I know why 'La Bamba' is getting a remake
RITCHIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
“Ritchie Valens is headed back to the big screen.”
That’s how Variety announced that the iconic (Criterion Collection member no big deal ) 1987 film was going to be remade. Much like companies trying to inject AI into everything the immediate question that springs to mind is ‘Why?’. The Variety announcement didn’t offer much except for the following quote by Mucho Mas Media Founder and Co-CEO Javier Chapa which said: “We look to uphold and celebrate the original film in ways Luis Valdez and the filmmakers of ‘La Bamba’ made it a classic.”
Ah ok.
De Los Journalist Cerys Davies then reached out the the original filmmaker that Chapa name dropped to ask ‘Why?’ in a fantastic piece of journalism. And Right off the top it starts off with this “….Luis Valdez, the original director and writer, wants people to know: “This was not my choice.”
ANDELE.
In the rest of the piece Luis Valdez states that Chapa and Mucho Mas approached him about the remake and his question was also why? He goes on to point out that he and his brother undertook substantial research for the original movie and given that Ritchie Valens died at the age of 17 there’s really not much there that could be explored. This is why he was unsure of what exactly stood to be gained by this but he still chose to be involved because “I’ve always believed the negatives can be turned into positives, so in this case, I chose to help”. Valdez also points out that the movie rights are entirely owned by Sony, so he didn’t have any say in it. Again, he really wants us to know it’s not HIS idea.
I don’t blame him, especially when there’s so many OTHER stories that could be told….there had to be a reason right? Why the La Bamba Remake? What new angle could they take? Who controls the means of production?
I cracked it.
The film is being produced by Mucho Mas Media a Latino owned studio that’s had a number of productions already out both in theaters and on streaming platforms. The two biggest being The Long Game, a heartwarming(?) tale of 1950s south Texas and five young Mexican-American caddies, out of the love for the game, were determined to learn how to play, so they created their own golf course; and Blue Miracle, a Netflix film. Both of these are directed by Julio Quintana…but there’s something else in common that I believe is the key as to why and where the La Bamba Remake will go. Heres’s the movie posters for both of these:
Right there in the left of both of them. Jumping right at you with all the charisma of a once great star that’s now become a red giant star. Dennis Quaid himself.
I don’t know what what it is about D. Quaid but he’s seem to found himself in all these Mucho Mas Media productions. He’s like Rob Schneider to Adam Sandler or John Ratzenberger to Pixar. D Quaid is featured in more MMM productions than anyone else. I’m beginning to suspect Mucho Mas Media is just a Dennis Quaid delivery mechanism moreso than a Latino production studio. So naturally he would be involved in MMM’s La Bamba remake but doing WHAT exactly. Playing Ritchie himself of course.
As Luis Valdez correctly stated there’s not much ground that hasn’t been covered in Ritchie’s story, except for ONE angle. There’s been a rumor of sorts that Ritchie Valens was not in fact 17 years old, and the only evidence that people can produce is just to look at pictures of Ritchie and say “Does he look 17?”, he really kinda doesn’t. This is what MMM is going to (probably explore) and who better to play a not-really-17-year-old rock star than 70 year old Dennis Quaid. Especially when the whole reason the company exists is to ensure D Quaid gets D Paid.
There you go. I uncovered it. It was all there to plain as the eye can see, now you won’t be surprised when the trailer drops.
In all seriousness it sucks that this is getting remade and that Mucho Mas Media really is out here patting themselves on the back for doing this instead of taking on original stories. Which sure they will claim they have 4 original projects in post production right now, inclyding a Jenni Rivera series, but still No mames. There’s gotta better ways to make Dennis Quaid money than making him Ritchie Valens.