7 Failed Movie Franchises That Sadly Went Nowhere
Whether you love them or vehemently despise them, cinematic franchises are a cornerstone of the modern film industry.
Practically since the invention of the camera, film executives have long expressed enthusiasm at the idea of producing financially viable sequels to cash in on the success of a successful title. In some cases, this savvy business practice has produced artistically and culturally relevant film series that have captivated millions of viewers across the globe, including Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. In other instances, however, this practice has ushered in increasingly formulaic film series that have earned widespread derision from fans, such as the latter Jaws films, Resident Evil, Paranormal Activity, and the unending Transformers sequels.
While there’s no shortage of exceptional, globally renowned film franchises in the world, there also exist countless failed attempts to create large-scale cinematic series capable of entrancing audiences the world over. From short-lived family-friendly fantasy films to mainstream superhero epics, here are seven ambitious movie franchises that quickly collapsed before a proper conclusion.
The Original Narnia Series
For the past seven decades, C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series has remained the benchmark for young adult literature, influencing dozens of novels, movies, comic books, and video games in the years since its release. Given the Narnia series’ celebrated reputation among contemporary readers, Disney shrewdly attempted to adapt the books into a full-fledged film series with 2005’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. A fantasy epic in the same mold as The Lord of the Rings, audiences’ positive reception towards The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe eventually ensured two sequels in the form of 2008’s Prince Caspian and 2010’s The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Unfortunately, progress on a fourth installment stalled after Dawn Treader’s disappointing box office performance. Though producers initially planned to greenlight a fourth film based on Lewis’s The Silver Chair, the project languished in development hell until Netflix announced their own adaptation of Narnia in the early 2020s, cutting short any possibility of another entry in the series.
The First Iteration of His Dark Materials
Twelve years before HBO’s exquisite adaptation of His Dark Materials, New Line Cinema provided their own cinematic take on Philip Pullman’s best-selling YA fantasy series with 2007’s The Golden Compass. A largely faithful recreation of the first book in Pullman’s series, New Line initially intended The Golden Compass to be the first in a three-part film series, followed by immediate adaptations of The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. After the film’s less-than-remarkable critical response and poor financial performance, however, New Line immediately halted the series, ixnaying any chance for a sequel to follow in The Golden Compass’s wake.
Disney’s John Carter Adaptation
While most people readily credit Star Wars as the definitive entry in the space opera subgenre, modern studios have continually challenged themselves to produce a sci-fi adventure film as singularly great as George Lucas’s blockbuster franchise. Case in point with Disney’s 2012 film, John Carter, a rip-roaring adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’s popular Barsoom sci-fi series from the first half of the 20th century. As one of the most expensive films ever made, Disney clearly had high hopes for John Carter’s potential as a viable adventure series. In spite of its ambitious nature, immersive special effects, and soaring soundtrack, John Carter’s underwhelming international gross forced Disney to cancel planned adaptations of Burroughs’s Gods of Mars and Warlord of Mars, prematurely ending the Barsoom trilogy after a single mediocre film.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe
Watching Sony’s Spider-Man Universe unfold in real-time has been about as tragic as witnessing Kevin Malone spill his patented chili in The Office and then desperately trying to scoop it back into the pot. With six films under their belt so far, none of Sony’s Spider-Man-related movies have gained significant traction among audiences, leaving superhero fans and casual viewers alike disappointed with the movies’ lackluster quality. Following the severely negative response of 2024’s Madame Web, Venom: The Last Dance, and Kraven the Hunter, Sony has reportedly jettisoned their plans for future continuations in the SSU, although the studios’ Spider-Noir TV series is apparently still moving forward at MGM+.
The Last Airbender Film Series
Few directors have experienced the same number of career highs and lows as M. Night Shyamalan. Often hailed as one of the most popular filmmakers of the 21st century, Shyamalan has produced more than his share of disastrously-received films as well, including Lady in the Water, The Happening, After Earth, and 2010’s The Last Airbender. Regarding the latter, Paramount Pictures intended The Last Airbender to be the first of several movies based on Nickelodeon’s fan-favorite Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series. Following the unwaveringly hostile reception Shyamalan’s version of The Last Airbender faced upon its release, Paramount quickly rolled back their decision to helm more films in the franchise. To this day, many fans continue to cite The Last Airbender as an uninspired, surprisingly problematic take on the Avatar universe, with some even going so far as to describe it as one of the worst movies ever made.
Universal’s Dark Universe
Almost a century after Universal’s classic 1930s monster movies, the studio attempted a fresh overhaul of their various horror properties starting with 2017’s The Mummy remake (and retroactively 2014’s Dracula Untold). According to Universal’s initial plans, their Dark Universe would act as an updated take on their most well-known characters – including Russell Crowe’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Johnny Depp’s Invisible Man, and Javier Bardem’s Frankenstein’s Monster – similar in scope and interconnectivity as Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Following The Mummy’s disastrous critical and financial shortcomings, Universal canceled any plans for any further sequels or spinoffs, retooling The Invisible Man as a standalone horror film and recycling the Dark Universe name for a horror-themed land in Orlando’s Universal Epic Universe amusement park.
The Entire DCEU
In its earliest stages, Zack Snyder hoped that DC’s Extended Universe might rival the critical appeal of the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the mid 2010s. Reigniting the decades-long rivalry between the two comic giants, Snyder promptly released several major entries in his fledgling shared cinematic universe with Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and 2017’s Justice League. In a series filled with false starts, crippling setbacks, and conflicting creative visions, the DCEU tragically never measured up to the best the MCU had to offer. Rather than overseeing films that matched the widespread esteem of The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, or Marvel’s Spider-Man films, the DCEU caved in on itself with wave after wave of painfully dull box office flops. While DC’s new studio head James Gunn has since spelled out renewed hope for a cohesive DC universe, comic book fans can only wonder what might have been had the DCEU lived up to Snyder’s larger-than-life expectations.