Classic Movies That Could Work As Tv Shows
With the recent run on streaming services, everyone’s diving into television head-on. If not for remakes of old classics, the latest trend is turning old movies into tv shows. Whether they’re limited runs or continual programming, streaming gives the chance to tell stories with a deeper dive into the story. Looking back on movie history, what are the best movies that could be television shows?
The NeverEnding Story
In this day and age, when it comes to everyday life, we could all use a little escape. The 1984 movie The NeverEnding Story could come to life on the screen allowing art to imitate life. In the original movie, a 10-year-old boy happens upon an unusual book and sneaks off to dive deeper into the story of heroism to escape his everyday struggles. A family-friendly movie, that could branch off into a series about how each book ready shaped the lives of its readers as they escape the world around them.
Romeo And Juliet
It would be awfully tough to turn a Shakespearean play into a television series, but there’s almost certainly a way to do it. Romeo and Juliet is a play about two warring families and how naive teenagers fall in love ignoring their family’s squabbles. There’s almost certainly a need a name change with critics more than likely rolling their eyes at the sound of it. Taking one of history’s greatest love stories and changing it to fit television should be a challenge an experienced writer should take.
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As it stands, to a degree, so many shows already take a Romeo and Juliet-like story and change it up to fit so why not just run with the original. A dual timeline approach to how the two families grew apart as their kids grow closer in the future could give a fresh take on an old classic.
The Truman Show
One of the more underrated movies of our time, The Truman Show would almost certainly make the transition from movie to television. About an insurance salesman who finds out his whole life is a lie and he’s living in a reality tv show, there’s plenty to explore to make The Truman Show work. As a show, it could explore how this social experiment came to be, how Truman would discover it, and how he would react over time now knowing the truth.
The Prestige
There aren’t too many television series that revolves around magic. It would take an original concept to even turn The Prestige into a show. However, when it comes to rivalries, there’s almost certainly enough to create at least a limited-run series. Two magicians trying to one-up each other and create a grand illusion pushed by their lives and the tragedies that surround them.
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Leon: The Professional
If ever there was a movie that could easily be converted into a show, it’s Leon: The Professional. An action film about a hitman who unofficially adopts a 12-year old girl after her family is murdered. A movie that kickstarted a young Natalie Portman’s career is surely worth exploring, right?
There’s a whole rabbit hole for a series to explore here. Why was her family murdered and how deep it went? What led him to feel sympathy and take her in? How will she use the knowledge she has passed on to her? There’s so much more potential with this old favorite.
Rick ODonnell aka Caveman Rick has many years covering the Miami Dolphins, Sports, and all sorts of movies and television.
