With only a few major franchises in their hands, Universal Pictures has been keen to keep milking them out as long as feasibly possible. Fast Six, coming off one of the studio’s highest grossers, is arriving next summer and after an attempt to head down a new direction in their successful spy franchise, we got The Bourne Legacy last month. Now we’ve got an update that we’ll be seeing more Bourne before we know it and movement on another potential franchise, along with an overall plan for the studio, thanks to THR.
Speaking in Los Angeles today, NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke plainly stated that if the studio wants to flourish they need to focus “more on film franchises and an increase in animated movie output.” Sad news indeed, but while this likely doesn’t mean a Battleship sequel, he did single out two franchises.
After Seth MacFarlane‘s Mark Wahlberg-starring feature film debut Ted grossed nearly $400 million worldwide, easily one of the biggest surprises of the summer, there was no question we’d be getting sequel. Following word that the studio was interested in one, they’ve now confirmed they want to make it “as soon” as they can. Unfortunately no specific timeframe was given, but I suppose we can expect that rude, crude teddy bear back on screen in no time.
They also indicated that they are moving ahead with a follow-up to The Bourne Legacy, which would see the continuation of Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz‘s storyline. While that film arrived with lukewarm response from both critics and audiences (it has currently grossed less than $200 million worldwide off a budget that is around $125 million), it makes sense that they’d push another one forward due to simply the brand recognition.
Lastly, he added that they want to excel on the animation front compared to their current output. Universal’s goal would be to produce two animated films a year, instead of two every three years or so as they’re currently doing with their successful Despicable Me franchise. It’s depressing to see a studio just throw their hands up in the air and resort to this franchise strategy, but after being burned by outside-the-box attempts like Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and Your Highness, it’s hardly surprising. Hey, at least we’ve got The World’s End coming.
Do you want to see sequels to either of these films? What do you think of Universal’s strategy?