Black-ish and Shaft writer Kenya Barris confirms he’s working on a remake of It’s A Wonderful Life because he believes it’s “the perfect story to tell for a person of color.”
Donna Reed as Mary Hatch in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), RKO Radio Pictures
Barris spoke to Variety about his remake saying, “I feel like Christmas movies are amazing and I think the idea of taking something that has that long of a history and a tale behind it and putting an amazing piece of talent to tell that story.”
He elaborated, “It’s a guy who’s trying to help out his community and things are going to turn around on him. I think that’s the perfect story to tell for a person of color — Black or brown — to get into that because our communities have some issues and someone trying to help that community out. I think that’s the perfect vehicle to tell that story from.”
Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), RKO Radio Pictures
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Barris also revealed he’s going to reimagine The Wizard of Oz with Variety sharing instead of having Dorothy being a farm girl from Kansas, she will now be living in an apartment complex called the Bottoms in Inglewood, California.
He said, “The original Wizard of Oz took place during the Great Depression and it was about self-reliance and what people were going through. I think this is the perfect time to switch the characters and talk about what someone imagines their life could be. It’s ultimately a hero’s journey, someone thinks something’s better than where they’re at, and they go and realize that where they’re at is where they should be.”
“I want people to be proud and happy about where they’re from. But I want the world to take a look at it and I hope that will come through,” he concluded.
Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz (1939), MGM
Barris would also explain why he’s not making original movies about his idea about a girl dreaming about a better life and realizing it’s better where she is or one with a similar plot to It’s A Wonderful Life, “I’m still a believer in IP. I think I get shit for it sometimes but I believe that the idea of some of those great stories – stories are all told again and again and again.”
“So having the opportunity to take some of those IPs and tell them from a different point of a view is a gift that I hopefully keep getting,” he finished.
James Stewart as George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), RKO Radio Pictures
It seems apparent that Barris does not feel like his ideas would be successful without glomming on to already well-loved and recognized IPs such as It’s A Wonderful Life and The Wizard of Oz.
Attempting to glom on to IP does not always translate into success and with more and more older properties coming into the public domain it’s likely this strategy will quickly become watered down as more and more people like Barris seemingly try to earn a quick buck by exploiting well-loved IP. Audiences are more discerning than ever and will quickly see through what writers, studios, and filmmakers like Barris are attempting to do.
This photo includes Kenya Barris, the Series Creator and Executive Producer of “Blackish.” (Photo/Sarah E. Freeman/Grady College, freemans@uga.edu in New York City, Georgia, on Saturday, May 21, 2016)
What do you make of Barris’ ideas to remake It’s a Wonderful Life and The Wizard of Oz?
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