Variety reports that a reboot is in the works for the 2004 sci-fi thriller The Butterfly Effect, with the original’s writer and director Eric Bress attached to write the script for the update.
The original film starred Ashton Kutcher and was a big hit for New Line Cinema, grossing a worldwide total of $96 million on a budget of $13 million, despite mixed to negative reviews from critics, so it was only a matter of time until a reboot got off the ground. Critics disliked the film’s dark tone and had problems with its inconsistent use of time travel mechanics, though audiences flocked to it in droves.
In The Butterfly Effect, Kutcher played a man who travels back in time to correct past mistakes, only to realize that small actions in the past have unexpected consequences for his future self and the people around him.
No director is currently attached to the project.
New Line-based production companies Benderspink (We’re the Millers) and FilmEngine (Lucky Number Slevin) will collaborate on the new Butterfly Effect. Along with Chris Bender, JC Spink and FilmEngine president Navid McIllhargey, Anthony Rhulen and A.J. Dix will also serve as producers.
Hopefully, with so many people involved with the original on board, this new Butterfly Effect will be better than the two direct-to-DVD sequels that Kutcher’s original spawned.
If The Butterfly Effect can earn a reboot, perhaps there’s still hope for fans of other underwhelming cult films. What movies would you like to see get the reboot treatment? Who would you cast in the Ashton Kutcher role (I hear Ashton Kutcher’s schedule is still wide open)? Are there any directors you’d like to see take on this kind of twisty time-travel thriller? Is revisiting The Butterfly Effect a great opportunity, or just another example of the demise of original thought in Hollywood? Let us know in the comments section.