Anything a man can do, a woman can do better. At least, that's what we're anticipating from the just-announced all-female cast of the new "Ghostbusters" movie.
The shake-up got us thinking: What other dusty old movies could use a gender reboot? Ditch the male leads for women, or vice versa. Could be fun.
Of course, this tactic hasn't always worked. Remember "The Karate Kid 4" with Hilary Swank? Yeah, no one else does either.
But the female "Ghostbusters" shows promise (especially with Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig signed on). A good reboot happens when the franchise has either grown stale (think "Spider-yawn") or decades have passed since the beloved classic was first released (a la "Ghostbusters").
Hollywood would be smart to relaunch the following movies with these gender switcheroos:
Animal House
The switch: Easy. Set the frat comedy classic in a sorority house.
The cast: Instead of John Belushi, bring in Melissa McCarthy. "College" will never be the same.
Charlie's Angels
The switch: Swapping genders might not sound that revolutionary. After all, there are plenty of dudes fighting crime. But imagine Charlie as a woman.
The cast: Helen Mirren bossing around her Angels — Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Idris Elba — sounds like way too much fun.
Lethal Weapon
The switch: Did this buddy-cop franchise really need three sequels starring crazy Mel Gibson and stoic Danny Glover? A strong pair of ladies could revitalize the series.
The cast: Angelina Jolie doesn't really have to stretch to play "crazy," and haven't you always wanted to see Oprah blow stuff up?
Sex and the City
The switch: Simply changing the fab foursome to a cast of straight guys sounds like a bore of a "Hangover" sequel. But make the four friends a group of dashing gay men and let the fun commence.
The cast: Any chance Benedict Cumberbatch could play all four roles?
The Fugitive
The switch: Recasting the roles in this cat-and-mouse blockbuster hinges on who could replace the curmudgeon king, Tommy Lee Jones. (The Harrison Ford role is really an afterthought.)
The cast: Tilda Swinton could embody the steely grumpiness even better than Jones.
Scarface
The switch: Hollywood loves remaking over-the-top '80s movies. So why hasn't this movie been rebooted yet?
The cast: Goodbye Al Pacino, enter SofÃa Vergara. Just imagine her yelling "Say hello to my little friend!"
Silence of the Lambs
The switch: The sequels ("Red Dragon" and "Hannibal") were meh. A good reboot might save the Lamb legacy.
The cast: Meryl Streep as Dr. Lector. Boom. Done. It doesn't even matter who plays agent Starling.
Tom Horgen on Twitter: @tomhorgen
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