‘Night at the Museum’ Being Reimagined With Reboot

Night at the Museum is being re-imagined with a new cast and tale.

20th Century Studios is working on a fresh film adaptation of the humorous TV show where objects inside a museum mysteriously spring to life. The production company, 21 Laps Entertainment, has recruited Tripper Clancy, the writer behind the movie “Stuber”, to pen the screenplay for this project.

According to Deadline’s report, Shawn Levy and Dan Levine are set to produce the movie through their company, 21 Laps. Emily Morris will be in charge of supervising the production of this film.

Initially, the first three movies featured Ben Stiller portraying Larry Daley, a security guard who unexpectedly found that the museum’s exhibits became animated only during the night.

In 2006, the movie “Night at the Museum” made its debut, earning a total of $574.5 million at the box office. This role was played by the late Robin Williams, who portrayed Theodore Roosevelt – the wax figure representing the 26th President of the United States, clad in his Rough Rider attire. In this film, he formed a bond and guided a character named Larry.

In addition to the brilliant lineup, I was thrilled to see Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Mickey Rooney, Brad Garrett, Dick Van Dyke, and the remarkable Rami Malek grace the screen with their talents in this production.

Stiller returned for 2009’s Battle of the Smithsonian and 2014’s Secret of the Tomb.

An animated sequel, Kahmunrah Rises Again, was released in 2022.

The movie traces the journey of Nick Daley, Larry Daley’s son, taking on the role as a nighttime caretaker at the Museum of Natural History.

The voice cast included Joshua Bassett, Jamie Demetriou, Gillian Jacobs and Zachary Levi.

Stiller, aged 59, holds a soft spot for the franchise, and he once confessed that the initial movie resonated deeply with his inner child.

He shared with Cineworld.co.uk: “When does the museum shut down at night, and what if inanimate objects started moving – wouldn’t that make for an exciting film to watch?

The Worst Reboots Ever Made

15. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)

The Jack Ryan franchise has not always been consistent, as evidenced by Chris Pine assuming the role in “Shadow Recruit”. Prior to this, Hollywood had produced four films centered around Tom Clancy’s iconic character, with three different leading men. Interestingly, one of these movies was a reboot, where Ben Affleck portrayed a novice Ryan during his first major assignment in “The Sum of All Fears”. Twelve years later, the producers attempted a similar approach, this time featuring Pine as a newly enlisted Jack Ryan.

Titled “Shadow Recruit”, the film moves at a brisk pace and spans only 105 minutes. It hurries so swiftly from Ryan’s initial steps as an operative to his heroic moment that it weakens its own character development. The rapid pace of transformation leads me to suspect that perhaps around 20-30 minutes of the movie were either edited out during scripting or post-production. Regrettably, I would have appreciated seeing those scenes, especially if they fleshed out the subplot involving Ryan’s girlfriend (Keira Knightley) harboring suspicions about his infidelity while he was meeting with CIA contacts.

14. Tomb Raider (2018)

In this new adaptation of the Tomb Raider video game series, reminiscent of Indiana Jones imitations, you’ll find another quickly forgettable and average production. The action scenes are alright but disappointingly short on tomb exploration, and there seems to be an excessive amount of backstory regarding Lara Croft (portrayed by Academy Award-winning actress Alicia Vikander). It appears we required an origin story for her two pistols, even though the earlier rendition of the franchise with Angelina Jolie never felt the need to explain it.

This revamped Tomb Raider video game spin-off shares similarities with generic Indiana Jones copycats, offering another unremarkable and mediocre experience. The action scenes are acceptable, though they lack substantial tomb raiding, and there’s an excessive focus on Lara Croft’s (played by Alicia Vikander, Oscar winner) backstory. It seems we demanded an origin scene for her pistols, despite the prior version of the franchise with Angelina Jolie choosing to leave that detail unexplained.

13. The Transporter Refueled

Following three films, it became too difficult for Jason Statham to continue starring in the “Transporter” series. Instead, a reboot was initiated with Ed Skrein taking over the lead role as “The Man in the Stylish Suit, Who Drives Extensively, and Occasionally Fights People.” Skrein certainly looks dashing while driving a car in a tailored jacket. However, he lacks two aspects that Statham brought to the character: A dry wit and the ability to perform fight scenes without frequent edits every second. Ray Stevenson is the standout of the movie as the Transporter’s father, but he’s so excellent that it makes you wish they had made “The Transporter’s Dad” instead.

