Jenna Ortegaoffers up her opinions on gender-swapped film remakes with female leads. Over the past few years, making gender-swapped versions of classic films has become increasingly popular. Themost infamous example of this was Paul Feig’s 2016 remake ofGhostbusters, which took the Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd-led original and instead cast a leading quartet of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. AlthoughGhostbustersis underrated, it got negative reviews when it was released.
Now,Wednesdayactor Ortega weighs in on her thoughts on the gender-swapped film remake.
In an interview withMTV, Ortega notes that she loves “that there’s a lot more female leadsnowadays,” but she does not necessarily want to see more gender-swapped spinoffs. Referring to this trend,Ortega says she doesn’t “want to see like Jamie Bond.“Instead, she would rather see women lead original franchises, playing “another badass.” Check out the full quote from Ortega below:
I love that there’s a lot more female leads nowadays, I think that’s so special, but we should have our own. I don’t like it when it’s like a spinoff — like I don’t want to see like ‘Jamie Bond.’ You know? I want to see just like, another badass.
Why Jenna Ortega Is Right About Gender-Swapped Remakes
Gender-Swapped Remakes Can Make Missteps
Other movies have used a gender-swap premise in their reboot. TheMen in Blackseries released the spinoff filmMen in Black: Internationalin 2019 and cast superstar actor Tessa Thompson in one of the lead roles. Despite Thompson’s history playing action roles,Men in Black: Internationalreverts to making frustrating references to her character being a woman. Other gender-swapped spinoffs in recent years includeOcean’s 8,What Men Want, and the role of M inJames Bond. While some have been more successful than others, gender-swapped roles can offer a new perspective, as seen in theHigh Fidelityreboot.
Wednesdaywas an immense success for Netflix, showing the potential of these types of stories.
Ortega wants to see more movies craft new action stories for women instead ofgender-swapped reboots. Part of this phenomenon may come downwomen-led action franchises sometimes struggling.A prime example of this is the pre-pandemic 2020 action filmThe RhythmSection, which saw Blake Lively in a Jason Bourne-like role.The Rhythm Sectionbombed, making only $5.9 million worldwide against an estimated $50 million budget.
The Rhythm Section: 5 Reasons It Should Be The Next Big Action Franchise (& 5 It Shouldn’t)
Revenge flick The Rhythm Section has a lot of the right pieces to become the next big action franchise, but roughly as many reasons why it shouldn’t.
However, more recent attempts at female-led films seem far more promising.Greta Gerwig’sBarbieshowed just how far a female-led movie could go, bringing in over $1 billion at the global box office.Ortega’s own series, Wednesday, also focused on a teenage girl, Wednesday, and her best friend Enid at the center of the story.Wednesdaywas an immense success for Netflix, showing the potential of these types of stories. There is a long way for Hollywood to go in terms of featuring women more, but it seems like simply making gender-swapped reboots may not be the best choice.
Source:MTV/YouTube
James Bond
The James Bond franchise follows the adventures of British secret agent 007 as he combats global threats. With a license to kill, Bond faces off against various villains and criminal organizations, employing high-tech gadgets, espionage, and charm. The series spans multiple films, featuring exotic locations, thrilling action sequences, and memorable characters. Bond’s mission to protect the world and uphold justice remains central, making the franchise an enduring icon in the spy genre.
