Movie remake is a concept adapted by filmmakers to give new life to an old story. They sometimes only apply small changes to details. Filmmakers use it as a chance to add new ideas and fix issues from previous versions. With improving technology, the remakes will often also benefit from better production quality. So who will do the remake of old classics like “Things Fall Apart”?
Things Fall Apart – A Forgotten Treasure
Chinua Achebe created the most amazing character, Okonkwo, in his book “Things Fall Apart”. The book earned him a Man Booker International Prize in Litterature and was later made into a movie where Pete Edochie played Okonkwo. Everyone enjoyed the movie around the late 80s. However, it gradually disappeared from our screens. We do not have to copy everything America does, but the remake concept could be worth looking into. It is commonly used for classic Hollywood movies, as seen from these similar examples:
- “Beauty and the beast” has been remade in Hollywood 3 times, in 1991, 2011 and 2017. “Beauty and the Beast” is produced by Walt Disney Studios and has been popular all around the world.
- “I Am Legend” was originally based on a book. It was titled “The Last Man on Earth” and debuted in 1964. The next remakes were made in 1971 and 2007.
- “King Kong”, based on one of the world’s most famous movie monsters, has also seen several remakes. It was originally made in 1933 and the remakes just followed decades later. The last remake was released in 2017.
These are just a handful of examples, and the list just goes on and on. Some have even been remade more than five times. The updated remakes often turn out to be more successful than its original.
A True Nigerian Classic
The book “Things Fall Apart” is a true classic and the movie is an epic story like no other that has been made in Nigeria. We want the younger generation to witness the true nature of their roots through epic movies like this. It is not enough to read this books in secondary schools. The story encompasses African culture and heritage in so many ways. Why wouldn’t we want to keep it alive?
These are the stories that are truly ours. This is how we can draw an audience for our content. The Nigerian movies today are mostly based on contemporary stories. It is almost like we have thrown our heritage and culture away. Remaking movies like “Things Fall Apart” is a way to remember our roots and tell our own stories.