Free Republic

The “end of history” is over and Europe is experiencing a “transatlantic crisis”, says Ursula von der Leyen, former Angela Merkel acolyte turned European Commission supremo. “Another, new European Union” is needed to shape the “new world order” emerging out of power struggles between the United States, China, and Russia the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told a German newspaper. Speaking to Die Zeit, the top Eurocrat expressed her interpretation of events that “The West as we knew it no longer exists”, stating that beyond the old understanding of what countries were Western and which not,...

Promotional Image Courtesy of Disney I have been watching the drama over Disney's reboot of "Snow White" with both fascination and dismay. It's not the good kind of fascination either. It's more like viewing a train derailment from a high rise building a couple of blocks away — you don't want to see it, but you can't stop looking. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," is one of the most famous adages that we all seem to learn very early in adulthood, if not earlier. It's not universally applicable, of course. A misapplication of that idea could lead to...

The 19th century Ingalls family is getting a 21st century TV life. Netflix has ordered a Little House on the Prairie series, 40-plus years after a long-running adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved books aired its last episode on NBC. The new version comes from showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, The Vampire Diaries). “Little House on the Prairie has captured the hearts and imaginations of so many fans around the world, and we’re excited to share its enduring themes of hope and optimism with a fresh take on this iconic story,” said Jinny Howe, vp drama series for Netflix. “Rebecca’s...

Laura Ingalls Wilder did not cross the country in a covered wagon and triumph over wolves, floods, Indians, and malaria to have her life’s work rewritten by Los Angeles green juice yuppies, but here we are. Netflix officially announced a “Little House on the Prairie” reboot is in the works, and we should prepare for the worst. Both Wilder’s autobiographical book series and the television series that ran from 1974 to 1983 are deeply popular with Americans because they tapped into a pivotal moment in the country’s history — the westward expansion and the settling of the frontier. The story...

President Donald Trump‘s second Oval Office got its big debut Monday, including the return of an Andrew Jackson portrait and the reemergence of the Reagan rug. The rug, which was in place during Ronald Reagan’s administration and during Trump’s first term, was reinstalled during Trump’s inauguration ceremony, according to CBS News. The Resolute Desk had to be partially disassembled in order to facilitate its return. The Andrew Jackson portrait has drawn controversy because Jackson, the nation’s seventh president, signed the Indian Removal Act, resulting in the Trail of Tears, and remains a polarizing figure almost 180 years after his death....

Someone recently suggested that as Artificial Intelligence progresses, it may well put a lot of postmodern college professors and other abstruse theorists out of business. Forget the ancient debate about whether ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas movie (it is, of course); our pal Josh Dunn of the University of Tennessee decided to test this proposition by asking ChatGPT to produce a plot summary of ‘Die Hard’ as written by PoMo major domo Jacques Derrida, and this is the result: Ah, Die Hard, a text of explosive multiplicities, invites us to deconstruct its narrative architecture, its spatial-temporal labyrinth, and the aporia...

On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Source,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) reacted to President Joe Biden’s comments about supporters of 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump by saying that Biden’s words are “certainly not words that I would choose, and I think it’s important that we remain focused on the contrast between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump and not attacking supporters of either candidate.” Shapiro said that he had not heard the comments until that very moment, “So, I’m kind of giving you my fresh reaction to it. I would never insult the good people of Pennsylvania...

EXCLUSIVE: Saddle up! One of the great westerns is getting a remake. Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood classic A Fistful Of Dollars is set for a movie remake from Euro Gang Entertainment, the company founded by Hollywood vet Gianni Nunnari (300) and Simon Horsman (Magazine Dreams), alongside Italian production vet Enzo Sisti (Ripley) of FPC, and Rome-based Jolly Film, which produced the original movie. Hit western A Fistful of Dollars is the story of a wandering gunfighter with no name who plays two rival families against each other in a town torn apart by greed, pride, and revenge.

A remake of the 1960s cult classic Barbarella is currently in the works with Sydney Sweeney set to star, and there are already a ton of exciting updates about the new movie. Based on the French comic series by artist Jean-Claude Forest, 1968's Barbarella stars Jane Fonda as the titular space traveler who is dispatched on a dangerous mission to find the evil scientist Durand Durand who has created a weapon that could destroy all humanity. Though not as famous as contemporaries like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barbarella helped shape the face of science fiction for decades to come.

Legendary Hollywood gems like the “Wizard Of Oz” and the Christmas classic “It’s A Wonderful Life” are both getting what director and writer Kenya Barris is calling a “diverse” reboot. Speaking to Variety at the Sundance Film Festival, Barris confirmed he’s working on scripts for both films and giving the Judy Garland 1939 movie a new look with a story told from a “different point of a view.” “The original ‘Wizard of Oz’ took place during the Great Depression and it was about self-reliance and what people were going through,” Barris told the outlet. “I think this is the perfect...

