10 Failed Movie Franchises That Deserve A Second Chance

These series were dead on arrival through bad marketing or a lackluster first movie. However, they deserve another attempt at making a franchise.

While many film franchises overstay their welcome, producing far too many sequels, others die far too young and never fulfill what they could have been. Hollywood is always searching for the next big franchise, often making movies with the sole intention of kick-starting a new film series. When these movies fail, however, audiences are left with empty promises of sequels that will never come.

Either through a lack of audience interest or bad marketing on the part of the studio, these franchises never fully made it off the ground, but maybe they should have. Sometimes the first movie was so good it demands a sequel, while other times a sequel could vastly improve on what the first movie set up. Here are 10 movie franchises that deserve a second chance.

Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter books are some of the most influential sci-fi literature of all time. From Dune to Star Wars to Avatar, most sci-fi properties of the 20th century owe a debt to John Carter of Mars, so an adaptation was long overdue when Disney finally made one in 2012. Sadly, the film bombed at the box office, killing any hope of a sequel. John Carter isn't perfect, it spends far too long setting up its world for sequels that never came, but it is a fun and beautiful-looking movie. The John Carter sequels would have been much better as they adapted the following books and introduced new cultures and warring factions on Mars.

Because of Disney buying Fox, The New Mutants was endlessly delayed and tinkered with until finally being released in theaters in mid-2020, when COVID restrictions were still affecting most of the world. It's understandable why no one wanted to see the movie, but the initial idea of a horror franchise starring younger X-Men characters is a great one. Director Josh Boone had planned to make a trilogy following the new mutants' journey into adulthood, and if he was able to fully execute his vision, this could have been a great franchise. Maybe a better execution of this idea could work its way into the MCU when they decide to include the X-Men.

DreamWorks were really showing their hand by titling this adaptation, The First Epic Movie. The Captain Underpants books are a huge sensation for younger readers, and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie was a faithful translation of the ludicrous tone that made the books so charming. Despite positive reactions from both critics and audiences, the film underperformed at the box office, and there has been no word on a sequel. There are still plenty of silly adventures to be adapted, including Captain Underpants' battles with the incredibly naughty cafeteria ladies from outer space and the bionic booger boy.

When it was initially released, Warcraft was the highest-grossing video game movie at the worldwide box office. The film was poorly reviewed by critics and left many non-fans confused, but it still managed to find an audience who wanted to see this world on the big screen. There has been no movement for some time on any potential sequel, but director Duncan Jones detailed his plans for the franchise, as he would have created a "Spartacus" type story about the Orcs as they create a new homeland for themselves. While this incarnation of the franchise might be dead, there is still plenty of potential for films set in this universe, especially one that could attract fans and non-fans alike.

The Dark Universe was Universal's attempt at recreating the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but instead of superheroes, it would use classic monsters. 2017's The Mummy was meant to be the first chapter of this new universe, but the film was universally panned and bombed at the box office, killing the dark universe before it could begin. While it was a mistake to take these horror movies and remake them as big-budget action spectacles, an updated world of classic monsters could be a great horror franchise. Leigh Whannell's The Invisible Man is a much better first step for a potential "dark universe," but it is unclear if that film is the start of a franchise.

Dredd is a tight and violent action film and still a criminally underrated movie. The Karl Urban staring comic adaptation was meant to be the start of a trilogy that would have further adapted the comics and even introduced Judge Death. Both Urban and screenwriter Alex Garland (Ex-Machina, Sunshine) were keen on doing more, but the first film flopped at the box office, failing to make back its $50 million budget. While Dredd works as a standalone sci-fi flick, it would have been great to get more from Urban's gruff cop and this stylish world.

Related: Karl Urban's Dredd Movie Still Deserves A Sequel

David Fincher's version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a great thriller and, in many respects, a more interesting adaption than its Swedish counterpart. With an incredible cast and one of the best working American directors behind the camera, the prospects of an entire trilogy were beyond exciting. However, due to development difficulties, Fincher never got to make The Girl who Played with Fire, and the series was eventually soft rebooted with The Girl in the Spider's Web. There doesn't seem to be much desire for more American adaptions of these books, but it would still be a dream come true for Fincher to return to the franchise and finish his trilogy.

Much like his first film Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Shane Black intended for The Nice Guys to be the first in a series of detective films that would follow Ryan Gosling and Russel Crowe solving new cases. Despite its failure at the box office, The Nice Guys has garnered a cult following, and Gosling and Crowe are quick to talk about their hopes of still making a sequel. Crowe has said they wanted to call the second film The Nice Guys 2: Mexican Detectives. While that might not be the best title for a sequel having these two characters team up for another mystery would make a terrific caper comedy series.

Despite its behind-the-scenes trouble and massive budget, World War Z was a big box office hit, and work on a sequel began almost immediately. The first film was only a loose adaption of Max Brooks' zombie novel, so there was still plenty of source martial to work with, but the sequel got stuck in development hell. Several directors were at one point attached, including David Fincher, but the film just couldn't seem to get off the ground. World War Z wasn't a great movie, but there was a lot of potential for more Brad Pitt vs. zombie movies, and it's a shame that the franchise never took off.

While promoting the first Tintin film, director Steven Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson claimed they were going to switch roles from the sequel, having Jackson direct the second film. Tintin 2 would have followed the further adventures of Tintin and Captain Haddock, adapting Hergé's comics The Seven Crystal Balls and The Blue Lotus. However, due to Jackson's commitment to The Hobbit as well as an underwhelming box office for the first film, there has been little to no movement on Tintin 2. Spielberg's Tintin is a classic adventure and a great modern update of the original graphic novels, so it is a shame that these plans never materialized.

Born and raised in Telluride CO, Dietz Woehle is a lifelong film lover. In 2023 Dietz graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, majoring in Cinema and Media Studies, with a minor in Screenwriting. During his time at USC, he worked on several sets of student films, learning practically every role. His film writing has been published by ScreenRant and AfterbuzzTV. Dietz loves writing about and discussing films and hopes to one day make his own.