Podcast
Failure to Franchise
A bi-weekly podcast devoted to infamous examples of failed film-franchise starters. In a Hollywood landscape dominated by giant tentpole movies, not all attempted franchises can succeed. Many intended first entries of a series fail to generate the planned sequels due to low box office, poor judgement, or, simply put... utter incompetence. This show is a celebration of (or perhaps a memorial for) those failures, as hosts Trev and Chris dissect what went wrong with these cinematic misfires.
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- Episodes
- 167
- Releases
- Every two weeks
- Typical length
- 1 hr 36 min
- On air since
- 2020
- Latest episode
- 21 hours ago
Episodes
167 episodes, newest first
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1 hr 34 min
Episode 158 - Solomon Kane (2009)
Show notes
For the third installment of "Lamentations of Their Winter," our series dedicated to films based on the work of Robert E. Howard, we're taking a brief break from barbarians! But fret not - we're still firmly in "swords and sorcery" territory, even if the sword is a Spanish Rapier instead of a giant broadsword. Because for this episode, we're exploring Howard's 17th-century Puritan battler of evil supernatural forces, Solomon Kane. With a darker, more horror-focused tone than Conan, Red Sonja, or Kull, the cinematic adaption of Kane was maybe targeting a different audience...but ultimately struggled to find much of an audience at all. But did the film deserve that fate, or is it a potential hidden gem among the Howard films? We share our thoughts, and dive deep into the witch and demon infested world of Solomon Kane.
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1 hr 25 min
Episode 157 - Kull the Conqueror (1997)
Show notes
"Lamentations of their Winter," our series dedicated to failed franchise starters based on the works of Robert E. Howard, continues! This time, we're looking at a movie based on Howard's classic barbarian character! No...not, Conan. We're not there yet. And no, not Red Sonja, either. We just did that last time! No, this time we're looking at his other barbarian character, Kull of Atlantis. And yet, any confusion is understood, as 1997's Kull the Conqueror was originally meant to be a Conan film, and is at least partly based on a Howard story that was published at different times as both a Conan story and a Kull story! Got all that? If not, don't worry. We're here to walk you through this very '90s sword and sorcery "epic," full of hallmarks of that decade - from the hard-rock soundtrack to the dodgy FX to, well, Kevin Sorbo in the lead role. Why didn't Kull make Sorbo a movie star in the same way Conan the Barbarian did for Arnold? We certainly have our theories. Listen on to hear them, and more.
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1 hr 36 min
Episode 156 - Red Sonja (1985) w/ Special Guest: Bryan Kristopowitz
Show notes
What is best in life? Well, let's hope it's watching a bunch of failed franchise starters, because we're kicking off a brand new theme dedicated entirely to films based on the works of legendary pulp author Robert E. Howard. That's right, it's time to hear "The Lamentations of their Winter!" To kick it off, it's 1985's Red Sonja, the first attempt to forge a cinematic franchise out of the fiery red-headed warrior loosely based on a Howard character (but really more based on the comic book character inspired by Howard's character...we know, it's confusing). Serving as a sort of sequel, sort of spin-off to the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan series, and even featuring Arnold himself in a supporting role, Red Sonja seemed perfectly poised to be a huge hit and possibly turn debuting star Brigitte Nielsen into a megastar just like Conan the Barbarian did for Arnold. Except, uh...that didn't happen. Why not? We're here to discuss. And since we're kicking off another series with an '80s action film, who better to help us than returning guest Bryan Kristopowitz, author of Not Coming to a Theater Near You!: 50 Great Direct-to-Video Action Flicks of the Early 2000s.
