Two of Hollywood’s most classic films — ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ and ‘Wizard of Oz’ are slated for modern reboots with “diverse characters.”
The details: Writer and director Kenya Barris recently told Variety magazine and late-night host Jimmy Fallon that he’s currently working on scripts for both modern adaptations that will re-tell the stories from a “different point of view.”
It’s A Wonderful Life: Harris’ plans for the 1946 classic include replacing Jimmy Stewart’s character with an actor who has “black or brown” skin. He added that the movie was “the perfect vehicle to tell that story from.”
The Wizard of Oz: The original movie takes place in Kansas, but Barris imagines his remake in Inglewood, California, adding: “and I want to do it with diverse characters.”
Who is Kenya Barris: He’s famous for many race-centric movies like, ‘Black-ish,’ ‘#BlackAF, and ‘You People.’
- Barris has a track record of ruining classics. Last year, he released a remake of the classic 90s film White Men Can’t Jump. It has a 26 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Roger Ebert called it “as unimaginative as it is corny.”
My two cents: I hear a lot about so-called cultural appropriation from the left. If you were to concede to such a notion, would this not be a perfect example of it?
This article is from the free ‘Wake Up Right’ newsletter, which you can subscribe to here.
