Chris Miller debunks rumors he and Phil Lord are among the many famous Hollywood names interested in remaking The Princess Bride. Directing duo Lord & Miller made a name for themselves by spinning cinematic gold out of concepts that sounded horrible on-paper. Few people expected anything special out of 21 Jump Street or The LEGO Movie, but Lord & Miller’s trademark combination of heart and humor made them critically-acclaimed box office hits. Even with the infamous Solo: A Star Wars Story snafu, the filmmakers remain in high demand - especially after winning an Oscar this year for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
In the film industry, there are few worse ideas than remaking a bona fide classic. Rob Reiner’s iconic film The Princess Bride certainly fits that description, with its blend of multiple genres making it a favorite amongst cinephiles. That’s why many considered it blasphemous when Sony executive Tony Vinciquerra said there are those interested in spearheading a remake. Given their sensibilities and knack for meta narratives, fans assumed Lord & Miller might have a pitch in mind. However, that isn’t the case.
Taking to Twitter, Miller went on record to say he and Lord aren’t going to remake The Princess Bride, which Miller believes still holds up decades later. Check out his post in the space below:
If Lord & Miller were overseeing a Princess Bride remake, odds are fans would feel a little better about it, at the very least. By now, moviegoers know better than to be skeptical of what they’re capable of, and if anybody could do a new Princess Bride justice, it’s them. That said, Lord & Miller have a lot on their plates already. In addition to developing Marvel TV shows for Sony, they’re also attached to direct two sci-fi films, Artemis and Last Human. Most would be in agreement those projects would be a better use of their talents than a Princess Bride redux, showcasing their creativity with stories film audiences haven’t seen before. This isn’t to suggest Lord & Miller’s hypothetical Princess Bride would be bad, but many would be left wondering what the point is. There’s so much that could go wrong, even Lord & Miller may not be able to overcome the odds.
The best movie remakes are the ones that look to improve upon a cool concept that wasn’t executed the best way the first time around. That’s why Steven Soderbergh’s take on Ocean’s Eleven is frequently cited as one of the greatest remakes. The Princess Bride turned out so great, some consider it to be a perfect movie. Unless someone has a radically innovative idea of how to tackle the material, redoing The Princess Bride seems like it would be a fruitless exercise that’ll just anger fans of the original. If Lord & Miller, kings of taking on bad ideas, think this one isn’t for them, then maybe Sony should just keep what they’re doing (nothing’s been green lit yet) leave The Princess Bride alone.
More: 10 Memorable Quotes from The Princess Bride
Source: Chris Miller
