As anyone who’s paid any attention to the workings of Hollywood over the last forever or so already knows, the Remake Machine never sleeps. Like some sort of nostalgia-squelching juicer, it inevitably comes, seeking out any TV show or movie you might have some lingering residual affection for, swallowing it up, digesting it, and then spitting out a “fresh, updated” copy to sit alongside it. Sometimes, the results of this grisly process are surprisingly great, as with Luca Guadagnino’s recent Suspiria remake. Other times, not so much.
Only time will tell, then, which fate awaits Amy Heckerling’s 1996 rom-com classic Clueless, which managed to successfully blend Alicia Silverstone’s self-aware Valley Girl persona, Jane Austen’s plotting skills, and the tunes of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones into a surprisingly winning package. THR reports that Heckerling’s movie (successful enough at the time to get its own TV spin-off) is now on the block to be remade, with GLOW writer Marquita Robinson stepping up to do the necessary work. Meanwhile, Tracy Oliver, of Girls Trip, is slated to produce.
The weirdest thing about doing a Clueless remake—besides updating its distinctively ’90s vibe for modern day—is that it’s already a radical revamp of something else, i.e. Austen’s Emma, with Silverstone’s Cher stepping into the title role. It remains to be seen if Robinson’s script can capture Heckerling’s auteurish take on the material, which managed to transition Austen’s tale of matchmaking and befuddlement into California high school drama, while still being warm and funny in equal parts. And it’ll have some competition, too: As it happens, this afternoon also saw a wholly separate, presumably more faithful recreation of Emma get announced by Working Title, with The Witch’s Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role. Because, again: The Remake Machine never sleeps.