Franchises That Need Tie-in Material
Before the franchise boom of the 21st century most cult movies and franchises lived on in other mediums for fans to enjoy. Whether they were books, comics, or some other piece of entertainment it allowed for hardcore fans to expand upon their love in ways that the original films could only scratch the surface. Star Wars and Star Trek had universes of books that spanned eras of their respected universes and helped fans for decades relive the love they had when no new content was available to them. Today, I am going to run through five movies that deserve to be expanded upon in other mediums like Star Wars has today.
Now, when it comes to expanded media tie-ins the genres that usually work are fantasy and science fiction. Both genres lend themselves to creative world building and allow storytelling within their respected universes that wouldn't effect the main one presented in the film(s). The Alien and Predator franchises have done this well where they expand upon the mythos by bringing the story farther into the future, the past, and crafting new stories that don't necessarily touch on the main storyline running through the movies. There will be little surprise that you'll see all fantasy/sci-fi on this list, so no Phantom Thread, or The Wolf of Wallstreet universes here. Oh, and video games do not count as many movies in these genres have had at least one that had been mediocre at best and inevitably sunk the potential for tie-in media. And so without further ado...
5) Avatar
The blockbuster that defined this decade in film more than any other, Avatar crafted a complex and imaginative world that is ripe for storytelling. When it came out there were talks of comic books and novels to accompany the phenomenon hit, but alas we were left with adventure guides and art books until recently. At the time of this post's conception it was announced that Dark Horse would be publishing a comic for Avatar coming in 2019, and once the new movies come out it sounds like novels will be along shortly, so Avatar is half a step into this world already, but I just had to include it for it's imagination and years of getting into this world.
4) The Last Witch Hunter
Inspired by Vin Diesel's D&D character, this wonderfully weird world was born. While it received mostly negative reviews from the critics the film itself offered plenty for fantasy fans. A backstory where an immortal warrior defeated evil witches to save the world that extends to the present where Diesel's character Kaulder has to stop the oncoming threat once again is a rich start for a universe. In between badass magic fights the film shows you a fantastical world beneath these mortal noses as magical drug gardens, modern witches, and Kaulder's vault are all tantalizing background sets that need to be explored. The tie-ins could fill in Kaulder's story between him sealing the witch and the present story line. It could also focus on Chloe, a Witch that gets caught up in a conspiracy. Or, it could focus on a Dolan, a mortal watcher for Kauler. This film is rich with story potential, and I believe that a comic series, or novel, would do so much justice to this fledgling franchise.
3) Riddick
Sticking with Vin Diesel a little longer, his science fiction space opera/horror franchise with the titular protagonist is a cult favorite, and a franchise that has dire need for more fiction. Taking place on multiple worlds and crafting lore as epic as the necromongers would thrive in a novel setting. Not only fleshing out characters more in depth than the movies can, this property shocks me that there hasn't been any tie-in media except for two video games. Comic and novels fans would eat this up in a heart beat, and given a few years could rival Star Wars. Okay, that may be a tad dramatic, but the potential for this series is endless. They could explore Furya, and the powers of its race. Maybe follow other bounty hunters or create a short story compilation of people who have heard/briefly encountered Riddick. This universe is vast, and demands to be told.
2) Blade Runner
Being one of the most influential science fiction movies of the 80s, Blade Runner offers a unique and dystopian future that is all too familiar in science fiction by now. However, after the release of Blade Runner 2049 it blew open the flood gates on the possibilities of the Blade Runner universe. You don't even need to make epic stories, but small personal ones such as relationships with A.I. Ryan Gosling's relationship with Joi was the most fascinating aspect of the movie and a novel dedicating three hundred pages to that kind of relationship would transcend tie-in media and become insanely thought provoking. Instead of big world and ka-booms, the Blade Runner universe could offer topical science fiction discussion points that really exam us on a personal level.
1) The Mummy (2017) or The Dark Universe
This one is a bit of a cheat since the only film in this "Dark Universe" is The Mummy, and the rest might be dead in the water, but the more I thought about it the more it made sense that it had to be on the list. Taking from the classic, and original shared universe, The Mummy shows so much promise with Jekyll and Hyde and Prodigium. A prequel novel could be amazing if it focused on Prodigium and how Jekyll had created this organization while taking into account of Mr. Hyde. Even if another Dark Universe movie doesn't come out they could only release novels and then have unlimited creative control of their universe. A prose approach would also help in detailing the world and powers of these curses and monsters in much more detail than a film could provide. Granted, they did try and release a tie-in app for The Mummy, but that failed spectacularly.
What did you think of my picks? Agree, disagree? Leave a comment to let me know. What would your choices be?
