Netflix has announced the creation of franchises modeled after the cultural blockbusters Star Wars and Harry Potter. The streaming platform’s vice president Matthew Thunell was quoted in a report as saying that they wanted to build franchises that “traverse movies, television, gaming, and consumer devices.”
Netflix Is Going to a Galaxy Far, Far, Away…
Although its cross-media strategy intends to be equally comprehensive, Netflix isn’t intending to exactly mimic a galaxy far, far away, or the wizarding world, in terms of genre. Netflix has already recruited internal book scouts to nab adaptations and has also launched a video game section.
However, not everything will be suitable for a franchise. “The tale itself must come first. Can it support that type of growth?” said Thunell. There are also extremely popular programs, like Stranger Things, that have rich mythology and other tales that let you transition into animation, movies, or anime.
The Streaming Giant’s Strategy
Stranger Things seems to be Exhibit A for Netflix’s new all-encompassing strategy. The fifth season of Stranger Things will be the last of the series, but the tale continues. The Duffer Brothers, who created Stranger Things, recently revealed their intentions for a potential spin-off that’ll be “1000 percent different” from the series.
The Gray Man, an action movie starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas, was released on Netflix on July 22. Check out some of the top Netflix movies now available to view if you want to see more content from the streaming platform! Greaney’s book was once slated for adaptation in 2011, with James Gray due to helm Brad Pitt and subsequently Charlize Theron in a gender-flipped role. Neither version, however, ever materialized. Until it was revealed that the Russo brothers would direct and that Gosling and Evans would star, the project sat in development. Beginning in Los Angeles in March 2021, the film ended production in Prague in July of 2021. It’s one of the most expensive Netflix original movies, with a $200 million production budget.