Dream Casting: The Breakfast Club Remake

Copyright: The Breakfast Club

First of all, I would like to point out that “The Breakfast Club” is not being remade at this time. Although there has been many speculations throughout the years about a possible remake, it is not happening (as of right now anyways). Many popular 80’s movies and television shows have been remade into big screen films. Such movies like “21 Jump Street,” “Footloose,” “Fright Night,” and “The Karate Kid,” have successfully been remade for modern times. Many “Breakfast Club” fans have adamantly said that they would be against a remake of the classic teenage film, but I on the other hand think that it would be great to see the classic film remade in modern times for an entirely new audience.

Everyone knows the premise of “The Breakfast Club,” five students of all different high school stereotypes are stuck in Saturday detention with each other and discover that they have more in common than they ever would have imagined. The iconic film was directed by John Hughes, who is notorious for mainstreaming the high school coming of age teenage film. John Hughes is a staple in film history because of his work in the 80’s with movies like “The Breakfast Club,” “Pretty In Pink,” Weird Science,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and “Some Kind of Wonderful.” John Hughes is also known for using the same actors in many of his films. The main actress John Hughes re-used in his films was Molly Ringwald. Ringwald starred in “Sixteen Candles,” The Breakfast Club,” and “Pretty in Pink,” all for Hughes. Hughes also wrote many other roles for Ringwald, but she turned them down because she wanted to pursue more adult roles, as compared to Hughes’ high school films.

Copyright: The Breakfast Club

Nothing can compare to the original “The Breakfast Club,” but I believe that with the right cast and director, the iconic film can be brought into the modern-day. Although many people would disagree with me, but I think director Will Gluck would do a great job remaking the film. Gluck has previous experience in the teen genre with the hit comedy “Easy A” starring Emma Stone.

Now that we have a director, let’s move on to casting the characters. The iconic characters in the film are Andrew Clark (the jock), Brian Johnson (the brain), John Bender (the criminal), Claire Standish (the princess), and Allison Reynolds (the basket case). These characters were portrayed by Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy in the original. Here are my choices for the remake:

1. Andrew Clark (the jock) – Alexander Ludwig

2. Brian Johnson (the brain) – Ryan Lee

3. John Bender (the criminal) – Aaron Taylor – Johnson

4. Claire Standish (the princess) – Selena Gomez

5. Allison Reynolds (the basket case) – Saoirse Ronan

I think all of these actors would be great for these roles because they are all around the same age, and can still play high schoolers. Also, they have great dramatic range as actors. The most complex character in the film is by far John Bender. I chose Aaron Taylor – Johnson because he played a criminal in the movie “Savages,” and because I think he is just the best choice for the role. The basket case, Allison Reynolds, is also another very complex character, and I chose Saoirse Ronan because she is a great actress. Her work in films like “Hanna,” “Atonement,” and “The Lovely Bones” show that she has the acting capabilities to pull off this freaky sociopath transformed into the pretty girl. For Andrew Clark I chose Alexander Ludwig because I think he physically resembles a typical “jock.” Also, he is an up and coming actor with great potential, which is evident with his work in the film “The Hunger Games.” For the role of Claire Standish I chose Selena Gomez, the former Disney Channel darling. I think Gomez would be great playing the popular girl in this film because she seems to act like the character in real life. Also, she looks innocent like the virginal Claire Standish does in the movie. For Brian Johnson, I chose young up and comer Ryan Lee. Lee has been in such films as “Super 8” and “This is 40.” I chose him because he looks like a nerdy brainiac kid like Brian Johnson, and I think he would be great in the role.

 “Saturday, March 24,1984. Shermer High School, Shermer, Illinois, 60062. Dear Mr. Vernon, We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did was wrong. But we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. What do you care? You see us as you want to see us – in the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. You see us as a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess and a criminal.” Just the opening lines of the film are amazing, and I think that a film as remarkable as “The Breakfast Club” deserves a remake. The film made people look at stereotypes differently, and I think that’s wonderful. That is why the film needs a remake because stereotypes are changing and there are many more options to be explored in the modern-day, and  besides if it sucks, we’ll always have the original to make us feel like throwing our fists up into the air!

Copyright: The Breakfast Club

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