10 films and TV series that modernized famous stories and brought them into our time (12 photos)

Some artistic subjects do not lose their relevance at all after decades and even centuries. They continue to be read, staged and periodically filmed. Every two or three generations should have their own set of film adaptations of the works of Shakespeare, and no one will be against it at all.





But it’s one thing to have plot twists and character relationships, and another thing is to try to turn the film into a costume action each time while preserving the original surroundings and the time when the events took place. This is already much more difficult to implement due to the inflated budget and possible historical inaccuracies, and directors periodically refuse such problems, simply transferring the action to our time.

Let's look at those films that filmed stories written a long time ago, but the time of events of which was transferred from those distant times to the present. That is, the present at the time of filming of these films.

Romeo + Juliet (1996)



William Shakespeare's legendary original from 1594-1595 takes place in 16th-century Italy. The events of the film are moved to the 1990s.

War of the Worlds (2005)





H. G. Wells' 1897 novel takes place in Victorian England in the early 20th century. The events of Steven Spielberg's film with Tom Cruise are transferred to our time.

Ivan Vasilyevich changes profession (1973)



The play by Mikhail Bulgakov, on which the film is based, takes place in the 1930s. The events of Leonid Gaidai's film move to the early 1970s.

Coriolanus (2011)



The action of William Shakespeare's original of the same name from 1605-1608 takes place in Ancient Rome. The events of the film version are transferred to a modern setting, and the characters in the film still speak in Shakespearean style.

The directorial debut of Ralph Fiennes, who played one of the roles.

Scarface (1983)



The original 1932 film is set in the 1920s, while Brian De Palma's acclaimed remake with Al Pacino takes place in the 1980s.

Sherlock (2010-2017)



The series brought Arthur Conan Doyle's characters from the late 19th century to modern times.

King Lear (2018)



The characters from William Shakespeare's play of the same name are transported from the 10th century BC to a modern, but militaristic and dictatorial Britain from an alternate universe.

Casino Royale (2006)



The film adaptation of Ian Fleming's very first James Bond novel takes the action of the original from the 1950s to the 2000s.

The novel was already filmed in 1967, with Peter Sellers playing Bond. However, that film is not an official part of the Bond series.

I Am Legend (2007)



Richard Matheson's 1954 novel of the same name takes place in the future, specifically 1976. The events of the film with Will Smith are moved to the present day.

Before 2007, the novel had already been filmed in 1964, the film was called “The Last Man on Earth.”

Bates Motel (2013-2017)



The serial prequel to Alfred Hitchcock's legendary Psycho takes the characters from the early 1960s to the present day.

Bonus: Apocalypse Now (1979)



The film is based on Joseph Conrad's 1902 novella Heart of Darkness, which the film moved from the turn of the century and Central Africa to the 1960s Vietnam War.