Yeah, you read that right. Sony has decided that they do need to get some girl power up in the superhero game and for some strange reason they picked Sabrina the Teenage Witch to do it. As awesome as it is that we women-folk will be able to get behind their own comic book character (apparently the show was based of a 1960′s Archie comic strip), I’m not sure Sabrina was the right way to go. I mean, she’s not a bad ass like Katniss Everdeen – which is the female star power that Sony is probably hoping for. According to Deadline, “the live action film will be an origin story in the vein of ‘Spiderman’, about a young girl coming to terms with her remarkable powers.” I’m not sure they get the point of the series if they’re trying to make it an “edgy” adaptation.
Back when I was a 90′s kid there were a few things that I couldn’t miss: the Spice Girl’s concert, N*Sync on TRL, and TGIF. On ABC every Friday they had a great line-up of shows, including the greats like Boy Meets World and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I watched it religiously, even giving up watching afternoon shows in order to claim control of the television that night. Sabrina was delightfully cheesy and featured the teenage sorceress (played by Melissa Joan Hart) getting herself into ridiculous magical situations along with her two aunts and her sarcastic cat Salem. I think the kitty was my favorite part of the show, played by both a live black cat and an obviously animatronic talking fuzzy robot.
Apparently, according to Deadline’s scoop, the Salem character will be going through some changes. In addition to Sabrina being “edgier”, Salem won’t be so much her friendly mentor as her love guru. He’s now a “transformed prince creating unique love stories for Sabrina”. I’m not really sure what that means, but it doesn’t sound like the charmingly grumpy cat will be the same. I suppose I should check out the comic and see what the show was based on before I make judgements about the changes. It could be that the 90′s sitcom was the one screwing with the story, and all the fans of the Archie comics were just as mad as I might be if it turns out the movie is terrible. Mark Waters (the guy who directed Mean Girls) is the one who presented the story to Sony, so at least someone who knows what they’re doing with a strong female character is involved.
I’m still not sure that I want my 90′s childhood ruined by some edgy origin story. But it could turn out to be both a nostalgic trip down memory lane as well as a cool fantasy movie. There could be hope if they embrace some cheesy elements in with the revamp. It might be possible to create a decent movie that my generation can appreciate along with the kids today who have seen more superhero movies than there are episodes of One Tree Hill (which is way too many, there is no reason that show should have lasted 9 seasons). I suppose we’ll get more details as time marches on. Until then, we can simply pray that the magic will remain in Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
What do you guys think of Hollywood trying to re-do Sabrina? Are you excited or outraged?
