Female-Led Reboots: A Cinematic Controversy

Here come the girls; but sadly, they’re not welcomed by all.

The aggressive reaction triggered by the film wasn’t actually in response to the film itself.

We’re nearly at the end of this year’s summer blockbuster season, but it’s safe to say that the cinema of summer 2016 has had plenty of controversy accompany it, both on, and off the screen. An issue which undoubtedly dominated the midst of the season was the hostile reception given to Paul Feig’s female-led reboot of Ghostbusters and the vitriolic abuse received by its cast. Never mind ghosts, the new Ghostbuster team had to fight much more than the supernatural. The film generally received positive reviews; currently holding a very respectable 73% on review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes. However, the aggressive reaction triggered by the film wasn’t actually in response to the film itself. Much of the negativity surrounding the film has been because of the reboot replacing the original four male leads with, wait for it…women.

Rikard Elofossun/ Flickr

Legitimate concerns about a reboot damaging the original were soon overshadowed by hateful misogynistic comments, many of which eventually caused cast member, Leslie Jones, to leave Twitter (luckily she returned twenty-four hours later). They cried how women could not be ghostbusters. But why? Why couldn’t they? Are women not as capable as men? It’s upsetting, and frankly disturbing how these ridiculous questions are still being asked in 2016.

Thankfully, the colossal backlash hasn’t prevented studios from pursuing more female-led reboots. At the start of August, it was announced Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect, How To Be Single) would be heading-up a gender-swapped remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, taking on the role of a female con artist trying to scam a tech genius out of his fortune. Similarly, less than a week later, further casting announcements were announced for Ocean’s 8, an upcoming female-led reboot of the comedy heist franchise, with stars such as Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham-Carter, Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett.

The quality of these films will depend on those involved in the production. film is not going to be any better or worse solely based on the gender of its leads being switched.

What’s more, it was announced recently that Channing Tatum (of Step Up and Magic Mike fame) will lead a Disney remake of Ron Howard’s 1984 romantic-comedy Splash. Tatum will portray the lead character, a mermaid (or rather, merman). Interestingly, the comments posted in response to this casting announcement have been mostly positive, with the majority focusing on the excitement of seeing Tatum partially undressed as a half-human/half-fish hybrid. The revelation of a man taking on a role originated by a woman has not received a fraction of the backlash received by the announcements of women taking on roles originated by men.

All of these announcements do raise the question; does the fact these remakes feature female-centric casts automatically mean they’ll be better or worse than their original male counterparts? No. Of course not. The quality of these films will depend on those involved in the production. A film is not going to be any better or worse solely based on the gender of its leads being switched.

Admittedly, it is worrying exactly how much of Hollywood’s current, and upcoming, output are remakes or reboots, and this raises further serious questions over a lack of originality. However, remakes which attempt something different should be welcomed much more than those which simply try to replicate the original, and switching the gender of the protagonists is a step in the right direction. I welcome the remake of Ocean’s Eleven starring a female ensemble much more than one where the film is remade with yet another team of male A-listers.

The revelation of a man taking on a role originated by a woman has not received a fraction of the backlash received by the announcements of women taking on roles originated by men.

The advent of these female-led reboots has laid bare several troubling truths. Firstly, they’ve emphatically revealed how strongly people feel about specific characters and franchises. Secondly, they’ve shown the startlingly low amount of creativity and originality within Hollywood at present. But thirdly, they’ve uncovered how much sexism there still is within the world, and more importantly, just how much more work needs to be done if equality is to prevail.