Co-directors say 'Vacation' not 'remake,' it's a 'reboot'

Christina Applegate (standing, from left), Ed Helms, Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo and Skyler Gisondo (kneeling, left) and Steele Stebbins appear in a scene from "Vacation." In Hollywood’s laziness, the movie industry has increasingly turned to reviving classic comedies. The latest attempt is "Vacation," a new try at the 1983 classic "National Lampoon film starring Chase. He makes a cameo in the latest "Vacation."
Christina Applegate (standing, from left), Ed Helms, Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo and Skyler Gisondo (kneeling, left) and Steele Stebbins appear in a scene from "Vacation." In Hollywood’s laziness, the movie industry has increasingly turned to reviving classic comedies. The latest attempt is "Vacation," a new try at the 1983 classic "National Lampoon film starring Chase. He makes a cameo in the latest "Vacation."

To Hollywood, "reboot" is a four-letter word.

Or, at least, it appears that way when filmmakers and stars alike bend over backward to describe their projects as anything other than a "reboot." Instead, they use words like "revisit" and "reimagining." The movie site Indiewire even argued for "rebirth."

An exception that proves this rule is the team behind the new Vacation movie: Writer-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein view reboot as a fairly innocent term; "remake" was the label they feared.

"That was definitely a word that we have tried to be very clear that we are not," Goldstein says. "This is not trying to replicate or do over what Chevy Chase did in 1983."

Daley adds, "As long as it's really funny, people aren't going to be quite as concerned with the technical aspects of whether or not it's a reboot, remake or sequel."

In the film, Ed Helms plays a grown-up Rusty Griswold, who, like his father before him, attempts a wholesome family road trip to the Walley World theme park, but shenanigans confound his good intentions at every turn.

The Vacation franchise is particularly well-suited for a reboot given its own wink-and-nod casting history for the Griswold children. The heads of the family were always played by Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, a thread that continues with the new film. But the role of Rusty has been played by a different actor with each entry: Anthony Michael Hall in National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Jason Lively in European Vacation (1985), Johnny Galecki in Christmas Vacation (1989) and Ethan Embry in Vegas Vacation (1997).

This turnover provided some creative leeway for Daley and Goldstein. No fan could cry foul at continuing the Griswold story while also recasting the characters, because it's already been done. Their film is essentially a sequel and a reboot.

Still, Daley and Goldstein pre-emptively address any audience skepticism.

"We made sure to include a slightly meta-conversation that Rusty has with the Griswolds where he assures them that this is going to be different from the original Vacation," Daley says.

Goldstein thought of it as a conversation with the audience: "We know what you're thinking, but give us a chance."

Reboot, remake, revisit. In the end, is there a difference? Perhaps this handy guide will help you parse the jargon (or just increase the debate).

The Sequel

Definition: If the last film was a financial success, don't rock the boat. Add a number/letter/subtitle on the end of the original title to suggest this one is bigger and better.

Examples: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Magic Mike XXL, Pitch Perfect 2 and Mission: Impossible -- Rogue Nation.

The Remake

Definition: Telling the exact same story as the original, with modern gadgets.

Example: Poltergeist.

The Reboot

Definition: Trying to recapture the glory of a dormant franchise.

Example: Vacation.

The Revisit

Definition: It's really the same thing as a reboot.

Example(s): Mad Max: Fury Road. While promoting the film earlier this year, director George Miller and star Tom Hardy insisted it be called a revisit.

The Reimagining

Definition: Acknowledges only the cherished entries in the franchise and ignores the others.

Examples: According to David Ellison, producer of the recent Terminator: Genisys, it "is not a remake; it's not a reboot; it's not a sequel -- it's really a reimagining based on the Cameron source material." Best that we all forget Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) and Terminator Salvation (2009).

Jurassic World also falls in this category. Even as early as the fall of 2013, director Colin Trevorrow hesitated to use the word "reboot" while also saying goodbye to continuity from The Lost World (1997) and Jurassic Park III (2001).

The Reset

Definition: New cast, same origin story. Needed when the previous entry is perceived to have failed creatively or financially. Skating by on brand recognition.

Examples: Fantastic Four (due out Friday) and The Transporter Refueled (set for September).

The Revise

Definition: Altering the continuity order of a franchise, to the edge of all logical sense.

Examples: The Fast and the Furious films. Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011) and Fast & Furious 6 (2013) all take place before the events in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (which came out in 2006 and was the third film in the series). But Furious 7, which came out in April, takes place afterward. Not confusing at all.

Style on 08/04/2015

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