A Clockwork Orange to be remade?

[Guest OraleHolmes]

Apparently, studio execs at 20th century Fox are considering a remake of Stanley Kubrick's, " A Clockwork Orange." The studio wants a modern version of the 1971 film set in present day New York. The script is not yet in development; however, it should be allocated to a writer (unknown at this time) in the near future, if the project is greenlighted. The favorite at this time to play Alexander de Large is Ewan McGregor.

 

credit: hollywood reporter

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Get me tickets to try out for the part too. I feel I am able to play a crazy guy right now too.

 

It'd be breakthough-a-riffic.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

BOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Seriously, this is so far from being a good idea that it ain't even funny.

 

First off...modern day New York? Bye-bye EVERYTHING that makes the movie so distinct. The slang, the style...flush.

 

Secondly, should this project go through, I'll wager any money that they'll just go for explicitness, and not the simply disturbing feeling that you can get from the original.

 

Thirdly, everyone and their dog knows that remakes are rarely better then the original, especially when the original is one hellava great movie. All this film will do, should it be released, is make a whole generation of kids forget about the original classic.

[Guest OraleHolmes]

Well, modern day New York or not, you have to admit that Ewan McGregor would be PERFECT for the role and is nearly a dead ringer for Malcolm McDowell.

 

And, the modern day New York thing is tentative and not engraved in stone. Modern day London would be the right choice, and I have faith in 20th century Fox that they'll realize this.

[Ced 0]

So does anybody want to start a pool on what the next classic film to get a Hollywood remake will be?

[The Metal Maniac 0]

I'm trying to find this McGregor fellow's photo on imdb.com right now.

 

Ah, there he is. Yeah, not a bad look.

 

But modern-day London or modern-day New York, it still totally changes the premise of the movie, by making it modern-day. All the interesting style of the original movie, in the slang, the design, the "techno" Beethoven tunes, the artwork; all that stuff is going to be replaced with regular old, modern-day somewhere.

 

WHY?

[Dangerous A 0]

Remakes of overrated movies are always a bad idea.

 

Clockwork Orange wasn't a bad movie, but I wouldn't label it classic by any means. That's just me, though.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Eh - possibly an overstatement, but I think my point stands.

[spiny norman 0]

I'm trying to find this McGregor fellow's photo on imdb.com right now.

 

Ah, there he is. Yeah, not a bad look.

You don't know what Ewan McGregor looks like!?

 

Anyway, this is a terrible idea. I think remakes are a terrible idea to begin with, but maybe it can work with films which can be improved on with today's cinema world (eg. Ocean's Eleven). But this is a classic and came out at the right time with the right director and at any other time would not work anywhere near as effectively (eg. Psycho).

[The Metal Maniac 0]

I don't even think I know who he is.

 

Was he in the Star Wars prequels?

[Guest El Satanico]

Ewan is perfect, the ideal is terrible.

 

I believe much of the slang was invented, not slang that actually existed in London. I also believe the author did this made up slang in the book.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Yes, the slang is all in the book, and yes, the author essentially made it all up by combing Russian terms with God-knows what. Something makes me want to say it has a name...nadsat?

 

I've been told it can make the book pretty hard to read at first, but you eventually get used to it.

[Guest OraleHolmes]

Russian terms? Like what?

[NoCalMike 0]

Just about the only thing that sounded good from this pitiful idea is that Ewan McGreggor was the most likely candidate to reprise the role, but for the love of gawd movie studios, DON'T DO THIS.

 

Who wants to bet themes, satire, and atmosphere, are just replaced with more graphicness in the crime scenes.

 

 

Fucking Horrible News.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Like...Karova, moloko, devochka...just random Russian words the author felt like using.

[Guest OraleHolmes]

Just out of curiosity, do you know what those Russian terms mean?

[The Metal Maniac 0]

Cow, milk, and girl.

[Guest rawmvp]

Did someone say the word, Russian?

[spiny norman 0]

I don't even think I know who he is.

 

Was he in the Star Wars prequels?

Yeah he is, he's Obi Wan.

 

And Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge!, Black Hawk Down and Big Fish. Probably a few more I'm not thinking of.

 

Who would they get to direct the film? And as for making the violent scenes more graphic, I hope/think not. What makes the original so effective is that the violence isn't glorified or over-the-top, it's just presented as is. That made it more disturbing and I think to make it more violent would just be bloody stupid.

 

But then again, so is making this film. I'll bet they won't, nobody can be stupid enough to go ahead with this. McGregor's not stupid enough to go ahead with this.

[Guest Crazy Dan]

Wow, Hollywood is trully running out of original ideas. The thing is that the age we live is more violent, pop culture-wise at least. The original was very violent for its time, so it had that shock-value thing going for it. Now a days, we as a society do not get as shocked anymore, especially not by what we see in the movies. I feel that this will not get the same effect of the original. Now you watch it, and you aren't shocked, because there have been far more shocking things to grace the movie screen.

 

Ewan McGregor would be a good choice as Alec, but there is no need to remake this one. But, if they must, make sure they get a good writer along with a director who can give this movie a new spin on it. But I have feeling that this will disapoint regardless.

 

I think the only movie that could be remade successfully, would be a movie like Network (thank you EW for that one). And I did like "Dawn of the Dead", but it will never be considered better than the original. Other than that, Hollywood come up with your own ideas, and stop failing misreably at trying to remake every movie. Many movies worked in one generation, but do not translate well in this one. Clockwork Orange being remade would fall in this category, I am afraid.

[Guest Jay Z. Hollywood]

Did someone say the word, Russian?

Holy crap, he's not dead.

 

-and it turns out he WAS a gimmick poster, huzzah.

 

Anyway, ontopic, as Psycho proved, even shot-by-shot remakes drain the atmosphere of the original. There's an intangible element that separates a classic from something that's "blah."

Edited May 3, 2004 by Jay Z. Hollywood

[Guest JMA]

Ugh. Why the hell is it being set in New York? Is that really necessary? Is remaking this movie even necessary? With how PC society is today there would be endless bitching from feminist groups and such. I don't have high hopes for this concept. I just don't think someone in today's society could properly capture the mood and feel of the original.

 

I can just see whoever is doing this movie tacking on some inane moral message at the end.

[Nighthawk 0]

It seems the fact that it was a book is forgotten. They aren't really remaking the "original" then, they're making a new movie with the same source material. Fine, happens all the time.

But putting that aside, I don't like remakes any more than the next guy, but I don't particularly hate them either. They'll either be good or they won't. Either way, any change to the perception of the earlier version will only be registered by people who would call you a loser for caring. And fuck them.

[Guest OctoberBlood]

FUCK NO

 

This is just stupid. I couldn't stand seeing one of my favorites of all time being remade.

[dubq 0]

Feh, book first or not, remakes don't bother me any more. I don't have to see them, nor do I care which one "movie-noobs" see first/consider the best. So, who the fuck cares? Not I.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

This is a horrible idea. I guess they forget that Kubrick's movie making is what made the movie as great as it was.

[Insane Bump Machine 0]

Takashi Miike should be the director for this.

 

But yeah, it's a bad idea.

[Guest El Satanico]

Well there is one person who would love a new film version of Clockwork Orange. The author of Clockwork Orange, who hated Kubrick's film version.

[Ripper 0]

If it still features a middle aged women being beaten to death with a large penis, then I am THERE.

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

What an overated movie.