Very few movies are safe from the threat of ever being remade, but there are a select few that have simply resisted any and all attempts to make it happen, with 1976 sci-fi classic Logan’s Run one of the most notable.
The adaptation of the 1967 novel of the same name was a huge hit at the time of its release, recouping its production budget almost four times over at the box office, and landing three Academy Award nominations. In fact, the visual effects used to bring the dystopian world to life were so impressive that Logan’s Run was even given an honorary Special Achievement Award by the Oscars.
A short-lived TV spinoff emerged the following year, but ever since the 1990s, plans for a remake have continuously fallen by the wayside. Among the names to have given it the old college try are legendary producer Joel Silver, the disgraced Bryan Singer, Top Gun: Maverick‘s Joseph Kosinski, Drive‘s Nicolas Winding Refn, and 47 Ronin‘s Carl Rinsch.
If you thought we were done, we haven’t even mentioned Ex Machina‘s Alex Garland, Mission: Impossible‘s Christopher McQuarrie, or the many other writers, directors, and filmmakers who tried and failed to get a new spin on Logan’s Run off the ground. Ironically, Michael Bay probably came closest, even if nobody would admit where The Island got its inspiration.
On the plus side, audiences are still keen to check out the original, with Michael York’s title hero going undercover to try and stop a revolution before becoming its key instigator in the far-flung future of 2274 currently flying high as one of the most-watched features on iTunes, per FlixPatrol. Maybe one day it’ll happen, but history hints it may not.