Every Major Movie & TV Franchise MGM Owns (& Could Sell)
MGM is reportedly being shopped around to potential buyers, which means the studio’s impressive catalog of TV and film franchises could change hands very soon. The company has been owned by a collection of hedge funds and holding companies since it declared bankruptcy a decade ago, and now it may be changing hands again. With different media and tech companies considering bids on the studio in the near future, any number of the beloved series under MGM’s purview could be getting new installments.
Back catalogs of branded content are at a premium value right now, largely thanks to the rapidly expanding collection of streaming platforms currently striving for dominance. Veterans of the space like Netflix and Amazon have been besieged this year by high-profile newcomers like HBO Max and Disney+. With theaters largely closed or offering limited admittance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, streaming has become the de facto entertainment method of choice.
MGM’s library would make an excellent addition for any company trying to carve out a swathe of the current subscription landscape. With content ranging from sci-fi and comedy to historical fiction and crime thrillers, it’s an expansive collection featuring some incredibly popular titles. Of course, due to rights often being shared or split between multiple groups, acquiring them is generally more complicated than simply purchasing a single studio. Still, there are a lot of great titles at least partially under the MGM umbrella. These are some of the biggest TV and film franchises that could be going up for grabs if the studio is sold.
Perhaps MGM’s biggest and most prestigious franchise, the 007 brand will be a huge part of any purchasing discussions. From the extensive collection of classic films to the current popularity brought by the Daniel Craig era, James Bond would be an excellent acquisition for any company looking to build out a streaming library or develop original content with a recognizable name. The rights aren’t so simple, as MGM only co-owns the James Bond back catalog and a separate holding company has final say over new projects, but that doesn’t mean additional deals couldn’t be worked out. Plenty of potential buyers should be willing to do a great deal in the name of 007 if MGM is on the table.
The Handmaid’s Tale might be MGM’s most immediately relevant property. The show has been a sweeping success and overall cultural phenomenon since its first season debuted on Hulu, and that popularity shows no signs of dying down. With a fifth season already planned and a spinoff/Handmaid's Tale sequel series supposedly on the way, the franchise will only be expanding its reach in the future. As The Handmaid’s Tale has been such a major pull for Hulu, it could be a compelling reason for Disney to bid on MGM.
While nowhere near as widely impactful as the last two franchises, Fargo has nonetheless found a distinct and dedicated fan base through season 4 of Fargo's recent TV runs. The series has shown that it has longevity across time and varying media platforms. It may not exactly be ripe for mass expansion, but it should remain a popular piece of any media library. Plus, as an ongoing franchise, Fargo’s appeal will likely only grow.
Out of all the titles on this list, Stargate seems like the one most primed for major rebooting. While there’s been little movement in the popular sci-fi franchise of late, a transfer of rights could set Stargate up for a climactic return. The series has spanned both film and television successfully, and its core concept leaves a nearly endless list of possibilities for future content. Plus, the catalog of preexisting Stargate material is massive in its own right and would be a great resource for any company hoping to grow its science fiction offerings.
There was a time when the Rocky name had lost some of its luster, but the recent success of the Creed films has brought it back into the spotlight in a major way. The films remain classics with a huge fan following – certainly one of the biggest catalog additions to be got in an MGM acquisition. On top of that, the future of the franchise looks bright. Sylvester Stallone may only have so many movies left in him, but he’s left the narrative in excellent hands with Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed. As long as people love boxing, triumphing over adversity, and montages of athletes running up stairs, the Rocky series will remain a hot commodity.
With the announcement that Legally Blonde 3 is being written for a planned 2022 release, the series is likely headed to another peak in popularity. Reese Witherspoon’s performance as Elle Woods is one of the most iconic and beloved of the early 2000s. The additional success of the 2007 Broadway musical adaptation only expanded Legally Blonde’s cultural appeal and longevity. It may not be as longstanding as Rocky or Bond, but Legally Blonde is still a major franchise with a driven fan base and a lot of potential in its future.
Vikings is the sort of series where the base concept is so open-ended that it could spawn any number of additional spinoffs or other ancillary content in the future, should it wind up in the hands of a company interested in the brand. The main series is about to wrap up, but a spinoff, Vikings: Valhalla, is already in development. The fan base around the show is fiercely dedicated, and it's held a distinct role in the modern TV landscape for close to a decade. While it may not be one of the main draws for buying MGM, Vikings is still a strong and relevant name with a loyal following. It also has a decent merchandising arm, which only adds to its value.
Over the decades, The Pink Panther has tried its hand at a number of different platforms and iterations – sometimes to immense success, sometimes to less stellar performances. It doesn’t seem like the kind of franchise with immediate future potential, but the numerous existing films – especially classics like Return of the Pink Panther – would be a great get from a library perspective. The Pink Panther isn’t about to vanish from the cultural consciousness any time soon, and in the right hands it could be rejuvenated into a prominent modern property.
The case of the rights of Silence of the Lambs is a curious one. MGM only owns part of the story and characters – specifically, those that originated in the original Silence of the Lambs book. Characters who originated in Red Dragon, the prequel, belong to a separate company. That means that MGM does not own Hannibal Lecter or Will Graham. It’s also the reason NBC was able to run Hannibal while CBS is about to premiere its own series Clarice, which can't use Hannibal Lecter – two shows technically set in the same universe, but focusing on different groups of characters because of the weirdness of the rights. While losing out on Lecter is obviously unfortunate, the Lambs names MGM does own are still significant. And with Clarice on the way, they could be heading toward a resurgence of their own.
Last on our list is a stalwart of classic sci-fi action. Robocop has primarily lived off nostalgia and affection for the original films, though the 2014 reboot was met with a relatively positive reception, as well. It’s also a series that’s been successful across different media, including toys, TV, and video games. The brand might not be as easy of a sell today as it was when the original Robocop movie was released in the late ‘80s, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be adapted for interesting new material if put in the right hands.
No matter who ends up buying them, or divvying up their IP, MGM has quite a few great franchises that deserve a new home.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/38xVUZm
via Whole story
Post a Comment