‘Bewitched’ Reboot in Works at Sony: How it Will Be Different
A dramatic reboot of the ’60s hit Bewitched is officially in the works with writer-producer Judalina Neira who is teaming with Sony Pictures Television through her newly-launched production company, Famous Last Words, for the project.
Written by Neira, whose credits include The Boys and Daisy Jones & the Six, the new Bewitched is described as an hour-long reimagination of the classic series, according to Deadline. Also set to executive produce the title, Neira will be joined by Doug Robinson and Lauren Moffat.
“Judalina joined the Sony family with her work on The Boys, and we are incredibly proud of her contributions to supporting creator Eric Kripke’s vision,” said Lauren Stein, Head of Creative, Sony Pictures Television in a statement shared by Deadline. “She brings passion and authenticity and has been such a champion for the representation and growth of Latinx writers — we knew we had to make a deal with her! We are so excited to have her call Sony home and can’t wait for what is to come as we deepen our relationship.”
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 31 | February 16, 2024 12:12 PM
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Oh fucking dear. The charm of Bewitched was because of Elizabeth Montgomery and the time it was made.
It won't work in 2024.
Hasn't ANYONE got any new ideas?
by Anonymous | reply 1 | February 15, 2024 8:03 AM
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Enough with the reboots, they're always crap. When are we going to see a reboot of "I Love Lucy"? I'm sure that'll work 🤨
by Anonymous | reply 2 | February 15, 2024 8:15 AM
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"Uncle" Arthur will be played by Laverne Cox
by Anonymous | reply 3 | February 15, 2024 8:16 AM
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[quote]the new Bewitched is described as an hour-long reimagination of the classic series, according to Deadline.
I hate it already.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | February 15, 2024 8:20 AM
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Remember when they did Kath & Kim R5? What a fucking disaster!
by Anonymous | reply 7 | February 15, 2024 9:46 AM
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God, this is going to be a fucking shit show.
I can see it now: some unknown brown, overweight actor as Samantha with Sarah Ramirez as Darian, her non binary life partner.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | February 15, 2024 10:05 AM
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My grandma will be so excited! Oh wait she died three years ago.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | February 15, 2024 10:34 AM
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Sara Ramirez to play Samantha. Hmm edgy! Endora to be played by an aging, trans identifying, non-binary Eddie Redmayne - he has the chops for it.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | February 15, 2024 11:26 AM
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R1 is completely right. The first season of the original Bewitched was much more focussed than it became in later seasons, when it just kept going because of popularity and the charm of Montgomery and (as her antagonist) Moorehead. The first season or two was clearly about men's fear of women's gradually emerging power. Darrin is frantic about Samantha acting like "normal" women (ie the housefraus like Louise Tate and his mother) instead of like someone who can do it all, while Endora specifically asks him, "If you love my daughter, why won't you let her be herself?"
Meanwhile, Darrin's job, which is his main focus outside of nagging Samantha, is to "enchant" people into believing whatever his clients want them to believe. He sees no irony, but you betcha the writers did.
All of that was specific to the time when feminism was just beginning to bubble up and look like it might trouble men's world. Since #metoo that volcano has exploded, so all you could do with Bewitched now is to make a kids' sitcom, which is what the OG became in its later seasons. Only you're right that it probably won't have any of the charm.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | February 15, 2024 12:00 PM
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The idea of these reboots are nice , but I agree that you can't remake or reboot everything because they only worked in a certain time and place. When you try to bring them to the modern day with all that requires, you usually end up losing the magic of the original. Personally, I think the Brady Bunch movie is the only remake/reboot that figured out how to do it correctly.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | February 15, 2024 12:14 PM
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Yes, that came across as a genuine homage which, like most fans, saw the funny side of being a fan of the show too. Most reboots come across as moneymaking ventures by people with no imagination.
If anyone hasn't seen The Offer, on Paramount+, I do recommend it. It's about the tribulations of the producer of The Godfather, and how the studio heads and the accountants cannot wrap their heads around the fact that they are trying to make an excellent, trailblazing movie, better than the bestseller book, instead of just another gangster film with lots of guns and car chases and someone like Robert Redford playing a mafioso. There were big objections to every original idea, from the casting of Pacino to the lighting. Thanks to Robert Evans and the determination of the team actually working on the film to make it the best it could be, they not only made a ton of money, but they introduced several of the biggest stars of the next generation and a legendary director. They also paved the way for an entirely new genre of gangster story, from Goodfellas to The Sopranos. Given carte blanche on Godfather II, they did the astonishing and made a sequel that was better than the original.
The writers of The Offer make the point that the people who make the good decisions are people who never forget their original motivation was love of movies, while the people who push the bad decisions are motivated by budgets and the inability to envisage anything being successful that hasn't been successful before. (Kinda like lawyers and precedent.) Over recent years the first type of person seems to have been working on streaming TV comedy and drama, while the second type has risen to the top again in movies, as though the 1970s never happened. I think the second type of person has always been in charge of network TV. It's amazing really that there has ever been anything good on there. Cheers and Seinfeld were both almost canned in their first seasons.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | February 15, 2024 12:59 PM
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[quote] the new Bewitched is described as an hour-long reimagination of the classic series,
This is the stupidest description on the planet.
It is tantamount to describing water as wet.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | February 15, 2024 1:41 PM
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No, R16, the " re-imagination" means that the casting will be what is now being referred to as " woke."
by Anonymous | reply 17 | February 15, 2024 1:51 PM
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Gladys Kravits played by a drag queen.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | February 15, 2024 1:52 PM
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Gladys Kravitz could easily be played by A queen. One of my friends knows so much about all the neighborhood gossip that he only has to look out the window for his ironic husband to shout, "Aaabner!"
Isn't Gladys Kravitz the inspiration for the DL, after all?
by Anonymous | reply 20 | February 15, 2024 1:58 PM
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I'll tune in only if Samantha is a Satan worshipping witch.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | February 15, 2024 2:02 PM
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It’s supposedly going to be a drama. Samantha will be hate crimed. Every week audiences will learn lessons in social justice.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | February 15, 2024 9:29 PM
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Because everyone tuned in to the original "Bewitched" to see social issues realistically portrayed.
by Anonymous | reply 23 | February 15, 2024 10:15 PM
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Could we just reuse the Mad Men actors ? Some of them would work easy !
by Anonymous | reply 24 | February 15, 2024 10:23 PM
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Didn’t this just happen ten years ago?
by Anonymous | reply 25 | February 16, 2024 2:43 AM
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It’s bad enough that every mediocre movie has to be remade now every TV show has to be remade too.
by Anonymous | reply 26 | February 16, 2024 2:47 AM
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The only way I'll accept this is with gratuitous beefcake. Make Endora and Uncle Arthur fond of stripping men.
by Anonymous | reply 27 | February 16, 2024 3:00 AM
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Beyond the feminism, Bewitched also had some serious - if subtle - gay subtext, as well as very subtly commenting on racial politics of the day.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | February 16, 2024 3:40 AM
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Maybe they can turn Gladys Kravitz into a busybody gay snoop played by Jim Parsons. With Johnny Galecki as Abner.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | February 16, 2024 3:46 AM
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[quote]I'll tune in only if Samantha is a Satan worshipping witch.
You mean Taylor Swift?
by Anonymous | reply 30 | February 16, 2024 12:03 PM
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How It Will Be Different: This time, it will stink.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | February 16, 2024 12:12 PM
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