As pleasantly surprised as I was by last summer's musical remake of Hairspray, I can't say that the prospect of sequel potential ever once came to mind. Thankfully, that's why we have Hollywood bean counters and the like, who see the success of that film, Mamma Mia! and High School Musical (including a fair amount of CD and DVD sales for each) as reason enough to have John Waters -- who wrote the 1988 original -- whip up a treatment for a Hairspray sequel.
According to Variety, returning for the project is director Adam Shankman and ... um, no one else at the moment. There isn't a writer attached, nor are any of the original stars lined up to return, although I have little reason to think that most of the young cast wouldn't be down for another one (just what is Nikki Blonsky up to now, anyway?).
Warner Bros. hopes to have Hairspray 2 (Hairspray-ier?) in theaters by July of 2010.
On top of that comes news significantly more sacrilgious for a great deal more fans: MTV and executive producer Lou Adler are looking to remake the cult fave The Rocky Horror Picture Show by Halloween of 2009 (again, so sayeth Variety). While the project is expected to use Jim Sharman and Richard O'Brien's original screenplay, new songs may be added by the to-be-determined director and cast.
While I like the original well enough, so far as sci-fi comedy musicals involving extraterrestrial trannies go, I dread more than the remake of the prospect of a companion reality show, as MTV offered us with Legally Blonde. It's enough to make you go insane-ane-ane-ane-ane...
1. I hope and pray that a RHPS remake does not come to pass.
The original is legendary, and there is no one who could do Frank-n-Furter justice.
Leave it alone, please, MTV.
Posted at 12:05PM on Jul 24th 2008 by hollywoodnitemare