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Remake Rights To 69 Akira Kurosawa Films, Including 19 Unmade Projects, Nabbed Up

This writer has always been one to think remakes aren’t always a bad thing.   Films like Let Me In prove that while the remakes aren’t always necessary, they can definitely find a place to exist outside of the kitsch of being a remake.   However, things have just gotten absurd.

Variety is reporting that Splendent Media have signed up to be the sole representatives of the rights to a total of 69 films from Akira Kurosawa (the 26 directed by Kurosawa, plus those written by him), rounded out by 19 features the director never got a chance to shoot.   Now, this doesn’t include films like The Seven Samurai, High And Low, Ikiru or Drunken Angel, but the rest of the director’s canon is now fodder for remakes from Splendent Media.

Personally, I think that the idea of getting the unmade scripts to the big screen is really interesting.   However, in many cases, I don’t really think remakes would work well.   Kurosawa was a filmmaker to say everything one can out of a film’s premise, and I don’t think remakes are necessary.   Yes, some of his films were, well, minor works, but still, they are the best possible takes on those stories.

What do you think?

Source Variety

Joshua Brunsting

Josh is a critic, a member of the Online Film Critics Society, a wrestling nerd, a hip-hop head, a father, a cinephile and a man looking to make his stamp on the world, one word at a time.

3 comments

  • I dislike the idea of remaking Kurosawa’s films, why remake classics? “If ain’t broke, why fix it?” Hollywood has really been losing originality these days with countless remakes and unnecessary sequels.