Hollywood keeps trying. Rogen keeps saying no.
Every three years. That's how often Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg say they're pitched a remake of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World—Stanley Kramer's 1963 chaos-fueled, ensemble-comedy beast. And every time, the duo politely (or not) passes.
Even with Rogen's open appreciation for the film's physical comedy—“It actually has amazing physical comedy in it”—the idea of rebooting it feels like digging up a fossil just to put a wig on it.
Goldberg's take? “No, and I never will,” he says when asked if he's even seen the original. Ouch.
The Real Joke? The Industry Itself.
Rogen and Goldberg, known for turning the apocalypse into a stoner satire (This Is the End) and now skewering Hollywood with The Studio, seem more interested in deconstructing the system than feeding it. “We didn't want the audience to have to suspend any disbelief when it came to who is famous and who a studio would be excited about working with,” Rogen told IndieWire.
That line cuts deeper than it seems. Hollywood's obsession with casting “names” isn't just a trend—it's a crutch. A gimmick dressed as nostalgia. Like a Netflix algorithm, studios keep tossing spaghetti remakes at the wall, hoping some still stick.
Déjà Vu All Over Again.
Let's be honest—this isn't new. The industry's addiction to “IP” (intellectual property) is older than some of the stars being recast. Remember the failed reboot attempts of The Pink Panther, Ghostbusters (2016's chaotic marketing saga), or even Vacation (2015's reboot nobody asked for)?
But Mad World is trickier. It's not just a product of its time—it is its time: Cold War anxiety, slapstick excess, and a kind of ensemble spectacle that just doesn't land the same way anymore.
You can't modernize that kind of chaos without making it feel like a Super Bowl commercial. And if we've learned anything, it's that comedy—real, anarchic, deeply weird comedy—doesn't survive well in a focus-grouped era.
So What's the Hold-Up? Or Better Yet—The Hold-Out?
Rogen and Goldberg could make a killer modern ensemble. They've done it before. But instead, they choose to make work like This Is the End—which Rogen openly admits rips off Defending Your Life—because at least it's done with intention. Not obligation. Not market pressure. Not because “every three years” someone at a studio checks their IP bingo card.
Here's the uncomfortable truth:
Just because something can be remade doesn't mean it should.
Rogen and Goldberg seem to get that. And Hollywood? Well, it's still trying to shove another remake into the clown car of 2025's release schedule.
Would you risk turning a beloved mess into just another clean, forgettable package?
Comment below—unless you're still watching the original on LaserDisc.