Buy Bryan's book HERE, titled: Not Coming to a Theater Near You!: 50 Great Direct-to-Video Action Flicks of the Early 2000s
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1 hr 40 min
Episode 155 - The Fall Guy (2024)
Show notes
"FALLure to Franchise" concludes with a very recent movie. One starring two big movie-stars coming off of the biggest hits of their career, directed by one of the filmmakers behind John Wick, and a movie that helped influence a major Academy Award change. So why the heck wasn't 2024's The Fall Guy a hit?? Your guess is as good as ours, but we're here to try to figure it out. Another cinematic adaptation of a classic TV show, The Fall Guy stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt in the action-comedy tale of a fallen (hey!) stuntman whose attempted comeback is set back when he becomes embroiled in a mysterious criminal plot. Is the movie an effective adaptation of the source material series? Are the stunts as impressive as they should be in a movie dedicated to honoring stunt performers? Has Chris hallucinated unicorns? Would Ryan Gosling be friends with Trev? We ask all these questions, and more!
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1 hr 24 min
Episode 154 - Fallen (2016)
Show notes
As exciting as the start of a new theme month usually is here at F2F, this time it comes with a little bit of foreboding, as well. That's because we're kicking off September's "FALLure to Franchise" with a return to one of our most dreaded genres...the YA Lit Adaptation! This time, we're looking at 2016's Fallen, which poses the compelling(?) question...what if Twilight, but with angels? Also based on a popular series of books, and with a clear "it's worked before" template to follow, Fallen seemed to have an easy enough path to follow to at least somewhat replicate the Twilight success, but ultimately the movie was barely released and was barely seen or defended by even the books' most passionate fans. So what went wrong? We're here to investigate...and possibly even reconsider how much credit we give the Twilight series in retrospect.
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1 hr 44 min
Episode 153 - World War Z (2013)
Show notes
"Summer Surprise" comes to a close, perhaps appropriately, in the form of a shambling, rotting corpse...or, in this case, thousands of them, spilling over each other as they scale a giant wall. That's right, we're looking at 2013's World War Z, the big budget adaptation of author Max Brooks' bestselling "Oral History of the Zombie War." The film overcame skepticism from book fans wary of its massive changes from the source material, and months of well-reported behind-the-scenes chaos - including an entirely scrapped, rethought, and re-shot third act - to still go on to become one of star Brad Pitt's biggest financial hits. But does the film hold up today? Is it a worthy addition to the zombie genre, or a too-bloated, CGI-filled example of Hollywood excess? And if it was such a success, why did we never get that sequel? Join us as we try to avoid getting bit and tackle all these questions, and more!
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1 hr 19 min
Episode 152 - The Green Hornet (2011)
Show notes
By 2011, the classic pulp character The Green Hornet had already been featured on the radio (where he was first born), movie screens (in a couple serials from the '40s), TV screens (in the 1966 series co-starring Bruce Lee), and the pages of comic books. As varied as these different versions were, they all played the character and his world fairly straight. Which arguably made the decision to turn the 2011 big-screen adaptation of the character into more of a buddy-comedy movie a unique, bold choice. But does that mean it was a "good" or "effective" choice? "Summer Surprise" continues as we take a look at another film with a long development history; one that faced the dual challenge of trying to turn Seth Rogen into a superhero and introduce Green Hornet and his sidekick Kato to a new, young audience more enamored with the heroes of DC and Marvel.
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1 hr 39 min
Episode 151 - Car 54, Where Are You? (1994) w/ Special Guest: Bede Jermyn
Show notes
A successful music video director and the filmmaker behind a recently well-received cult hit is hired to helm the cinematic adaptation of a beloved '60s sitcom. Clearly aiming for something more hip and edgy than the original show, he largely eschews the tone of the source material, instead populating his film with esoteric cult celebs and performers, upping the raunch factor, and filming it as a musical. And then...nothing. The movie sits on the shelf for almost four years. Until - unbeknownst to the director himself - it is finally quietly released, in a drastically altered studio cut. Yes, the little-remembered Car 54, Where Are You? is truly one of strangest movies (and stories behind the movie) that we have done yet. So strange, we couldn't tackle it alone! And so, joining us for this New York movie edition of "Summer Surprise" is Trev's co-host from Bede & Trev vs The Big Apple, Bede Jermyn, aka "The Terrible Aussie."
