Another day, another remake. However, I’m actually inclined to approve of this one since it’s based off a film that has been criminally underseen for close to 70 years.
Warner Bros has made a deal to remake Fred M. Wilcox’s 1956 sci-fi cult classic “Forbidden Planet.” The film will be written by Brian K. Vaughan, and it will be produced by Emma Watts. No director is currently attached to helm (via Deadline).
Loosely based on Shakepeare’s The Tempest, Wilcox’s film was set in the 23rd century, where a starship arrives at a distant planet to solve the mystery of what happened to another starship sent 20 years prior. One of that original ship’s scientists, Dr. Edward Morbius (played by Walter Pidgeon), warns them not to land for safety reasons, but the crew does so anyway.
I consider “Forbidden Planet” to be one of the great unsung sci-fi classics, and if a remake means that more moviegoers will end up discovering Wilcox’s film then I’m all for it. Of course, I would have loved James Cameron’s originally intended remake, which fell apart due to rights issues, but let’s wait and see which filmmaker hops onboard this one.