Movies can now become TV shows and vice-versa, we’ve seen films based on video games – what’s next?
Movies that Became TV Shows or Vice Versa
Sometimes after a movie has been released a television network will pick up on the fact that there could be much many more stories to tell in the universe that the movie has created. This can often cost the network in question millions in licensing fees, but other times the networks will grab the license before the movie has even released. This is risky, so costs less, but if the film turns out to be a blockbuster then it could well turn out to be a bargain.
On the other hand, creating a new TV show from scratch can be a daunting process for even the most seasoned writers, editors, and producers. It’s much easier to take an already successful franchise and adapt it for TV, as you can essentially guarantee that fans of the movie will tune in to see if they enjoy the new adaptation. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn’t, but pilot shows based on movies seem to appear every week in today’s marketplace.0
Movies that became TV shows
The Walking Dead
Okay, this first one is a bit of a cheat as the movie(s) are yet to be released, but we do know extensive filming has already taken place. As one of the most popular TV shows of the last decade, it’s no surprise to see this one make the list.
Parenthood
The 1989 film Parenthood starred Keanu Reeves and Dianne Wiest alongside Steve Martin and Ron Howard as the protagonists. Without a doubt, this was the comedy film of the year and the TV show went on to become one of the most successful movie-to-TV adaptations ever.
Stargate
The original 1994 movie did reasonably well in the cinema, grossing $197 million worldwide. In 1997 Stargate SG-1 launched on the Sci-Fi channel, originally intended to be a sequel to the film. SG-1 took the Stargate formula and did so much with it that original directors no longer consider the events of SG-1 or its sister shows Stargate Atlantis and Stargate Universe as canon and intended to disregard almost the entirety of the content when writing the scripts for their new trilogy of Stargate movies. It doesn’t look like these will ever appear though, sadly.
TV Shows That Became Movies
The A-Team
A smash hit on TV, the movie adaptation received mixed reviews but did gross $176 million at the box office.
Miami Vice
The 80s are often seen as a golden age for movies, and for good reason – movies were fantastic back then.
Sex and the City
This wildly popular HBO sitcom was nigh on certain to receive a movie adaptation at some point. Eventually, it did, and fans were especially pleased with the film despite the critics largely panning the movie. It grossed $400 million worldwide.
Video Game Movies
Ever since Nintendo’s terrible adaptation of Super Mario Bros’ for the silver screen way back in 1993, movie executives have been keeping an eye out for the best games that would work well as a big-screen adventure. This has led to several further awful attempts such as 1995s Street Fighter: The Movie, a film so bad it’s good.
I and my friends went to our local cinema nearly two hours early for the first showing of the Street Fighter movie, ran up to the ticket counter, and worriedly asked if there were any seats left for the screening. The staff found this particularly amusing because we were the very first people to buy tickets to watch the film. We weren’t aware of its terrible reviews at the time, despite already having internet at that time.
What’s Next?
You are no doubt familiar with Tik Tok, the app that lets you create short snippets of videos to share with your friends. Don’t be surprised if that manages to get some kind of movie adaptation in the future – whether by owners Byte Dance themselves or individual creators in the case of James Rolfe and his Angry Video game Nerd character over on YouTube / Amazon.
Another interesting angle is what Casino Hacks are doing in creating Casino TV Show from the world of casino gambling. I can’t imagine any gambler not being interested in watching these fascinating shows. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a real “casino” flick at some point soon – that is, not a gangster film that just happens to be set around a casino!