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1 hr 27 min
Episode 150 - Action Jackson (1988)
Show notes
A mega-successful Hollywood producer. A popular star ready for his first big lead role. A respected actor one year away from an iconic sitcom role. A singer turned actor enjoying the height of her sex symbol status. Another actress just a few years away from becoming one of the industry's all-time biggest sex symbols. And explosions. Lots and lots of explosions. Put them all together, and you got a stew going, baby! This year's "Summer Surprise," in which we let an online randomizer pick our movies for us, kicks off with Action Jackson, an 80s blaxploitation riff from mega action producer Joel Silver, and starring the late, great Carl Weathers. The film was meant to finally catapult Weathers into the same above-the-title megastar status as his famed co-stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Silver brought along a bunch of cast and crew from his other recent efforts to help make it happen. So, what happened? Why are there multiple Lethal Weapon's, Die Hard's, and Predator's, but only one Action Jackson? We try to figure it out, while jumping out of the way of the sports car barreling down our hallway.
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1 hr 42 min
Episode 149 - Dolittle (2020)
Show notes
Your iconic turn as a superhero made you one of Hollywood's most beloved (and well paid) stars, jump-started a genre's total dominance of the cinematic landscape, and gave you a decade-plus of mega-successful sequels and spin-offs. But that gig has finally ended. What do you do? Well, if you're Robert Downey Jr., and you've recently wrapped your long tenure as Tony Stark/Iron Man with Avengers: Endgame, you quickly find another franchise to jump into. Unfortunately for RDJ, his choice - a new spin on Dr. Dolittle, the classic kids book character who can talk to animals - wasn't as successful as his MCU days. But is the movie really the disaster many (including RDJ himself, after the fact) made it out to be? We're scrubbing up and getting ready to examine, as "June Is What the Doctor Ordered" comes to a close. Plus, after the Dolittle discussion, we allow an online randomizer to choose our next four featured movies for the upcoming "Summer Surprise" series!
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1 hr 19 min
Episode 148 - Dr. Giggles (1992)
Show notes
By the early '90s, the slasher subgenre that had dominated horror in the '80s was already seen as on life support. But that didn't stop an upstart comic book company, formed in 1986 and already quite successful in the publishing world, from seeing the genre as potentially their ticket to join the movie big leagues. And so, four years before Scream would re-invent and re-popularize the slasher, Dark Horse Comics first tried to revive the genre with a more "traditional," if somewhat dark-comedy skewed, entry. And let's face it, who better to "revive" and "resuscitate" a genre than a doctor? Though, it's safe bet the maniacal doctor played by Larry Drake in this film is not one you'd want making a house call. "June is What the Doctor Ordered" continues, as we take a look at 1992's Doctor Giggles, the film that dares to ask, "just how many medical puns can you fit into one movie??"
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1 hr 27 min
Episode 147 - Doctor Detroit (1983)
Show notes
They say there ain't no cure for the summertime blues, but we here at F2F disagree. So allow Trev & Chris to make a house-call, as we ring in a brand new series - "JUNE is What the Doctor Ordered," taking a look at three doctor-themed (sorta) movies. First up, the 1983 oddity Doctor Detroit, perhaps most remembered as SNL legend Dan Aykroyd's first (and last?) solo starring role in a movie. Aykroyd plays a nebbish college professor forced to pose as a tough-talking pimp in order to protect four beautiful sex workers from the wrath of an evil crime boss named "Mom." And if that premise already sounds pretty out-there to you, well, we haven't even said anything about the costuming, voice, and mannerism choices Aykroyd makes in regards to his "Doctor Detroit" persona. Why exactly did a movie starring a beloved comic icon, released so close to hits like Trading Places and Ghostbusters, not connect with audiences? We're here to diagnose what might have gone wrong.
