Screenplay Vs Theatrical Play Tradition

When a remake is announced, especially if it's a remake of a classic movie, I often think what would it be like if a new cast were to actually "remake" a classic, using the same script. This is done in theater all the time. A playwright makes money from several, sometimes hundreds of productions of his/her work over many years. The play is licensed for production both professional or amateur productions.

In films, of course, new scripts are written for remakes. I've often wondered what it would be like, for example, to hear interpreting and performing the same lines as in .

I'm curious as to how/why writing for film diverged from the established theatrical "business model," (for lack of a better term.) Although early film clearly had theatrical roots, screenplays were never "published" or licensed for other film productions. Somehow, screenwriters don't seem to own the rights to their work, as do playwrights.

Any thoughts?