Comic Franchises: Sagas, Trilogies & Casting

[Disclaimer]

I'm curious to know what people think.

Given that many actors - understandably - don't want to commit to sequel after sequel after sequel, how do you feel about the limits of comic movie franchises?

Personally, I love the the tried and true trilogy... of which we are yet to have a truly great one in the genre... but maybe there are other options?

 

[Majik1387]

I'm a fan of trilogies but I tend to like sagas more. As for the actors, I can understand not wanting to return over and over again but for me it really depends on how they perform in the movie to have a final decision if it was better to get them back, re-cast, or write them out.

 

[XCharlieX]

Its either one shot deal if thats the type of story it is or careful planning. I found hulk to be one time only type. However Batman i could see going for 2 or 3. And if youre going for 2 or 3, be sure to have a plan. This is a strong reason of how x3 avoided disaster, it felt like it belonged as opposed to tacked on. Often franchises ramble without a plan. Ratners a lucky one. Old school Superman rambled on pointless, as did old school batman.

 

[Dr. Fate]

Depends on the execution.

 

[hippie_hunter]

Endless franchises! The cast should be bound for eternity and cryogenically frozen between films!

 

[Disclaimer]

This is a strong reason of how x3 avoided disaster, it felt like it belonged as opposed to tacked on. Often franchises ramble without a plan. Ratners a lucky one.

See... if 'X3' turned out the way the production art and the comments from the writers suggests, I'd have agreed with you.

As it stands, I truly believe 'X3' did feel "tacked on". Yeah, it kind of followed the plot points to some extent but - to me - a continued story is about more than simply the plot. It's about the overall tone and feelings... and continuing the same logic.

'X3' was a failure for me... and feels more like sub-par fan-fiction.

 

[XCharlieX]

Ok well, for the folks who didnt mind it, thats a big reason it avoided complete disaster. People were expecting a climax after x2 and they at least got one.

 

[Disclaimer]

I guess... if a woman standing about looking menacing, while demonstrating world-destroying powers over what ended up looking like a mere 20 metre radius can be classed as a "climax".

*Sigh*

I'm sorry... I can't resist my 'X3'-bashing. It's like being in love with someone for six years, only to have them cheat on you on the wedding day. The only way around it is to fake a smile and joke about it.

 

[DACrowe]

How was X3 a ****ing climax? Not only did the movie poorly develop its characters, blow off points that were stressed in the first two movies as needing resolution to simple stupid answers (Rogue needs to mature into a fully grown hero who is confidant...**** that just cure her off. cyclops needs to become the strong leader he always thought himself as and be there for Jean....**** that let's kill him off) and then the story isn't done.

So Magneto and Jean kill a bunch of people big deal, this just makes people more afraid of mutants and Magneto is not gone. There is no closure it ends saying he'll be back and the war is still coming. All it was was Fox making money off of the two good Singer films.


Anyway I say tell a story that can span one movie and then be expanded into a trilogy. But leave the door cracked for more (not with a big ****ing gaping whole of a teaser for anotehr movie like X3 had) which is what Sony is SMARTLY doing with Spider-Man.

As it is no franchise has made it past 2 in quality as of yet. Batman Forever, Superman III, Blade Trinity and X3 have all sucked and been miserable disappointments, especially X3 as it ruined what is the greatest cliffhanger in a superhero movie to date. C'mon Spider-Man don't let us down too now.

 

[Disclaimer]

I was going for the same thing... but with subtlety.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I think the franchise should be kept going for as long as they can keep making good movies. The original cast members should be kept on as long as feasibly possible. We need to get over this fear of going past 3. We need to lose this mentality that every franchise is going to need the "Batman Begins" or "Superman Returns" treatment. Those were special cases & it doesn't apply to everything.

 

[Disclaimer]

I think it's a validated fear, though... I mean... it'd be a bit odd just ignoring a bad entry in a series and moving on like it never happened.

Possible... but odd.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Or they can just not make those bad entries; Why change direction when you're off to a great start?

 

[Disclaimer]

'Cus Studios aren't "creative types" and seem to think the only way forward is either "bigger" or "drastic change for the sake of it".

I'll never understand why more studios don't plot out a rough saga in the first place, just in case...

 

[Chris Wallace]

There's a similar thread on the Spider-Man boards, with replies like "Quit while you're ahead" & "Why risk making a crappy movie & ending on a bad note?"
What kind of sense does that make?

 

[Timstuff]

As the guy from the Red Stripe commercials would say...

"Boo, too much of a good thing!"

Trilogies are best IMO.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Y'know what I think? If just one comic franchise had a REALLY good third installment, half of you guys would change your mind. If that same series got to a 4th & that one truly rocked, the rest of you would turn around. Just because something HASN'T been done doesn't mean it can't.

 

[The_Guyver]

Stand alone, self-contained movies are the best. When you can watch a movie without having to watch a previous installment of sequel for closure, that is a big part of what makes a great movie. Although, trilogies are great also, but they are not the be all and end all. Maybe if Marvel got a triumverate of directors who are true comic book fans & rotated them throughout three franchises we would get a solid series of movies without a sense of repetition or decrease in quality, for example: Sam Raimi, Guillermo Del Toro & Robert Rodriguez on Spider-Man, Wolverine & Daredevil, rotating until each have a trilogy in each franchise, be it films 1-3, 4-6 or 7-9. Farfetched, but so are comic books dammit, and we love those...

 

[3dman27]

one at a time