Simon Pegg And Edgar Wright Would Not Be Pleased About A Shaun Of The Dead Reboot

Edgar Wright's horror comedy "Shaun of the Dead" was an unexpected cult hit when it was released in 2004, attracting a small but passionate crowd of snarky cineastes drawn to its clever dialogue and affection for zombies. "Shaun" is a cross between the stylish gore of Sam Raimi — complete with a "gearing up" sequence straight out of "Evil Dead 2" — and a brand of humorous, self-reflective quarter-life introspection engaged in by a barely-grown, pop-obsessed man-children. It was a character conceit one might frequently encounter in the films of Kevin Smith. 

Made for only $6 million, "Shaun of the Dead" would make an impressive $38 million worldwide. Moreso, "Shaun of the Dead" very quickly entrenched itself into a new pop canon of nerd classics, making millions more on DVD, and frequently appearing in repertory houses as part of their midnight movie programs. It would spawn two spiritual sequels ("Hot Fuzz" and "The World's End") which featured many of the same actors in new roles, and which would all deal with the stultifying — and edifying — place that pop culture obsession has in a thirty-something male's emotional development. The so-called Cornetto Trilogy remains Wright's most impressive project. 

Given that so many low-budget international classics have been remade since the release of "Shaun of the Dead," one might idly ponder why some greedy American studio exec didn't think to dump a pile of money into a stateside reboot, adding millions of dollars of production value into Wright's beloved classic. Given how horridly everything else has been milked, why not "Shaun"? In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Shaun actor Simon Pegg points out why rebooting their 2004 flick would be distasteful, namely: he wouldn't want to see a personal project maligned by crass studio commercialism.

Pegg is a notable star and screenwriter in his own right. He can currently be seen on the most recent season of "The Boys," and co-wrote the screenplays to "Hot Fuzz," "The World's End," "Run Fatboy Run," "Paul," and "Star Trek Beyond." Pegg also co-wrote the screenplay of "Shaun of the Dead" with Wright, making it a passion project for the pair. Pegg noted that the distribution rights to "Shaun" rest with Universal Pictures, and they have complete autonomy to remake or reboot the film all they want. Pegg, however, wouldn't want it to happen. Nor, I suspect, would any of the film's many fans. 

For both the actor and the fanboys, the original is excellent and gains power from its intimacy. The film was based largely on how Pegg and his friend Nick Frost, who played Ed in "Shaun," couldn't, in real life, bear to leave their favorite pub, and how pathetic that impulse would be in a supernatural crisis. Pegg said: 

"'Shaun of the Dead' is incredibly personal. There's so much of us in that film. The whole joke of Ed and Shaun not being able to ever come out of The Winchester was real. That was about Nick and I, that was about our decision to just stay in a North London pub. Edgar was always in town. He was always in Soho, and he always wanted us to come into town and hang out at The Groucho, and we never did. We always wanted to be in The Shepherds."

The Groucho is an upscale private members club in London, while the Shepherds Tavern was a lower-end local pub. Pegg loved the latter, and recalled his girlfriend (now his wife) being annoyed at his affinity for the pub.

Pegg also noted that a subplot in "Shaun" played into his personal relationships. There is an effort in "Shaun" for the title character to protect his mother and stepfather (Bill Nighy), the latter of whom is not fond of Shaun. The decisions Pegg and Wright made about the parent characters chilled Pegg a little, as he didn't get along very swimmingly with his own stepfather. He said: 

"The whole thing with Shaun's mum, the stepdad, I had a problematic relationship with my stepfather. It was Edgar's idea to kill the mum. I couldn't believe it when he said that, but it was the best decision. There's so much of our own heart and soul in that film." 

If there were a remake of "Shaun," Pegg said "it would be a cynical and exploitative exercise," and that "I would hope that people are in love with our 'Shaun' enough to resist a reboot." As he mentioned, it would ultimately be Universal's decision, but one might hope the studio would have the good taste to leave a classic alone. 

Of course, that hasn't stopped studios from remaking classics in the slightest. Pegg pointed out that George Romero's 1978 zombie film "Dawn of the Dead" was remade the same year "Shaun" hit theaters ... and also how crass that was. He liked the remake, directed by Zack Snyder, but felt it would have been better served as an original film instead of a remake. "I hated the fact they called it 'Dawn of the Dead'," he said, "because that was George's film. They could have called it 'Deadish' [...] and it still would have been a great film." 

There is currently no push to remake "Shaun of the Dead." One can hope that sentiment remains.