Reboots: RIGHTS and WRONGS of Writing a Reboot

What is a Reboot?

In the realm of movie-making, a reboot is a reimagining of an existing franchise that rebrands or restarts the established fictional world. The most notable franchises that are known for their reboots and remakes belong to the superhero genre. Cue Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland. Three different versions of the same character created within a fifteen-year period.

Audiences often look down upon reboots as unoriginal cash-grabs. While these negative connotations are justified by Hollywood’s constant push for unwanted reboots, it’s important to note that there’s still hope for quality to be upheld in these stories and it all starts with the writing.

After all, this phenomenon isn’t going anywhere as each reboot is guaranteed an attached audience and a chance to introduce a new generation of audiences. So let’s take a look at how to tackle a reboot as a screenwriter.