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Following the announcement last week of a 'Sparkle' remake, I suddenly feel optimistic that black folks are not altogether unwilling to remake our own movies (as opposed to, say, 'Annie' and 'A Star Is Born'), in which case, here are the remakes I'd like to see.
A truly missed opportunity for an historical screen moment in the adaptation of Beloved, the extraordinarily nuanced novel by the even more extraordinarily nuanced writer, Toni Morrison. How about Viola Davis as Sethe, Sidney Poitier as Paul, and Sophie Okenedo as the odd, beautiful and magical girl-child, Beloved.
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Black Movie Remakes
Beloved (1998, Jonathan Demme, dir)
A truly missed opportunity for an historical screen moment in the adaptation of Beloved, the extraordinarily nuanced novel by the even more extraordinarily nuanced writer, Toni Morrison. How about Viola Davis as Sethe, Sidney Poitier as Paul, and Sophie Okenedo as the odd, beautiful and magical girl-child, Beloved.
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Black Orpheus (1959, Marcel Camus, dir)
Beautiful black men + Greek mythology + Brazil during Carnival = delicious. Idris Elba as Orfeu + Zoe Saldana as Eurydice = Oh, mercy.
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Claudine (1974, John Berry, dir)
To give Halle another opportunity to shine as a single parent (Monster's Ball), cast her as Claudine, a Harlem mother raising her six children alone, who then falls for a kind and humble garbage collector played this time by Don Cheadle.
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Cooley High (1975, Michael Schultz, dir)
I'm seeing Derek Luke and Luda as Preach and Cochese, respectively, having the time of their high school lives until, you know, sh*t gets complicated.
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Daughters of the Dust (1991, Julie Dash, dir)
A remake not because the original was flawed in any way, but rather precisely because of its perfection. How lovely to see the story of three generations of Gullah women told again through the talents of some of our finest black women actresses. Think Angela Bassett, Taraji P. Henson, Alfre Woodward, Sanaa Lathan, Pam Grier.
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In the Heat of the Night (1967, Norman Jewison, dir)
Have to tap Anthony Mackie again here, because he more than most young black actors out there today, holds his best damn own next to even the most talented white actors scene for scene. Mackie as Philly homicide detective Virgil Tibbs and Justin Ryan Gosling as small town Southern police chief Gillespie.
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Jungle Fever (1991, Spike Lee, dir)
A decent script gone wrong with cringe-worthy and contrived performances from Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. Now, Forest Whittaker and Michelle Williams -- that's some must-see, mixed-race movie viewing.
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Malcolm X (1992, Spike Lee, dir)
I'm not trying to pick on Spike Lee -- I'd never touch She's Gotta Have It -- but for one, we don't need to see the story of Malcolm X in three hours, and two, with all due respect to Denzel, I would fall to my knees to see Andre Braugher bring Malcolm to life again.
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Stormy Weather (1943, Andrew L. Stone, dir)
I delight at the notion of Savion Glover as dancing great Bill Williamson, originally played by Cab Calloway, who meets Thandie Newton as the feisty independent songstress Selina Rogers, first played by Lena Horne.
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Sweet Sweetback's Badassss Song (1971, Melvin Van Peebles, dir)
There's no one more badassss than Melvin Van Peebles, and yet, how brilliant would it be to see Anthony Mackie as a black male prostitute running from "the man"?
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