De-aged Spider-Man? A golden compass promoting atheism? From botched adaptations to culturally
insensitive remakes, here are the movies that were bad enough to kill an entire franchise.
Before Sony even released their second installment of The Amazing Spider-Man story,
both the third and fourth films were announced in 2013. With creatives Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci,
and Jeff Pinkner set to reunite with director Marc Webb to expand Peter Parker's story,
they aimed to expand the greater Amazing Spider-Man universe as well.
Soon, Venom, Sinister Six, and other Spidey-themed projects
were thrust into development as Sony set their eyes on building their own
Marvel universe to rival Disney's growing Marvel Cinematic Universe.
"It's too dangerous."
After an underwhelming performance by The Amazing Spider-Man 2,
Sony made a deal with Marvel Studios, granting the studio usage of the Spider-Man character,
albeit a de-aged and rebooted version.
This new Spider-Man — now played by Tom Holland instead of Andrew
Garfield — appeared first in Captain America: Civil War before starring in
his own film: the Sony and Marvel studios collaboration Spider-Man: Homecoming.
From there, Holland went on to star as Peter Parker in two more Spider-Man films,
and continued appearing alongside The Avengers as well. Though The Amazing Spider-Man universe
didn't happen, Venom was still made, and Garfield's Spider-Man returned for Spider-Man:
No Way Home. Nearly a decade after The Amazing Spider-Man came out, the character's story was
rounded out, leaving many hopeful that we'll see this version of the wall-crawler again.
Johnny Depp might be a screen chameleon, but audiences were not on board with him suiting
up as the Native American character Tonto in Disney's The Lone Ranger.
Disney's attempt at a Western franchise to rival and eventually succeed their
Pirates of the Caribbean series tragically failed upon the film's initial release.
Despite Depp's involvement and the inclusion of the original Pirates trilogy director
Gore Verbinski, The Lone Ranger didn't ride very far. According to E! News,
the film was expected to result in sequels, but it was ultimately panned as racially
insensitive, among other critical gripes, and considered a massive flop at the box office.
In response, Depp himself spoke out against the critical complaints,
claiming that The Lone Ranger's failure was ultimately connected to faulty expectations
that were off from the start. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer agreed with Depp's sentiments,
arguing that critics were more concerned with the budget and scope than the picture itself.
Bruckheimer was so sure of the film's quality that he predicted within a few
years critics would come around to the would-be blockbuster in a big way. As we
have yet to see any review retractions or hear whispers of new Lone Ranger stories,
it seems viewers just weren't interested in this updated tale.
At a time when children's fantasy stories like Harry Potter and The Chronicles of Narnia were
performing pretty well, an adaptation of Philip Pullman's dreamy story world
seemed like a sure thing. But considering its reportedly hefty price tag of $180 million,
The Golden Compass didn't live up to expectations, taking in just $70 million in domestic sales.
Furthermore, the film, like the original novels, was plagued by the Catholic Church's proclamation
that the picture promoted atheism to young viewers. Though Harry Potter suffered similar
criticisms, the Wizarding World had become a virtually unstoppable cultural phenomenon,
leaving little room for a lesser-known franchise like The Golden Compass to get its sea legs.
Director Chris Weitz took to The Atlantic to counter accusations that he neglected the
story's religious tenets, but the damage was already done. Two planned sequels,
The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass,
were put on hold indefinitely and the adaptation rights eventually reverted back to Philip Pullman.
Over ten years after the failed attempt at a film trilogy, HBO revisited Pullman's universe
with the series His Dark Materials, which was received much better by audiences and critics
alike. The series ran three seasons, covering each of Pullman's novels of the same name.
Red, a tongue-in-cheek action thriller about a group of retired CIA operatives brought back
into action by an old foe, was just kooky and action-packed enough to hit the right
tone with critics and make a nice mint at the box office. Encouraged by its all-star cast and
a warm reception by the public, the studio was quick to greenlight Red 2 and began working on a
script for Red 3 shortly before the first sequel's release. It seemed like a no-brainer, after all.
