Are Films and TV Having a Creativity Crisis?

David Tennant coming back to play the titular character in Doctor Who. Hugh Jackman having one
last hurrah (again) as Wolverine in Deadpool 3. Disney shovelling out remake after remake of their
classic tales. Are we relying too much on nostalgia to fuel our entertainment?

It definitely seems to be the case. Recently, film and TV have been heavily relying on that good old
feeling of nostalgia to itch that spot in our brains and to make us go “that’s Tobey Maguire as
Spiderman!” And yes, I would agree that it’s a delight to experience your childhood characters back
on screen after a long time. But as the entertainment industry seems to be losing all original ideas
for this blatant nostalgia bait, is that particular itch worth scratching?

Let’s have a look at why bringing back old favourites is such a big thing. The idea isn’t new, but it has
been revolutionised in the past decade. In the past 7 years we’ve seen Disney put out 11 remakes of
their classic films, Indiana Jones has come back for one more adventure twice in the last 15 years,
Marvel have been heavily leaning into their “multiverse” to bring back classic characters, and
Warner Bros. can practically smell the money that they will make from their Harry Potter TV remake.
And that’s the reason. Money. And lots of it.

In 2019, the remake of The Lion King grossed over $1 billion. Bringing back Tobey Maguire and
Andrew Garfield as the titular character, 2021’s Spiderman: No Way Home made $1.9 billion. David
Tennant and Catherine Tate’s return to Doctor Who after starring together 13 years ago has
generated the most attention that the show has gotten since Jodie Whittaker’s poorly received run
as the Doctor. The fact of the matter is that nostalgia brings lots of attention, and even more money
(and as we all know, these corporations love money).

But what does this mean for the creativity of the film and TV industry?
It means a lack of originality.

Film and TV corporations are putting a hefty amount of their resources into their remakes and
resurrections, so less money, effort and attention is being put into new, exciting stories. Of course,
we are still getting great standalone films to this day – the recent successes of Barbie and
Oppenheimer shows that original works are still highly loved and wanted. In fact, it shows that we
need more of them. Imagine the amazing, original, directorially-driven films we could get if the
entertainment industry was not hampered by this corporately-fuelled obsession with the same old
characters and stories.

And will this nostalgia infatuation ever end? Actually, it seems to be slowing down. The Little
Mermaid earlier this year grossed $569 million – a huge number, but much less than previous
remakes, and the film itself received less-favourable views than its predecessors. Similarly, Indiana
Jones and the Dial of Destiny made only $375 million on a $300 million budget, and with an extra
estimated $100 million spent on promotion, it’s a severe low compared to Disney’s expectations for
the film. Personally, I can’t see this deterring this focus on nostalgia bait for a while, with Disney
having planned another 10 live action remakes for the future, but it’s a step in the right direction for
new, original stories to take centre stage.

So, please, move over, Indiana – it’s time for a new age of cinema to take the spotlight.