MTV Plan Rocky Horror Remake
Not many musicals attract the kind of cult following that The Rocky Horror Picture Show has. Originally a stage show named The Rocky Horror Show written by The Crystal Maze's Richard O'Brien, the fantastical gothic romp was adapted for the big screen in 1975. This massively popular film adaptation is about to be remade by MTV despite massive protest from online communities.
Such is the popularity of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the film is still in limited release in cinemas around the world. In 2005 the film was selected to be preserved in the US National Film Registry, due to its position as a film of cultural, historical or aesthetic significance.
The plot of the surreal classic focuses on a young, recently engaged American couple, Brad Majors (played by Barry Bostwick) and Janet Weiss (played by Susan Sarandon). The couple stumble into a phantasmagorial world of transvestites from space, mad scientists and powerful sexuality.
The executive producer of the original 1975 film, Lou Adler, is said to be on board with the MTV remake. New songs will be added, the original screenplay will apparently be used and Jim Sharman, director of the 1975 film has commented on the remake, saying. "The original has some qualities that can't be reproduced but a remake could have its own very different strengths and qualities."
Recently is has been reported that although Lou Adler is behind MTV's ambitious project, Richard O'Brien will not be involved at all. There was online conjecture that O'Brien was to co-produce the remake but he recently dismissed these rumours saying. "I'm not co-producing it and I won't be involved in any way. The first I heard about it was when people sent me cuttings from US papers" O'Brien also has said that the remake does not have his blessing, further fuelling the online furore.
Despite positive reception from some of the film's original team, fans of the classic are up in arms. An online petition has been started on stoptheremake.com with over 6000 virtual signatures collected so far. 18 separate Facebook groups with over 5000 members between them also exist. Movie and theatre blogs and discussion boards are awash with enraged Rocky Horror fans expressing their disdain with varying degrees of eloquence.
It is as yet unclear if MTV are aware of or intend to respond to the criticisms of The Rocky Horror Picture Show's legions of angry, costumed fans.
Published by: Jonathan Dudley
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