Guest Speakers: Braxton A. Cosby, Kyoko M., James P. Nettles, Glenn Parris
Track Director: Nicole Givens Kurtz
How do we deal with franchises that extend over long periods of time? What about when they take a break and come back decades later? What’s the bridge that allows for that to happen, while still maintaining relevance?
This usually manifests as complete reboots for the next generation, such as Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica. While original Trek fans may not have been thrilled, it’s a proven method for drawing in new fans, and still hits great marks on storytelling. However, grinding content out for money-grabs is obvious and annoying, but Hollywood is often afraid to take chances by trying something new. They’re relying on an already established fan base.
For example, how do you feel about the latest Matrix release? The newer characters from the most recent movie were interesting, but the story didn’t grab you like the original… The third movie in the initial trilogy is when it was dying. Verdict? Kill it. The majority of the time, a late sequel (usually taking place 20-30 years later in real time) sucks.
What are some current fan favorite franchises that are still ongoing? Foundation, The Boys, The Great Pretender, Mandalorian, Reacher, etc. The Witcher was an enormous success and favorite up until recently. This is due to Henry Cavill’s departure based on rumored disagreements with the writers, concerning deviation (perhaps even blatant disrespect) for the original content. This distanced the audience from Netflix’s adaptation, and is spelling the end for what showed potential to become a beloved production.
Genuine passion can rejuvenate a franchise and make it awe-inspiring, like the director of Battlestar Galactica. He urged the cast that this was truly a unique opportunity to pour themselves into their characters. As a result, they became life-changing roles. If you understand the original intent for the first story, and then get the same writers/directors involved, then maybe a solid sequel can be made years later. Constantine is an example of this done well.
Prequels can also work years later if they’re making something new and building on the already established world. Rogue One from the Star Wars franchise fills in missing gaps and answers questions from previous timelines.
Speaking of Star Wars, what are the effects before and after the Disney takeover? On one hand, Disney can throw a billion dollars at it, which gives us more content like The Mandalorian. Prior to Disney, the Star Wars franchise was on its way out (though Episode 8 “The Last Jedi” needs to be deleted or retconned!) However, Rogue One and Andor feel more like the original trilogy in its prime. It’s very possible to enrich older franchises if you do smaller stories within the given world, delving into character backgrounds and side-stories.
What about Marvel? She-Hulk is taking hits, and there are mixed reactions, but it was originally intended to be a sitcom. The casting choices are impressive. Unfortunately Phase 4 doesn’t feel like it has a lot of direction. Major players have left since Avengers Endgame, like Iron Man, Captain America, etc. New groundwork is in development, but it doesn’t feel as connected as before. One of the positives regarding this situation is that the directors are given a bit more freedom, and you can really taste the passion for some of the lesser-known works, such as Moon Knight.
What are some of your all-time favorite franchises, and why? Do you prefer the originals or the newer versions, or do you love them all the same? What franchises have botched some of your favorite stories, and how would you fix them if you could? Let us know in the Comments Section below!
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Featured Images: Netflix – The Witcher Season 3, Episode 6
In my opinion the challenge is finding new stories without degenerating into fan service or trying to retell the same story. Perhaps the greatest sequel, ever, in my opinion is Aliens for this reason. Alien was a genre defining horror film…and Aliens managed to use that universe to create a genre defining space shooter action film. Both are incredibly well done, and opened the door for the world to grow in a lot of different directions (for example, look at modern video games in that universe – alien isolation vs aliens fireteam elite – both completely different yet fun and revitalizing). By contrast, look at something like Jurassic World, which managed to make even rampaging dinosaurs boring because its just a much worse version of the original!
That’s an excellent point! I’ve only seen the first Alien, but absolutely loved it! I’ve heard great things about the sequel. However, as much as I like Chris Pratt and how great he did with Guardians of the Galaxy, I could not get into the new Jurassic World unfortunately 🙁 Great example though, thank you! 😊💜
You’re welcome! Maybe watch Aliens when you get a chance and see how bold of a decision it was for the directors to COMPLETELY change narrative directions after a very successful film!