12. Power Rangers (2017)

In my perspective, this new “Power Rangers” film bears a striking resemblance to a reimagining of the original TV series. It retains the familiar faces and primary plotline, but let’s not forget that the previous “Power Rangers” movies carried on from where the series left off, leading to more years of thrilling adventures with various teams of power-morphing heroes. Consequently, this latest iteration, which seems to disregard decades of continuity, can undeniably be considered a reboot. However, it’s unfortunate that the character and costume designs could use some improvement, and the focus on the surreal aspect of ordinary teenagers suddenly gaining extraordinary powers such as invulnerability and super strength is quite pronounced.

11. Hellboy (2019)

Regardless of whether you admire them or not, Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy films are instantly recognizable as his unique creations. However, this new take on the series, despite occasional successful moments, lacks a distinct identity and blends in with many generic monster-hunter thrillers trying to prevent a CGI-heavy apocalypse.

This reboot is also noticeably less grandiose compared to del Toro’s original, featuring smaller sets, reduced action sequences, and fewer enchanting characters. It’s reminiscent of the final installment in an ’80s slasher series that once began as a thoughtful, concept-driven work but eventually became a rushed collection of jump scares and excessive violence as it attempted to capitalize on its popularity. This franchise might benefit from another reboot.

10. Conan the Barbarian (2011)

Over the years, there have been talks about a third movie featuring King Conan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, although this concept occasionally resurfaces in Hollywood. However, they also attempted a complete reboot of the franchise, casting Jason Momoa as the main character before he became Aquaman and grew his beard.

This new take on Robert E. Howard’s iconic barbarian character eliminated much of the previous films’ distinctive personality and brute-force philosophy, along with the ominous snake cult antagonists. Unfortunately, this film underperformed at the box office and was soon forgotten, which I assume Momoa didn’t mind given his subsequent success in bigger and more successful projects.

9. The Mummy (2017)

As a die-hard cinema enthusiast, I must confess that the chaotic behind-the-scenes tales of this Mummy reboot make it seem like the production was constantly reinventing itself. The whispers of creative disputes between Tom Cruise and the team, particularly over the movie’s direction and the intended “Dark Universe,” paint a picture of tumultuous filmmaking. Despite a few jaw-dropping practical stunts from Cruise, this Mummy turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. The Dark Universe was swiftly staked through the heart, signaling its premature demise. Alex Kurtzman, the director, later referred to it as “likely the most significant failure of my life, both personally and professionally.

8. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

In addition to being the most disappointing among the major Sony Spider-Man films, “The Amazing Spider-Man” also fails as a reboot. The alterations made to the foundational Spider-Man narrative, such as intensifying the mystery surrounding Peter Parker’s absent parents and transforming him into a skateboard enthusiast and Bing fan, disrupt an otherwise flawless tale. Instead of following the path taken by the Tom Holland Spiderman movies, which cleverly sidestepped Peter’s origin story (and his web surfing habits), they could have opted for something completely fresh and innovative.

7. Snake Eyes (2021)

If you’re a fan of G.I. Joe but find most of its characters, vehicles, and military action appealing, then you likely weren’t the one responsible for greenlighting the enigmatic flop, Snake Eyes – a puzzling reboot that seemingly ignored the essence of its IP’s core appeal. The charming Henry Golding portrays the iconic G.I. Joe warrior in this pseudo-prequel, yet it fails to elucidate how he transformed into a mute, scarred ninja. Intriguingly, it does offer an explanation for Storm Shadow’s name: Someone describes him as being like “the shadow before a storm,” which seems oddly unrelated?

The sole redeeming aspect of Snake Eyes was its box office failure. This hopefully spared us from the sequel hinted at in its cliffhanger ending. On the downside, this might imply that another G.I. Joe reboot is on the horizon.

6. Hitman: Agent 47 (2015)

In the reboot of the Hitman series, Rupert Friend takes over from Timothy Olyphant as the title character. This film, if compared to The Terminator, would be a chaotic version where the plot is confusing, the human characters are uninteresting, the heroes and villains frequently change sides for no apparent reason, and the dialogue is filled with tired, clichéd lines. The qualities that make Agent 47 (his friends call him this) an excellent video game character – his unemotional demeanor, single-minded focus, and lack of personal goals or motivations due to being specifically designed without them – are what make him a poor movie protagonist. Cheering for him in this film is much like watching a baseball game and rooting for the automated pitching machine.

