ROTTEN TOMATOES: Hollywood Remake Clock Strikes High Noon

Hollywood Remake Clock Strikes High Noon

Nope, nothing is sacred. Not one single thing.

by Jeff Giles | November 07, 2007

John Wayne's least favorite Western is making its way back to a theater near you.

We're talking about High Noon, the thinly veiled swipe at McCarthyism that Wayne called "the most un-American thing" he'd ever seen -- and earned a stack of Academy Awards, including a Best Actor nod for Gary Cooper. And since nobody in Hollywood knows how to leave well enough alone, we're also talking about a remake.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the deal went down on Monday. From the article:

Remake rights to the 1952 classic Western "High Noon," starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly, were acquired Monday at AFM by producer Mark Headley, actor Christopher Mitchum and their business partner, Toni Covington.

Rights were secured from actress Karen Sharp Kramer, wife of the late Stanley Kramer, producer of the iconic original about a town marshal forced to face a gang of killers by himself.

The newly formed Los Angeles-based High Noon Prods. is seeking a director and a star to play the lead and hopes to begin shooting early next year with a target budget of about $20 million, Headley said.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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(1-20 of 43 posts) | Reply

SS109 writes:
on Nov 07 2007 07:32 AM

I view this remake with dread. I imagine they will action it up, like 3:10 to Yuma & lose much of the meaning, or change it to an anti-Bush theme.

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BuckyUnderbelly writes:
on Nov 07 2007 07:59 AM

Oh, sweet, fancy Moses!

This is a BAD idea. Because you just KNOW they're going to do one of two things: 1) They'll either "re-imagine" it and cram it full of a bunch of hot young talent-free kids from whatever show's popular these days on the CW ... or, 2) they'll hand it over to a has-been who loves the original but is absolutely the wrong type to play the lead. (I'm looking at you, Nic Cage.)

If you absolutely must remake this movie (and you don't), I'd recommend working from the original script and maybe casting Clooney or Willis. But other than that, this project feels doomed to failure. Or at least doomed to mediocrity.

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sneakattack writes:
on Nov 07 2007 08:03 AM

NO.

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vic40186 writes:
on Nov 07 2007 08:04 AM

What an atrocity!!

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fuj_ball writes:
on Nov 07 2007 08:25 AM

On par with remaking The Day the Earth Stood Still, this is a bad, bad idea. Is nothing sacred?

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Gimy writes:
on Nov 07 2007 08:28 AM

remake Showgirls...way better idea...

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Gimy writes:
on Nov 07 2007 08:29 AM

remake Showgirls...way better idea...

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DennisBrighton writes:
on Nov 07 2007 08:37 AM

...I knew it... this day would soon come... the day I will have to make the choice to go on a kill rampage through Hollywood... Oh, and in response to "is nothing sacred?" According to the land of the free in southern California, only Citizen Kane and The Godfather are sacred...

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dracus writes:
on Nov 07 2007 08:46 AM

Unbelievable.

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Lord of the Rings writes:
on Nov 07 2007 08:49 AM

Has Hollywood gone crazzzzzzy. Leave High Noon alone! A classic should remain a classic, not a re-make of a classic. For the love of Pete.

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EdwardBlake writes:
on Nov 07 2007 09:02 AM

I think Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Gone With the Wind, and the Wizard of Oz could all have been made a bit better.

Shudders....what arrogant pricks there are in Hollywood Board rooms.

And I'm saying this as a huge fan of Rio Bravo, Wayne's rightwing counterpunch to High Noon. Rio Bravo is a hip, entertaining, character driven movie a la MASH. High Noon is classic drama that earned every one of those Oscars. Neither should be touched.

Stop remaking the movies that are required viewing in Film School 101. Too much to ask?

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arendr writes:
on Nov 07 2007 09:14 AM

Ummmmmmmm...I don't know what to say. I'm sort of shocked by this one.

It could be good in the way that 3:10 to Yuma was good. But I don't think it will be any better than the original.

And $20 million budget? That's really small for a Hollywood movie, especially given that they're looking for a star actor. Something is fishy about this production.

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Lord_Kingsley writes:
on Nov 07 2007 09:26 AM

I've been thinking. What with the writers' strike (and rumoured upcoming SAG strike) and all that, instead of remaking movies, why don't they just re-release them? The upfront cost would be next to nothing so it'd be money in the bank. Plus, they don't have to keep sullying the memories of classic films.

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arendr writes:
on Nov 07 2007 09:50 AM

In reply to this comment (#1260386)
It's an interesting idea. I think there would be a big drop-off in movie attendence, but as you said the cost would be next to nothing and they'd still make a profit.

But that all depends on how long the strike lasts. Movies won't be affected for a little while.

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Oblivioncry writes:
on Nov 07 2007 09:56 AM

so when are they gonna remake LOTR and Star Wars? and the world cant wait for another Godzilla remake....

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iamtheseagull17 writes:
on Nov 07 2007 09:58 AM

honestly-this really bugs me. i thought that High Noon, along with A Streetcar Named Desire and the Godfather, was one of the few movies that Hollywood wouldnt dare remake. now...i dont get it. but if they try and recast michael corleone with someone like ashton kutcher, ill never see another movie again.

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moviemonkey2 writes:
on Nov 07 2007 10:04 AM

Hollywood needs to be kicked in the balls repeatedly until they stop making pointless remakes.

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Lord_Kingsley writes:
on Nov 07 2007 10:22 AM

In reply to this comment (#1260476)
I don't think there would be. I can think of several movies I've only seen at home that I'd love to see on the big screen. The Godfather comes to mind.

If the re-released "Star Wars" taught us anything, it's that people will buy the same thing twice. And I personally don't mind as long as it's quality. I remember when Disney used to re-release their films into theaters. That's how I first saw Bambi, Snow White and Pinnochio. And this was in the very early '80s.

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sharpless writes:
on Nov 07 2007 10:37 AM

I'm sure they could probably make a decent movie, with the right actors, writers, and director, but this is something that should never be done. How long before the Gone With The Wind remake? This is just unnecessary.

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BuckyUnderbelly writes:
on Nov 07 2007 10:50 AM

Heck, strike or not, I'd LOVE to see theatrical re-releases of classic movies become a regular thing! I live near NYC so I'm lucky enough to occasionally get tickets to screenings like the recently restored Blade Runner and Poltergeist. But this sort of thing should be more common all over the country.

A couple years back I was lucky enough to catch a showing of Raiders of the Lost Ark on the big screen and it was glorious! Even though the print was faded and the sound was bad ... it was still awesome! I think Hollywood is really missing a bet by not re-releasing classics more regularly to those of us who would happily pay money to see them again. And buy the DVDs again.

There actually would be some cost involved, though. Making prints is not cheap, by any means. Nor is restoring and remastering the negatives. But still, it'd be cheaper than making a whole new movie! And I'd certainly pay my ten bucks (or more) to see some of my favorites back on the big screen!

The trouble is, all the major studios have entered into hugely profitable deals with the big cable companies (HBO, Showtime, Stars, etc.) so they're actually contractually barred from doing theatrical re-releases of their library titles as a general rule. Which sucks. Sometimes exceptions are made, but generally speaking, once a movie leaves the theaters, it's not coming back. It's called "windowing" and it's an unfortunate reality of the business. A movie passes through several "windows" once it's finished. It starts with a theatrical release window, then there's home video window, pay-per-view window, electronic download window, pay cable, basic cable, network TV, and then typically back to pay cable as part of a giant deal that covers all the old titles in a the studio's library.

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