Technically Universal could do it without Spielberg’s approval. But they won’t.
The studio recently pitched the idea of doing a JAWS remake. Steven Spielberg gave an unequivocal reply: No. Good for him. Some films should never be remade. Look at that PSYCHO remake if you need a good reason why. With some films, a remake simply cannot ever hold up to the original, no matter how good the remake might be. Movies like John Carpenter’s THE THING, where the remake is even better than the original (not that the original wasn’t a good film in its own right) are the exception rather than the rule. The EVIL DEAD remake was terrific; same for the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD remake. But think about all those other remakes, the dozens of them, where the new ones don’t measure up.
No, what we need is a SEQUEL. A really good sequel. One wherein Richard Dreyfuss’s Matt Hooper is now a grizzled older dude, and he would take the lead role. Where another murderous shark begins preying on the East Coast decades after the original. Go the route of the new HALLOWEEN and disregard all the sequels. Pick up where the original left off. *That* would work, if Spielberg was onboard. It’s just a pipe dream, but wouldn’t it be fantastic?