Franchisography

After the lukewarm reception of RoboCop 2 at the box office, Orion decided that the blame should fall on its R-rating. They believed that kids really wanted to see the film, and had they been able to buy a ticket, … Continue reading →

Orion wanted a RoboCop sequel immediately.  After a few false starts and a writer’s strike, Orion turned to non-union comic book writer/artist Frank Miller to write a sequel to a movie he had only seen once. To direct, the turned … Continue reading →

When writer Edward Neumeier met writer Michael Miner he realized that they were both working on remarkably similar ideas. Rather than be in competition with each other, the two decided to collaborate on an original script about the future of … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick and Scott as they wrap up The Hunger Games (for now) with lots of talk about where the franchise could go in the future. Is this the first time our hosts have had identical rankings?? … Continue reading →

Despite the underwhelming response the two Mockingjay movies received from critics and moviegoers, Lionsgate and series producer Nina Jacobson eagerly awaited the next Hunger Games novel from author Suzanne Collins alongside a still ravenous army of readers. But they were … Continue reading →

We continue to interrupt your regularly scheduled mini-series with the third and final BONUS FEATURE episode focused on a new release films that is part of a past franchise! Spider-Man is BACK! And this time, he has NOTHING. No friends, … Continue reading →

We continue to interrupt your regularly scheduled mini-series with the second of 3 BONUS FEATURE episodes focused on new release films that part of past franchises! The deadites return and they’re meaner than ever in the latest installment of the … Continue reading →

We interrupt your regularly scheduled mini-series with the first of 3 BONUS FEATURE episodes focused on new release films that part of past franchises! First up, Christopher Nolan returns with his follow-up to 2023’s Oppenheimer, an epic film that spans … Continue reading →

The decision to divide Suzanne Collins’s third Hunger Games novel into two movies is largely remembered as a cash grab by fans of the series, but nevertheless, Francis Lawrence and company were determined to bring the epic finale of Katniss … Continue reading →

The spark has been lit and revolution is coming in this third film of the Hunger Games franchise! Author Suzanne Collins managed to conclude the tale of Katniss Everdeen in a single book, but Lionsgate would decide to follow in … Continue reading →

When The Hunger Games hit theaters in 2012, it proved to be an even bigger hit than Lionsgate anticipated, meaning a sequel couldn’t come soon enough. Unfortunately, director and co-writer Gary Ross found the tight turn around between films to … Continue reading →

FRANCHISOGRAPHY takes a look back at the generation-defining series that made Jennifer Lawrence a superstar and young adult dystopias big at the box office. Author Suzanne Collins was already a success in the world of children’s literature when the first … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they rank the Nolan’s original films, discuss what genres we’d love to see him take on in the future (and which ones we absolutely do not), and announced our next franchise! FRANCHISE … Continue reading →

After the disastrous mishandling of Tenet’s release and the announcement of WB’s “project popcorn”, Nolan left behind the hollowed halls of Warner Brothers for a new studio partnership. After a bidding war between multiple studios, Nolan’s next project landed across … Continue reading →

The image of a bullet hole in concrete being reassembled as the bullet pulls itself from a wall and back into the barrel of a gun has been a cinematic itch that Nolan has had since university, and it was … Continue reading →

A sailing trip through the path of a historical event in his youth lead Nolan to proposing a “Fury Road”-ified war movie that would depict the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II. To keep up a relentless pace while making … Continue reading →

With a story that began with a blind date between a producer and a physicist, then evolved into a Steven Spielberg movie written by Jonathan Nolan, and eventually became a Christopher Nolan film about missing his kids that spanned the … Continue reading →

Starting it’s inception as a horror film about “dream thieves”, Nolan would write and rewrite the screenplay for his dream heist film dozens of times over the course of a decade until a vacation with his family would inspire the … Continue reading →

After taking on a studio film (2002’s Insomnia) and reinventing the superhero film (2005’s Batman Begins), Christopher Nolan finally had enough clout to fund the adaptation of a Christopher Priest novel that he had PLEDGED to be his next project … Continue reading →

Season 4 of FRANCHISOGRAPHY begins with a look at the original feature films of Christopher Nolan, the filmmaker who became a franchise. And it all started with the breakout success of his second feature, 2000’s MEMENTO. Originally pitched to him … Continue reading →

In 2024, two of the biggest production companies in modern horror, James Wan’s Atomic Monster and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse, would successfully merge with the goal of increasing their output of horror hits. Their first major production would be an untitled … Continue reading →

Round 1 of this year’s Listener Pick Tournament is over and Nick & Scott are here to discuss where the choices made by our listeners on Discord and Patreon have led us. There were surprising victories and devastating losses, but … Continue reading →

Well… that happened. Originally conceived for Happy Death Day and Freaky director Christopher Landon, Scream 7 was going to feature new franchise stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega as the returning Carpenter Sisters… until all of that was thrown out … Continue reading →

It’s a Listener Pick Tournament Bonus-ode! With March barely a week away, Nick & Scott are joined by Patreon Producer Mark Ybarra to reveal the 32 franchises that were chosen for this year’s Listener Pick Tournament and discuss their potential … Continue reading →

February is almost here and March is right around the corner… …which means it’s almost time for this year’s Listener Pick Tournament! Join Nick and Scott as they discuss this year’s Tournament rules and regulations! What’s off limits? What’s back … Continue reading →

