Cognition Dissemination: The Future of Entertainment Is the Past

Entertainment was bound to reach a point where most prominent works are remakes or new installments in long-running franchises. Rising costs for movie and prestige TV production made this an inevitability, the latter not helped by the streaming services shows are made for being largely unprofitable. Even considering that, it was difficult to see a point where three such examples would be announced in the same week — hell, on the same day — happening quite this soon. We’re closer to the point where the future of entertainment is the past again than even many of the biggest cynics expected.

To start: Actor (and former wrestler) Dwayne Johnson announced, though Disney, that a live-action remake of Moana is in production. Disney has green lit and released several live-action remakes of their older animated works over the years, even the best among which are lacking certain charms the original animated versions contained. Certain scenes are far more difficult to replicate in live-action, and some directors and writers simply make poor decisions in the transition between the two, like with the entirety of the Dumbo remake. But many of those are remakes of older moves, from the 1990s or before then. Moana is only a hair over six years old, a very recent film that children who still haven’t reached their teens can still recite the songs to.

I’m hesitant to criticize this initiative too harshly because this movie could be a boon for Polynesian representation in cinema, with Johnson reprising the role of Maui from the original film. Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced Moana in the original, will be on board as an executive producer. Some sources stated that Cravalho is also reprising the role of Moana, but that’s unlikely considering her current age (22) and the character’s age (16). A remake this soon is bound to invite unflattering comparisons from an audience across a variety of age groups who remember the CG-animated film well, when they see scenes that involved animated characters which will be difficult to recreate. But considering the history of Disney’s live-action works, that won’t matter when it likely outgrosses the animated movie.

HBO’s adaptation of the Game of Thrones series from George R.R. Martin has remained popular in the years since it ended, despite the show’s conclusion being divisive to say the least. This was proven through the stellar ratings House of the Dragon garnered, the prequel series that took place nearly 200 years before GoT’s start, garnered as it aired last year. HBO’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has become far stricter in what they green light following David Zaslav (who, it should be noted again, does not like scripted works) and his posse taking over the company about a year ago. Of course one of the projects nearing a green light is another GoT prequel, this one about Aegon I Targaryen. The proposed plan involves starting with a movie that will continue into a series.

It’s an interesting project, but only the latest in WB’s extreme embrace of franchises. This would join the GoT sequel series focusing on Jon Snow that remains early in development, and the other GoT projects HBO/WB has yet to fully green light. This is also from the same company that announced more movies in The Lord of the Rings series (The Fellowship Awakens?), to come alongside Amazon Studios’ continuing The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. (Hey, at least their ideas to remake the Second Age LOTR story in series form didn’t pan out.) That’s not getting into their grand DC Universe reboot plans.

None of those are the biggest initiative showing how WB lacks creativity and isn’t willing to take risks for anything with a budget. Zaslav, in one of his first moves when he took over last year, initiated discussions with JK Rowling for more Harry Potter works on HBO Max. Those appear to have panned out given newest reports, as entertainment sites finished a wild Monday with news that the Harry Potter series is getting a remake in a TV streaming show form. Even though the movie series started in 2001, well over 20 years ago, it still feels like it’s too soon for a remake. But if WB couldn’t do this with LOTR, they just had to do it with something else.

Let’s be honest: This feels extremely bad thanks to JK Rowling herself being an open and hateful transphobe, one of the leaders of the trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF) movement which has led and is leading to the discrimination, if not outright genocide, of transgender individuals around the world. This shouldn’t be happening because of that, but the gears of capitalism must continue turning if the franchise remains bankable, as Hogwarts Legacy recently proved. But anyone who was willing to give that game a pass thanks to Rowling having no creative input (even though she’ll inevitably receive royalties from its profits) should know that she’ll be directly involved in the series remake. Facets of the internet won’t be able to handle discussions about her transphobia and the inevitable battles between fans comparing the movies and series.

The entertainment industry hasn’t quite reached a dead end in terms of creativity; indeed, plenty of original content and adaptations with solid budgets behind them are still being made. And I’m not saying any of the above-mentioned works won’t be fun to watch. But we’re inching ever close to Pop Culture Armageddon, and this week proved it.

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Cognition Dissemination: What’s Happening at HBO Max Was Inevitable Cognition Dissemination: This Is What DC Studios Needed Cognition Dissemination: It’s a Shame Watchmen Is Ending So Soon Cognition Dissemination: A Strange World for Disney’s Animated Future