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In serial fiction, to reboot means to discard much or even all previous continuity in the series and start anew with fresh ideas.^[1] 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.^[1]

Through reboots, filmmakers can revamp and reinvigorate franchises to attract new fans and stimulate revenue.^[1] Therefore, reboots can be seen as attempts to rescue franchises that have grown "stale".^[2] 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,^[3] while at the same time allowing the studio to explore new demographics. Two academic articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals on the reboot which can be accessed for free here: 'Beginning Again - The Reboot Phenomenon in Comic Books and Film' [1]; 'Regeneration and Rebirth: Anatomy of a Franchise Reboot' [2]. Both articles are by William Proctor who is writing a PhD thesis on the reboot at Kingston University, London.

Etymology

The term originates from the computer term for restarting a running computer system.^[1]

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.^[1]

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" usually applies to films which use a previous film as its main source material, often re-using the same storyline while updating times and places to match contemporary settings, such as 1998's A Perfect Murder or 2001's Ocean's Eleven, 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), Star Trek (the 2009 Star Trek film - though still in the existing Star Trek canon, but in an alternate universe), Spider-Man (2012's The Amazing Spider-Man),^[2] and Superman (2013's Man of Steel).

Reboots in comic books

Reboots in comic books use time travel or reality warping to erase all previous continuity and restart a fictional universe from the beginning. Some reboots – referred to as "soft" reboots^{[citation needed]} – incorporate stories from the previous continuity into the new one rather than erasing them completely, while subjecting them to revision in order to fit them in.

The events of DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths and Flashpoint storylines – both using the time travel and reality warping methods – resulted in entirely new histories being written for the DC Universe and its characters. The Top Cow storyline Artifacts – using the reality warping method – ended with the destruction and recreation of its entire fictional universe, with several continuity changes occurring as a result.

Reboots

Television

Franchise	Original release year	Reboot	Reboot release year
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe	1983	He-Man and the Masters of the Universe^{[citation needed]}	2002
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	1987	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	2003
Battlestar Galactica	1978	Battlestar Galactica^{[citation needed]}	2004
Beyblade	2001	Beyblade: Metal Fusion^{[citation needed]}	2009
Fullmetal Alchemist	2003	Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood^{[citation needed]}	2009
Hawaii Five-O	1968	Hawaii Five-0^[4]	2010
La Femme Nikita	1992 (film), 1997 (TV)	Nikita^[5]	2010
Scooby Doo	1969	Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated^{[citation needed]}	2010
Charlie's Angels	1976	Charlie's Angels^[6]	2011
ThunderCats	1985	ThunderCats^{[citation needed]}	2011
Bakugan Battle Brawlers	2007	Bakugan: Tech Explosion^{[citation needed]}	2012

Film

Franchise	Original release year	Reboot	Reboot release year
Godzilla	1954	Godzilla 1985; Godzilla 2000	1985; 1999
The Punisher	1989	The Punisher; Punisher: War Zone^[7]	2004; 2008
Batman	1989	Batman Begins^[7]^[8]	2005
James Bond	1962	Casino Royale^[8]	2006
Halloween	1978	Halloween	2007
Hulk	2003	The Incredible Hulk^[8]^[9]	2008
Friday the 13th	1980	Friday the 13th^[10]	2009
Star Trek	1966 (TV), 1979-91 (films)	Star Trek	2009
A Nightmare on Elm Street	1984	A Nightmare on Elm Street^[11]	2010
Conan the Barbarian	1982	Conan the Barbarian	2011
Planet of the Apes	1968	Rise of the Planet of the Apes^[12]^[13]	2011
Spider-Man	2002	The Amazing Spider-Man	2012
Superman	1978	Man of Steel	2013
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	1990	Ninja Turtles	2014
The Mummy	1999	The Mummy	2014
Neon Genesis Evangelion	1995-1997 (TV series and movies)	Rebuild of Evangelion	2007-2013

Video games

Franchise	Original release year	Reboot	Reboot release year
Alone in the Dark	1992	Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare	2001
Wolfenstein 3D	1992	Return to Castle Wolfenstein	2001
Jazz Jackrabbit	1994	Jazz Jackrabbit	2002
Rygar	1986	Rygar: The Legendary Adventure	2002
Shinobi	1987	Shinobi	2002
Need for Speed	1994	Need for Speed: Underground; Need for Speed: Shift	2003; 2009
Prince of Persia	1989	Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time; Prince of Persia	2003; 2008
Doom	1993	Doom 3	2004
Ninja Gaiden	1988	Ninja Gaiden	2004
Spyro The Dragon	1998	The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning; Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure	2006; 2011
Tomb Raider	1996	Tomb Raider: Legend; Tomb Raider	2006; 2013
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter	1997	Turok	2008
Castlevania	1987	Castlevania: Lords of Shadow	2010
Dead to Rights	2002	Dead to Rights: Retribution	2010
Medal of Honor	1999	Medal of Honor	2010
Splatterhouse	1988	Splatterhouse	2010
Mortal Kombat	1992	Mortal Kombat	2011
FIFA Street	2005	FIFA Street	2012
Need for Speed: Most Wanted	2005	Need for Speed: Most Wanted	2012
SSX	2000	SSX	2012
Syndicate	1993	Syndicate	2012
True Crime: Streets of LA	2003	Sleeping Dogs	2012
Twisted Metal	1995	Twisted Metal	2012
Devil May Cry	2001	DmC: Devil May Cry	2013

