Future films will stick to a winning formula
HOLLYWOOD is enjoying something of a purple patch at the minute with the success of the new Indiana Jones film and Sex And The City.
Both films have been global phenomena, bringing people to the cinema in
huge numbers and putting movies at the top of the cultural agenda.
And, crucially, both had a guaranteed audience – neither was particularly relying on critical acclaim to ensure box office success.
Sex And The City had legions of fans of the TV show eagerly awaiting it's much-publicised silver-screen outing.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, meanwhile, was a readymade phenomenon, with a near 20-year gap fuelling the nostalgia factor of the first three films.
It all points to a different future for Hollywood, where potential audience matters more than such things as cast, crew, script or even the quality of the final film.
It doesn't matter if you're making the new Citizen Kane – if people don't come to see it the studios aren't interested.
They want bankable names where the title of the film alone will be enough to pull in a crowd.
And film executives have quickly realised that the future is about packing out theatres with already established brands, which can generate
their own publicity across a range of platforms.
With this in mind, here are my predictions for what will be on the bigscreen in the not too distant future:
The Sopranos
The TV series, which was regularly called one of the greatest ever made, may be over.
But millions of devoted fans are hungry for a big-screen version of the gangster show.
Creator David Chase has toyed with the idea of a movie – and recently signed a deal to write, produce and direct his first feature film for Paramount.
You get the feeling this project, while it is unrelated to The Sopranos, will be something of a technical dry run to see if the undoubtedly talented Chase can transfer his skills to the cinema.
The Sopranos' open-ended conclusion, and lose storyline, leaves plenty of room for a film from a plot point of view – something which wouldnot be so easy for the likes of The Wire or Lost.
The only potential problem would be getting the cast on board as the sixth, and last, series of the show was delayed while its stars wrangled over money.
But you get the feeling it's only a matter of time before the studios make the show an offer it can't refuse.
Star Wars VII
In the wake of the original Star Wars trilogy, speculation was rife that there were plans for nine films.
Creator George Lucas did go back and make the prequel trilogy – which, let's face it, undid all the magic that surrounded the first three movies – but things have since gone quiet.
Though, most recently, he has said that he doesn't intend to make any more.
While Lucas has a personal fortune estimated at $3.6 billion, money is unlikely to be an incentive for returning to this popular franchise.
But the fact that the films took nearly 4.5 billion at the box office
will appeal to many studio executives.
They will want to milk the franchise dry over the coming years, and pushing hard for a deal to make that happen.
Manchester United – The Movie
If you can attract 76,000 people to Old Trafford on a regular basis, and have millions of fans worldwide, the road to movie success should be an easy one.
As studio bosses search for the next blockbuster, it's not about writers, actors or directors but brands, and few are as big as Manchester United.
Of course, no-one is going to go to the cinema to watch a football match, but a behind-thescenes documentary interspersed with on-the-pitch action could be a winner.
Especially if it has a big budget and high production values. The only problem is that you have to ensure the season is a winning one – having 10 months worth of footage is no good if no one lifts a trophy at the end of it.
Another Biblical Epic
If Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ taught us anything, it's that biblical films generate a huge box office. This movie brought out legions of people who probably hadn't seen the inside of a cinema before.
Taking more than half-a-billion dollars across the world, it attracted a whole new audience from the Christian community.
Hollywood's motivation may be more commercial than spiritual – Gibson ended up financing The Passion himself – but a lot of time and effort is
being given to replicating its success.
A similar film about a different biblical story is inevitable.
24
The real-time thriller, which stars Kiefer Sutherland as agent Jack Bauer, lends itself almost perfectly to the big screen.
So much so that there have been several false starts at a movie version,
but the unrelenting production schedule of the show left little room for a full-on film.
The last series showed signs that the TV incarnation of 24 is beginning to run out of steam, with strained plot lines and a very unsatisfactory ending.
But a punchier cinematic version could reenergise the format, focus minds and, crucially, make more money.
Family Guy
After being cancelled as a TV show and resurrected due to overwhelming DVD sales, Family Guy is a cinematic certainty.
The ready-made, and highly dedicated audience for this animated US comedy are guaranteed to pack out movie theatres.
Whether its hilarity can survive a translation to the big screen remains to be seen but, in common with all cartoons, it would be fairly inexpensive to make.
In the wake of The Simpsons – which was 30 minutes of scatter gun gags followed by a rather lame extendedepisode – TV animation is big business.
Bruce Springsteen – The Movie
He can fill stadiums across the globe so, through a simple process of reasoning, you would assume that The Boss can get people to go to the movies.
The same logic behind the Rolling Stones and U2 films will also applyto
every other artist with a huge fan base.
While Springsteen's own sense of ethics would prevent him from doing anything too commercial – and he certainly doesn't need the money – don't be surprised if film studios begin circling him soon.
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