Well, my version of Charlie Chan is definitely an Asian American. He was born and raised in America, yes.
This Charlie Chan isn't a martial arts expert, but he is proficient in hand to hand combat. And yes, I intend to include some action scenes including a pretty cool finale.
I prefer Chan the way he is. However if it were to succeed in modern times, it would have to be the way you describe, edgier and darker. Its a new generation going to the movies and most of us here are becoming relics. The most recent case of this change was what they did to the Green Hornet. Turning him from a solid hero to a dysfunctional buffoon. But the movie did well, it is what audiences want now. It's happened too many times, look what they did to Lost in Space, Dark Shadows also. James Bond even has changed!
In todays era this would be the only way Charlie could return. But this is the difference between many of us and todays audience of younger people. To most of us (Im 47) these were old movies when we were growing up. So were all the classic Universal Monster films, Holmes films, the old TV shows etc. It didn't matter to us at all that they were old, but the people seemed perfectly normal to us and we knew where they were coming from. Most of todays people wouldn't even consider watching an old black and white movie. They are "cheesy, corny, stupid"
For years people have been saying things will turn around but I just don't see it. The thought of completely normal people and normal families like Charlies in a film is a thing of the past. A really poor reflection of our current society.
We all continue to watch these movies over and over. We know them, the plots, the actors, the music to a T! I think we watch them because they are like old friends we feel comfortable with, we trust them.
Sherlock Holmes has returned in the new BBC series and he has changed considerably. He is younger, more in your face kinda guy. The series is actually pretty good but then Sherlock was never the super polite soft spoken family man Charlie was. To bring Charlie through such a change however would be radical indeed.
