Movies That Have Been Remade Multiple Times
These days, it can seem like Hollywood has no original movie ideas, with people frequently bemoaning the tragedy of constant remakes, sequels, and adaptations. It’s considered a sign of the times and proof that the movie industry is “out of ideas.” In reality, though, remakes, adaptations, and reboots have been a part of cinema since its earliest days.
Here are just a few examples of films that have been remade multiple times.
6. A Star Is Born
Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper made quite a scene at the Oscars performing the smash hit “Shallow” from this movie remake, but what other version did audiences see? Probably the most popular version of this story is the 1954 film starring Judy Garland and James Mason, and directed by George Cukor. But there was also a 1974 Frank Pierson adaptation with Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
All of these movies, though, are remakes of the original from 1937, starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, and directed by William A. Wellman. That movie was March’s Technicolor debut and Gaynor’s only Technicolor film.
Remake Score: original and three movie remakes
5. King Kong
Though the character of King Kong has appeared in many movies, including the one where he fought Godzilla (which also had a recent remake), his origin story has been made into three major films. The 1933 original featured stop-motion animation by Willis H. O’Brien that revolutionized visual effects and is still impressive 90 years later.
Two subsequent remakes were made—one in 1976 featuring Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin, and Jessica Lange, and the 2005 version by Peter Jackson.
Jackson’s film did not receive its planned sequel, though 2017’s Kong: Skull Island gave the character another reboot, with its sequel, 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong marking the twelfth film in the Kong franchise.
Remake Score: original and two movie remakes in a 12-film franchise.
4. The Magnificent Seven
Yul Brenner starred alongside Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, and James Coburnin the 1960 Western movie that has had its share of remakes. The original film had three sequels, stretching all the way to 1971, and saw its first cinematic remake in 2016 with Antoine Fuqua’s adaptation starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
Robert Vaughn returned from the original for a recurring role in the 1998-2000 TV series starring Michael Biehn, Eric Close, and Ron Perlman.
But all of the subsequent movies and the series after 1960 are remakes of a remake, as the first film was based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 classic Seven Samurai.
Remake Score: original, three movie remakes, three sequels, one TV series.
3. Ben-Hur
When most people think of Ben-Hur, they picture the most famous 1959 movie starring Charleton Heston. They might also remember the 2016 remake directed by Timur Bekmambetov and starring Jack Huston. And some might even recall the 2010 TV miniseries.
But you might be surprised to know that Charleton Heston returned to the role of Judah Ben-Hur for a 2003 direct-to-video animated version of the story, or that Heston’s original appearance was itself a remake.
In 1925, the same studio (MGM) had produced a silent version starring Ramon Novarro. But even that film was a remake of a one-reel film produced by New York’s Kalem Studios in 1907, just a decade after the birth of cinema itself.
Remake Score: original, four movie remakes, one TV miniseries, and one Broadway play, all based on a novel.
2. The Jungle Book
Disney’s famous animated classic wasn’t the first adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 story collection. The original was a 1942 live-action film by United Artists called Rudyard Kiplling’s Jungle Book.
Since the original, the remakes have been fairly evenly split between live action and animation, with Disney itself producing three live-action versions, in 1994, 1998 (The Jungle Book: Mowgli’s Story), and 2016, though these films, especially Favreau’s 2016 movie, employed CGI animation.
After two other animated versions—one in 1992 by Bevanfield Films and one in 1995 by Jetlag Productions—Disney also released The Jungle Book 2 in 2003. There was also 1989 Japanese animated TV series and a 2010 CGI animated TV series based on Kipling’s stories and characters.
Remake Score: original, six movie remakes, one sequel, two TV series, all based on a novel.
1. Little Women
Louisa May Alcott’s 1868-69 novel has been adapted and remade an astonishing number of times. While Gtrea Gerwig’s 2019 version has gotten a lot of recent attention, the 1994 film starring Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Kirsten Dunst, and Christian Bale is well loved.
But there are versions of this film going back to 1917 and 1918, both of which are, of course, silent.
There was also the 1933 version with Katharine Hepburn and Joan Bennett, the 1949 film starring Elizabeth Taylor and June Allyson, and a 2018 film featuring Lea Thompson.
This is not to mention the live-action and animated TV series and miniseries, of which there are seven, in 1950, 1958, 1970, 1978, 1981, 1987, 2017, and 2022, including a BBC series, a Japanese animated series, and a Korean live-action series. There has also been a stage musical and an opera based on the novel.
Remake Score: original and six move remakes, seven TV series and miniseries, one stage musical, and one opera, all based on a novel.
