A few things that came my way today, teaser trailers for remakes of classic films by two of the biggest directors in the business that are due out next summer…
Firstly we have Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. This, obviously, is a remake of the classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and as such, has a lot to live up to, and to be honest, the trailer looks rather bland. I’m hoping it matches the book in terms of darkness, as Tim Burton does that well, but can Depp compare to the wonderful performance put in by Gene Wilder?
Moving on we have War of the Worlds, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise… Cruise and Spielberg, back together after their outing in Minority Report (as well as cameos in Austin Powers in Goldmember) with a remake of the classic H.G. Wells novel/radio play/movie, and again, this has a lot to live up to… Unfortunately not a lot is really known about this film except that Martians invade Earth (duh!) so time will tell how this turns out.
With Star Wars Episode III, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Batman Begins and Fantastic Four due next summer as well, it should be a good time for movie goers…