Podcasts TV Tom Hanks Defence Force Franchise Overkill? Not All Who Makes Sequels Are Lost

Franchise Overkill? Not All Who Makes Sequels Are Lost

Published: Jan. 3, 2024, 12:59 p.m.

First there was France. Then there was Frank Sinatra. Now, there is Franchise. And they\u2019re everywhere! Those dinosaurs didn\u2019t just escape from their pens. Harry Potter spends seven years at Hogwarts. There\u2019s more than one Hunger Game. But even for the world\u2019s most diehard fans of palaeontology, capes, Jennifer Lawrence, 18th Century piracy and Gamorrean guards, is this all getting a bit too much?\xa0

Joined by returning guest Henry Mendoza, the team ask: Is it possible to sustain a franchise, while also shaking things up a little? Is it possible to inject horror and westerns into sci-fi and fantasy worlds? How can audience fatigue be avoided? And is there a moment when world-building can supersede narrative?