Women Deserve More Than The Crap Reboots They Keep Making For Us

After the box office and critical successes of female-led movies like Bridesmaids and Trainwreck, it seemed like the tide could finally change for women in film, opening the door to starring roles in exciting, original movies. That is, until it didn't. The options for women recently have largely been limited to a female-led reboot of an '80s comedy franchise (Ghostbusters) and spinoff of a remake of a 1960 heist film (the Oceans trilogy). The former received a ridiculous amount of backlash and negative press, and the latter...well, it's too early to tell, but it doesn't seem promising. Never one to rest on its laurels, Hollywood basically keeps putting women in tired, lame rehashes of previously successful franchises — and the latest one feels entirely unnecessary and especially maddening. In "things we don't need or particularly want," there's a spinoff of the Jump Street series in the works, except it'll feature female cops instead of male cops. Are your eyes rolling? Ours are. 21 Jump Street was originally a TV series back in the '80s (notable mostly for bringing Johnny Depp into the public eye) and, of course, was remade into a movie starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in 2012. The film was a commercial success, so it naturally spawned a sequel, 22 Jump Street, two years later. If you haven't learned by now that Hollywood is quite fond of recycling ideas in any way it can, Deadline first reported that a spinoff centered on female cops is coming. And to add insult to injury? The script was written by, and will likely be directed by, a man. So not only is there a serious lack of films starring women, but what we're getting is a spinoff of a reheated '80s TV show remake...that's written and directed by a guy. Taking the fact that it's a "female" spinoff aside, does the world actually need another Jump Street movie? Why can't women get their own new ideas, new storylines, and new characters? What should have been a moment for some of the most talented women in comedy to shine (and make much-deserved bank at the box office!), Ghostbusters ended up being overshadowed by sexist commentary and harsh reviews. The forthcoming Ocean's Eight features a cast of diverse and insanely talented actors, from Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett to Mindy Kaling and Rihanna, and yet I can't help but feel that these women should be starring in their own brand new franchises. Point blank: Women want so much more than cheap, reheated remakes of other remakes. When will original movies like Bridesmaids and Trainwreck become the norm and not exceptions to the rule?