How Original Stars Really Feel About Their Shows and Movies Being Remade

Following the reboot announcement in the summer of 2018, the Buffyverse became a divided fanbase, with many upset the show wouldn't feature Gellar in the titular role.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about great storytelling,” Gellar told PEOPLE months later. “If a story lives on, then I think it should be told in any incarnation it can be told in.”

Gellar’s positive comments about the Buffy reboot came hours after her former costar David Boreanaz addressed a packed room of Buffy fans at New York Comic-Con, where rounds of audible boos were reportedly heard when the reboot was discussed.

“Come on, guys. It’s a good thing. Let’s just embrace [it]. I’m very happy for them. They want to embrace a new generation, something new. … I’m all for it. I think it’s fantastic. Good for them. I hope that it becomes huge and successful,” Boreanaz said at a panel moderated by Entertainment Weekly‘s Lynette Rice, according to multiple outlets.

In August, MTV announced its reboot of the L.A.-based reality show, with original stars Heidi and Spencer Pratt, Audrina Patridge, Jason Wahler, Justine Bobby, Whitney Port, Frankie Delgado and Stephanie Pratt returning for the new series. "Of course," former star Kristin Cavallari told E! When asked if she'll be watching the new version. "I'm just as excited as everybody else to see it." The star is even interested in doing a crossover with her own reality show, Very Cavallari. "I've been talking to Heidi and Audrina. I, of course, would love to be a part of it. Heidi and I have joked about swapping an episode [of The Hills] for an episode [of Very Cavallari]. So we'll have to bring it up with E! and MTV," she said.

Liu, who starred in the 2000 and 2003 Charlie's Angels films — that were themselves based on the '70s TV series — talked to ET about the upcoming cinematic reboot. "To me, I think it's very exciting. It's like Sherlock Holmes. The material in itself is a very different type of literature — and it's not necessarily literature. But it is something that people keep coming back to and they're drawn to," the Elementary actress said of the latest movie, which will be directed by Elizabeth Banks and star Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska. "That's something that needs to be explored and if it needs to be explored on all different levels, then it should be. It will only be a more positive result for women."

Combs and Doherty were not thrilled when The CW announced its "fierce, funny, feminist" reboot of the witch series. "Guess we forgot to do that the first go around. Hmph," Combs tweeted. "Here's the thing. Until you ask us to rewrite it like [showrunner] Brad Kern did weekly don't even think of capitalizing on our hard work." The actress spoke out again when in May 2018. "I will never understand what is fierce, funny, or feminist in creating a show that basically says the original actresses are too old to do a job they did 12 years ago," she wrote. "I hope the new show is far better than the marketing so the true legacy does remain. Reboots fair better when they honor the original as opposed to taking shots at the original."

Although she was open to the idea of a remake, Doherty, who starred in seasons 1-3 of the show before her character was killed off and Rose McGowan joined the cast, took issue with the announcement. "I'm intrigued by the idea that a new generation might be comforted, inspired like all you were. Charmed helped us all in some way," she told a fan on Twitter. "I love Charmed," she continued in a series of tweets. "I also want it to be respected. I'm simply choosing to be constructive about it because negativity has no place in my life … Their wording is terrible and a bit offensive. But, everyone makes mistakes. Perhaps with the backlash they will be more thoughtful in future.” The actress added that the announcement implying the original wasn’t feminist was “perhaps made by a millennial that never watched the show and just read a synopsis on it."

The iconic actor was far from a fan of Tim Burton's 2005 retelling of the Roald Dahl classic. "I think it's an insult," he told Turner Classic Movies of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. "Johnny Depp, I think, is a good actor, but I don't care for that director. He's a talented man, but I don’t care for him doing stuff like he did."