However, Red 2 was a letdown for the studio, scorned by reviewers and skipped by moviegoers,
making more headlines for Willis' awkward promotional interviews than
anything else. Though the third installment was poised to go into
production just months after Red 2's release, Red 3 was never greenlit.
Instead, the series' screenwriting duo Jon and Erich Hoeber took their story to NBC in the hopes
of launching a TV series. When that failed to pan out, Deadline reported that Lionsgate decided to
reboot the Red series for the Indian market instead, effectively scrapping its plans for
another follow-up to the surprise hit. It's been crickets for the franchise ever since.
Meant to be a "love letter" to the original Christopher Reeve-led Superman films of the
late 1970s and early 1980s, Superman Returns sadly fell a bit short. Helmed by director Bryan Singer,
who jumped ship on X-Men: The Last Stand in order to tackle Superman's big-screen return,
Superman Returns did not meet the initial expectations of anybody involved.
Not only did the film fail to bring in the box office receipts the studio was hoping for,
it was also criticized for being too similar to the originals. Many viewers apparently wanted
a 21st-century Superman to engage in some more modern combat. While Superman Returns has been
viewed more favorably in recent years, the initial reception killed any plans of an immediate sequel.
Over a decade later, Superman actor Brandon Routh donned the cape once more, this time on
the small screen, for the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths event. According to SlashFilm,
DC Comics' CCO Jim Lee was instrumental in Routh's television return as Superman,
which feels very much like an epilogue for Superman Returns.
Fairy tale adaptations might be all the rage, but almost no one liked what happened in Paramount's
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. The film, which starred Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton,
followed monster-hunting, grown-up versions of the titular characters.
While the idea was interesting, it didn't exactly captivate audiences,
who criticized the film for its overuse of violence. This Van Helsing wannabe was widely
panned by critics and ignored by North American moviegoers, so Witch Hunters 2,
which was originally expected to see release in 2016, never came to light.
In 2015, Deadline reported that Paramount decided to forego any plans for a Hansel
and Gretel sequel in favor of a possible television adaptation. Unfortunately,
the Witch Hunters never made it to the small screen, and to this day, there's
been no news on whether we'll ever see these witch-killing siblings team up on camera again.
The early 2000s were filled with plenty of fantasy adaptations. Some were good, like The Lord of the
Rings and the first installment of The Chronicles of Narnia; others were bad, like Eragon.
Producers taking the beloved novel by Christopher Paolini and turning it into a generic Hollywood
blockbuster was the last straw for fans of The Inheritance Cycle. The overwhelmingly negative
reviews sealed the fate of this fantasy series before it was given the chance to soar, and the
planned Eragon sequels were quickly canceled. Fans of Paolini's original novels hoped for
more faithful adaptations in the future, and after years of waiting, they're about to get their wish.
While the sequels to Eragon were never made,
Variety reported in 2022 that a Disney+ streaming series based on
The Inheritance Cycle is in development, with Paolini stepping in as co-writer.
"Time to return the favor!"
Paolini confirmed the announcement in a tweet,
where he also thanked fans who supported him throughout the entire process of getting the
reboot off the ground. With their Eragon and Percy Jackson reboot plans afoot,
it seems like Disney is attempting to build a larger fantasy library of their own.
After Sherlock Holmes and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., director Guy Ritchie took his
turn at the King Arthur legend in King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, and the results speak for
themselves. Starring Charlie Hunnam as the titular warrior-king, Legend of the Sword
was a lackluster fantasy flick that failed to meet the expectations of everyone involved.
Although the trailers promised an exciting Led Zeppelin-infused action romp, audiences
were largely disinterested after a series of poor critical reviews. Though the audience responses
were largely positive, the negative buzz killed the movie's momentum and any attempts at a sequel.
Before King Arthur died in box-office combat, co-writer Joby Harold originally
envisioned Legend of the Sword as the first of a six-part shared universe of action fantasies
set in the medieval era. While Harold was a bit too ambitious, in the modern
age of Hollywood where everything must have some sort of franchise or sequel potential,
it's understandable that there were more stories they wanted to tell. Nevertheless,
Ritchie's version of King Arthur was mortally wounded, and it seems unlikely to recover.
