The next "Star Wars"

[Scarblade]

I have just watched the Star Wars saga, and I am now wondering; what will be the next great movie trilogy/saga thing?

I think that "Lord of the Rings" was one, and if we stay in the fantasy genre, then I think that "The Fionavar Tapestry" by Guy Gavriel Key have the potential to be the next big movie thing, if it was made into one.

Or maybe some kind of viking saga, vikings are popular these days I'm told.


So yeah, join the game and share what you think have the potential to be the next "Star Wars".

 

[Kermi]

Weeeeell some people would say the Mass Effect trilogy is this generation's Star Wars, but I really doubt anyone will really care about Mass Effect in 5-10 years.

Films tend to have better longevity because it's easier to sit down and watch an old movie than it is to play an old game.

I think it'll have to be something science-fictiony. Swords & Sorcery fantasy has never appealed to a huge market (the success of Lord of the Rings notwithstanding) and I think we'll all generally burned out on supernatural stuff. We're done with wizards now that Harry Potter is over. Twilight has destroyed vampires and werewolves (though they're still going to plug away with True Blood and Underworld I guess). Zombies are so horribly overdone in everything (but that won't stop new zombie games being made every five minutes).

So yeah. If a 'new Star Wars' is going to happen it's going to have to be space opera with some crazy aliens and whatnot. Maybe those planned Mass Effect movies won't suck...

 

[TakeyB0y2]

I'd have to say Harry Potter really. It's fandom is just as large as Star Wars', if not larger (I dunno, I haven't found any real statistical comparisons). Granted, Harry Potter doesn't have much of an extended universe, so to speak; all spin offs are fan-created and their canon is completely questionable.

As Kermi mentioned, there's also Mass Effect as far as video games go. The Mass Effect universe has the potential to be as large and as deep as the Star Wars universe, but ME is still kinda in it's infancy, with only 3 main games, a handful of novels and a couple cell phone games. But still, it's potential is there and BioWare has pretty much said they're not letting go yet. We'll just have to see if it's expanded universe is up to par with the main series.

 

[madwarper]

LotR is the "next" something? Ummm, No. More like Star Wars (1977-present) was the next LotR (1937-1949).

Just because it's new to you, doesn't mean it's new.

 

[Suicidejim]

LotR is the "next" something? Ummm, No. More like Star Wars (1977-present) was the next LotR (1937-1949).

Just because it's new to you, doesn't mean it's new.

He did specify 'movie trilogy/saga thing' which despite being a bit vague in other regards, definitely referred to movies only.

Personally, I'm not sure, assuming we leave out sagas which have already ended like Harry Potter. There are those planned 'Hunger Games' movies based on the trilogy of books, which are reasonably popular, so who knows, that might be the next big thing, although I'm not sure it has a big enough fanbase as of yet. A lot of people are saying Mass Effect, but that depends on whether we can, for once, create a decent movie from a video game.

I'm thinking we need either swords and magic style fantasy or a decent science fiction saga, but both have to be reasonably different from both LOTR and Star Wars, and also accessible enough to be more than just geek magnets.

 

[Smiley Face]

LotR is the "next" something? Ummm, No. More like Star Wars (1977-present) was the next LotR (1937-1949).

Just because it's new to you, doesn't mean it's new.

He did specify 'movie trilogy/saga thing' which despite being a bit vague in other regards, definitely referred to movies only.

Personally, I'm not sure, assuming we leave out sagas which have already ended like Harry Potter. There are those planned 'Hunger Games' movies based on the trilogy of books, which are reasonably popular, so who knows, that might be the next big thing, although I'm not sure it has a big enough fanbase as of yet. A lot of people are saying Mass Effect, but that depends on whether we can, for once, create a decent movie from a video game.

I'm thinking we need either swords and magic style fantasy or a decent science fiction saga, but both have to be reasonably different from both LOTR and Star Wars, and also accessible enough to be more than just geek magnets.

The Lord of the Rings films, independent of the books existence, were iconic in much the same way that Star Wars was, although I feel Harry Potter fits the bill in terms of impressions more than LotR, if only because of its younger target audience and longer existence. I'm unsure as to whether when the books first emerged they had a similar effect, but to discount the films solely on account of the fact that they're adapted from books is a mistake.

As to upcoming sequences, I think that you can't say until the film comes out. Haven't read the Hunger Games, but the fact is that beyond the need of the source material to present a fantastical and immersive environment, the source material is irrelevant compared to the execution of the film and the conditions surrounding its release. The Hunger Games could suck, no one can know that for sure. It may not generate enough prolonged interest, no one can know for sure. This isn't something you can predict before it happens.

That said, the Harry Potter films fit the bill, hands down. Who knows, maybe the next one will ALSO be scored by John Williams.

 

[Bucht]

I'll have to agree on Harry Potter.
But don't forget what Marvel is doing, they'r cinematic universe has it's 6th movie released in a few months and 2 more next year.

 

[SillyBear]

It's Harry Potter. That thing is huge and I think it will continue to be huge for the next fifty years.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I take it you haven't watch this?

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/no-right-answer/5349-This-Generations-Star-Wars

I have no idea what could be the next Star Wars since I don't know alot of story books or it hasn't been created yet (not all great film had to be originate in book/ comicbook like e.g. The Matrix assuming we are just talking about Triliogy type of movies).

 

[Shoggoth2588]

There was just the Harry Potter Saga. It was an extremely huge undertaking and the fact that a vast majority of the cast remained throughout the entire 8-film saga was damn-near miraculous. Hell, the closest thing you could compare it to would be the Bond films and even then, how many of those featured the same Bond for 8 films?

 

[Richardplex]

Still hoping A Song Of Fire And Ice will be it. TV series need more love.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

Isn't Avatar supposed to become a trilogy? I mean, the first one is the most succesful movie in history and the sequels are probably going to be just as succesful. I mean, yeah, many people don't like Avatar a whole lot but it still has a very big fanbase that will grow even larger once the sequels are out.

 

[Jauffre]

Isn't Avatar supposed to become a trilogy? I mean, the first one is the most succesful movie in history and the sequels are probably going to be just as succesful. I mean, yeah, many people don't like Avatar a whole lot but it still has a very big fanbase that will grow even larger once the sequels are out.

I really hope they don't. I really don't see what more they can do with it. They did the cliché story and everything, all I can see them doing now is having some slightly stupider threat to the planet so James Cameron can milk more money. As old as the plot was, I really liked the world they created, the CGI looked amazing, but that's just the shallow part of me talking.

 

[PsychedelicDiamond]

I really hope they don't. I really don't see what more they can do with it. They did the cliché story and everything, all I can see them doing now is having some slightly stupider threat to the planet so James Cameron can milk more money. As old as the plot was, I really liked the world they created, the CGI looked amazing, but that's just the shallow part of me talking.

To be fair... Star Wars wasn't particulary original or particulary clever. I mean, there was a big, evil empire, there were rebels and if you have those in a movie you pretty much have your story. The characters weren't exactly interesting either: A generic hero, a damsel in distress, a lovable rogue, an old master and an evil overlord. And i'd argue that Avatar had better dialogue than Star Wars. I don't know how you'd make Avatar into a trilogy... you know, i kinda want to see Cameron go along with his obvious native-american analogy. The first movie was about the blue man fighting a small group of foreign settlers and winning. I don't know what the second movie would be about but the third one should be about the white man returning, almost wiping out the blue man and putting the surviving Na'vi into reservations. Sure, it's be a "bad" ending but it could be pretty effective.