Movies-Turned-Series That Maybe Should’ve Stayed Movies

They say there’s always room for improvement, and many of us will agree. But then there are those things that are perfect just as they are, flaws and all. Like movies. Not all movies are created equal, sure, but they don’t have to be. That’s the beauty of it.

There are those that were born to be classics, those that were made to be masterpieces, and then there are those that were made to just be. But whatever purpose they serve, they serve it well. Which brings us to these movies that were already good, but could they be better as TV shows?

Let’s see.

 

About a Boy

Hugh Grant was the lovable asshole turned not-so douchey at the end of this Nick Hornby film adaptation. It also stars a young unknown boy named Nicholas Hoult who would grow up to be a Beast of a man in the X-Men movies.

 

About a Boy (2002)

 

David Walton and Benjamin Stockham, About a Boy (2014-2015)

 

Why producers would think this was a book or a movie made to be brought to TV is beyond me. And viewers probably agreed, considering the series ended after only one year. The storyline was clearly not made to be prolonged into the episodic format that is television.

 

Scream

Let’s be real, the movie wasn’t stellar, so why prolong its non-legacy into a TV series? Then again, if the movie didn’t set the bar so high, it can’t really fall any deeper. The series is still ongoing, now on its third season.

 

Willa Fitzgerald and John Karna, Scream (2015)

 

Drew Barrymore, Scream (1996)

 

Most people who didn’t like this series attributes it to the good-looking cast without any acting ability and that there really isn’t anything to scream about, suspense-wise. At least the 1996 movie had Drew Barrymore doing the screaming for us.

 

Lethal Weapon

Sure, it went on to four movie sequels, but what audiences loved about those movies was the chemistry between Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover), not to mention Joe Pesci who would later join the duo.

 

Glover and Gibson, Lethal Weapon 1, 1987

 

Crawford and Wayans, 2016

 

The recent reboot starring Damon Wayans (Murtaugh) and Clayne Crawford (Riggs) is honestly actually entertaining. The rapport of Wayans and Crawford is authentic and is a good version of the original—BUT with Clayne Crawford fired by Fox and moving forward without him, fans of the show are iffy about its future. Seann William Scott (American Pie) is set to replace Clayne, as Riggs’ brother. Will the third season be its last? I guess we’ll see.

 

L.A. Confidential

This is only one of the many reboots in the making by CBS Television, and is starting to take shape already, starting with hiring their cast members. They have already chosen the lead detectives, reporter, and actress who will portray the characters that Russell Crowe (Bud White), Guy Pearce (Ed Exley) and Kevin Spacey (Jack Vincennes) played in the movies, as well as Kim Basinger’s character, Lynn.

 

Crowe and Pearce as Bud White and Ed Exley, L.A. Confidential (1997)

 

Kim Basinger, L.A. Confidential (1997)

 

While we can’t judge this show based on anything just yet, it sure has big shoes to fill as we remember all the accolades the movie garnered in its time of release. Kim Basinger won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, and it also won for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, as well as gotten nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography, among others.

 

Sin City

Last year, it was announced that Frank Miller’s graphic novel would be turned into a series by The Weinstein Company. Miller will produce it, Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead) will be its showrunner, alongside Len Wiseman (Underworld series) as director.

 

All-star cast of Sin City (2005)

 

The series is said to depart from the films and run on its own timeline within the Sin City universe and introduce new characters as well. There has been no news on its development to date. Bad omen? Maybe.

 

Four Weddings and a Funeral

The 1994 movie that stars an adorkable Hugh Grant and Andie Macdowell will get a limited series run on Hulu, with Mindy Kaling at its helm. She has penned the remake with Matt Warburton, who was showrunner for her concluded series The Mindy Project.

 

Andie Macdowell and Hugh Grant, Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)

 

Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project (2012)

 

Richard Curtis, the original scriptwriter will join her in this venture as executive producer along with other executives. The show will revolve around a group of friends whose lives overlap through, well, weddings and a funeral. No release date yet, but hopefully with Kaling writing it, it won’t be that bad.

 

The Mighty Ducks

Not much is known about the newly ordered TV series that hails from its original movie starring Emilio Estevez (a name we haven’t heard in a while!) as Coach Bombay, as well as notable v-formation alumni Joshua Jackson and Kenan Thompson.

 

Coach Bombay with the Ducks, 1992.

The screenwriter for the movies, Steven Brill, as well as its producer Jordan Kerner have conceptualized a new storyline for the hodgepodge hockey team. No script is made yet, and it’s unclear when this is going to start production.

Yay or nay?

 

Photos from IMDB