent The Craft: Legacy on Amazon Prime.

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort (2014)

If the name didn’t convince you, Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort was a Hail Mary attempt to save the horror franchise from death. Originally planned as the third and final installment of a prequel trilogy, Fox Home Entertainment instead opted to reboot the tired franchise in an attempt to breathe new inbred life into it. The story follows Danny (Danny Ilott), who travels with a small group of friends to the hills of West Virginia in order to claim a family inheritance. Once there, Danny is introduced to a group of relatives that he has never known before. When he learns of the sadistic taboo rituals they follow, he is forced to choose between his friends or his newly found family.

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort isn’t a good movie by any metric, but you have to give it credit for at least trying something new. Instead of recycling the same storyline over and over again, Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort attempted to think outside the box. The only problem is that demand for the once popular horror series had dwindled by 2014. With just $1 million in home sales, the Wrong Turn team finally packed up and called it quits. However, after just seven years, the franchise was once again rebooted with Wrong Turn.

You can rent Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort on Amazon Prime.

Ju-On: The Beginning of the End (2014)

Similar to Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort, Ju-On: The Beginning of the End also tried its hand in turning over a new leaf despite being an established franchise. Despite being the tenth installment of the long-running Japanese horror series, Ju-On: The Beginning of the End saw an opportunity to hit restart and offer up a complete retelling of the film that started it all. The movie tells the story of Yui Shono (Nozomi Sasaki), a teacher who visits the home of a boy who’s been absent from school, unaware of the tragedy that occurred in the home many years ago. Ju-On: The Beginning of the End tells its story in a fragmented structure, offering viewers a chance to focus on a single key character in each segment.

Despite being a retelling of the original, Ju-On: The Beginning of the End suffers from a lack of originality and dread that Ju-On was rich with. Instead of attempting to tread unfamiliar waters and testing the boundaries of the genre, Ju-On: The Beginning of the End became afflicted with the curse of being a boring movie. After failing to leave an impression on audiences, it earned just under $2 million at the Japanese box office. Following one additional sequel in 2015, the Ju-On franchise was finally given a chance to rest for good. Unlike some horror movies that are definitely romances, there is nothing romantic about this reboot.

You can purchase Ju-On: The Beginning of the End at various online retailers.

Ocean’s 11 (2001)

As the most star-studded film in this list, it would almost be easier to list who isn’t in Ocean’s 11. Headlined by George Clooney, this reboot is based on the 1960 heist film that featured the acting talents of the Rat Pack (Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop). The movie is centered around Danny Ocean (Clooney), a man fresh out of the joint and already working on his next heist. Unlike most criminals, Ocean always abides by three rules: do not hurt anybody, do not steal from anyone who does not deserve it, and play the game like you have got nothing to lose. Unfortunately for his next target, they most certainly deserve to be stolen from. After hand-selecting his large group of operators, Ocean attempts to pull off the heist of not one but three Las Vegas casinos at the same time.

Like most heist movies, Ocean’s 11 is a film that is oozing with charismatic thieves that act like stealing money is as simple as washing your hands. But like Danny Ocean, most audiences prefer to see bad people getting ripped off as opposed to ordinary people just trying to get by. They also want to see a heist film that is stuffed with shocking twists and even more shocking payoffs. There’s also just something intoxicating about seeing a career criminal traveling around and picking up their crew.

You can rent Oceans’ 11 on Apple TV.

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

You’ve probably heard this story a million times before. A group of college kids grab a bunch of beer, hop in their car, and drive to the most secluded cabin in the woods they can find only to be slaughtered one by one by an evil entity that craves death and destruction. The story has been done to death, but when done right, it can still be a rewarding experience filled with shock and awe. Evil Dead 2 is the perfect example of that. If you’ve seen Evil Dead, then you know exactly where Evil Dead 2 is going. However, there is something so engrossing about the film that it is worth retreading.

That’s why Evil Dead 2 is yet another entry that is hard to describe. Just ask star Bruce Campbell. In an interview with Bay at the Moon Productions, he explains the confusion that some people have when watching Evil Dead 2, especially when directly following Evil Dead. “People think that Ash, the character Ash, was stupid enough to go back to the cabin with a new group of friends,” Campbell said. “We couldn’t get the rights to our own movie, which is the most ridiculous thing ever. So we just shot a recap with different actors.” In a sense, Campbell and company made a mini-reboot in an attempt to recapture some control of their own story. And who could argue with the results?

You can stream Evil Dead 2 on Amazon Prime.

Heat (1995)

Another list entry, another movie that had an interesting journey from pre-production to release. Written and directed by filmmaker Michael Mann, Heat tells the sprawling story of master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and his band of thieves as they plan one last major heist before heading off into the sunset. However, Lieutenant Hanna (Al Pacino) will stop at nothing to track down McCauley and bring him and his gang to justice. To make matters worse, both McCauley and Hanna face increasing heat in their personal lives that might just make their jobs a little more difficult.

Heat was first developed by Mann in 1979, which he based on the real-life exploits of Chicago police officer Chuck Adamson. After years of development, Mann finally got his script off the ground under the name L.A. Takedown, which was then envisioned as a TV pilot for NBC. However, after NBC decided not to pick up the series, Mann reworked the project as a standalone made-for-TV movie in 1989. Following the success of his film, Last of the Mohicans, in 1992, Mann opted to pursue to reboot L.A. Takedown. Equipped with a larger budget and a more complex narrative, Heat is now considered one of the most iconic heist films of all-time.

You can stream Heat on Hulu.