Reader Question: What about writing a spec with a sequel or trilogy in mind?
Christopher asks:
Hi Scott, what’s your take on writing spec with a sequel or trilogy in mind? Do you write the first and if things go really well pitch the follow-ups? Are there any advantages to having a script with future installments planned when it hasn’t been commissioned?
When screenwriters talk about story ideas with built-in sequel possibilities, the studios think of the word “franchise,” a concept elucidated thusly in this WSJ article:
The biggest piece involves “franchises” — big-budget films with the potential to spawn sequels, tie-in merchandise and other sources of revenue. Among their other advantages, sequels don’t require as much marketing to build name recognition.
“We are trying to address what some of the issues are in the industry through franchises,” said Jeff Robinov, president of Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. Pictures Group.
Rich Ross, chairman of Walt Disney Co.’s Disney Studios, sums up the strategy simply: A franchise movie “starts with the human connection to the story and characters, but downstream there are opportunities to own the DVD, see live stage versions, buy apparel, toys, or other licensed products.”
So the short answer to your question is…
YES!!! There is a distinct advantage to a spec script that has narrative elements conducive for it to become a movie franchise.
What are those possible narrative elements?
* It could be a larger-than-life central character who can act as a stand-alone figure in any number of future stories ala Indiana Jones, James Bond, Jason Bourne.
* It could be the story itself which is big enough to spread out over multiple installments ala The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and The Narnia Chronicles.
* It could be a central story conceit tied to a character that can be reprised ala John McClane in the Die Hard series who just happens to find himself in crisis situations or Riggs (trying not to go crazy) and Murtaugh (trying to retire) in the Lethal Weapon franchise.
* It could be a central story conceit not tied to specific characters ala cheating death in the Final Destination series or the deconstructing horror movies dynamic in the Scream franchise.
Sometimes it doesn’t even matter. Hollywood will try to squeeze a sequel out of a hit movie even if there is no compelling narrative element pushing for another story to be told. Speed 2 comes to mind.
That said I would be careful about writing a spec script that is the first installment of a trilogy. While the franchise potential is an upside to your project’s market viability, the simple fact remains that script you write must stand on its own as a story. It has to have enough of a resolution to give the reader a sense of completion while having a clever opening leading into the next episode. That’s tricky to pull off. Plus if you go back to my “Is my script big enough to be a movie” series here, a potential trilogy — simply because of the cost involved — must come across as even bigger than a one-off script.
So there are pluses to writing a spec script that is the first of a trilogy. There are also challenges. At the end of the day, write what you write because that’s how it works as a story.
What other narrative elements are there that qualify a story as a possible movie franchise?
Tomorrow’s question: In a script, how do you differentiate between two characters with the exact same name?