Since everyone, everywhere is remaking everything, “Trainspotting” author Irvine Welsch has decided to remake The Magnificent Seven, the remake of Seven Samurai, as a soccer hooligan story titled The Magnificent Eleven.
I see no reason for calling it a remake.
Of course, we’ve known about this project for almost a full year, but it hasn’t had any steam until now with the casting news (according to ScreenDaily) that Sean Bean and Dougray Scott are joining the football club.
I see the thematic links – a group of people protecting something – which is why instead of pointing out that loosely basing something on something else doesn’t necessarily warrant a similar title (that goes for the original remake as well), I choose to point out that since Avatar featured a group of people protecting something, it should have been called The Magnificent Blue One Thousand.
Screen Daily describes the plot quickly by highlighting the groups involved:
the Cowboys are a local amateur soccer team, the Indians run a nearby Tandoori restaurant and the bandits are a group of menacing thugs run by a maniac called Blonde Bob.
So it’s not a remake of Shaolin Soccer? Or Shaolin Soccer meets Bend It Like Beckham?
I’m confused.
The on-the-nose elements are a little bit stupid, but if the movie handles them that way it could be a lot of fun. I’m also unclear as to whether a bunch of people will get killed on the pitch, but I’ve got my fingers crossed.
I also have them crossed that the name will eventually change to The Bloody Eleven.
What do you think?