Even Anna Kendrick thinks all-female reboots are a joke
Even Anna Kendrick knows that female-led franchise reboots could lead somewhere silly. In a video released in connection with Red Nose Day, Kendrick spoofs "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" by appearing as Indianna Jones (she's got two Ns because she's a girl, get it?).
"Such a plain cup for such a pretty lady," says the knight watching over the Holy Grail.
Indianna smacks him with her whip. "Man, I'm a respected professor of archaeology," she says. "Times have changed! I have degrees. Have you even been to college?"
"No," the knight responds. "Just knight school."
The sketch mocks Hollywood's penchant for milking a money-making idea until it's been done to death, along with its habit of drawing all the wrong lessons from a project when it takes off. It opens with the introduction, "After the excitement surrounding the all-female 'Ghostbusters' reboot, Hollywood is now remaking hundreds of classic films with female leads."
Kendrick and the recent success of "Pitch Perfect 2 - it beat out "Mad Max: Fury Road" in its opening weekend - prove that it's not necessary to stick women in roles already brought to life by men to guarantee a box-office win.
Kendrick appeared in the sketch to promote NBC's Red Nose Day, a live television fundraising event that itself is something of a reboot - it's based on the original British television charity event that began in 1985.
The three-hour fundraiser for twelve charities airs Thursday at 7 p.m. and will star Christina Aguilera, Elizabeth Banks, Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Diddy, Carson Daly, Billy Eichner, Will Ferrell, Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, Jeff Goldblum, John Michael Higgins, Jennifer Hudson, Anna Kendrick, John Krasinski, Matt Lauer, John Legend, Adam Levine, Laura Linney, Stephen Merchant, Nick Offerman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Blake Shelton, Martin Short, Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams. Coldplay has written a "Game of Thrones: The Musical" sketch and some of the cast is slated to appear, too.