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Rebooting the face of the franchise
The "Amazing Spider-Man" is coming out next week, and as always, there's a big deal made about reboots. But what is the big deal -- NFL franchises have to reboot every couple of years. In fact, there are going to be a couple of big ones this season as new leaders will be called on.
With that in mind, here's a look at some of the biggest reboots for the 2012 season and their upcoming movie equivalents.
The filmmakers have made it clear that Renner will not be playing Jason Bourne in the upcoming film. Renner will play an entirely new character (Aaron Cross) and not just assuming somebody else's old role. This, if you think about it, seems awfully similar to the way the Jets have been talking about Tebow's role for the upcoming season.
When you are replacing a legend like Frank Sinatra, you have to find the absolutely best possible option, and only a guy like Clooney could pull it off like he did in the Ocean's movies. So Luck, in replacing Peyton Manning in Indianapolis, is going through a pretty similar feeling. (And yes, this is a plea for Clooney to finally make the "Robin and the Seven Hoods" movie he owns the rights to. I have an awesome script for it.)
This is the last go-round for Bale as Batman (no matter how much we clamor for a Justice League movie). Likewise, this is Manning's last chance for a Super Bowl title as he finishes out his career in Denver.
As soon as the receipts for "The Avengers" started rolling in, there was already discussion of a remake. The key to the Avengers story is Iron Man, played by Downey. The only question is, can they get the deal done? It's a similar situation to what the Saints are going through with Brees. Sure, it would be nice to get Jonathan Vilma back, but the key to the whole thing is really Brees.
The first "Judge Dredd" movie was rather laughable (thanks for nothing, Rob Schneider). Now it's up to Urban to save the franchise. Same goes for RG3 who is charged with saving the Redskins. And yes, this choice might have been influenced by Dredd's helmet because it does kind of look like a futuristic version of a Redskins helmet.
Hemsworth has the unenviable task of reprising a role that helped push Patrick Swayze to star status (this was a year after "Uncommon Valor" and two years before "Youngblood") in 1984. And yes, 1984 is significant because it represents the last time the Dolphins made the Super Bowl, so Tannehill is the latest in a long line of guys who are trying to replace the legend.
Both Spider-Man and the Cleveland Browns are iconic in their respective fields. And both have replaced a seemingly miscast geeky actor/quarterback (Tobey McGuire/Colt McCoy) with somebody new.
Flacco has become the face of the Ravens franchise, thanks in part to some of the players on defense getting older (Ray Lewis, Ed Reed) or falling victim to injury (Terrell Suggs). And I guess if Flacco is Farrell, does that make Lewis Arnold Schwarzenegger in this instance?
The Seahawks are going to make a go at it with a three-way quarterback competition featuring Tarvaris Jackson, Matt Flynn and rookie Russell Wilson. And like the initial pitch for a "Three Stooges" movie, this certainly must have seemed like a good idea at the time.
