Easy Rideris a classic; a Vietnam war era, drug-infused, sex-smattered journey into the rebel American soul. Released in 1969, the now-iconic motorcycle film featured a famous Peter Fonda, relatively unknown Jack Nickolson and first-time director Dennis Hopper. It was nominated for many awards, including Oscars, Golden Globes, and BAFTAS and won for directorial debut at the Cannes Festival. Made for $400,000 the film generated $60 million at the box office. Most memorably,Easy Ridercaptured an important shift in the American in psyche and it cemented an image of American bikers that has prevailed for generations. So why make another one?
Maurice Fadida of Kodiak Pictures wants to produce a modern version ofEasy Riderthat will be as significant to the youth of today as it was to movie-goers back then. “What the young viewers of today are experiencing in their everyday lives may seem crazy to older generations, but it can very well become the societal norm, as was the case with the cultural shift of the late 1960s,” explains Fadida. “We are hoping to play a part in that shift. Our goal is to build upon the counterculture and freedom narrative the original left us with and give the youth of today a film that pays serious attention to their own countercultures and challenges.”
Remakes are risky, and not just because most people are nostalgic about the past, but because sometimes it isn’t just the cellulose that doesn’t age well. The expressions of discontent inEasy Riderwere still edgy in the late 60’s. Now reckless drug and alcohol use, “free love”, and gratuitous philosophizing about being “misunderstood” complemented by a backdrop of tricked-out hard tails are less about progressive rebellion and more about the kind of self-interest and self-sabotage gifted to us by seven second-rate seasons of “Sons of Anarchy.”
There has been one previous attempt to revive theEasy Riderlegacy. In 2012, Dustin Rikert directed the prequelEasy Rider: The Ride Backwhich more thoroughly explored the life and struggles of Fonda’s character Wyatt Williams. It bombed. Famous film critic Leonard Maltin described it as “poor on all accounts” and a “staggeringly bad attempt to cash in on the iconic original.” The new owners of the film rights are surely hoping that their fresh ‘like-Creed-is-to-Rocky’will be the perfect revival of theEasy Riderlegend. Stay tuned.
