Simon Pegg claims ‘Shaun of the Dead’ reboot would be “cynical and exploitative”
Comedic actor Simon Pegg has shared his thoughts on the possibility of a Shaun of the Dead reboot, and explained why he would be against the idea, suggesting that the original film was too personal to be remade authentically.
In 2004, director Edgar Wright kickstarted the Cornetto trilogy with Shaun of the Dead. The zombie-rom-com starred Pegg as Shaun, who drifts through a dead-end job until his world is flipped upside-down by a zombie apocalypse. As in the two following films in the trilogy, Nick Frost stars as his best friend Ed.
The zombie film recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary, which seems to make it ripe for remakes, but Pegg isn’t so keen on the idea. During a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, the star suggested that both he and Wright would be “incensed” if Universal rebooted the film.
“Shaun of the Dead is incredibly personal,” he explained, “There’s so much of us in that film.” Pegg cited Ed and Shaun’s inability to leave The Winchester, the pub where they take refuge from the undead, as an example. “That was about Nick and I,” he remembered, “that was about our decision to just stay in a North London pub.”
Even when Wright invited them to a private members’ club, the pair always chose to stay at their local. “We always wanted to be in The Shepherds [pub],” Pegg added, “My girlfriend, now my wife, was the same. She was like, ‘Are we going to The Shepherds again?’ That inspired the whole storyline.”
This isn’t the only element of Shaun of the Dead that was rooted in the lives of its creators. Pegg also noted that Shaun’s relationship with his stepfather was inspired by his own.
“There’s so much of our own heart and soul in that film,” he reiterated, “If someone was to reboot it, it would be a cynical and exploitative exercise. I would hope that people are in love with our Shaun enough to resist a reboot.”
Earlier this year, Wright announced the film’s return to cinemas in celebration of its 20th anniversary. The director also introduced a screening at this year’s edition of Glastonbury Festival alongside Pegg at the Pilton Palais Cinema. Audiences are clearly still invested in the cult comedy, suggesting that a remake might not fare so well.
It’s difficult to imagine any other director bringing so much attention to detail and emotional impact to the story, and impossible to foresee any pair of actors embodying Shaun and Ed quite so perfectly.
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