A look into originality in the film industry and the growing presence of remakes and adaptations

By Azalea Young

In a world becoming increasingly dominated by AI technology that can produce virtually anything from movie scripts to artwork, originality is growing rarer. In one of the latest TikTok trends, people are asking AI to create artwork for them, but ‘make it more,’ and in other experiments, the technology is generating entire movie outlines. The concept of originality is directly connected to the creative industries, and we rely on them for a lot of the content we consume. In particular, the film industry has been fighting a battle for creativity as the Writers Guild of America (WGA) reached a deal for better working conditions, higher pay and protection from the usage of AI on scripts. The protection from AI is essential, as screenwriters do their best to develop original ideas and material—but how original are some of these ideas?

Hollywood is no stranger to the occasional remake or adaptation of a particularly beloved film, but lately, they have been on the rise. According to a report from Radio Times, there has been an increase in the number of sequels and remakes created since 1993, with a 700 per cent increase over the past 25 years. This indicates that there has been more of a reliance on content that audiences are familiar with—whether that is material adapted from books, comics, or even older movies that have been rebooted. 

John Tarver, a film professor at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), argues that these stories we are so familiar with are relatively all the same at their roots.

“I think a strong case can be made that there is no such thing as an original story idea,” he said during a phone call. “There’s so many things that influence the stories that we want to see, and that filmmakers tell.”

Aisling Chin-Yee, a Canadian producer, writer and director echoes this statement. “There are always original ideas, and there are no original ideas,” she laughs over the phone. For her, originality is important because of the unique and diverse stories that can be inspired by it. “We need to keep reflecting the society and culture of this time. The world we’re living in now is not the same as the world was 15 years ago.”

Being able to retell a familiar story that has an original concept and storyline is what stories like Robyn Hood do. The Canadian show’s premise is based on the old English legend of Robin Hood, an outlaw who steals from the rich to give to the poor. In the TV show, Robyn is a Black woman who, along with her hip-hop band, The Hood, goes up against the property developer trying to tear down the apartment Robyn and her community live in. While certain story elements will be familiar to viewers, and the storyline is the same as the legend at its roots, the TV show presents this story with a new perspective. Arguments can be made that this is what true originality is.

“Worrying about originality is not really helpful,” said Brett Caron, a Canadian screenwriter, during a phone interview. “You just want to focus on telling a good story.”

Stories that come from perspectives other than the highly popularized white, Western idea of filmmaking are slowly but surely climbing their way into what our society views as the standard for films and TV shows. For example, the UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report shows that 64 per cent of films released on streaming services had casts that were made up of 30 per cent minority actors, but only 57 per cent of films released in theatres showed this same diversity. It is a small step for Hollywood in terms of embracing diversity, but a step that solidifies a place for marginalized voices and unique stories.

Robyn Hood shines a light on the experiences of minorities, and how they are forced to live in a world that, at times, doesn’t seem to want them there. In the show, the residents living in Robyn’s apartment building are seen as obstacles for the property developer to remove, instead of actual human beings. This is different from other remakes or adaptations of Robin Hood, as it shows its audience a systemic problem that minorities have been facing for decades. The best thing about stories like Robyn Hood is that they bring awareness to these issues within our society while presenting them in a way that makes it easy for audiences to understand the message producers and directors are trying to convey.

Bea Santos, a Canadian filmmaker and actress, says that the same types of people have been telling the same types of stories for so long, which is why diverse perspectives must get to share their own stories.

“I think if different voices are given opportunities, we’re going to get out of this rhythm of making the same story over and over again,” she said during a phone interview.

When remakes are done in the way Robyn Hood was, it creates a significant story while also providing the audience with a new perspective. This can be said about many remakes or adaptations, especially when these new perspectives highlight minorities. Excellent examples of these are films like the 2023 adaptation of The Little Mermaid, which recasts a Black woman as Ariel. This was the first time a live-action Disney princess had undergone a race swap, and while some people were not happy with the change, the movie did relatively well, giving young Black girls a princess they could identify with. 

The 2018 adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians, which was adapted from a novel focusing on Chinese Americans, was part of the first major representation for the Asian community. Never before had a rom-com focused entirely on an Asian and Asian-American cast, and the film later became the highest-grossing rom-com of the 2010s. By producing remakes and adaptations like these, audiences can recognize beloved original stories presented in new and distinctive ways. 

Chin-Yee says that new filmmakers can reinterpret and reclaim stories that have been told from one predominant view and perspective. This allows us to re-contextualize stories. 

The connection between what is a “good” film and what is original isn’t so black and white. Some original stories aren’t the best but some remakes are. What makes one better than the other isn’t whether one is original, but whether it tells a story that resonates with audiences and brings to light a new perspective. 

“There are so many remakes of cult classics that probably did better at the box office than the original did because (the originals) weren’t nearly as satisfying,” said Caron. “2018’s Suspiria is, in my opinion, much better than the original.”

Certain story tropes and themes can be told again and again, but what matters is how the story is told, and the depth that is added to a story the audience is already familiar with. One thing that can be agreed upon is that the content of the story and the message the audience remembers is what has always been the most important, regardless of whether or not the story is a remake or adaptation.  

“It’s not so much that originality itself is important, it’s that changing the paradigm to get originality (is),” said Santos. “If the goal is to be original you don’t have to start with that, you can start with giving other people chances, and things will become original.”