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1 hr 48 min
Episode 146 - Terminator Genisys (2015)
Show notes
"No Fate But What We MAYke" concludes, with the TERMINATOR franchise under new ownership, and looking to forge a new path forward...by going all the way back to the beginning. That's right - perhaps appropriately for a series whose story has been built on a bootstrap paradox/causal loop time travel convention, TERMINATOR GENISYS looks to revisit and revisit and reinvent the events of the original TERMINATOR, creating a movie where even the makers seemed unsure whether to label it a "sequel," a "reboot," or an original "stand-alone entry." But despite the confusion, and despite obviously having to recast several of the key characters with new, younger actors, they did have at least one undeniable not-so-secret weapon: the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to a starring role in the franchise. Was Arnie's return enough to make the film's story feel worth telling? Did the new actors live up to the original performances of the previous actors? How responsible might TERMINATOR GENISYS be for the glut of "legacy sequels" that followed in its wake? And just what is this franchise's beef with John Connor?? We discuss all this and more, so come with us if you want to live!
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1 hr 47 min
Episode 145 - Terminator Salvation (2009)
Show notes
Did the Terminator franchise really need to live on past James Cameron's excellent T2: Judgment Day? Probably not! But Hollywood can't let a good (or moneymaking) franchise die. And so after the strong performance of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, not even franchise star Arnold Schwarzenegger leaving movies for the world of politics could kill the series. But what is a franchise to do when it's under new ownership and it's lost it's usual leading man? The makers of the fourth entry decided to use the opportunity to finally deliver a movie the franchise's fans had been clamoring for since the beginning - a film set entirely during the post Judgment Day future war. And they recruited two new powerhouse leading men to front it - Christian Bale, a newly minted Hollywood blockbuster star after the mega-success of The Dark Knight, and Sam Worthington, a name on the rise about to also star in the same year's most anticipated blockbuster, Avatar (from, yep...James Cameron). So what could possibly go wrong? Well, the pre-release leak of audio of Bale freaking out and yelling at a crewmember, which overshadowed much else of the film's release, might be the start of the answer...but what about the movie itself? Join us as we start out new theme month - "No Fate But What We MAYke" - as we discuss 2009's Terminator Salvation!
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1 hr 27 min
Episode 144 - American Samurai (1992)
Show notes
"Misfired Cannons" comes to a conclusion as a post Golan & Globus era Cannon limps to its final days amidst new ownership but continued, and growing, financial woes. In a blatant attempt to try to recapture some of their past glory, Cannon looked to start a new franchise that might capture the same fans as those of one of its most popular previous successful series, American Ninja. So, recruiting one of the stars of that franchise, and the director of the first installments, Cannon unleashed American Samurai. But even with the lowered expectations of a straight-to-video release, this film didn't enjoy the same financial or cult success of the American Ninja series. So, what went wrong? We discuss leading man (and another important Cannon figure) David Bradley, the onscreen debut of martial arts star Mark Dacascos, the movie's strange "love story," its similarities to American Ninja, and why its attempt to also copy the recent success of another martial arts movie, Bloodsport, may have been its downfall.
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1 hr 36 min
Episode 143 - Cobra (1986)
Show notes
It's the third installment of "Misfired Cannons," and time to look at what happens when Cannon Films decides to work with one of Hollywood's biggest megastars. Sylvester Stallone was riding high off the success of both the Rocky and Rambo franchises in the mid-80s, so deciding to launch a new action franchise with the notoriously frugal and not always successful Cannon might have seemed a strange, unexpected move. So what sort of deal did Cannon offer Stallone to make it hard to resist? What other surprising 80s hit was Stallone originally attached to and oddly led to the creation of this film? Why is there controversy regarding who really directed the movie? How effective is the movie's blend of action and horror? We discuss all this and more, as we look at 1986's Cobra, pig!
