...so why is it so difficult to retell this tale in a successful way? it's a great story, but is it too colossal and unwieldy to reign into a digestable story to attract the attention of a new audience?
It seems to be taken as a given here that
re-telling a story is a natural and desirable thing to do. If the story was told really well, in an inspired way, the first time, why do it again? It's a sort of miraculous thing, when the elements combine in just the right way, to create a unique phenomenon like DS. Why would we expect to slog through redoing it all, and end up with something just as magical at the end of it?
Telling a new story is what's exciting, not re-telling stories. I know there would be new viewers unfamiliar with DS, but they can pick up on the lack of inspiration and tiredness of show business soldiering their way through an old story yet again.
The only new DS I'd actually be interested in would be something with the spontaneity and freshness of the original, which is a sequel to original DS, where the events continue that story, despite the 40 year gap (unless we fool with time or youth some actors with CGI).