When it comes to movie remakes, in most cases, it's highly evident that they are remakes. Take 2010's A Nightmare on Elm Street, for example. Nobody believed that was an original idea. The same goes for movies like 1998's Psycho, 2012's Total Recall, and 2019's The Lion King. Everyone knew they were remakes of films released years earlier.
But that's not always the case. When most people think of some movies that are remakes, they have no idea there was an original version that came before them. In an online forum, someone asked for input on “Movies people may not be aware of are remakes?” These were some of the best (and most surprising) replies.
1. The Departed (2006)
u/forever_wow answered, “The Departed,” prompting u/Whorenun37 to respond, “No kidding, I had no idea.”
Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning epic crime thriller is, somewhat surprisingly, a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs. If Asian cinema is something that interests you, Internal Affairs is a movie that's well worth checking out.
2. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
u/FloridaFlamingoGirl said, “The Little Shop of Horrors musical with Rick Moranis is a remake of an earlier, non-musical monster film of the same name.”
This user is correct, but there's more to it than that. Specifically, the 1986 movie is an adaptation of the 1982 off-Broadway musical of the same name. That musical, in turn, was an adaptation of the 1960 movie The Little Shop of Horrors, which was a non-musical comedy horror film.
3. Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
u/mthw704 suggested “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey,” to which u/Bruiser235 replied, “Good one.” Then u/Roller_ball explained, “I found that out by watching Inside Llewyn Davis, and there is a moment where he is looking at the Incredible Journey poster.”
We suspect Inside Llewn Davis might be the source of many people discovering that Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey is a remake of 1963's The Incredible Journey. Without it, pretty much everyone would think the heartwarming Michael J. Fox movie was an original idea.
4. Heat (1995)
“Heat,” said u/somepeoplewait, to which u/Sinjun13 replied, “Huh. First, one on here that I didn't know was a remake.”
This example is slightly different from most on this list, as u/level 2 Spidermulder touched upon, saying, “Yep. Michael Mann’s TV move [sic] L.A. Takedown.”
To explain further, Heat's script was first used for a television pilot developed by its director, Michael Mann. It became the 1989 television movie L.A. Takedown after the pilot failed to receive a series order. In 1994, Mann revisited the script and turned it into Heat.
5. Three Men and a Baby (1987)
u/Ok-Preference8125 suggested several movies, the most notable being “Three Men and a Baby.”
The user didn't elaborate, and nobody commented on it, so we'll take the reins. Three Men and a Baby's script was based on the 1985 French movie Trois hommes et un couffin (which translates to Three Men and a Cradle). It was remade a further seven times in six different languages.
6. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
u/thg011093 answered, “A Fistful of Dollar [sic] (1964) is a remake of Yojimbo (1961),” prompting u/Miskude to reply, “This is an interesting one, the plot is basically the same, but the setting is completely different. Not many people know about this connection.”
When this movie was identified as an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's classic Japanese samurai movie Yojimbo, it resulted in a successful lawsuit by Yojimbo's production company, Toho.
7. You've Got Mail (1998)
u/SutorNeUltraCrepid4m suggested, “you’ve got mail,” prompting u/MoMo_Hon3yD3w to ask, “Shop Around the Corner. Right?”
Yes, u/MoMo_Hon3yD3w, that is indeed right. However, it's not the whole story. You've Got Mail was inspired by the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie by Miklós László. That play had already been adapted into two movies; 1940's The Shop Around the Corner and 1949's In the Good Old Summertime.
8. Knock Knock (2015)
“I didn't know Knock Knock is a remake of Death Game until after I watched it, as it doesn't explicitly credit it,” said u/Throwaway_Codex.
Well, it is! Eli Roth's erotic psychologic thriller – which stars Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, and Ana de Armas – is a remake of the 1977 movie Death Game. It's also not the first remake of the movie – the 1980 Spanish movie Viciosas al Desnudo (Vicious and Nude) holds that title.
9. Man on Fire (2004)
u/bigberry answered, “I only learned recently Man on Fire – Denzel Washington was a remake.” The user then elaborated, “The original of the same name starred Scott Glenn in 1987.
That's entirely true. While Man on Fire is based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A. J. Quinnell, the novel had previously been adapted into a feature film seventeen years earlier.
10. CODA (2021)
u/papertrade1 said, “Coda, won the Oscar for best film, was actually a remake of a recent French film “ La famille belier”.”
That's true. Although 2014's La Famille Bélier is a French-Belgian movie, to be more specific. Both movies are brilliant and resonated positively with the deaf community. If you've only seen CODA, we recommend watching the film on which it's based wholeheartedly.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Brothers.