It’s another year of movie and television show remakes and reboots, with popular hits like “Will and Grace,” “Roseanne,” “Super Troopers 2,” and “Incredibles 2” all out or hitting screens soon.

Virginia Tech Professor of Cinema Studies Stephen Prince said he’s not surprised.

"Now more than ever Hollywood is in the remake business, and it’s not just movies and programs of recent vintage," he said. "It’s anything that sold well in its day and can be made relevant for an audience now."

"Because the production cost of a film today is very, very high, studios want brands familiar to an audience. Hit movies and shows, or cult movies and shows, function as familiar brands. Studios are forever optimistic that such familiarity will be a draw."

About Prince

Prince teaches film history, criticism, and theory in Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts. He has authored more than a dozen books on various aspects of cinema and cinema history.

View his bio.

Expertise featured in New York Times.

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