Are you a ’90s movie lover? A fan of Alicia Silverstone? An Austenite? Then you have a new reason to be excited (or scared) because—drum roll please—a Clueless remake is in the works!
So check it. A #Clueless remake is in the works at Paramount. Are you stoked or like, whatever? https://t.co/tCKrERfov0 pic.twitter.com/biKiWnaBEq
— IMDb (@IMDb) October 25, 2018
Clueless—for those who don’t know (gasp!)—is based on Jane Austen’s Emma, and follows a young, rich, superficial, and somewhat well-intentioned girl (as played by Alicia Silverstone) who tries to be a matchmaker and all-around meddler at her high school—to mixed results.
As an Austenite myself, I’m always at least a little apprehensive when there is news of an adaptation. I’m definitely willing to explore stories that rework the original text—I loved the Lost in Austen mini-series and The Lizzie Bennet Diaries—and I think that the right script can bring a lot of light and modernity to the original stories.
But I have to admit: Clueless was always a little bit of a struggle for me. On the one hand, it influenced a generation: “As if!” On the other, there was a lot of stuff I didn’t connect with—like the ridiculous wealth, the dating and teen sex, and the fact that the parents of these kids let them basically do whatever they wanted!
I’m curious as to what a Clueless 2.0 (or Emma 3.0, if you will) could look like. Will it still focus on teens, perhaps with some upgraded social commentary about their world of dating and culture? Or possibly it’ll shift the story to adults—and maybe Paul Rudd and Alicia Silverstone could reprise their roles as Mr. Knightley and Emma!
But since it might literally be YEARS before any details are confirmed or this film sees a theater—though in the meantime you can catch Clueless the musical when the Off-Broadway production premieres in December—let’s take a look at some of the books.
This post was originally published on GetLiterary.com.