‘She’s All That’ Remake in the Works Because Sure, Why Not

We have reached peak nostalgia. Movies based on toys and games, remakes of those movies you liked when you were younger, and revivals of shows like The X-Files and Full House and…Coach. These are strange times indeed, and even stranger times when beloved 1999 rom-com She’s All That is getting a remake. Was she not “all that” enough the first time around?

The late ‘90s were a great time for teen rom-coms, like She’s All That, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Never Been Kissed. According to Tracking Board, it looks as though The Weinstein Company and Miramax are looking to recapture some of that magic with a remake of She’s All That, the 1999 film starring Rachael Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr.

Rather than develop new, original teen rom-com ideas to revive the sub-genre, the studios are trying to duplicate a proven success — She’s All That was number one in its opening weekend at the box office, eventually grossing $104 million worldwide. The original film is great on its own and aside from some fashion and music choices, the story is fairly timeless and continues to hold up 16 years after it was released.

She’s All That follows popular football player Zack (Prinze Jr.), whose girlfriend dumps him for one of the guys from the Real World (Matthew Lillard). Left without a date for the prom, Zack makes a bet with his friend that he can turn any girl in the school into prom queen. His friend chooses Laney (Cook), a creative, nerdy and unpopular girl. Zack’s plan backfires when he falls for Laney, of course. The film featured a great supporting cast, including Anna Paquin, Paul Walker, Kieran Culkin, Elden Henson, Gabrielle Union, and Clea DuVall.

While I’m not exactly thrilled with this remake idea, it’ll be interesting to see how the studios approach it. Will they reverse the gender roles and make He’s All That? Or will they simply repurpose the plot and give it an update with a more contemporary title?