Will A Princess Bride Remake Actually Happen?
It might seem inconceivable, but rumors are swirling that The Princess Bride will get a remake sometime soon.
During a profile on The Princess Bride producer Norman Lear, who recently made history by becoming the oldest-ever Emmy-winner, Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra told Variety that a Princess Bride remake was a very real possibility.
"We have so many people coming to us saying, 'We want to remake this show or that show,'" said Vinciquerra. "Very famous people whose names I won't use, but they want to redo The Princess Bride [...] Not a month goes by when we don't have an idea coming from some very big name wanting to do things with Norman."
Regarded as pretty much perfect, director Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride starred Cary Elwes as the sweet farmhand Westley (as well as Dread Pirate Roberts and the Man in Black); Wallace Shawn as Sicilian boss Vizzini; Mandy Patinkin as suave fencing expert Inigo Montoya; and Robin Wright, who made her feature film debut as Princess Buttercup. Thanks to an extremely clever framing device where a grandfather (the late Peter Falk) reads William Golding's classic novel to his sick grandson (Fred Savage) — as well as perfect performances, loving direction, and an excellent script – The Princess Bride has been one of the most beloved comedies of all time since its release. So, will it actually be remade?
Does anyone actually want a Princess Bride remake?
The long and short of it is, well, no. It seems the vast majority of people are staunchly against a potential Princess Bride remake. A few people involved with the original film have already spoken out about the possibility, and they're not exactly thrilled.
Jamie Lee Curtis, whose husband Christopher Guest (a prolific filmmaker in his own right) played the six-fingered man Count Tyrone Rugen in 1987's The Princess Bride, tweeted that she definitely isn't interested in a remake. She deployed one of the film's many memorable quotes to make her case: "Oh really? Well, I married the six fingered man, obviously why we have stayed together for 35 years and there is only ONE The Princess Bride and it's William Goldman and @robreiner's. 'Life is pain highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something!'"
As for Elwes, he also responded with a perfect Princess Bride quote, though his was adjusted for the subject at hand: "There's a shortage of perfect movies in this world. It would be a pity to damage this one."
Will someone remake The Princess Bride anyway?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is probably yes. If the powers that be at a major studio are really dying for a Princess Bride reboot, then it's likely an inevitability. Thanks to the popularity of the original, executives are most likely looking at a remake from a financial perspective, and quality aside, nostalgic remakes have proven to be pretty lucrative.
One perfect example is Jon Favreau's 2019 hyper-realistic remake of The Lion King – and as far as beloved movies go, The Lion King is one of the only ones that could possibly compare to The Princess Bride. Reviews were middling, but the remake drew in over $1.6 billion, a fact that certainly won't dissuade studios from rebooting more classic films.
There's been plenty of outcry over the possibility of a new Princess Bride, but for now, it's still just an idea, albeit one that sounds upsetting to plenty of people. Since only time will tell if a remake will actually come to fruition, fans can still enjoy the original film as much as they want — even the kissing parts.