The Underrated 80s Fantasy Movie Getting A Total Remake
The ’80s fantasy film Ladyhawke is getting a brand new remake, and we’ve got the exclusive scoop.
The film, about a young man who gets caught up with a woman who turns into a hawk and a man who turns into a wolf, was part of a spate of films in the ’80s that took place in specifically or vaguely Medieval settings.
For those of you getting twinges of the brilliant but canceled Dark Crystal and Willow streaming series, we feel your trepidation and hope this new series will be an interesting and successful adaptation of the original.
It stars Matthew Broderick as Philippe Gaston (known as Mouse), Michelle Pfeiffer as Isabeau d’Anjou (the titular hawk), and Rutger Hauer as Captain Etienne of Navarre (the wolf). It was directed by Richard Donner, known for Superman: The Movie, as well as The Goonies and the Lethal Weapon films.
With all those stars involved, though, Ladyhawke is not necessarily an ‘80s film that at first seems ripe for a remake. In 1985, Broderick was not yet the star he would become after the following year’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and the film underperformed at the box office, topping out at number three and earning only $18.4 million against a budget of $20 million.
All the same, the movie did garner generally positive reviews and was nominated for two Academy Awards—for Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing—and won a Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film.
It is not known whether Matthew Broderick or Michelle Pfeiffer might be called upon to make appearances in the new version, though we would love to see that happen.
The new Ladyhawke won’t be just an ‘80s film remake, though. It is set to become a series that will stream on Max. For those of you getting twinges of the brilliant but canceled Dark Crystal and Willow streaming series, we feel your trepidation and hope this new series will be an interesting and successful adaptation of the original.
’80s remakes, reboots, and sequels abound these days with varying degrees of success, but we think this particular underappreciated film might make good fodder for a series that could surpass the original. It certainly has all the makings of an ongoing adventure, with a group of outsiders traveling from town to on an ongoing quest, righting wrongs and helping the disadvantaged along the way.
Since there is not a deeply embedded fan base for the film, the series has an opportunity to set its own tone and deliver a unique take on the movie’s premise.
Whether that in itself smacks too much of ’70s and ’80s series like The Incredible Hulk and Kung Fu to be successful in the contemporary media landscape remains to be seen.
It’s also unclear whether this ’80s remake is set to go in that direction or not, as scant information is available at present. What we do know is that Richard Donner will sadly not be involved in the new series, following his death in 2021.
We also lost Rutger Hauer in 2019 and, while they would be unlikely to reprise their original roles, it is not known whether Matthew Broderick or Michelle Pfeiffer might be called upon to make appearances in the new version, though we would love to see that happen.
It would also be refreshing if this particular ‘80s remake took advantage of the relatively lesser-known status of its original movie and broke away from an overly nostalgic treatment of the material. Since there is not a deeply embedded fan base for the film, the series has an opportunity to set its own tone and deliver a unique take on the movie’s premise.
As Max eyes a possible merger with Paramount+, we are also hopeful that, should that deal go through, this project will survive the transition and see the light of day.
