What does Hollywood offer these days? Everything looks tired.
- Remake a known property. (Spider-man)
- Create its sequel. (Spider-man2)
- Stretch the series as much as possible. (Spider-man3)
- When the production gets too costly/demanding, suck them and reboot. (Spider-man4)
- Then create its sequel. (Halloween (Reboot), part 2)
- Maybe a prequel. (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
- Or two. (Wolverine2)
- Go back to number 1.
Things are moving in full circle, which is always a good sign in the traditional movie context, but this time the whole thing is resembling Ouroboros. That doesn't end well. The circle gets smaller and soon there will be no more meat to cannibalize (diagram taken from Wikipedia).
Since the current Hollywood is run by banks and overseas investors, not the movie industry itself, there is little chance to do something original. But I think there is a way to be creative AND to appease the investors: mashup.
The idea is to integrate two well-known concept into one and start something anew. It's not the "VS" series as in Alien vs. Predator. It's rather integration of the two. Here are three such ideas.
- Zombie + Vampire = Zompire. A vampire sucks blood from a zombie. Or a zombie eats a vampire. The rule is off the limit.
- Shaolin Temple + Ninja = Shaolinja. Calm as a monk, Strong as a Shaolin fighter, Fast as a Ninja. The problem here is that the real Shaolin temple won't agree their "properties" get associated with Japanese Ninja. Come on, aren't you supposed to be enlightened? Also, using lawyers as weapon is tired.
- James Bond + Jason Bourne = Jameson Bondourne. This one has a small problem in securing rights, so it should be considered as the big gun. The story will be of a double-spy moonlighting as a high-class escort for mature women (and men too: he prefers duality over anything). His killer pitch (when he leaves his client): What's your name? Bondourne. Jameson Bondourne.
Investors will be happy because there are not only one but TWO known properties. The creative team will be happy because they can write their own rule. Audience will be (hopefully) happy wondering what the fuss is about.
It's a win-win scenario. How come no one hasn't executed it yet?