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Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall came together at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo earlier this April to talk all things Brat Pack.
No Plans to Return to Detention
You’d think that after 40 years, the story of five teenagers stuck in Saturday detention might fade into the background of film history. But ‘The Breakfast Club‘? It’s still front and center — and apparently, still just as meaningful to its cast as it is to the fans who grew up with it (and the ones discovering it now).
At Chicago’s C2E2 pop culture convention on April 12, Molly Ringwald, Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, and Anthony Michael Hall took the stage together for the “Don’t You Forget About Me: The Breakfast Club 40th Anniversary Reunion” panel. It was the first time the entire cast reunited for a public panel since the film’s release in 1985.
“I feel very emotional and moved to have us all together,” Ringwald said during the event.
Of course, one question had to be asked: Would they ever consider a sequel or reboot?
“I personally don’t believe in remaking that movie,” Ringwald said. “Because I think this movie is very much of its time.”
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Preserving the Magic — and the Director Who Created It
Molly Ringwald — an undeniable icon of the ’80s, thanks to ‘Sixteen Candles’, ‘Pretty in Pink’, and of course ‘The Breakfast Club’ — stood firm on why the film shouldn’t be revived.
It’s not that she and the rest of the cast wouldn’t love to revisit the story. The chemistry, the unforgettable characters, the moments that made audiences laugh, cry, and feel seen — those elements still resonate. But when a film holds that kind of weight, sometimes the greatest tribute is to leave it untouched.
Click this link to see why some Disney re-makes are better left untouched.
“It’s very much of its time,” Ringwald said during the panel. “I personally don’t believe in remaking that movie.”
The cast also reflected on the idea of a potential sequel earlier this year during MegaCon Orlando in February. According to PEOPLE, the possibility had been discussed years ago, but they ultimately decided not to pursue it — out of respect for the late John Hughes, the visionary director behind ‘The Breakfast Club’ and so many other iconic films of the ’80s.
“It was something that was conjured and thought about,” according to Hall, it was something he and Hughes had talked about before the director’s passing. “But we wouldn’t want to do it without him.”
Ringwald added that while she wouldn’t want to recreate the same story, she would love to see modern films that are inspired by the original’s emotional depth and character-driven storytelling — more updated for today’s world.
“I’d like to see movies that are inspired by ‘The Breakfast Club’, but take it in a different direction,” she said.
That direction, she hinted, would need to reflect the cultural shift that’s happened since 1985. In her words, the original film — like many from that era — doesn’t fully represent the world we live in now.
“It resonates with people today. I believe in making movies that are inspired by other movies but build on it and represent what’s going on today. This is very, you know… it’s very white, this movie. You don’t see a lot of different ethnicities. We don’t talk about gender. None of that. And I feel like that really doesn’t represent our world today.”
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The Children Around the World Continue to Ask the question
If ‘The Breakfast Club’ Were Made Today: What Would Need to Change?
Molly Ringwald has never shied away from reflecting critically on her past work — especially ‘The Breakfast Club’. While she still cherishes the film and the emotional depth it brought to teen storytelling, she’s acknowledged that some aspects haven’t aged as well as others.
In a 2024 interview with U.K. The Times , Ringwald opened up about how rewatching the film now gives her a different perspective. One concern she pointed out is how certain character interactions — particularly involving Judd Nelson’s character and her own — cross lines that today would be considered inappropriate.
“There is a lot that I really love about the movie, but there are elements that haven’t aged well — like Nelson’s character, John Bender, who essentially sexually harasses my character,” Ringwald stated at the time.
She added, “I’m glad we’re able to look at that and say things are truly different now.”
Beyond ‘The Breakfast Club’, Ringwald reflected on the broader experience of working with director John Hughes on three teen-centered films in the 1980s: ‘Sixteen Candles’ (1984), ‘Pretty in Pink’ (1986), and ‘The Breakfast Club’ itself.
“They were all really fun movies to make,” she told The Times. “Sixteen Candles, the first movie I made with the director John Hughes, in 1984, was filmed during the summer. He would just let the camera roll and we would improvise. It was a very free, creative experience.”
“John and I had a symbiotic, respectful relationship,” she said at the time for the film’s 30th anniversary. “I didn’t know I’d be talking about it 30 years later! But it was a great experience.”
However, not all her memories of these films are simple nostalgia. In more recent years, Ringwald has revisited certain scenes with discomfort—like one in ‘Sixteen Candles’, where her character’s crush, Jake Ryan, implies he might take advantage of his unconscious girlfriend after a party.
“When I made those movies with John Hughes, his intention was to not make ‘Porky’s’ or ‘Animal House’,” she told NPR in 2018. “But I think, you know, as everyone says, and I do believe is true, that times were different and what was acceptable then is definitely [not] acceptable now and nor should it have been then, but that’s sort of the way that it was… I feel very differently about the movies now and it’s a difficult position for me to be in, because there’s a lot that I like about them.”
She added, “And, of course, I don’t want to appear ungrateful to John Hughes, but I do oppose a lot of what is in those movies.”
Her perspective shifted even more after becoming a parent, especially to a teenage daughter. She admitted that some of the same things that felt off during filming still linger today.
“There were parts of that film that bothered me then. Although everybody likes to say that I had, you know, John Hughes’ ear and he did listen to me in a lot of ways, I wasn’t the filmmaker,” she explained.
But, overall, she did appreciate him as a filmmaker and director.
While we may not see this exact club return for our generation, a fresh take might just be on its way.
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‘The Breakfast Club’ Cast:
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Emilio Estevez – Andrew Clark (The Athlete)
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Molly Ringwald – Claire Standish (The Princess)
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Judd Nelson – John Bender (The Criminal)
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Anthony Michael Hall – Brian Johnson (The Brain)
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Ally Sheedy – Allison Reynolds (The Basket Case)
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Paul Gleason – Richard Vernon (Assistant Principal)
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John Kapelos – Carl Reed (The Janitor)
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Emma Gladstone is an entertainment journalist dedicated to offering a fresh perspective in today’s media landscape. As a content writer for The Hollywood Insider, her goal is to serve as a break from negativity by focusing on positive, human-centered angles that uplift and inspire. Writing reviews and feature stories for The Hollywood Insider, Emma celebrates the transformative and authentic power of reporting, to promote meaningful change and substance in media. Her passion for global entertainment fuels her writing, creating stories that educate, empower, and resonate deeply with readers. Emma is truly thrilled to be writing for The Hollywood Insider, as their values align closely with hers.
Emma Gladstone is an entertainment journalist dedicated to offering a fresh perspective in today’s media landscape. As a content writer for The Hollywood Insider, her goal is to serve as a break from negativity by focusing on positive, human-centered angles that uplift and inspire. Writing reviews and feature stories for The Hollywood Insider, Emma celebrates the transformative and authentic power of reporting, to promote meaningful change and substance in media. Her passion for global entertainment fuels her writing, creating stories that educate, empower, and resonate deeply with readers. Emma is truly thrilled to be writing for The Hollywood Insider, as their values align closely with hers.