No remake was arguably more unnecessary than Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes. A darker,
Burton-ish fantasy version of the original science-fiction classic,
the 2001 Planet of the Apes follows most of the same beats as the original. The film begins with
a human astronaut ending up on a strange planet where apes have evolved and humans are the slaves,
only for him to eventually find out that said planet is actually Earth.
While the cliffhanger ending is a bit different than the original's,
even the questions we had weren't pressing enough to warrant a sequel.
Despite the film's box office success,
the critical disdain for Burton's Planet of the Apes combined with the director's
own lack of interest in continuing the project closed the book on this short-lived venture.
Instead, the franchise pivoted entirely, rebooting through a series of prequels
that chronicled the Apes' rise as Earth's dominant species. From 2011's Rise of the
Planet of the Apes onward, the franchise has developed into something more interesting
than anything Burton's reboot ever did. With another sequel on the way,
the 2001 reboot is now a nearly forgotten black sheep of the franchise.
Few comic book movies have damaged a franchise so badly as Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin.
Despite the stellar cast, the veteran director, and backing by Warner Bros.,
the fourth Batman picture was nothing short of an absolute disaster.
More akin to Adam West's Batman from the 1960s than modern depictions of the Dark Knight,
Batman & Robin was hated by audiences and critics alike, and for good reason.
Although the film did well financially, even the stars themselves hoped to distance
themselves from Batman & Robin, with George Clooney calling the film a "waste of money."
Needless to say, plans for its followup, Batman Triumphant,
were quickly canceled. Years later, Schumacher publicly apologized for making the movie.
Of course, Batman wouldn't stay down forever. After the 1997 disaster,
Christopher Nolan rebooted Batman via his Dark Knight trilogy,
with Christian Bale in the leading role. After that, Zack Snyder reimagined the character for
Batman v Superman and his version of Justice League, with Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader.
Most recently of course, Batman appeared on screens via Matt Reeves' newly minted
The Batman film series starring Robert Pattinson. In 2023's The Flash, both
Affleck's Batman and Michael Keaton's version from Tim Burton's movies return to the cowl,
and there's even another Batman movie, The Brave and the Bold, in development.
When it comes to animation-to-live-action adaptations, big-budget blockbusters can be
pretty hit or miss. Sadly, the biggest twist in M. Night Shyamalyan's interpretation of Avatar:
The Last Airbender is that it was absolutely nothing like the original animated series.
Often considered one of the worst films ever made, The Last Airbender butchers many
details of the original series, including the pronunciation of the titular character's name.
"I'm Aang." "Are you the Avatar, Aang?."
Not only was this Nickelodeon adaptation just generally terrible, it was one of
the lowest points of Shyamalan's filmography. Not even decent box office numbers could save
him from this disaster, and it proved a major blow to the director's career.
Ever since the failure that was The Last Airbender, fans have hoped for a better
live-action adaptation of the beloved animated series. After years of waiting, Netflix is
swooping in to hopefully save the day. Whether or not Netflix's upcoming adaptation is incredible
or not, it will no doubt be loads better than the first attempt. Hopefully, they've learned
from The Last Airbender's mistakes and will follow the animated series a bit more closely.
After the success that Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media had with
their adaptations of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian,
a third Chronicles of Narnia film seemed sure to succeed.
Though Disney got replaced with 20th Century Fox for the third installment's production,
much of the original cast returned for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Given that the
novel is a fan-favorite, hopes were high as the feature set sail. Unfortunately,
the movie was a bit too generous with the events of the book for viewers' liking.
After mixed reviews from both critics and audiences, NarniaWeb reported that Walden
Media lost the rights to The Chronicles of Narnia in 2011. This loss stalled their
plans to pursue an adaptation of the prequel novel The Magician's Nephew.
Though the rights remained in limbo for a few years, Netflix eventually picked them up and began
work on a new series of films and television shows based on C.S. Lewis' works. Sadly,
there haven't been any official updates on Netflix's Narnia developments since 2021.