After the colorful and campy versions of Batman that appeared in Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, DC turned to director Christopher Nolan to reinvent the character onscreen. The result was a dark and gritty reboot in the form of 2005's Batman Begins and the subsequent Dark Knight trilogy.
Since then, it has become a trend to reboot existing intellectual property as a new dark and gritty version. Some gritty reboots, such as Riverdale, have found success while others, such as the horror movie version of Fantasy Island, have not. But there are many other campy or comedic franchises that would be perfect candidates to receive a dark and gritty reboot.
10 Speed
Released in 1994, Speed is a fun and ridiculous action thriller that plays very much like Die Hard on a bus. The movie follows Keanu Reeves as Officer Jack Traven and Sandra Bullock as Annie Porter, two people who are stuck on a crowded public bus that has been rigged to explode if the speedometer drops below 50 miles per hour. Speed is a great '90s action film that benefits from an interesting premise and strong performances.
While the movie is over the top, the idea of a mad bomber terrorizing public transportation in Los Angeles is a dark concept that could be rebooted into a tense and compelling cat and mouse story as the police race to track him down.
9 Timecop
Timecop is a franchise that started in the 1990s and has inspired 2 movies, a television show, novels, comic books, and a video game. The franchise centers around the Time Enforcement Commission, a government organization that prevents time-related crimes and keeps time travelers from changing history.
This is a fascinating concept that could lend itself to endless story possibilities. There is a wide range of historical moments and figures that a reboot could include. The gritty reboot could use a tone similar to Minority Report and bring a dramatic and philosophical approach to Timecop.
8 The Mask
Starting with the 1994 Jim Carrey movie, The Mask is a franchise that has included two films, a video game, and an animated series that are inspired by a comic book of the same name. The franchise follows a supernatural mask that transforms its wearer into a cartoonish gangster with immense power.
The movies have taken a comedic tone and depict the main character as a mischievous prankster. However, the comic book has a much darker tone and often shows The Mask turning its wearer into a violent murderer. There is the potential to do something different with the franchise by making a more faithful adaption of the dark comic book.
7 Animorphs
Animorphs is a franchise that includes a book series, television show, and recent graphic novel. The story follows a group of teens who gain the ability to morph into animals and must use their powers to fight off a parasitic alien invasion.
While the idea of teens turning into animals is a little silly, a reboot could follow the example of a show like Teen Wolf and make the morphing aspect more grounded and gritty. There is also the potential to focus more on the terrifying notion of parasitic aliens taking over the bodies of humans.
6 Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a classic story about the titular boy who won't grow up flying around Neverland and battling the pirate Captain Hook. Since Peter Pan's first appearance in 1902, there have been many adaptations and reimaginings across many different mediums including books, movies, shows, plays, comics, and even theme park rides.
However, while almost all of the major adaptations have been family-friendly fantasies, there has been a recent trend to reimagine the character in a darker, more villainous way. Books like Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook show how this classic story could be rebooted with a more sinister, grittier tone.
5 That's So Raven
That's So Raven is a Disney Channel original sitcom from the 2000s that spawned a spinoff, Cory in the House, and a sequel series, Raven's Home. The main character, Raven, is a teenage psychic who often gets out-of-context glimpses of the future. Her attempts to prevent these visions from happening usually end up being the thing that causes the vision to come true.
While this premise was played for laughs on Disney Channel, the concept of a protagonist fighting against a prophesy and inadvertently causing it to happen is actually a staple of Greek tragedies. In the same way that Chilling Adventures of Sabrina took a supernatural sitcom and played up the darker elements, That's So Raven could be rebooted with a darker, more existential tone.
4 Home Alone
Home Alone is a classic family film about a large family who accidentally leaves their son behind when they leave for vacation and the young boy is forced to fend off bumbling burglars using only his wits and a series of homemade boobytraps. The success of the first film led to a series of sequels and an upcoming Disney+ reboot.
The way that young Kevin McCallister uses boobytraps to inflict extreme pain on the burglars has led some viewers to compare him to Jigsaw from the Saw franchise. Given this tendency and the effect that these traumatic events could have on him, a Home Alone reboot could follow an older, darker Kevin who still uses complex traps to hurt people.
3 The NeverEnding Story
The NeverEnding Story is a magical fantasy book and film franchise that follows a young boy as he encounters the magical realm of Fantasia and its fantastical inhabitants. The line between the two worlds is blurred and elements from the real world crossover into Fantasia and vice versa.
The NeverEnding Story has some dark and heavy moments for a children's film and now that the movie's original audience has grown up, it would make sense to revisit this franchise in a dark and gritty way with an adult reboot more like Game of Thrones or Vikings.
2 Pirates Of The Caribbean
Based on the iconic Disneyland ride, Pirates of the Caribbean is a fantasy adventure film franchise that follows the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow as he sails the seas encountering other pirates and mythical creatures. While the series has run out of steam lately, the first film was a huge success with critics and audiences.
The movies have become over the top and unnecessarily bloated. The franchise would benefit from pivoting away from elements like mermaids and the Fountain of Youth and instead focus on telling a Jack Sparrow-less dark and gritty story about piracy.
1 Scooby-Doo
First debuting in 1969, Scooby-Doo is an iconic property that has been adapted into a variety of shows, movies, comics, and other mediums. The franchise follows a group of mystery solvers as they investigate seemingly supernatural occurrences, often only to discover that there is a logical and human explanation.
With the recent Supernatural crossover and the upcoming Mindy Kaling show, the franchise is moving in a more adult direction. Scooby-Doo could easily be adapted into a dark show in which the gang investigates grittier mysteries and encounter scarier monsters and ghouls.
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