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Willits, Thomas R. (2009). "To Reboot or Not to Reboot: What is the Solution?". bewilderingstories.com. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
^ ^a ^b Tallerico, Brian (27 April 2009). "Twenty Film Franchises in Need of a Reboot". movieretriever.com. Retrieved December 9, 2009.
^ Sunday Discussion: The Mighty Hollywood Reboot Trend. Firstshowing.net (October 6, 2008). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.
^ Littleton, Cynthia (October 8, 2009). "Trio to Reboot "Hawaii Five-O"". Variety. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
^ Martin, Denise (July 25, 2010). "Why A Nikita Reboot Can Work". TV Guide. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
^ "imdb.com".
^ ^a ^b 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
^ ^a ^b ^c Box Office Mojo, "Franchise Reboot Battle". Accessed 28 June 2011.
^ "The Incredible Hulk: A Smashing Sampling of Scenes". Superhero Hype!. May 27, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
^ Nathan Lee (February 13, 2009). "A Slice of Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
^ 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)
^ 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.
^ 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)

[Willits-1] Willits, Thomas R. (2009). "To Reboot or Not to Reboot: What is the Solution?". bewilderingstories.com. Retrieved December 9, 2009.

[VideoHound-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] Littleton, Cynthia (October 8, 2009). "Trio to Reboot "Hawaii Five-O"". Variety. Retrieved June 28, 2011.

[5] Martin, Denise (July 25, 2010). "Why A Nikita Reboot Can Work". TV Guide. Retrieved June 28, 2011.

[6] "imdb.com".

[warzone-7] 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

[battle-8] Box Office Mojo, "Franchise Reboot Battle". Accessed 28 June 2011.

[sample-9] "The Incredible Hulk: A Smashing Sampling of Scenes". Superhero Hype!. May 27, 2008. Retrieved June 28, 2011.

[10] Nathan Lee (February 13, 2009). "A Slice of Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 June 2011.

[11] 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)

[12] 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.

[13] 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)

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Revision as of 08:07, 30 June 2012 edit 2.120.44.238 (talk) I have added two academic, peer-reviewed articles by University Lecturer William Proctor which analyse and interrogate the reboot in popular culture - Proctor is the only academic to have analysed this phenomenon in academia and is a vital source. ← Previous edit		Revision as of 08:33, 30 June 2012 edit undo 2.120.44.238 (talk) Included links to two free peer-reviewed academic articles to strengthen the sources on this page Next edit →
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	In [[Serial (literature)\|serial fiction]], to '''reboot''' means to discard much or even all previous [[Continuity (fiction)\|continuity]] in the series and start anew with fresh ideas.<ref name="Willits">{{cite web\|last=Willits\|first=Thomas R.\|title=To Reboot or Not to Reboot: What is the Solution?\|url=http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue344/reboot1.html\|year=2009\|work=bewilderingstories.com\|accessdate=December 9, 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Willits" />		In [[Serial (literature)\|serial fiction]], to '''reboot''' means to discard much or even all previous [[Continuity (fiction)\|continuity]] in the series and start anew with fresh ideas.<ref name="Willits">{{cite web\|last=Willits\|first=Thomas R.\|title=To Reboot or Not to Reboot: What is the Solution?\|url=http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue344/reboot1.html\|year=2009\|work=bewilderingstories.com\|accessdate=December 9, 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Willits" />

	Through reboots, filmmakers can revamp and reinvigorate [[film franchise\|franchises]] to attract new fans and stimulate revenue.<ref name="Willits" /> Therefore, reboots can be seen as attempts to rescue franchises that have grown "stale".<ref name="VideoHound">{{cite web\|last=Tallerico\|first=Brian\|title=Twenty Film Franchises in Need of a Reboot\|url=http://www.movieretriever.com/blog/316/twenty-film-franchises-in-need-of-a-reboot\|date=27 April 2009\|work=movieretriever.com\|accessdate=December 9, 2009}}</ref> 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,<ref>[http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/06/sunday-discussion-the-mighty-hollywood-reboot-trend/ Sunday Discussion: The Mighty Hollywood Reboot Trend]. Firstshowing.net (October 6, 2008). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.</ref> while at the same time allowing the studio to explore new demographics. ~~William~~ ~~Proctor~~ ~~has~~ ~~published~~ ~~two~~ ~~academic articles~~ in peer-~~reviwed~~ journals on the reboot which can be accessed for free here: 'Beginning Again - The Reboot Phenomenon in Comic Books and Film' [http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/display.php?journal_id=163]; 'Regeneration and Rebirth: Anatomy of a Franchise Reboot' [http://www.scope.nottingham.ac.uk/February_2012/proctor.pdf]		Through reboots, filmmakers can revamp and reinvigorate [[film franchise\|franchises]] to attract new fans and stimulate revenue.<ref name="Willits" /> Therefore, reboots can be seen as attempts to rescue franchises that have grown "stale".<ref name="VideoHound">{{cite web\|last=Tallerico\|first=Brian\|title=Twenty Film Franchises in Need of a Reboot\|url=http://www.movieretriever.com/blog/316/twenty-film-franchises-in-need-of-a-reboot\|date=27 April 2009\|work=movieretriever.com\|accessdate=December 9, 2009}}</ref> 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,<ref>[http://www.firstshowing.net/2008/10/06/sunday-discussion-the-mighty-hollywood-reboot-trend/ Sunday Discussion: The Mighty Hollywood Reboot Trend]. Firstshowing.net (October 6, 2008). Retrieved on June 13, 2011.</ref> while at the same time allowing the studio to explore new demographics. Two academic articles have been published in peer-reviewed journals on the reboot which can be accessed for free here: 'Beginning Again - The Reboot Phenomenon in Comic Books and Film' [http://scan.net.au/scan/journal/display.php?journal_id=163]; 'Regeneration and Rebirth: Anatomy of a Franchise Reboot' [http://www.scope.nottingham.ac.uk/February_2012/proctor.pdf]. Both articles are by William Proctor who is writing a PhD thesis on the reboot at Kingston University, London.