These iconic remakes are almost as good as a PB&J.
7 New Nostalgic Reboots We Can’t Wait to Watch
These iconic remakes are almost as good as a PB&J.
Remember the days when the most stressful life decision you had to make was deciding which Spice Girl was your favourite or which CD to buy with your pocket money? Ah the 90s, they were good times.
If you, too, love a bit of nostalgia, it's not only tube tops and butterfly clips that are bringing the Y2K vibes back into our lives this year. Many of your old TV favourites are being remade and re-adapted into new film and television properties, whether it’s beloved ‘00s television shows to iconic animated films – and there’s no chance it will slow down anytime soon with a host of nostalgic TV shows and movie remakes coming to our screens in the near future.
While reboots are nothing new – for the past few years, Hollywood has tried to remake almost everything, whether it’s the classic superhero tales to iconic television shows such as Starsky & Hutch or Sabrina for modern audiences. In recent times, these productions seem to have escalated. It could be a result of the pandemic when we were all craving cosy and familiar content. But it could also be the fact that updating some of our old favorites is a way of ensuring our nostalgia becomes modern and fresh. These new remakes are a way of telling classic stories for different audiences, making them more inclusive and celebratory along the way.
Here are some of our favorite nostalgic remakes and reboots hitting the big and small screen soon that will transport you right back to your family room sofa.
1. The Little Mermaid
Where can I watch it? In cinemas now
Disney is one of the biggest proponents of the nostalgia trend; they’ve been making reboots of our most beloved animated classics for years now,, whether it’s Cinderella, The Lion King, or Beauty & the Beast. This month’s The Little Mermaid – in cinemas now – is yet another example, and in our opinion, it might be the best. The film is just gorgeous, featuring a starring turn from Halle Bailey, the singer-turned-actor who beat out hundreds of other actors for the role of Ariel, the mermaid princess who dreams of becoming human. She’s a natural at the iconic songs from the film – wait till you hear her rendition of ‘Part Of Your World’, you’ll be in tears – but she is also perfect as a young woman dreaming of something more. It's a future classic and one that will ensure so many other young children see themselves reflected on screen.
And Just Like That
Where can I watch it? On Binge from June 22
The second season of And Just Like That, the remake of one of our favourite television shows of all time Sex and the City, will hit streaming at the end of June. Though the first season had its critics, we truly relished the opportunity to spend time with Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda again, three of our most beloved characters of all time, as they navigate new territory as women in their fifties. The nostalgia of seeing these women and their friendship evolve is so powerful and we can’t wait to do it all again with them this season.
3. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Where can I watch it? In cinemas on June 28
For kids of the ‘80s and ‘90s, there is so much nostalgia for the character of Indiana Jones. Played with panache by Harrison Ford, Indy was a part-time historian and university lecturer and part-time archaeologist and artefact hunter, who travelled the world trying to keep ancient treasures out of the wrong hands. The four films before this one are all swashbuckling and adventurous – our favourite is The Last Crusade but Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first in the series, holds a special place in our hearts. Dial of Destiny is the final film in this series and comes with all the promise of a nostalgia-fuelled weep fest as we bid farewell to our beloved Indy. If you need any more reason to see it, Phoebe Waller-Bridge has joined the franchise in a starring role. Where Phoebe goes, we follow.
4. Barbie
Where can I watch it? In cinemas from July 21
Who had a Barbie growing up? If your answer is yes, get excited to see the highly anticipated and eagerly awaited movie Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling – as Ken! – and written and directed by Greta Gerwig, coming to cinemas in July. The nostalgia factor here is off the charts. Though information about the story is being kept tightly under wraps, snippets from the trailer show the creative team have leant into the Barbie of the ‘90s we know and love. (Think: hot pink car, dream house, and accessories.) We could not be more excited to see this movie on the big screen.
5. Wonka
Where can I watch it? In cinemas December 21 2023
Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka? Sign us up. If you loved the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory movie, starring Gene Wilder, from 1971, or even the later Tim Burton reboot released in the 2010s, we hope you’re excited for Wonka. Though little is known about the plot of this nostalgia remake, we know Chalamet will be starring as a young Wonka as he begins his adventures and meets the Oompas Loompas, one of whom is played by – drumroll please – Hugh Grant. How can you not want to see that!
6. Snow White
Where can I watch it? In cinemas later in 2024
Speaking of Disney princesses, the next in Disney’s long line of live-action remakes is Snow White. It stars Rachel Zegler of West Side Story fame – you might remember her as Maria in the recent musical adaptation – and Gal Gadot in a supporting role as the wicked stepmother. Snow White was Disney’s first princess film, released in 1938 and an instant classic. Like The Little Mermaid, this live-action remake reimagines the title role of the princess with diverse casting: Zegler is of Colombian and Polish descent. We can’t wait to see her in the starring role.
7. Wicked
Where can I watch it? In cinemas 2024
One of the most anticipated films of next year has to be Wicked, the theatrical remake of the blockbuster musical starring Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Michelle Yeoh and Bridgerton’s Viscount himself, Jonathan Bailey. The film has been in production for many years, directed by Crazy Rich Asian filmmaker Jon Chu who has had previous experience with musicals on In The Heights. He’s a self-professed Wicked fan, which in itself is a nostalgia remake of a beloved tale: it’s the origin story of The Wizard of Oz. Wicked tells the tale of how two witches, Elphaba and Glinda, would become sworn enemies.Throw in some of the most iconic songs of recent musical theatre – ‘Defying Gravity’, anyone? – and you have a guaranteed, solid gold hit. The hype starts now.
