Remakes are an almost guaranteed profit machine for Hollywood, as whether bad or good, fans of the original cannot help but be curious to see what has been done to a story they either grew up watching or have some other affiliation with. However, Cary Elwes certainly isn’t on board with the idea of remaking perfectly good and beloved movies just because they are older and he proved this again by continuing to insist that The Princess Bride should never get the remake treatment. While many movies of the 1980s have succumbed to being remade or rebooted, with a very broad range of success, The Princess Bride has somehow managed to remain just as it was originally intended and frankly, anything else would be…well… inconceivable.
The Princess Bride is one of the most quoted and loved movies of the late 80s. A fantasy tale directed by Rob Reiner and adapted from William Goldman’s 1973 novel, the film essentially sees a grandfather, played by the great Peter Falk, telling a story to his grandson. As the story is told, the action is played out on screen by an ensemble cast including Elwes, Robin Wright, Chris Sarandon, Andre the Giant, Mandy Patinkin, and Christopher Guest, and also features extended cameo appearances by Billy Crystal, Mel Smith, and Peter Cook.
While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Elwes continued to stand by his previously stated belief that there is no valid reason for The Princess Bride to be remade. He accepted that “the cost of promotion and advertising has become so prohibitive now that [the studios] want to cut down on that” but as far as he is concerned it is “best left alone.” He said:
“For the studios, the cost of promotion and advertising has become so prohibitive now that they want to cut down on that. Their feeling is that when they do a reboot or remake, they have a target audience, so they don’t have to spend as much on marketing. So I understand the motivation. But my theory is, look, if the movie is popular and it’s done well, and people love it, I think it’s pretty much best left alone. If a film has landed in the hearts of the public, then, to me, it is not a good idea to try and revisit it.”
The movie has been mentioned alongside the words reboot and remake many times, but so far has managed to escape unscathed. However, the property has been revisited in other ways recently, including as part of the Quibi short series which saw the film being recreated in the homes of some special guests during the pandemic, and as a virtual live reading organized in part by Elwes last year in support of Wisconsin Democrats.
In recent years there has been a surge in movie sequels revisiting 80s and 90s movies that have resulted in the likes of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Hocus Pocus 2, and the latest run of Halloween movies, which have all revitalized older properties and tapped into their readymade fan base. While The Princess Bride is a self-contained story that doesn’t need such a sequel, and a remake would surely do more damage than good, there are some who will say it cannot hold out forever.