Welcome back to the Pagan News Beagle. Four our weekly segment Airy Monday today we have a selection of stories about reboots—that is to say up and coming re-imaginings of popular franchises that scrap previous continuity in favor of starting fresh. In particular, we have several pieces on magical, religious, or paranormal-themed fiction that are getting reboots, from Xena: The Warrior Princess to Ghostbusters to even the Arthurian fiction of T.H. White (by way of Disney). All this and more for the Pagan News Beagle!
"Who you gonna call?" For many who grew up in the 1980s or 1990s the question has an inevitable answer: "Ghostbusters!" Now, after decades in hibernation, the franchise is looking to come back in a big way courtesy of Paul Feig and his new all-female re-imagining of the 1984 horror-comedy classic. You can learn more about the upcoming reboot, including character names and what props they'll be using, from CNN.
The internet, films, and television may be all the rage these days but with novels like Go Set a Watchman and The Martian continuing to sell like hotcakes it's clear good old-fashioned books aren't going anywhere. But what about bookstores? Whether or not the idea of a "brick and mortar" bookshop still holds some appeal in your eyes, you may want to check out this piece by The Guardian, about why some customers prefer them to online stores.
Alongside 3D-animated films like Frozen or Big Hero Six, a recent trend by Disney has been to revisit its old 2D-animated classics like Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella and give them a modern, live action take. But has Disney finally gone one bridge too far? io9's James Whitbrook apparently thinks so as he comments upon Disney's most recently announced remake: The Sword in the Stone.
"Women don't sell." It's a common enough sentiment in media, extending from the big studios' reluctance to adapt female superheroes to film even in the midst of a major boom for the genre to video game studios' reluctance to feature female protagonists in their games. But is it true? Chris Isaac of The Mary Sue argues it isn't so and shares several counter-examples that show how video games centered around women can succeed.
One of the most beloved television characters of the 1990s, alongside Buffy Summers and Rachel Green, was undoubtedly Xena, the so-called warrior princess as portrayed by actress Lucy Lawless. It's been over ten years since the show was last on the air but now it looks like it might be coming back. According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC is hard at work on a new version of the series, with the aid of original producers Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi. What do you think: are you interested in seeing the legendary warlord turned heroine on screen again?