# A remake of ARTHUR: why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 22, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651 "2010-07-22T22:45:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/21 "2010-07-23T06:11:56Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > ..who (together with Peter Cook) somehow managed to elevate hysterical alcoholic sensibilities to Sublime Art. > > _Arthur_ was a sort of watered-down commodification of material that was familiar and well-worn territory for Dudley Moore. That sweet spot in the Venn diagram of staggering drunk and brilliantly witty is no easy thing for a performer to simulate. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore managed it so well because (as luck would have it) they both spent a good deal of time being _genuinely_ staggering drunk and brilliantly witty. > > ] Cook did in fact spend a great deal of time drinking and being witty, but Moore did not. People just thought he did because of his role in Arthur and because the disease that ultimately killed him gave him the appearance of intoxication. His brilliance in _Arthur_ had everything to do with his ability as a comedic actor and not because he drank. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/22 "2010-07-23T06:29:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Speaking of patrician actresses reprising roles previously played by men, has anyone heard about the Oh, God! remake set to star Betty White as God and Paul Rudd in the John Denver role. If this is turning into a general discussion of upcoming remakes that have no apparent reason to exist, I offer [_Yellow Submarine_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1497630/). ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/23 "2010-07-23T07:00:09Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > Cook did in fact spend a great deal of time drinking and being witty, but Moore did not. People just thought he did because of his role in Arthur and because the disease that ultimately killed him gave him the appearance of intoxication. His brilliance in _Arthur_ had everything to do with his ability as a comedic actor and not because he drank. “Being staggeringly drunk & brilliantly witty” =/= “Drank himself to death.” For sure they were both the former for much of their Derek & Clive material. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/24 "2010-07-23T09:30:28Z")
Holy shit, they are turning Arthur into Amy Winehouse :mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad: ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/25 "2010-07-23T13:14:01Z")
Russell Brand? They’re trading charm for smarm. I predict a semi-decent opening weekend with no follow up. Hollywood blames television, and not themselves. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/26 "2010-07-23T14:00:57Z")
1- Why? – To a lot of today’s target audience, anything released more than a decade ago is an “old movie”. Something like Arthur might as well have never existed. So the bean counters figured it would be worth the risk to make a “new” Arthur for the younger demographic. 2- What are your expectations? – Nil. 3- Will you probably see it? – Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/27 "2010-07-23T14:05:25Z")
The remake could have been freakin’ _awesome_, if they’d gotten Liza Minnelli to reprise her role. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/28 "2010-07-23T14:15:09Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > The remake could have been freakin’ _awesome_, if they’d gotten Liza Minnelli to reprise her role. Strangely, I’d be more disturbed by the sight of Liza romancing Russell Brand because…well, because he’s Russell Brand, rather than because he’s something like 40 years younger than her. Russell Brand just squicks me out. I’m not sure what it is, but there’s something about him that’s completely off-putting, and it’s something physical and visible, but I don’t know just WHAT. All I know is that all I have to do is catch a glimpse of him to get a wave of disgust running through me. Doesn’t even have to talk. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/29 "2010-07-23T14:21:16Z")
Now, Ricky Gervais? That I might have watched. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/30 "2010-07-23T14:26:20Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Given that Russel Brand, who’s as ugly as sin, has gotten both a big budget starring role AND Katy Perry, one can only assume he’s got a fucking genie friend or something. Seeing as he’s also riding Rik Mayall’s coattails and working on a remake of _Drop Dead Fred_, I suppose it can’t be _too_ long before he gets around to taking a stab at _Bernard and the Genie_. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/31 "2010-07-23T16:04:35Z")
A remake of _Drop Dead Fred_? You have got to be kidding me. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/32 "2010-07-23T16:21:58Z")
Wait a minute…so this is not about Marc Brown’s cartoon character? No Buster, no Francine, no Binky? I’ve got to start watching things without my kids… ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/33 "2010-07-23T16:24:36Z")
I physically wince every time I hear “guess what they’re remaking!” The first scuttlebutt about a _Weekend at Bernie’s_ reboot and I swear to God I’m getting fitted for a martyr’s belt and buying a ticket to Hollywood. I’ve always wanted to fly first class. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/34 "2010-07-23T16:25:51Z")
Alcoholism just doesn’t seem as funny in 2010 as it did in 1981, Russell Brand aside. There will never be another Foster Brooks. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/35 "2010-07-23T17:01:41Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I physically wince every time I hear “guess what they’re remaking!” > > The first scuttlebutt about a _Weekend at Bernie’s_ reboot and I swear to God I’m getting fitted for a martyr’s belt and buying a ticket to Hollywood. I’ve always wanted to fly first class. Amen—The completely bereft of original ideas state of Hollywood calls for some bold initiative—I am convinced that Leonard Part 7 is only a matter of time… (I guess even that would be original at least) ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/36 "2010-07-23T17:03:50Z")
I had no idea who Russell Brand was, so I went to google, found an image and clicked it to find that not only is he remaking Arthur, but is apparently planing to reprise Tim Curry’s role in the Rocky Horror Picture Show: [http://www.moviesnobs.net/russell-brand-as-frank-n-furter/](http://www.moviesnobs.net/russell-brand-as-frank-n-furter/) ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/37 "2010-07-23T17:24:48Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > I had no idea who Russell Brand was, Me neither. I don’t recognize any of the films/TV shows in his rather short filmography on IMDB, either (besides the remakes). Who is this guy to evoke such a reaction? ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/38 "2010-07-23T17:40:51Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > 1- Why? – To a lot of today’s target audience, anything released more than a decade ago is an “old movie”. Something like Arthur might as well have never existed. So the bean counters figured it would be worth the risk to make a “new” Arthur for the younger demographic. I think it’s more likely that the disturbingly large percentage of the people who have the power to grant access to large amounts of money in the film industry are slick well-packaged but terminally shallow overachievers who lipread at stop signs, so rather than actually read a new script full of words and stuff, they will instead greenlight a project that can be summed up in four words or less (“_Arthur_ with Russell Brand”), and if they half-remember the original they can save the 2 hours of watching a DVD too. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/39 "2010-07-23T18:08:05Z")
I wish I had a dime for every dime I have. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651/40 "2010-07-23T18:34:56Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > I had no idea who Russell Brand was, so I went to google, found an image and clicked it to find that not only is he remaking Arthur, but is apparently planing to reprise Tim Curry’s role in the Rocky Horror Picture Show: > > [http://www.moviesnobs.net/russell-brand-as-frank-n-furter/](http://www.moviesnobs.net/russell-brand-as-frank-n-furter/) Remaking Rocky Horror??? _ **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!** _ A part of me just died. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-remake-of-arthur-why/547651.md?page=3)