Nothing is sacred in Hollywood. Everything they own the rights to is just possible fodder for a remake or re-imagining. While Disney is notorious for this, Paramount is taking its swing at the title for “most unwanted reimagining” with a remake of “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Paramount, along with “Black-ish” director Kenya Barris, plans on remaking the iconic holiday film for modern audiences by remaking the film with POC actors because that worked out so well for “The Wonder Years” reboot. Barris mentioned this project, along with a new “Wizard of Oz” film set in Inglewood at the Sundance Film...

Bradley Cooper is set to star in Steven Spielberg’s next film, an original feature based on the character of Frank Bullitt, the no-nonsense San Francisco cop played by Steve McQueen in the 1968 action-thriller “Bullitt.” Josh Singer (“The Post,” “Spotlight”) is writing the screenplay for the film, which is currently in development at Warner Bros. Though plot details haven’t been revealed, the forthcoming production is expected to follow Bullitt on an entirely different exploit than the McQueen original’s. Warner Bros. released the original “Bullitt,” which was directed by Peter Yates and based on the 1963 novel “Mute Witness.” In what...

NEW YORK (AP) — Despite critical acclaim and two years-worth of anticipation, Steven Spielberg’s lavish “West Side Story” revival made little noise at the box office, debuting with $10.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday — a worrisome result for a movie industry struggling to recapture its finger-snapping rhythm. A dazzling widescreen adaptation and Spielberg’s first musical, “West Side Story” was one of the year’s most eagerly awaited titles. With a script by Tony Kushner and Rita Moreno returning to her breakthrough film 60 years later, the $100-million “West Side Story” epitomizes a grand-scale prestige film that...

"West Side Story" had little to sing about this weekend. 20th Century Studios' remake of the 1961 classic musical brought in an estimated $10.5 million for its opening in North America this weekend. This total was below expectations, which projected the film to make closer to $15 million in its debut weekend. The total is a bit surprising considering that the film had a lot working in its favor. For starters, it is directed by Steven Spielberg, one of the most recognizable and blockbuster directors in history. His name alone appeared to not be enough to get people to buy...

A new version of the Little House on the Prairie is in the works for television. Anonymous Content, Paramount Television, and Friendly Family Productions are developing a one-hour dramatic series adaptation of Little House on the Prairie based on the bestselling novels by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Anonymous Content and Paramount Television Studios will serve as co-studios on the project. Little House on the Prairie, based on Wilder’s novels, aired for nine seasons on NBC From September 1974 to May 1982. Starring Michael Landon, Melissa Gilbert, Karen Grassle, and Melissa Sue Anderson, the historical Western drama revolved around a family living...

That eternal TV question may finally get answered: A revival of Who’s the Boss? is in development, with original stars Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano returning to reprise their roles, our sister site Deadline reports. The sequel series, which will be shopped to networks and streaming services by producers Sony Pictures Television, will take place 30 years later, with Milano’s Samantha now grown up and a single mother, living in the same house as the original series. The new take “will explore generational differences, as well as opposing world views and parenting styles within the dynamic of a modern family...

A reboot of “The Wonder Years” has landed a pilot production commitment at ABC. The new half-hour comedy series would focus on how a black middle class family in Montgomery, Alabama in the turbulent late 1960’s made sure it was The Wonder Years for them too. That puts the new show in the same time period as the original series, which was set between 1968 and 1973. A mini writer’s room for the show will be opened once ABC approves a pilot script. Saladin K. Patterson will write and executive produce. Lee Daniels and Marc Velez will executive produce via...

The filmmaker behind The Amazing Spider-Man films is casting his web on a Disney classic. Marc Webb is in talks to direct a live-action remake of Snow White, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The project started taking shape in 2016, when The Girl on the Train screenwriter Erin Cressida was tapped to write the script. La La Land songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are writing new songs for the project, and Marc Platt is producing. Webb rose to prominence with 2009's 500 Days of Summer, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, and went on to helm The Amazing Spider-Man...

“I think the thing off the top of my head might be, ‘It’s about f***ing time,'” says Sam Elliott, in the wake of his first ever Oscar nomination. “Beyond that, it’s really about the work; it’s just about the creative process. It’s great to be recognized for that, that’s really all it’s about.”

Norman Lear continues to defy convention about career longevity and age. The TV icon, who today celebrates his 96th birthday, and his Act III production company have signed a two-year first look deal with Sony Pictures TV. The pact includes the option to re-imagine titles from Lear’s extensive library including All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, Maude and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, among others. “I couldn’t be prouder and more excited about joining Sony Pictures Television, who has the guts to go with a kid,” Lear quipped. Sony Pictures TV, which owns the Norman Lear library, has been...