When Marvel hatched their ambitious plan for a large-scale cinematic universe full of comic-book
characters, they also kicked off the hottest new trend in Hollywood.
Tinseltown has universe fever, with major studios all looking to plant a stake in fertile,
franchise-ready territory that they hope someday will rival the MCU's superheroes for box office
domination.
"...Puny god."
Here are the hottest properties with the potential to go universal.
Call of Duty
Video game adaptations don't always strike gold — we're looking at you, Assassin's
Creed — but the makers of this popular first-person shooter still believe they can turn their
prize property into a successful cinematic universe.
"Okay, game on."
Stacey Sher, a producer known for movies like Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight, along
with former Disney executive Nick van Dyk, are in charge of Activision Blizzard Studios.
They're planning a Call of Duty film franchise that'll have "the same sort of high-adrenaline,
high-energy aesthetic as the game."
If all goes well, the movies will pay homage to all the different games in the series,
from Black Ops to Modern Warfare.
Sony Marvel
"You’re the spiderling.
Crime-fighting spider?
You’re Spiderboy?"
Whatever you want to call him, Spider-Man is back in the MCU fold — but Sony, who
used to own the web-slinging hero, is still planning to feature his friends in their own
movie universe.
Venom, starring Tom Hardy in the title role, will hit theaters in October 2018.
Another project, featuring characters Silver Sable and Black Cat, has a February 2019 release
date.
Just don't expect to see Tom Holland slinging webs in any of Sony's Marvel films; despite
some initial confusion, Spidey is an MCU exclusive.
"Look kid, there’s a lot going on here that you don’t understand."
"Stark said you'd say that."
Valiant Comics
Sony's shared superhero universe goes way beyond Spider-Man's extended family; the studio
also has a five-picture deal with comics publisher Valiant, and action-packed movies based on
Bloodshot, Harbinger, and Harbinger Wars are all in development.
Details are sparse, but we do know for sure that Bloodshot will steer clear of superhero
conventions in favor of a classic sci-fi feel — and this universe might just have a Guardian
of the Galaxy in it.
Dave Bautista spilled the beans on Twitter that he's in talks to headline a film based
on Valiant's Eternal Warrior title, where he'll be reborn as a whole new kind of hero.
“Ahhh!
Ha ha ha!
Yes!”
John Wick
After a pair of successful feature films starring Keanu Reeves, John Wick is going to explode
in a whole new direction — with a prequel TV series.
The small-screen expansion will revolve around the Continental, the global hotel that caters
to the world's hottest assassins.
But if you love Keanu in the title role, don't worry; Lionsgate has plans for at least one
more movie in the John Wick universe, and considering where we last saw him, this hitman
has a lot more work to do before he can hang up his guns.
"Whoever comes.
Whoever it is.
I’ll kill them.
I'll kill them all.”
Hasbro
Between the Transformers and G.I.
Joe franchises, Hasbro's action figures make for pretty good action films — and big plans
are in the works for a new Hasbro Universe, with a team of superhero specialists in charge
of development.
Marvel alums Nicole Perlman, Cheo Coker, and Joe Robert Cole are all on board, and they're
ready to reboot G.I.
Joe for a whole new generation.
Hasbro's Simon Waters promised that they'll be blowing up old conventions to create a
more contemporary Joe, saying,
"The world has changed, and I think you're going to see G.I.
Joe changing with it."
So while details are still sparse on Hasbro's plans for its universe, you know it'll be
something new.
"And knowing is half the battle!"
The Conjuring
Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are a pair of ghost
hunters with a room full of haunted objects in their house — which turned into a treasure
trove of movie ideas when Hollywood realized that the Conjuring franchise was box office
gold.
The demonic haunted doll named Annabelle got two movies out of the deal, while another
installment featuring the terrifying nun is due in 2018.
And it won't stop there; when it comes to world of The Conjuring, director James Wan
has ambitious goals:
"One of the biggest things I really wanted to do is bring respect back to studio horror
films."
With a museum full of haunted objects to choose from, this is one universe that could keep
on expanding for a long time.
LEGO
The big bang that spawned this universe came at the box office, when the LEGO Movie grossed
four hundred and seventy million dollars worldwide.
From there, Warner Brothers dove headfirst into the world of colorful building blocks,
with Batman and ninja-themed spin-off movies as well as a straight sequel called… uh,
The Lego Movie Sequel.
As for the universe, LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay says it has a "sci-fi premise"
— in other words, the films are loosely connected by the fraught relationship between
the LEGO world and humans who built it.
"It's a highly sophisticated interlocking brick system."
...Whatever.
All you need to know that in this universe, everything is awesome.
Hanna-Barbera
It's only a rumor so far, but the buzz surrounding a full-on movie universe based on classic
Hanna-Barbera cartoons is definitely building — starting with a Scooby Doo animated feature
film to be released in 2020.
If all goes well with Scoob and his gang, Hollywood can go ahead and bring in a whole
world of classic cartoon characters: The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, Top Cat, and of
course, Yogi Bear… whether he likes it or not.
"Every day it's the same old thing.
Look at the bears!
Sheesh."
Millarworld
August 7, 2017 was an important day in the history of Netflix.
That's when the streaming giant announced the acquisition of Millarworld— a publishing
universe that includes plenty of hot Hollywood properties.
Wanted, Kick-Ass, and Kingsman have already been made into feature films, but they may
be rebooted on the streaming service, where Netflix plans to create new original series
from existing franchises as well as any future Millarworld titles.
Some people even think the Scottish storyteller might give Marvel's Stan Lee a run for his
money when it comes to creating the most expansive universe ever seen onscreen.
"Excelsior!”
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