In film, a remake is a newer version of a previously released film or a newer version of the source (play, novel, story, etc.) of a previously made film. The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source. For example, 2001's Ocean's Eleven is a remake of the 1960 film, while 1989's Batman is a re-interpretation of the comic book source material which also inspired 1966's Batman. Furthermore, the 2005 film Batman Begins would not be considered a remake, as it is still an adaptation of the comic book series. Another series of films which share a common source material where none of its various incantations can be considered remakes would be any adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, one important factor in this is that each adaptation either does or does not include sections from Through the Looking Glass.

William Shakespeare's plays have inspired countless remakes, from stage productions which alter the setting and costumes of the play but retain most or all of the original dialogue, to films geared to teenage audiences such as 10 Things I Hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew) and O (Othello), which use the basic plot of a Shakespeare play, but change everything else to appeal to younger audiences who do not read or watch Shakespeare. West Side Story is a modernized, musical version of Romeo and Juliet and is considered one of the classic musicals of all time.

With the exception of remakes such as 1998's Psycho, which is almost a shot-for-shot color recreation of the 1960 film, remakes generally make significant character, plot, and theme changes. For example, the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair is centered on a bank robbery, while its 1999 remake involves the theft of a valuable piece of artwork. Similarly, when the 1969 film The Italian Job was remade in 2003, few aspects were carried over. Another notable example is the 1932 film Scarface which was remade in 1983 starring Al Pacino; whereas the 1932 is centered around bootleg alcohol, the 1983 version is based around cocaine.

Not all remakes use the same title as the previously released version; 1983's Never Say Never Again, for instance, is a remake of the 1965 film Thunderball; the 1966 film Walk Don't Run is a remake of the World War II comedy The More the Merrier. Some remakes don't credit the first version at all and masquerade as original films; 2000's Oscar-winning Gladiator was actually a remake of 1964's The Fall of the Roman Empire, but was understandably never acknowledged as such, especially since the earlier version was relatively unsuccessful.

In the recent history of cinema, remakes have generally been considered inferior to earlier versions by film critics and cinema-goers alike, e.g., The Birdcage, To Be or Not to Be. See the list of film remakes for exceptions to the generalization.

Reimagining

Recently, the term "reimagining" has become popular to describe remakes that do not closely follow the original. The term is used by creators in the marketing of films and television shows to inform audiences that the new product is not the same as the old. Examples of remakes that are most associated with the reimagining term are:

List of Reimaginings

Films

Reimagining(s)	Original(s)
Black Christmas (2006)	Black Christmas (1974)
Dawn of the Dead (2004)	Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Hairspray (2007)	Hairspray (1988)
Halloween (2007)	Halloween (1978)
Planet of the Apes (2001)	Planet of the Apes (1968)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Television Shows

Reimagining(s)	Original(s)
Battlestar Galactica (2003)	Battlestar Galactica (1978)
Bionic Woman (2007)	The Bionic Woman (1976)

See also

• List of film remakes
• List of British television series remade for the U.S. market
• List of English-language films based on foreign-language films
• Enhanced remake (in video games)
• Cover versions of a song
• Video game remake