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1 hr 24 min
Episode 142 - Avenging Force (1986)
Show notes
So you've developed a sequel to one of your recent "successes," but the legendary action star of the previous film has decided he doesn't want to do a follow-up. Are you supposed to scrap the whole thing? Not if you're Cannon Films, who knew better than to throw out all the work they had already done on a potential Invasion USA sequel, and instead decided to rework it into a new potential franchise starter of its own. "Misfired Cannons" continues as we look at 1986's Avenging Force, which saw Chuck Norris replaced with Cannon's own pet-project up-and-coming star, Michael Dudikoff. Here, Dudikoff takes over the role of Matt Hunter (or is maybe a totally different Matt Hunter?), this time taking on an an underground society of crazed right-wing extremists that likes to hunt men for sport. We discuss Dudikoff's place in the Cannon legacy, the movie's surprising-for-the-time-and-genre politics, the perpetual underutilization of co-star Steve James, and much more.
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1 hr 57 min
Episode 141 - Invasion U.S.A. (1985) w/ Special Guest: Bryan Kristopowitz
Show notes
For film fans of the '80s, one studio was synonymous with over-the-top action, wild premises, and low to mid-budget insanity. Cannon Films delivered a massive output of video store staples and cable classics, and today are looked back on nostalgically as an entertaining alternative to the "big" studio fare of the era. But Cannon certainly had at least one thing in common with the major studios - their fare share of failed franchise starters. So we're devoting two months to the studio's "Misfired Cannons." First up, a look at the 1985 Chuck Norris vehicle Invasion USA, which sees the denim-clad action icon single-handily take on an army of foreign terrorists invading the United States. It might not be the "best '80s action movie," but it is arguably the "most '80s action movie." But we couldn't discuss such a crazy cult-classic alone, so for this discussion we're joined by Bryan Kristopowitz, author of the "Gratuitous B-Movie Column" on the 411mania website, and the recently published book, Not Coming to a Theater Near You!: 50 Great Direct-to-Video Action Flicks of the Early 2000s. So slip on your Chuck Norris Action Jeans, and join us for an in-depth discussion of one of the wildest action movies, and movie studios, of all time!
Chris' Letterboxd Buy Bryan's book HERE, titled: Not Coming to a Theater Near You!: 50 Great Direct-to-Video Action Flicks of the Early 2000s
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1 hr 36 min
Episode 140 - The Girl in the Spider's Web (2018)
Show notes
"The Girl with the Failed February Franchises" concludes with our look at 2018's The Girl in the Spider's Web. Even though the previous film hadn't made as much as Sony had hoped for, it still earned Rooney Mara an Oscar nomination, received critical acclaim, and the entire creative team was down to return for more. So, of course the thing to do is...ignore all that and instead hire a new director and cast to jump ahead to the fourth book (the first not written by series creator Stieg Larsson) and try to reboot the franchise with a much smaller budget. How did that work out for them? Well, we're covering it here, so, you know. Still, we're here to give it a fair shot, discussing whether horror director Fede Alvarez was the right choice to replace Fincher, if Claire Foy is a worthy Lisbeth Salander, and if the movie's global-stakes espionage thriller vibes truly feels appropriate for the overall franchise and character.
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1 hr 43 min
Episode 139 - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Show notes
In 2005 (and 2008 for the American translation), the posthumous release of Swedish author Stieg Larsson's "Millennium Trilogy" took the world by storm. A series of Swedish cinematic adaptations soon followed, making even bigger pop culture icons of the characters of Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, the punk computer hacker with a mysterious past. And then, Hollywood decided to take their crack at it...not once, but twice. And we're investigating both, with our "The Girl with the Failed February Franchises" theme month! First, a look at 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Directed by David Fincher and starring Daniel Craig as Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Salander, the American adaptation was seen by some as a more prestigious adaptation of the first book in Larsson's series; a surefire awards contender and franchise starter. But was it released too soon after the Swedish films? Was its subject matter actually too dark for American audiences, especially given its Christmas release? We explore these questions and more, including how the film rates as part of Fincher's overall filmography, and what it meant for his career moving forward.
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