Copycat Movies

In January, a Hercules move came out starring some guy who didn't sound like he could speak English.  And at the end of July another Hercules movie will be coming out starring The Rock (I do not recognize the name Dwayne Johnson).  Why does Hollywood do this?  And more importantly, is it even legal?  I can only assume a screenwriter came into a studio with their Hercules script and the studio said "Pass" and then immediately got on the phone and got a cheaper screenwriter to make another Hercules script.  Meanwhile, someone bought the original script and that movie was also made.  What I don't understand is why make two of the same movie in the same year.  Sadly, this isn't the first time this has happened nor will it be the last.  So, I compiled a list of all the instances this has happened that I can think of and then made fun of them.  Enjoy:

• Dante's Peak and Volcano - The year was 1997 and someone thought it would be a good time to have competing movies about volcanoes.  Both were pretty crappy and one of them had the most disturbing scene I've ever seen when that grandma jumped in a lake of acid to save her family.  It still gives me the willies just thinking about it.
• Armageddon and Deep Impact - Both movies came out in 1998 and both involved an asteroid threatening to destroy Earth.  Sadly, the Michael Bay version was way more entertaining and the other one was just boring.
• Red Planet and Mission to Mars - Once again, we have two movies about people going to Mars coming out in the same year (2000).  Did anybody see either of these pieces of shit?  I hope not because both made no sense and one of them involved Val Kilmer fighting a robot.  What?!?
• The Prestige and The Illusionist - One starred Batman, Black Widow, and the Wolverine, one starred the 2nd Hulk and the Rhino, both were about magicians doing stuff , both came out in the 2006, and only one was any good.  I'll give you a hint, it was the one with the better superheros.
• White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen - I read an awesome book about terrorists taking over the White House and a badass special ops guy going in alone and saving the day and thought this would make a great movie.  Well, Hollywood fucked that up with two stupid movies.
• The Legend of Hercules and Hercules - I still want to know who thought casting The Rock as a Greek god was a good idea.  It makes no sense.
• Three Upcoming Peter Pans - All I know about these three movies is that all three are about the origins of Peter Pan.  Sure, one movie about the Peter Pan origin story sounds cool, but three?  Nope.

"His name is Kellan Lutz and when I saw the trailer for this movie, I couldn't understand a word he said.  I guess his muscles got him the part and they ignored his ability to act."