I supported The Holiday reboot - but they've massively screwed up

Metro

20 hours ago

TV reboots aren't inherently evil. There, I've said it.
I'm not denying that there are some absolute stinkers out there (the Frasier revival flop immediately springs to mind). But when done right, a reboot can be the perfect way of honouring the original and bridging the gap between generations.
It's been almost 20 years since The Holiday was released and immediately became an annual festive classic among us hopeless romantics. Who can resist Jude Law's Mr Napkin Head, or Kate Winslet's rousing speech about becoming the leading lady of her own life?
When I first heard about the reported TV reboot, I was hopeful. 'Why wouldn't it work?' I figured. There's no reason why the format of the story couldn't be repurposed with new characters, as they swap homes with someone on the other side of the world and embark on journeys of self-discovery.
But then, I saw the news that made my heart sink.
Nancy Meyers – the film virtuoso who not only wrote The Holiday, but also directed and co-produced it – isn't involved in the upcoming TV spin-off and claims she had absolutely no idea that it was even happening.
My jaw fell to the ground. How could they even consider bringing The Holiday back without Meyers, the beating heart of the movie, without whom it wouldn't exist?
Following the announcement of the TV reboot – which Deadline reports is being made by producers at Apple TV Plus – the filmmaker wrote on her Instagram Story: 'News to me. Imagine my surprise when I opened Instagram and this was the first post I saw.'
Even if the bosses behind the remake had bafflingly decided not to involve her in the new production, to not even inform her that it was happening is shocking if true.
I've spent my whole life inhaling Meyers' work. Before The Holiday, I grew up obsessively trying to learn The Parent Trap handshake and wishing I could be as cool a bride as Anne Banks in Father of the Bride, complete with her bedazzled trainers under her gown.
There's a fine art to creating a TV reboot that both honours the original story on which it's based, and brings something new to audiences – and these three did just that.
Cobra Kai has gone down as one of the most beloved Netflix shows ever, an offshoot from The Karate Kid franchise that brought back legendary rivals Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence decades after the original film.
Disney Plus' period drama Shōgun was hailed a TV triumph when it premiered last year, over four decades after the book was adapted into a series starring Richard Chamberlain.
Last year, Eddie Redmayne unleashed his sinister side playing the titular assassin in The Day of the Jackal – a role previously played by Edward Fox in 1973 – in a performance that viewers hailed as horrifyingly brilliant.
There are admittedly too many reboots left, right and centre – but they don't have to be the enemy, especially when they deliver astounding TV.
I remember going to watch The Holiday with my friends when I was 12 years old, rushing to the cinema straight after school in our uniform, gorging on popcorn as the twinkling piano keys of Hans Zimmer's Maestro began playing in the opening scene.
Just a couple of years ago, two of my closest friends and I went to watch The Holiday In Concert at The Hammersmith Apollo, and the cheers that erupted from the women in the audience as Iris finally dumped her toxic ex Jasper once and for all made my heart sing.
It might have been the prosecco we were sipping that made the scene bring a tear to my eye, but let's not downplay Meyers' writing. In a light-hearted romantic comedy, she created a cinematic heroine – with gallons of gumption – who I've truly looked up to for 19 years.
After being made to feel as small as humanly possible, she discovers her self-worth and has the strength to step away from a soul-sucking relationship. To this day, I'm sure many women can see themselves in Iris when they find the courage to put themselves first.
So a reboot could have been a perfect confidence booster for the next generation of women.
However, taking The Holiday and spinning it into a limited series should not be done without Meyers' magical touch.
I have no doubt that those in charge of the reboot are hugely talented in their own right. But will they be able to emulate Meyers' signature charm, her flair that makes you instantly recognise when her pen is behind the script? I don't think so.
In December last year, Mr Napkin Head himself Law addressed the possibility of a sequel to The Holiday, telling ComicBook.com: 'Of course, that conversation comes up, 'Is there an idea?' But that all lands in Nancy Meyers' lap. More Trending
'She's pretty meticulous. So she would only do it if it was a really robust idea and then it would be whether the four of us would come back. I would be curious to see what they're all doing.'
This was in reference to the original four leads returning to reprise their roles in a sequel, rather than a reboot with new characters.
Nonetheless, the message is clear. No Meyers? No fairytale ending.
Metro has contacted Apple TV Plus for comment.
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