There’s nothing Hollywood loves more than a successful franchise, and honestly, it’s hard to blame them there. Many fans want to see their favorite tales turn into a longer-running series because we want to see more of the content we love. Usually, when looking for a new franchise to pin our hopes on, it comes in the form of an adaptation. There are exceptions to this rule, as Hollywood has tried on more than one occasion to establish a larger universe for movies to exist in. Ultimately, there’s a shocking number of fantasy movies that could have (and should have) been franchises if they hadn’t been horrible flops.
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Adaptations have the advantage of starting with a loyal fanbase (from the books, comics, or games), giving them a boost when it comes time for the official release. However, adaptations are a two-sided blade, as they also increase expectations and invite criticism. We’ve all seen an adaptation done wrong, and fans aren’t afraid to express their displeasure.
1) Mortal Engines (2018)
First up is Mortal Engines, a 2018 film based on Philip Reeve’s novel of the same name. This steampunk film could have been everything, and fans were incredibly excited to see the story come to life on the big screen. Mortal Engines is set in a post-apocalyptic future in which people have taken to giant mobile cities as a means of survival. The story follows Tom Natsworthy, a teenager working within the mobile city of London. However, when he meets a mysterious girl (Hester Shaw), he quickly finds himself in the middle of something much larger than himself.
Mortal Engines starred Hera Himlar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving, Jihae, Ronan Raftery, and several others. It immediately got mixed reviews upon release, and the box office had a pretty disappointing showing. Ultimately, Mortal Engines did not make back what it cost to make. Part of the problem with Mortal Engines was the delay. The producers held the rights to Mortal Engines starting in 2009, but they didn’t officially announce an adaptation for several years. All things said and done, the film came out 17 years after the novel. That’s not a deal breaker (look at the success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy), but the producers could have ridden on the peak interest stemming from the novel.
Mortal Engines is available to stream on Peacock.
2) Eragon (2006)
Fantasy fans, especially fantasy readers, were very much looking forward to Eragon. Eragon was a 2006 film that adapted Christopher Paolini’s novel of the same name. The book was the first in a highly successful novel series, so it stood to reason that everyone was hoping the films would follow the same path. Spoiler warning: they didn’t.
Eragon is set in a fantasy world in which dragons, elves, and magic exist. Enter Eragon, the titular character and rising hero of the series. He’s a poor farm boy who happened to be in the right place at the right time, or the wrong time, depending on how one looks at it. He found and hatched a blue dragon egg, naming her Saphira. This opened the door to magic and adventures unlike anything else, to say the least.
In the books, Eragon is the first in the Inheritance Cycle. When they were planning for the adaptation, producers were hoping to shoot the next two, Eldest and Brisingr, back-to-back. Notably, that didn’t happen. The adaptation cut a lot of what made the novel magical, providing fans with a tale that felt shallow and lacking its heart. Unsurprisingly, the film flopped, killing any hope of an ongoing series.
Eragon is available to stream on Disney+.
3) King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)
People have long been fascinated with Arthurian legends, and overall, these tales tend to rise and fall in popularity. That brings us to a 2017 attempt to capitalize on our lingering fascination: King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. The film told the origin story of the great King Arthur, from the moment of discovery to his rise against tyranny and everything in between. It starred Charlie Hunnam, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Jude Law, and Eric Bana. Given the star-studded cast, it’s honestly shocking this film didn’t do better on that basis alone.
In case it wasn’t obvious, producers hoped that King Arthur: Legend of the Sword would be the first in a long-running franchise. They had six total planned out, but if things had gone well, we all know they would have found ways to add more. Unfortunately, this movie was a box office flop. The movie underperformed at the box office, barely making back what it cost. So while it didn’t exactly put them in the red, it wasn’t an encouraging venture anymore.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Sling TV, and The Roku Channel.
