The 1990 classic “It” is live on the big screen once again in 2017, 27 years after the cult classic original. What fuels this desire for reboots and influence from the past? Directors, actors, and writers alike all feel that the new wave of movies is perhaps living their fantasy roles while creating something special for a new generation. 

Not only are books getting a retelling at the box office, but television shows are becoming more and more pressured to bring the cast back together for another season. This comes with actors such as John Krasniski being typecast as their one famous role and never being able to break out of that bubble. Even after critically acclaimed movies like “A Quiet Place” in which he was a writer, director, and actor, he was not able to break his shell of “Jim Halpert”. 

Still, actors such as Bill Hader seem to be making a comeback off these reboots. Hader’s role as “Richie Tozier” in the new horror movie, “It 2” has garnered him new recognition amongst hollywood. Though many see him as this staple of the character known as “Stefon” on SNL, Hader tries to break out of his classic impressions to become something more of himself. 

The difference between those two actors is that one has recently become a tad more successful in his plans. Hader is now regaining popularity off his new performance, as I have mentioned before. Meanwhile, Krasniski is moretheless riding off his past performances on “The Office” even though he does not want to be. 

Both actors still do reboots and retellings of shows that several people will flock to in the hundreds because of memories from past decades. The road to relevance is hard to ride and recently both actors and media have been trying to walk it. Though some see both these men and movies being created from the past as successful due to their popularity, some do argue that their real goals of creating art are being jeopardized by such roles and scripts. 

Recently, more and more people have been watching these movies, such as Soma Shah (12) who states, “…these movies make me actually interested in watching them, even if they are two hours long.” The timing is a newfound normalcy in these movies as well. Now, movies have shifted from an hour and a half long romcoms to three hour reboots that dissect stories from novels written decades ago. It is as if the story is being told for a new generation. 

This argument for a “new generation” being shown these ideas is a heavy factor in the reboot sector’s popularity. The main rise of such movies is brought on by parents who read or watched media as children who now have a more convenient way to show their children their childhood. The question that is constantly risen then is: are they art or simply copy and pasted copouts?