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The verb reboot, in media dealing with serial fiction, means to discard much or even all previous continuity in the series and start anew with fresh ideas. Effectively, the writer(s) declare all established fictive history to be irrelevant to the new storyline, and start the series over as if brand-new.

Through reboots, filmmakers can revamp and reinvigorate franchises to attract new fans and stimulate revenue. Therefore, reboots can be seen as attempts to rescue franchises that have grown "stale". They can also be a "safe" project for a studio, as a reboot with an established fan base is less risky (in terms of expected profit) than an entirely original work, while at the same time allowing the studio to explore new demographics.

Etymology

The term originates from its use in computer science.

Comparison to remakes and prequels

A reboot differs from a prequel in that a prequel is generally consistent with the canon (previously established continuity) of the series. With a reboot, the older continuity is largely discarded and replaced with a new canon.

Additionally, prequels are often developed by the same creator as the original series they lead up to, while a remake is often produced by a different author from that of the original series, and can be seen as re-telling of the same story and essentially maintaining the same canon. The term "remake" often applies to films or film adaptations of TV programs, such as 1993's The Fugitive, whereas the term reboot is ascribed to franchises such as Police Story (rebooted in the 2004 film New Police Story), Batman (2005's Batman Begins), James Bond (2006's Casino Royale), The Pink Panther (the 2006 Pink Panther film), Star Trek (the 2009 Star Trek film - though still in the existing canon, but in an alternate universe), and The Incredible Hulk (2008's The Incredible Hulk).

Rationale

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This term is often applied to comic books, where the prevailing continuity can be very important to the progress of future installments, acting (depending on circumstances and one's point of view) either as a rich foundation from which to develop characters and storylines, a box limiting the story options available to tell, or even an irreconcilable mess of contradictory history. Such large continuities also become a barrier to introducing newcomers to the fandom, as the complex histories are difficult to learn, and make understanding the story very difficult. A reboot gives the chance for new fans to experience the core story by reintroducing it in smaller and easier-to-understand installments and/or by refocusing the story on its most important elements and abandoning many subplots and an overgrowth of minor details. Reboots may also serve changing audience expectations as to storytelling style, genre evolution, and sophistication of material.

Reboots in films and television

Video games

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Planned

See also

• Canon (fiction)
• Reset button technique
• Retcon

References

1. ^ Willits, Thomas R. (2009). "To Reboot or Not to Reboot: What is the Solution?". bewilderingstories.com. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
2. ^ Tallerico, Brian (27 April 2009). "Twenty Film Franchises in Need of a Reboot". movieretriever.com. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
3. Sunday Discussion: The Mighty Hollywood Reboot Trend. Firstshowing.net (October 6, 2008). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
4. ^ Todd Gilchrist (December 6, 2007). "Interview: Lexi Alexander". IGN. Archived from the original on December 9, 2007. Retrieved June 28, 2011. Alexander: I would say it's a complete reboot because the first one – neither of them – are relevant to us at all
5. ^ Box Office Mojo, "Franchise Reboot Battle". Accessed 28 June 2011.
6. "The Incredible Hulk: A Smashing Sampling of Scenes". Superhero Hype!. May 27, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
7. Nathan Lee (February 13, 2009). "A Slice of Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
8. Rich, Joshua (April 3, 2009). "'Nightmare on Elm Street' reboot: Jackie Earle Haley to play Freddy Krueger". Hollywood Insider. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
9. Martin, Denise (July 25, 2010). "Why A Nikita Reboot Can Work". TV Guide. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
10. Littleton, Cynthia (October 8, 2009). "Trio to Reboot "Hawaii Five-O"". Variety. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
11. Lussier, Germain. (April 14, 2011). "Collider Visits The Set of RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES; Plus Video Blog". Collider.com. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
12. Kevin Melrose (April 7, 2011). "Fox's Planet Of The Apes Prequel Gets Renamed … Again". ComicBookResources.com. p. 1. Retrieved June 28, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)
13. "imdb.com".
14. Robocop Remake Finds A Screenwriter in Josh Zetumer. ReelComix (March 11, 2011). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
15. "Fox is Rebooting Fantastic Four". comingsoon.net. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
16. Screenwriter hired for Daredevil movie reboot | Robot 6 @ Comic Book Resources – Covering Comic Book News and Entertainment. Robot6.comicbookresources.com. Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
17. Rebooting the Mortal Kombat Franchise – Movies Feature at IGN. Movies.ign.com (January 29, 2010). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
18. Comic Con 2010: Capcom Says More Street Fighter Movies Are in Development. GamerLive.TV. Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
19. Pollard, Mark. (May 13, 2009) Producer Scott Mednick talks ‘TMNT’ reboot « Kung Fu Cinema. Kungfucinema.com. Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
20. First Look At Karl Urban As Judge Dredd. CinemaBlend.com (November 19, 2010). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
21. Tomb Raider Films Getting Reboot. Kotaku.com (January 28, 2009). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
22. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Next on the Remake/Reboot Chopping Block. BeyondHollywood.com (May 26, 2009). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
23. Set The Reboot-O-Tron To: POLICE ACADEMY!!. Antitcool. Mar 5, 2010
24. Comic-Con Guillermo del Toro Interview DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, THE HAUNTED MANSION, FRANKENSTEIN. Collider.com (July 27, 2010). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
25. Mwangaguhunga, Ron. (November 23, 2009) 'The Howling' Gets a Reboot: Are Werewolves the New Vampires? – The Moviefone Blog. Insidemovies.moviefone.com. Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
26. National Lampoon's Vacation Reboot | Movie News | Empire. Empireonline.com. Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
27. Oh, Boy...Is Legendary Pictures Gearing Up For A GODZILLA Reboot?? [Ain't It Cool News]. Aintitcool.com. Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
28. Brodesser, Claude. (August 2, 2010) Vulture Exclusive: The Jack Ryan Franchise Gets Lost Director Jack Bender – Vulture. Nymag.com. Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
29. The Fly Reboot to Fly, With Cronenberg Behind the Camera. Row Three (September 23, 2009). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
30. Hollywood Insider : Doom you Hollywood – What’s Playing. Whatsplaying.com.au (March 9, 2011). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.

• Continuity (fiction)
• Film and video terminology
• Reboot films