5. Fantastic Four (2015)

The plot of Josh Trank’s disappointing film ‘Fantastic Four’ can be seen as a metaphor for its production. A group of talented young filmmakers, with ambitious ideas to reimagine familiar characters, find their creative visions threatened by greedy interests more concerned about profits. In the story, scientists create a device that transports people to other dimensions but end up gaining superpowers and grotesque appearances unintentionally. Similarly, in the production of ‘Fantastic Four’, various stories seem to clash, with elements of horror, superhero, and more, none of which cohere effectively. The film is based on a better comic-book reboot called ‘Ultimate Fantastic Four’. Additionally, it’s puzzling why the character known as The Thing walks around without clothes throughout the movie, given that this seems unusual to most viewers.

In other words, the original text describes how the production of the film ‘Fantastic Four’ mirrors the story within the film, with young creators struggling against commercial pressures and an inconsistent final product that combines multiple genres without success. The comic book source material, ‘Ultimate Fantastic Four’, was better than the film adaptation. Furthermore, it is strange that the character of The Thing walks around naked in the movie, which may seem odd to many viewers.

4. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009)

15 years following the initial “Street Fighter” movie, this reboot arrived, devoid of legends and minimal street fighting. Despite giving it credit for a fresh approach to its concept, it’s disappointing on these fronts. However, it does offer Chris Klein in an exceptional bad performance as Charlie Nash, who appears nothing like the “Street Fighter” character bearing the same name or any person who has ever existed. He prances, mugs, squints, and snarls, making for a mesmerizing spectacle to witness.

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

Following several live-action films with actors wearing animatronic suits and an animated film that loosely continued the same storyline, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles underwent a transformation at the hands of producer Michael Bay. This change primarily involved making the Turtles significantly more muscular. (One might wonder if their preferred pizza topping is some form of muscle-building supplement like creatine.) Originally, Bay and his team intended for this reboot to be much more radical, transforming these Turtles into aliens instead of mutants. However, the final product was marred by last-minute changes and reshoots that resulted in a convoluted plot. For instance, William Fichtner’s character, Eric Sacks, was initially intended to be the Shredder’s alter ego but ended up becoming a wealthy individual financing the Shredder’s nefarious plans with no clear motivation. The actual Shredder, played by Tohoru Masamune, lacked a human identity, personality, or motivations, making him simply a villain in a metal suit.

In essence, this version of Ninja Turtles represents one of the 21st century’s most flawed films featuring turtles, mutants, ninjas, or teenagers.

2. Planet of the Apes (2001)

In five films, the “Planet of the Apes” series seemed ripe for a fresh take. Admittedly, Tim Burton brought a unique perspective to this franchise that differed significantly from its founders. Regrettably, his interpretation left much to be desired, as the movie featuring Mark Wahlberg as an astronaut who gets trapped in a purple cosmic cloud and lands on a planet inhabited by… you guessed it, apes! After enduring hours of desert wandering and subpar fight scenes involving wirework, Wahlberg eventually returns to Earth – only to discover it has morphed into another ape-inhabited world! The ending of this film is now infamous for its bewildering bizarreness. Fortunately, the subsequent “Apes” reboot, focusing on motion-captured apes and their planet’s origin story, was a creative triumph.

1. Dolittle (2020)

In a fortunate turn of events for Robert Downey Jr., the disappointing reboot of Dolittle was released in January 2020. Just a few weeks later, an unexpected disaster struck Earth, causing people to forget all about this film. Should anyone dare to revisit it, they would discover a heap of poorly-timed humor, including poop jokes, fart jokes, and jokes about itchy butts. The animals in the movie talk, the CGI is off, and Downey’s performance is so over-the-top that Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp, seems reserved in comparison.

In this third adaptation of the beloved literary character who communicates with animals, Dolittle embarks on a journey to a legendary island in search of a cure for Queen Victoria’s illness. The plot is rather thin, and at some point, someone in charge decided that saving the movie wasn’t possible, but shortening it was an option. Consequently, Dolittle becomes an unyielding 100-minute onslaught of stale jokes, questionable stunts, and celebrity voiceovers. Any semblance of character development or human-like behavior has been removed in the hope that the audience won’t notice how little of the film makes any sense due to its breakneck pace.

2025-07-11 21:28