Despite frequent complaints about endless reboots and remakes, they keep coming. Now, MGM+ is revisiting The Magnificent Seven – yet again – but this time as a TV series. While the original film is a classic starring Steve McQueen and has seen sequels and remakes before, turning it into a TV show feels risky and potentially ill-advised.
The recent film The Magnificent Seven is actually a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai, reimagined with American cowboys. The 1960 film boasts a fantastic cast and tells the story of hired guns who defend a small town from bandits. At just over two hours long, the movie feels complete, making it difficult to see how a longer television series could add anything new to the narrative.
The Magnificent Seven Has Been Told Perfectly 3 Times Already
Beyond its sequels, the story of The Magnificent Seven has been successfully adapted at least three times. However, the original inspiration isn’t a Western at all – it’s Akira Kurosawa’s film, which profoundly influenced all subsequent versions. Kurosawa’s movie served as the blueprint for The Magnificent Seven and remains a landmark achievement in his career.
What makes Seven Samurai so special – its historical setting, characters you genuinely care about, and its epic feel – hasn’t been matched by any remake or adaptation. While some later versions are good, they all fall short compared to the original masterpiece.
This Western is notable for its epic scope and large cast of famous actors. It’s a fantastic adaptation of Kurosawa’s work, and Steve McQueen delivers a particularly captivating performance. The film features spectacular action sequences and thrilling gunfights, making it a consistently enjoyable watch.
The 2016 film, starring Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and many others, is a fantastic reimagining of the original. It builds upon everything that made the first movie great, taking the action, characters, and visuals to a new level. The result is a stunning and modern Western, a type of film we don’t often see anymore.
Although several attempts have been made to continue the story with sequels and even a prequel, none have matched the success of the original three films. This makes MGM+’s decision to create another TV show puzzling, as the idea hasn’t worked well in the past, and a different approach might be more promising.
Long Form Storytelling Won’t Benefit The Magnificent Seven
Although Seven Samurai runs for over three hours, The Magnificent Seven is just over two hours long. It’s difficult to see how a longer television series could add much to this story, which is fundamentally straightforward: a group of gunslingers bands together to defend a small town from outlaws. While a show could explore the heroes’ pasts, it doesn’t seem like a worthwhile pursuit.
Nearly all the gunslingers perish by the end of The Magnificent Seven. The film effectively builds connections with the characters in its two-hour runtime, making their deaths feel impactful. While the movie could easily have been lengthened with flashbacks and detailed backstories, these additions ultimately feel like unnecessary complications to the plot.
Epic Westerns are popular right now, but not every story needs to be that grand. The Magnificent Seven is strongest as a single film, and history shows that’s how it resonates most with viewers. Even though the original had connections to a larger series, it never achieved the same widespread recognition. Reviving it as a TV series feels odd when there are already several great, concise versions available, rather than a long, extended storyline.
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2026-02-27 05:38