With filming underway on a remake of the movie Road House, it's been revealed that another Patrick Swayze classic from the past could also soon be reimagined. Fans of the late actor will know that one of Swayze's most revered roles was as Sam Wheat in the 1990 movie Ghost. In the film, directed by Jerry Zucker, Swayze plays a murdered man whose ghost hopes to save his girlfriend (Demi Moore) with the help of a psychic (Oda Mae Brown), the only person who can hear him.
Ghost was a tremendous success, banking $505 million to become the year's highest-grossing film. It also scored several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Given these accolades, it may even be surprising that the film hasn't been given the reboot treatment in the United States, though there was a Japanese remake released in 2010. But as it turns out, the gears are finally in motion on a domestic Ghost remake courtesy of Channing Tatum.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Tatum revealed that his production company, Free Association, has secured the rights to Ghost. They're planning to remake the film, potentially with Tatum also playing the Swayze role. But we can expect for this film to have some differences, according to Tatum. That includes updating the film for the modern day as there were "problematic stereotypes" in the original film, per Vanity Fair. From the interview:
“We actually have the rights... Yeah, we have the rights to Ghost... But we’re going to do something different... I think it needs to change a little bit.”
Ghost Was Almost Adapted as a TV Show
While Ghost hasn't yet been remade in the U.S., there were efforts made in the past to remagine the story on the small screen. It was reported in 2013 that Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner were adapting Ghost as a TV series. The project ultimately did not move forward, fizzling out in development hell.
Meanwhile, a Japanese remake of the film was released in 2010. Dubbed Ghost: In Your Arms Again, the film put a spin on the story with a woman (Nanako Matsushima) becoming the ghost. The storyline was otherwise very similar, even including the iconic pottery scene.
As for Channing Tatum, there will be other movies where fans can see the actor before the planned Ghost remake gets made. After recently appearing in films like Dog, The Lost City, and Bullet Train, he can next be seen in the sequel Magic Mike's Last Dance, coming to theaters next month. He also stars in Zoe Kravitz's upcoming thriller Pussy Island and will appear with Scarlett Johansson in Greg Berlanti's Project Artemis.