Kenya Barris loves remakes and reboots, despite what critics say about the frequent reimaginings of favorite films in recent years.
On the red carpet for the premiere of the new BET+ series Diarra from Detroit earlier this week, the Negro creator, 49, tells PEOPLE about his upcoming projects — and why he’s not afraid to remake some Hollywood classics in his own image.
“I want all the remakes!” tells PEOPLE. “I’m doing new stuff too, but I feel like there aren’t really any new stories, if we’re being honest, you know what I’m saying?”
According to the writer and producer, he is currently gearing up to release a sequel to his recent remake of the 1992 comedy. White people can’t jump.
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“It’s like we’re all kind of, you know, man against man, man against nature,” he says, discussing the story structures audiences are familiar with. “They’re all kind of the same thing. So I like the idea of having a piece of IP [intellectual property] at a time when it was difficult to fit people in the seats. And if you want to do theatrical things, sometimes if you have a piece of IP that speaks to a lot of people, that gives you something.”
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Reflecting on the recent wave of remakes, Barris says he has some clear favorites — Dune, among them, the science fiction book franchise that was first filmed in 1984 stands out.
“I love it Dune”, says Barris. “Dune has been done before. It’s the best. I say, and I feel like Denis [Villeneuve, the director of the recent Dune films] did something incredible to revive it in a different way. So I don’t worry about it.”
As of 2019, Barris has been the driving creative force—whether as writer, director, or both—behind numerous film and TV remakes, including the 2019 Shaft starring Samuel L. Jackson, the second part of the series 2 America is coming franchise starring Eddie Murphy, a reimagining of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel Witches 2020 and a remake of Steve Martin’s 2003 comedy Dozens cheaper.
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And in 2022, it was announced that Barris would also direct a remake of the film Wizard of Ozwhich should take place in present-day Inglewood, California, as well as the remake of the film It’s a wonderful life, which he told Diversity will have a non-white lead actor.
“This is really a year where I’m really counting my blessings and I want to be really focused and make sure these things turn out well,” he tells PEOPLE, referring to his recent projects, which also include a biopic about comedian Richard Pryor and a sequel Girls trip.
“… Everyone is on [the] green light,” he added. »We’re all trying to get them going. I hope to direct. I hope I can come A wonderful life this year. It’s like a big, big project for me. I would love to do that as the second film I do [this year].”
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Barris still, of course, seizes opportunities to tell entirely new stories, including Diarra from Detroit. The thriller series follows a teacher who goes on a journey to find a man who saw her as a ghost after a Tinder date, with Barris serving as an executive producer alongside series creator Diarra Kilpatrick.
“It’s refreshing and relaxing to see someone who has vision and talent and knows what they want and doesn’t like to need to, you know, other than some conversations and some things here,” he says of Kilpatrick.
“She’s really doing her thing and I feel like that’s what I want,” he concludes. “I’m just working my way up to be able to somehow deal with that kind of talent, to be a part of watching them grow.”
Diarra from Detroit premiered March 21 on BET+.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education