King Kong... sequel???

[Greg Cox]

Rapid reboots, like everything else, are not the recent innovation people assume. There were maybe a half-dozen screen versions of The Wizard of Oz in the 25 years before the Judy Garland film. The Maltese Falcon was made into films in 1931, 1936, and 1941. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde had two adaptations a decade apart, also in 1931 and 1941.

Heck, there were three silent-film versions of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1920 alone: the classic John Barrymore version, a low-budget knock-off, and an independent German version.

I can just imagine the internet in 1920: "Dr. Jekyll again? Hollywood has run out of ideas!"

 

[marillion]

Also perhaps as a nod to the remake from the mid 70s?

Honestly, I think it also has to do with not having to deal with plot holes. In the 60s/70s, if you wanted to go check on something, you had to actually GO and see it. If it were set in modern times, all they'd have to do is fly a drone or retask a satellite to get a Google Maps quality image. Doing it this way, they are not hampered by the ease of technology and thus, it keeps viewers from questioning why they didn't just use technology rather than put people in harm's way... Just my two cents.

 

[JD]

Ah, that is a good point. The '70s is close enough that we can still get fairly modern things in it like automatic riffles and helicopters, but won't have things like GPS, cell phones, or drones.

 

[publiusr]

Something I have often wondered about. It seems that local nnetworks liked to play King Kong during Thanksgiving holidays, where I could stay home and watch movies. Anyone else remember that?