REMAKES AND REBOOTS

Though I've not seen either are these not actually adaptations of the books as opposed to remakes of the films.  None of the earlier film screenplay writers seem to be credited.

The most recent Ben Hur is actually the 5th adaptation of the novel
 by Lew Wallace.  I assume the classic version you refer to is the 1959 version...well that was third adaptation itself.

It's always been a little odd that once a lesser known book has a successful adaptation that adaptation is seen as almost untouchable or definitive.  It's almost as if the source is not so important.  Yet there are rarely complaints when yet another adaptation of for example, Romeo & Juliet or A Christmas Carol appears on our screens


I say nothing is or should be immune from being remade.  Some are bad, some are good, a lot are interesting by comparison.  

The way I see it access to new cinema is much easier now...take away the reboots, remakes & re-adaptations, we still probably have  more access to new "original" cinema from home and abroad, than we had in the 10 years ago and beyond.