“Adapting TV series for multiplex is tricky business”

Our friend and entertainment journalist Lewis Beale has penned another article, this one about adapting TV series into movies. There’s a great money quote from former WMA agent Jim Crabbe who lays it on the line why studios are so gung-ho over TV series as movies:

“The reason TV shows get made into movies,” says Crabbe, “is they’re looking for more bang for their buck. There’s a built-in awareness to TV shows. Something like The ‘X-Files’ always did have a cult following. Everyone knows what it is, [so] they don’t have to spend as much money to create awareness.”

Case in point, The X-Files. The first movie came out in 1998 and although it was a disappointment to most fans, it brought in $189M in worldwide box office. The new sequel, The X-Files: I Want To Believe, which debuts this weekend, is not slogged down with having to tie up all the loose ends of the series. This is a stand-alone story and early buzz is pretty good. Read Lewis’ article for more background.