The star of the '70s superhero series liked the 2017 film adaptation just as much as critics. Carter even stepped in to defend the remake when director James Cameron called it a "step backwards." "To James Cameron -STOP dissing WW: You poor soul," she wrote on Facebook. "Perhaps you do not understand the character. I most certainly do. Like all women--we are more than the sum of our parts. Your thuggish jabs at a brilliant director, Patty Jenkins, are ill advised. This movie was spot on. Gal Gadot was great. I know, Mr. Cameron--because I have embodied this character for more than 40 years. So--STOP IT."

Kiernan Shipka is taking over as the teenage witch in the upcoming Netflix Riverdale-spinoff. "We're not involved… The rights reverted back to [Archie Comics], and they're doing The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which is a darker sort of twist," Hart said of the new series at L.A. Comic Con. "I think our show was about magic and family, and I think the new one — it sounds like, I have no idea — but the new one is going to be more about witchcraft, dark stuff. I think it sounds more Buffy the Vampire Slayer than it does Sabrina, so I think it will appeal to a different kind of audience and be a totally different show."

Dunst, who played Mary-Jane in Sam Raimi's 2002-2007 trilogy, is clear about which on-screen iteration of the Marvel character is her favorite. "We made the best ones, so who cares?" she told Marie Claire when asked for her opinion on the 2017 film. "I'm like, 'You make it all you want.' They're just milking that cow for money. It's so obvious. You know what I mean?"

Although he ended up making a cameo in the 2016 remake, Murrary was initially hesitant to see a new version of his 1984 comedy classic hit the big screen. "I thought about [the cameo] for a very long time," Murray told Vulture. "Like, many, many months. No, that's not right. I was seriously thinking about this for years, really … It kept eating at me, and I really respect those girls. And then I started to feel like if I didn’t do this movie, maybe somebody would write a bad review or something, thinking there was some sort of disapproval [on my part]."

Jones and Yost, who played Black Ranger Zack Taylor and Blue Ranger Billy Cranston in the '90s Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series, were let down by the 2017 movie. "I was a little disappointed that they changed the characters around a little bit because I wanted Zach to be with his kido because Hip Hop Kido [fighting style] was a really important element of who I was on Power Rangers," Jones told Comicbook. "I think if they would have added that then there could have been some parkour and there could have been so many other elements to that character that it would have been awesome."

"The only thing I care about progression wise when they do a sequel and they morph they better bring it and they better say 'It's Morphin Time,' " Yost added. "When we said, 'It's morphing time!,' it was like, 'S---'s about to go down;' when they said it in the movie it was so lackadaisical I was like, 'Are you kidding me?' "

The original Mrs. Potts was unenthused by news of a 2017 live-action reboot. "I was a bit taken aback, naturally. I thought, 'Why? Why are we doing this over again?' " she told Entertainment Weekly about her initial reaction. "But I guess, I don't know why they're doing it. But they are, and it will be interesting to see what they do with it ... I can't understand what they’re going to do with it that will be better than what we've already done. And how they're doing it live — it may turn out to be very entertaining and wonderful. It won't be like the cartoon that we did, but it’s a good story — it's one of the famous fairy stories that is known worldwide by children. Therefore, why not? I don't blame them for doing it."

Curry was optimistic after seeing the trailer for the latest take on Stephen King's tale. "I like [Bill] Skarsgard very much," he said of the actor who put a new spin on his role of Pennywise the clown. "I think he's very clever. It'll be interesting to see what sort of clown face he puts on. Because it's not an obvious clown face, at all. So, I'm fascinated to see it. I hope they make the end better, because on TV I turned into a sort of giant spider. And it was not very scary."

The voice actors weren't asked to return to the animated series when Cartoon Network brought it back in 2016. "I don't remember ordering a stab in the heart today," Strong tweeted about the announcement. "I have NO ILL FEELINGS 4 the actresses in the new #ppg, We were just beyond hurt we were NEVER asked..every role I breathe life into I love ... this one hit me hard." Cavadini added, "Wow! this does hurt my heart," while Daily wrote, "[Right] in the kisser! Hurts."