The NeverEnding Story is still fondly remembered as a classic 80s children’s fantasy, and that means that it is ripe and ready to be the latest nostalgic property to get a reboot in the near future. The original movie based on the novel by Michael Ende was a German movie directed by Wolfgang Peterson was a hit on its release in 1984, and spawned two sequels, which have not been remembered in quite the same way. According to Deadline, it appears that a number of streamers are now attempting to buy up the rights to Ende’s novel, which could see the franchise making a return as a TV series or movie.
The NeverEnding Story tells the tale of Bastian, a young boy who discovers the magical world of Fantasia living inside an old book. However, the original movie only dealt with half of Ende’s novel, and was not exactly faithful to the text. In fact, Ende disliked the movie so much that he sued the production company, and called the film nothing more than a “kitsch melodrama.” Ende lost his legal battle, but it is likely that any reboot, especially as a long-form TV show, would delve deeper into the author’s text and perhaps create something the late creator would have been prouder of.
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With fantasy and nostalgia reboots of 30-40 year old properties being big business right now, it is not surprising to see The NeverEnding Story being mentioned as one of the many IPs being actively pursued by studios. According to recent reports, offers have been put forward by a number of different streamers, and although talks are in early stages, the author’s estate are said to be open to all offers, which suggests that they are looking to shop The NeverEnding Story out for a new adaptation.
Related: ’80s Fantasy Movies That Could Use a Remake
The NeverEnding Story Provided One Of Stranger Things’ Most Memorable Scenes
While The NeverEnding Story is a cult classic in its own right, the movie’s theme song, which was a hit for Limahl back in July 1984, provided Netflix’s nostalgia filled horror series Stranger Things with one of its most memorable scenes in its third season.
Towards the end of the season, Dustin and his girlfriend Suzie share a moment when they duet on a version of the song across a radio. The scene becomes comedy gold when the song plays over a montage of the other main characters in the series all hearing the broadcast while they are being chased by the Mind Flayer, attempting to break into their enemies base and generally not having the greatest time.
While that moment was great for fans of the movie, the idea of the film itself making a comeback was not really on the table at the time. However, now that is seems the rights to The NeverEnding Story are the subject of a fierce bidding war, and shows like Willow, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Percy Jackson and the Olympians are all coming soon, there hasn’t been a better time for The NeverEnding Story to soar high like its iconic Luck Dragon again.
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