In With the Old: 2024 is the Year of Content Revival
The year’s biggest series and films prove bringing back beloved stories is not about reinventing the wheel.
Picture a time when children are discussing which Greek god they identify with and Willy Wonka-inspired chocolate bars are in high demand. The Internet is rife with Hunger Games memes. People are wearing pink on Wednesdays and trying to make ‘fetch’ happen.
This isn’t your childhood—it’s right now. While past trends and media have made periodic comebacks over the years, there has been a sudden increase in new films and TV series that put a new twist on beloved titles and franchises since late last year. From the origin story of a beloved chocolate-maker to a musical reinvention of the greatest teen film ever, the past seems to be a major source of inspiration for new content in 2024.
Timothée Chalamet and Hugh Grant in Wonka (2023), which explores the early days of the titular chocolatier and his miniature collaborators, the Oompa Loompas / Photo via IMDb
The first and most obvious kind of revival is the reboot, also known as the remake. This is a new iteration of a familiar story, often tweaked to fit modern preferences but without major changes to the plot. The advantage possessed by remakes over new content is the assurance of having an audience. Dedicated adult fans flock to theatres and streaming services to reconnect with their younger selves and relive a simpler time. They generate the online buzz that makes the title a hit before it even comes out. This catches the attention of a whole new generation of young people seeking stories that represent them. These demographics often overlap, with adult fans of the original content taking their children or younger siblings to fall in love with the same stories that were popular among the youth of the past.
Sometimes, reboots may be presented in a new format to provide an interesting twist on an otherwise well-known tale, such as the upcoming live-action remake of the beloved animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender or Mean Girls (2024), a musical film which is a direct retelling of the classic 2004 film. The latter lifts characters, plot, and even dialogue from the original. It sounds redundant and perhaps it would be, were it not for the musical numbers peppered throughout. Instead of being a predictable non-musical remake or an unnecessary sequel, this movie recognizes the enduring popularity and most charming aspects of the original story while keeping things exciting for old fans.
Get in loser, we’re making a reboot: Renée Rapp as Regina George in Mean Girls (2024) / Photo via IMDb
The clean slate offered by this type of reboot is also an opportunity to right some wrongs. The much-awaited Percy Jackson and the Olympians series released on Disney+ last December to much acclaim, as dedicated fans of the novels celebrated getting a faithful adaptation over a decade after the poorly-received films. But the new series brought its own changes, mostly to the appearance of many of the characters. In 2022, the internet was abuzz as people reacted to the news that Annabeth Chase, a major character described as blonde and grey-eyed in the novels, would be played by Black actress Leah Jeffries. The races of several other characters were changed as well, creating a much more diverse ensemble than in either the novels or the films. In response to criticism of a ‘woke’ agenda, author Rick Riordan, who also co-produced the series, defended the decision to cast actors that best embodied their characters, regardless of race. The point of the books, Riordan argued, is that anyone can be a hero. After all, the protagonist Percy Jackson is a neurodivergent kid from a low-income household who fights monsters and saves the world. Riordan himself has been incorporating characters of different ethnicities, sexualities, and genders into the franchise’s recent additions to ensure that children everywhere could see themselves represented among the characters. Given the series’ commitment to inclusivity, it’s only natural that a new adaptation would uphold these ideals, keeping all the magic of the books while acknowledging our collective growth over the past decade on matters of inclusivity in media.
Grover (Aryan Simhadri), Percy (Walker Scobell), and Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) looking heroic in a theatrical poster for the new Percy Jackson series / Photo via IMDb
However, reviving a franchise isn’t just about recreating, but also reframing the stories we know. This is the approach taken by the origin story, which imagines the life of a popular character before the story from which we know them. The current surge of these narratives seemingly began with November’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a Hunger Games prequel following the youth of future antagonist President Snow. Quick on its heels came Wonka, a Timothée Chalamet-led backstory of the chocolatier Willy Wonka from the classic children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) by Roald Dahl. In 2024, films and TV will dive into the origins of characters ranging from post-apocalyptic heroine Furiosa of Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) and Money Heist (2017–2021)’s charming criminal mastermind Berlin to Mufasa, father of titular feline Simba in The Lion King (1994). Though a diverse group, these characters are all interesting enough to merit their own spin-off and beloved to the point that good viewership numbers are almost guaranteed. While they don’t redo the original story, these titles provide us with a new lens with which to view it. They evoke the same nostalgia and excitement at the idea of returning to a familiar world, and they breathe new life into stagnating franchises.
