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For years, there had been talks of a Rocky Horror Picture Show remake, as asinine of an idea it is to do such a thing. Now it's finally coming to fruition as they've secured financial backers to move the project ahead. Variety reports that United States' MTV and UK's Sky Movies will co-finance the project, which has yet to have a director or any stars lined up for it. It will premiere on both channels in their respective countries as a two-hour TV movie, targeting a Halloween 2009 release.

20th Century Fox, who owns the rights to the 1975 film, had tried to develop a remake at Fox Television for a long time. A couple of years ago, they approached Marilyn Manson to star as Frank-N-Furter, the role made memorable by Tim Curry in the original film, but nothing ever came out of it.

The new film will re-use the original screenplay by Richard O'Brien and Jim Sharman, so at the very least the story and dialogue will remain the same, although they are considering new song additions. O'Brien, who created the show as a stage play, however, has not given the remake his blessings, and in fact refuses to be involved in any way.

"The first I heard about it was when people sent me cuttings from US papers," he told the BBC.

Since the remake's official announcement late July, fans of the cult classic (in my mind, it's the movie that defined the "cult classic" trend) have rabidly reacted unfavorably towards the news. Rocky Horror fans all over have come together to form an unstoppable force to stop the remake: the dreaded online petition. Excuse me if I sound snide—I love Rocky Horror too and enjoy going to screenings of it despite having to suffer the embarrassment of doing the Timewarp—but I never put too much stock in the power of these petitions. Some of them have "done the impossible," to borrow a phrase from the Browncoats, but for the most part... Meh. If MTV wants to remake it and have the rights to do so.... They're going to make it. Almost 8000 signatures be damned.

The truth is, these fans have nothing to be worried about. The lasting power of Rocky Horror resides in the love of its fans and their willingness to keep it afloat in dollar/arthouse theaters for three decades running. That's not going to change. This cheap and probably awful remake will go on TV and be forgotten in a year or two, while the original will still entertain audiences at midnight showings and events for decades more to come.

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Comments (1)

August 14, 2008, Lex Walker said:

The part that annoys me most is that thanks to the MTV involvement their going to plug the movie with celebrities and musicians. This was Sarandon's 7th movie - at the time she was a virtual unknown. It was Bostwick's 5th (and perhaps besides Spin City, his most memorable role). The best part? It was Tim Curry's first movie ever. Yeah. Complete unknowns coming together to form a film that, as Arya said, DEFINES the cult classic. Put a rockstar where Meatloaf used to be - fine. But give the new RHPS the same no-name treatment.

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