The second act of Wicked lives in infamy for many Broadway fans. When the filmmakers behind the big screen adaptation made the decision to split their saga into two movies, they were left with an interesting challenge: an entire film … Continue reading →

It’s a Finale-sode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss/rank the Oz franchise, pitch ideas for future Oz movies, look back at our third season, and look forward to Season Four, coming in Summer 2026! Next week: Our hiatus begins! … Continue reading →

Good news! FRANCHISOGRAPHY at last covers the movie musical that became a pop culture phenomenon during the 2024 holiday season. It’s John M. Chu’s WICKED! Rumblings of a film adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel predates even the Tony-winning musical … Continue reading →

On the heels of 2010’s Alice in Wonderland’s massive box office success, Disney was eager to have another live action 3D fantasy ready for audiences quickly, and with the musical Wicked still filling seats on Broadway, the world of Oz … Continue reading →

After buying the film rights to L. Frank Baum’s remaining Oz books in 1954, Walt Disney Productions began work on a live action film starring the teen stars of “The Mickey Mouse Club,” but plans quickly stalled. It wouldn’t be … Continue reading →

Premiering on Broadway in 1975, The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and became a mainstream breakthrough for productions with all-Black casts on Broadway. By the late 70’s, Motown mastermind … Continue reading →

Follow the Yellow Brick Road with Nick and Scott as they uncover the secrets of the Oz franchise, winner of the 2025 FRANCHISOGRAPHY Listener’s Pick Tournament! L. Frank Baum’s children’s book was already a beloved American classic by the time … Continue reading →

We interrupt your regularly scheduled mini-series for our second ever Centenisode! Join Nick and Scott as they celebrate 200 episodes of Franchisography, re-answer listener questions, and rank all of the franchises that we’ve covered since out 100th episode. Plus, after … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they rank the American Pie franchise, go over the American Pie Presents DTV spin-offs, propose an American Pie reboot, announce our next mini-series, and discuss what to expect on next week’s Centenisode! … Continue reading →

Writing partners Jon Hurtwitz and Hayden Schlossberg saw the first American Pie multiple times in theaters during their freshman year of college. Like original Pie screenwriter Adam Herz, the pair would mine their own adolescent adventures to create comedy in … Continue reading →

While on set for American Pie 2, series creator and screenwriter Adam Herz revealed to producer Chris Moore that he already had an idea for a third and final chapter to their raunchy coming of age saga: the boys throwing … Continue reading →

After the first slice became an unexpected smash hit at the box office, Universal Pictures was quick to greenlight a sequel. Screenwriter Adam Herz once again decided to draw from his own life experiences, this time recalling that awkward transition … Continue reading →

We interrupt the American Pie franchise with yet another Bonus Feature! Marvel’s First Family has returned to the silver screen, this time in the creative hands of Marvel Studios and WandaVision director Matt Shakman. Will a comic book adaptation about … Continue reading →

Inspired by the success of Scream in 1996, young screenwriter Adam Herz set out to do for 80’s sex comedies like Porky’s and Bachelor Party what Wes Craven’s masterpiece did for the slasher. The result was an unexpected smash hit … Continue reading →

We continue to interrupt your regularly scheduled next franchise with yet another Bonus Feature! After the failure of the DCEU, Superman is back to kickstart a brand new DC Universe with writer/director James Gunn taking the creative reins. Can a … Continue reading →

We interrupt your regularly scheduled next franchise with a Bonus Feature! It is unlikely that anyone believed the Jurassic franchise was dead after the mega success of the almost universally derided Dominion, but the assumption seemed to be that there … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the end of the Mission: Impossible franchise, what directors we wish we could have seen make entries in the past, reveal our personal rankings, dream about where the franchise could … Continue reading →

Good evening, Mr/Ms. Listener. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us… one last time. In the fallout of Dead Reckoning’s muted release, a final (but maybe not so final?) Mission was given a greenlight by … Continue reading →

Good evening, Mr/Ms. Listener. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us for the most expensive entry in the entire franchise. After the success of Fallout, another Mission was greenlit quickly with writer/director Christopher McQuarrie returning … Continue reading →

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Impossible Mission with a bonus Scheme! After the unexpectedly contentious response to 2023’s Asteroid City, Anderson returns with a simple, crowd-pleasing comedy about the relationship between an industrialist who has survived multiple assassination attempts and … Continue reading →

Good evening, Mr/Ms. Listener. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us for the first direct sequel in the franchise and one of the greatest action movies ever put to film. While Rogue Nation was only … Continue reading →

Good evening, Mr/Ms. Listener. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us for the sequel that kickstarted a brand new era for the series going forward. After Ghost Protocol was another success, Tom Cruise turned to … Continue reading →

Good evening, Mr/Ms. Listener. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us for the espionage sequel that launched the live action career for an animation director. After Tom Cruise’s deal on M:I 3 created issues for … Continue reading →

Good evening, Mr/Ms. Listener. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us for the espionage sequel that started the cinematic career of a television director. The year was 2006, and a sequel to MI2 had spent … Continue reading →

Good evening, Mr/Ms. Listener. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to watch the high octane sequel to the espionage summer blockbuster four years in the making. The year was 2000, and a highly anticipated sequel was released … Continue reading →