Other titles take us back to beloved worlds after, rather than before, the events of the original story. We find that our favourite characters have grown with us and must face new challenges. A recently-announced sequel to the popular teen sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–2012) will return to the fantastical universe of the original series, with stars Selena Gomez and David Henrie reprising their roles, this time as adult versions of their characters. Like the origin story, it doesn’t reboot so much as revive a franchise by giving us new information about the characters, just in the opposite temporal direction.
Anya Taylor-Joy leads the upcoming Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga as a young version of the fierce heroine / Photo via IMDb
But in a society that seems to be hurtling headfirst into the future, where technology seems to grow more sophisticated overnight, why do we constantly return to our roots? Why are we drawn to stories and characters from the past? Maybe we like to imagine the role modern devices and tools could play in the narratives we love. In its effort to make a classic plot relatable for teenagers today, the latest Mean Girls film uses social media and smartphone video formats to great effect. It’s almost as though the story grew older and tech-savvier with us, while capturing the adolescent experience as perfectly as it did in 2004.
In 2024, Regina George dominates social media platforms at North Shore High / Photo via IMDb
At the same time, it’s possible that the constant and rapid changes that seem to surround us in a tech-forward, post-pandemic world brings anxiety over the future towards which we are accelerating. The prevalence of streaming services offering nostalgic classics as well as the rise of binge-watching culture point to our craving for comfort from our content. From an industry perspective, what better way to meet this demand while also selling new content than by repackaging an old story?
However, this renaissance of stories from the past also suggests we pay attention to the future of our art amid rapid advances in technology that seeks to mimic human creativity. The success of rebooted and reframed stories is testament to the enduring popularity and cultural impact of their predecessors, created before the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Would a film or novel written by ChatGPT leave a similarly impressive legacy? Or is the secret ingredient of good content something as simple yet intangible as a human touch?
It’s hard to say for sure. As these technologies develop, there will likely be an increase in art created at least partially by AI. Whether this will stand the test of time as the predecessors to our newest reboots have is a question only the readers and viewers of the future can answer. For now, if this content renaissance teaches us anything, it should be the importance of protecting artists and regulating AI technology. This was one of the demands of the Writers Guild of America during their massive strike in 2023, which halted the writing and production of dozens of series and films including Euphoria, Stranger Things, and Marvel’s Fantastic Four. It is a testament to the importance of artists to our entertainment industry and indeed, to our culture, that major studios were forced to delay releases at a time when cash-making content seems to inundate our screens.
Art has gotten us through the best and worst of times. Think of a time you’ve rewarded yourself with a movie after finals, or all the shows you binged to escape the misery and uncertainty of the pandemic. Whether we’re celebrating, coping, or just trying to make sense of the world or ourselves, we turn to art and stories. It’s only fair that we respect the people that create them.
The five-month writers’ strike demanded restrictions on AI / Photo by Jay L. Clendenin via the Los Angeles Times
Whether they’re remakes, reimaginings, or something in between, the adaptation of old stories and characters for modern society gives us the opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come on matters like inclusivity and social justice since the original title came out. At the same time, they encourage us to ponder what makes a classic, and whether it could ever be recreated by a machine. For tales we know so well, they may have much to teach us yet.
In 2004, Mean Girls told us a story of losing yourself amid newness. The 2024 remake opens with a musical reminder to view the film as a cautionary tale, the moral of which remains the same as ten years ago: change will test you with all things shiny, fake, and plastic. Only by remaining true to your roots will you find your way to a happy ending. It’s a message of which we need to be reminded now more than ever.
