So we have the Marvel Cinematic Universe with The Avengers franchise, which is ever-expanding into the Cosmic Cinematic Universe thanks to the addition of Guardians of the Galaxy. Warner Bros. and DC are creating their Justice League world of films continuing with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Universal is attempting a Monsterverse starting with Dracula Untold and continuing with a Mummy remake and there is talk of the Bourne franchise looking at creating an interconnected world of films as well. It’s the era of world-building folks and it isn’t done yet.
Today it was announced producer Michael De Luca has finalized a seven-figure deal with Sony for a Robin Hood cinematic universe to be titled Hood followed by whatever subtitle is deemed necessary once the stories of Robin Hood, Little John, Friar Tuck and Will Scarlett begin being told. The pitch comes from Cory Goodman (Priest, The Last Witch Hunter) and Jeremy Lott and while it looks to connect the dots a la The Avengers, the tone is said to be eying something along the lines of the Mission: Impossible and Fast & Furious franchise… whatever the hell that means.
Thinking on it a little more, this doesn’t really sound so much like world-building in the same way as The Avengers as much as it seems like a franchise similar to what Warner Bros. is doing with Guy Ritchie and his Knights of the Roundtable franchise, which begins July 2016 with Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur exploring characters such as King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table.
No matter how you look at it, this is the new trend and we are only on the ground floor right now as The Avengers is really the only franchise to not only carry out the whole world-building idea, but also market it successfully. We’ll see how it goes from here. [THR]
