Stop the Pop Culture Recycling … Now
Reboots, remakes and sequels are part of industry’s unhealthy addiction
Hey, did you hear they’re making a movie out of the ‘80s cop show “Miami Vice?”
Again.
Director Michael Mann’s 2006 version of his TV smash earned a tepid $63 million stateside despite starring A-listers Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx. Seems movie goers had little interest in a show drenched in ‘80s kitsch.
So, let’s try it one more time, the same thinking that led Disney to lose $100 million-plus on a “Tron” sequel no one wanted. The first two “Tron” movies underperformed. Three’s the charm, right?
This “Miami Vice” project may have “It” actors Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler attached to roles that mean nothing to today’s young movie goers.
Crockett? What’s a Crockett?
It’s exhausting, and the project is far from alone.
A new film, “I Play Rocky,” just started production. The story follows the improbable tale of a young Sylvester Stallone who refused to let anyone play his blue-collar boxer character but him. Spoiler alert! He won that battle and became an icon.
Hollywood has hired look-alike actors to play younger versions of Stallone, Carl Weathers and more.
Production is underway for I PLAY ROCKY, starring Anthony Ippolito. The film tells the true story of Sylvester Stallone and his unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky, he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. pic.twitter.com/hDY0I1jlGS
— Amazon MGM Studios (@AmazonMGMStudio) October 20, 2025
We’re seeing similar casting moves for the HBO Max “Harry Potter” series, even though the seven-film saga darn near captured J.K. Rowling’s vision to perfection.
Recycle!
Everything Old Is New-ish Again
Over at Lionsgate, they’ve found younger versions of key characters from the “Hunger Games” franchise for the next prequel, subtitled, “Sunrise on the Reaping.” That includes Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, stepping in for Donald Sutherland’s character.
We just saw the latest “new” actor play the Man of Steel, even though the last Superman star, Henry Cavill, is only 42 and still perfectly capable of donning the blue tights. Batman will be recast, and recast, before you know it.
Younger! Better! More familiar!
And then there’s “The Karate Kid,” a new musical based on the 1984 film of the same name that spawned three sequels, a 2010 reboot, a Netflix TV series and last summer’s “Karate Kid: Legends.”
See a pattern? Exhausted by it yet? Maybe. Maybe not. Here’s betting Gen Z is.
Where are the new stories, the new characters who will define today’s young movie goers? Today’s kids settle for recycled heroes, shadows of what mattered to their parents and grandparents.
Allen Covert, a producer of comedies like “Grown Ups” and “Hotel Transylvania,” has bemoaned that today’s youngsters have no iconic high school comedies to call their own.
The problem is much worse, especially for Hollywood. Teens will keep drifting to social media and video games, eager to find pop culture stories that speak to them, like John Hughes’ films captured the Gen X mindset.
Is it any wonder that A.I. is all the rage, a recycling vacuum that sucks up content and refashions it wth ones and zeroes?
Yes, much of what’s happening in Hollywood flows from fear. Why risk telling an original story like “Roofman,” “Good Fortune” or “Caught Stealing” (all box office disappointments) when you can extend a franchise, stretch an IP or just repurpose something we’ve already just seen on the small screen?
No 2025 comedy will be as hilarious as 2005’s “Wedding Crashers,” to be re-released this December as part of a 20th anniversary celebration. Later that month, the final episode of “Stranger Things” will hit theaters, a show beloved for recycling ‘80s pop culture tropes, down to its enigmatic score.
A Marketing Mission: Impossible
Hollywood hopes enough marketing dollars will convince 20-somethings that Crockett and Tubbs are characters they must get to know. Neither Don Johnson nor Philip Michael Thomas became A-list stars following the original “Miami Vice” show’s cancellation.
Thomas essentially faded from Hollywood entirely.
There’s nothing particularly novel about their cop characters that demands they be brought back once more. We cared about Johnson’s five-o’clock shadow and pastel sports jackets more than Crockett’s cop theatrics.
Should “Miami Vice” disappoint at the box office, Hollywood will blame streaming, video games or other pat excuses. The media may circle back to a seven-year-old pandemic as part of the blame game.
The industry will never look in the mirror, not once, and see the real problem.
All of these old shows from the 50’s through the 90’s are available to watch on cable TV or streaming channels. If you grew up with them some are a little dated but they avoid all of this DEI political garbage. Any new remakes will definitely have some sort of DEI angle in them.