4) The Dark Tower (2017)
The Dark Tower was another highly anticipated adaptation, to put it mildly. The movie was based on Stephen King’s novel series of the same name. Perhaps opting to go with the series as the main title for the first film should have been a sign of what was to come, but fans were ecstatic to see this series hit the big screen.
The story revolves around a mystical structure, multiple worlds, a determined gunslinger, and a stray child. Stephen King’s novels totaled eight books, so it would stand to reason that producers were hoping for something similar. Truthfully, so were the fans. This movie was primed to be something spectacular, with Idris Elba landing the leading role (the Gunslinger) and Matthew McConaughey breaking ground as a new type of character, a villain (Walter Padick). However, the movie diverted attention away from this protagonist/nemesis combo and opted to focus more on the third character, Jack Chambers (Tom Taylor).
From the sounds of it, adapting The Dark Tower was a bit of a challenge, right from the start. Production took over a decade, and while the film easily broke even on its relatively small budget, it did not get good reviews. Fans were upset and disappointed by the directional choice. On the bright side, most can agree that Elba’s performance was not the problem, so perhaps there’s still hope for a return in some form.
The Dark Tower is available to stream on Netflix.
5) The Mummy (2017)
Love them or hate them, reboots have become pretty common these days. That brings us to this 2017 remake of The Mummy. The Mummy follows U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton, who finds himself in the center of a desperate crusade to save the Earth. The threat? The curse he unintentionally unleashed, courtesy of Princess Ahmanet.
The Mummy starred Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis, Sofia Boutella, Jake Johnson, and many others. It took a classic concept and turned it into a bit more of a horror story, an admittedly great concept. However, the film didn’t make its budget back, especially after taking marketing costs into account.
The Mummy was supposed to be the first film in the Dark Universe franchise, which was going to be a shared universe for all the Universal Monsters. Other potential candidates for feature films included Count Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and the Wolf Man. However, the entire idea got scrapped after The Mummy’s poor reception.
The Mummy is available to rent through Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
6) The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a 2013 film based on Cassandra Clare’s hit novel series, The Mortal Instruments. The film adapted the first novel in the series (City of Bones), and fans were excited to see the story come to life. Likely, the producers were hoping to capture the same magic and success as the likes of The Hunger Games. The story revolves around a group of Nephilim called the Shadowhunters, with Clary Fray at the center of it all. After witnessing a shocking event, she realizes that she’s really part of a hidden world, making her one of the few responsible for hunting demons.
Producers and fans had high hopes for The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. They were all set to continue the series, following up with City of Ashes. They had even begun to announce cast members for the sequel (like Sigourney Weaver). However, the movie was a box office bomb, barely making back its production costs. That put the sequels in limbo for a time before ultimately facing the cancellation block. Had the adaptation stuck closer to the core material, fans would likely have appreciated the story more.
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is available to stream on Netflix.
7) The Golden Compass (2007)
Last, but not least, there’s The Golden Compass. The Golden Compass is a fantasy adventure based on Philip Pullman’s novel of the same name. The book was the first in a series (originally a trilogy, but Pullman has been adding to the series in more recent years), so everyone clearly had high hopes that the movies would follow suit.
The story is set in a world where everyone has a dæmon, a creature that effectively is part of them. This becomes a central point for the first novel. Enter young Lyra, who has joined an organization trying to rescue kidnapped children (with the intent of experimenting on them and their dæmons).
For a long time, it looked like plans for the trilogy would carry through, with The Subtle Knife set for a 2010 release and The Amber Spyglass set to follow soon after. However, the production company ultimately paused and then cancelled all progress on the trilogy, largely due to the poor reception of the film. Fans largely criticised the film’s unfaithful adaptation, though ironically, The Golden Compass did earn a few awards, including Best Visual Effects. The Golden Compass starred Nicole Kidman, Sam Elliott, Eva Green, Dakota Blue Richards, and Daniel Craig.
The Golden Compass is available to stream through The Roku Channel.
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