Geena Davis Won’t Let Hollywood Remake Her Greatest Movie

Continuing, Geena Davis elaborated on her Thelma & Louise remake opinions, saying, “there’s no need to revisit it. What would be the point?” It’s a fair question and one that a lot of people ask when a remake is announced for a film that has no need to be remade. As Davis points out, Thelma & Louise is one of those timeless films that still feels fresh today, and it is pretty hard to imagine a better version.

Explaining her opinion on remakes in general, Geena Davis said she’s in favor of “making movies that didn’t really work again and making it work,” instead of remaking classics like Casablanca and Thelma & Louise.  This definitely seems like a more well-received approach by everyone in general. Seeing a cool idea get the good movie it deserves is a lot better than watching a cash-grab for a movie that was already great.

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon star in Thelma & Louise as the titular friends who go on a road trip that turns out to be much more than they were expecting. The film was directed by Ridley Scott from an Oscar-winning screenplay by Callie Khouri. Along with Davis and Sarandon, the film also stars Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Christopher McDonald, and Brad Pitt. 

Both of the leads gave all-time great performances in Thelma & Louise, which became a landmark feminist film in Hollywood history. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon were nominated for Best Actress, the film was preserved in the National Film Registry, and was a box office and home video success. While there have been rumblings of a remake for the film in Hollywood before, including a version that would star Beyonce and Lady Gaga, nothing has come to fruition. 

Now, Geena Davis didn’t say anything about having a problem with stage musicals of iconic films like Thelma & Louise, which is good because there is one (supposedly) still in the works. In 2021, it was announced that Callie Khouri was adapting the film into a musical with Halley Feiffer that includes original songs by Neko Case and Trip Cullman as director. In 2023, there was a reading held with Amanda Seyfried and Evan Rachel Wood in the lead roles.

This is a lot different from a remake, especially since original screenwriter Callie Khouri is involved. Geena Davis is definitely right that films like Thelma & Louise don’t really need remakes, but a stage musical could be an interesting way to bring the story to a new audience. We haven’t heard anything about the musical since 2023, but the fact that it hasn’t been canceled means it’s probably still in development. 

Maybe Geena Davis would even be interested in making a cameo in the Thelma & Louise musical. In the meantime, Davis can take solace in the fact that no film remakes for the movie are in the works. At least for now.

Source: IndieWire