Remaking Classics the right way

Imagine that you are writer/director/producer and the studio commissions you to remake a classic film. You know that this is a mistake as the original film is already great and doesn't need to be remade, but you also know that if you refuse they will hire McG or Michael Bay to do the remake as the studio wants a 'safe brand' for a fast buck.

What would you do to make a decent film that will not tarnish the memory of the original?

You can pick any film and share here what you could do.

 

Lets say I was hired to remake Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I will set it in our preset time as the 70's timeframe will not work anymore, but instead of focusing on the Roy Neary character my version will make Jillian Guiler the lead and will explore her character's background (recently divorced, unemployed single mom going through a stage of depression and suddendly has this 'out-of-this-world' experience). The disappearance of her toddler son and her far-fetched claims that he was abducted by an ufo would create a media storm where she is grilled and accused of murdering her son. Roy Neary will be kept mostly in a minor role until the climax where both realize they shared the same experience and vision. The government cover-up will be played more politicized than the original and instead of the World War II bombers it will be the Air Malaysia airplane the one found in the Sonora Desert. The climax will still be at Wyoming's Devil Tower. Practical Special Effects with minimal cgi.

Cast:
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) would be perfect for this role as Jillian.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Roy Neary

Maggie Grace (Taken, Californication) as Ronnie Neary


Jean Dujardin (The Artist) as Lacombe


Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the French interpreter/map reader


Idris Elba as token black Air Traffic Control operator

 

Not enough 'diversity'.
Where are the token Black / Asian / Crippled actors???

Let me guess: you can use them as the aliens at the end, in full costume of course!

 

That was exactly what Spielberg did: he cast black little girls as the aliens. Cheech Marin will be old Mexican looney that the sun sang to him, plus I'll give Idris Elba a cameo as Air Traffic Control operator! Genius minds think alike!

 

SPLASH!
Beloved film, but hardly a classic. I'll keep the same premise except the 'they met as children' scene which lead to nothing. I'll cast Puerto Rico born Adria Arjona as the mermaid, Madison, giving it a flair of exotic diversity and as Allen Bauer I'll cast Adam Devine, who is a good comedian an unlike Tom Hanks, has an average face of a guy that might never score with a beauty like Madison. I'll give more emphasis on the fish-out-of-the-water aspects than the first did and will definitely show the Mermaid City in all its underwater glory, unlike the original.

Cast:

Adria Arjona (Emerald City) as Madison


Adam Devine as Allen Bauer


Seth Rogen as older brother Freddie Bauer


Stephen Colbert as the baddie discredited Scientist

Bill Hader as psychotic Army General

 

Fuck a remake. Do a story continuation like Tron: Legacy or Blade Runner 2049. Both were executed very well.

If you remade some classic like Citizen Kane, Generation X would be bored out of their mind and miss the whole damn point.

Or like Bridge over the River Kwai, they'd probably think the Germans were the good guys and be shocked why the Brit was emotional at the end.

 

In this thread's scenario you have no choice: either YOU do the remake (and you try your damn best to deliver a decent film) or you let the studio hire McG who will turn 'Citizen Kane' into a PC, inclusive, diverse COMEDY with pop songs and Michael Bay will direct "Bridge Over River Kwai" as a CGI romp of action, slow motion explosions fest with Shia LaBeouf in the lead and some supermodel in short shorts running behind him (and more slow-mo explosions in the background).