Mike Flanagan has utilized both feature films and episodic television to establish himself as one of the horror genre's most reliable and talented names, but the creative freedom afforded to him by Netflix has seen him gain a new lease of life. The Oculus, Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil and Doctor Sleep director has only made one project for anyone other than the streamer in the last five years, with subscribers reaping the benefits.
It's taken a long time for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to get where it is today, with Kevin Feige's initial idea for a shared mythology stemming from the fact the comic book company had sold off the rights to many of its biggest characters to various studios all over Hollywood, and he wanted to follow the template set on the printed page by having a series of movies under the same roof that were tied together as one grand, sprawling saga.
As the world's biggest movie star, and one of a select few names capable of opening a new project strong at the box office based on nothing but the strength of their personal brand, there isn't really much incentive for Dwayne Johnson to take his talents to the world of streaming.
Vampires are everywhere you look on film and television these days, with a handful of projects focusing on the bloodsucking hordes of the undead always in development at any given time, but werewolves don't tend to be subjected to the live-action treatment on a basis anywhere near as prolific.
HBO Max is leaning heavily on DC Comics to power the platform's original lineup, with close to a dozen feature films or episodic shows in the works for the streaming service, but it isn't all about the relentless mining of superheroes in the name of big budget content.
Eddie Murphy may have only just signed a three-film deal with Amazon, but the actor and comedian still has a pair of Netflix projects in the pipeline, even if the one that was announced less than a month ago is much further along than the other, which has been stuck in development hell for almost 30 years.
Even though the character is created using CGI and not performance capture, the role of Venom still requires Tom Hardy to pull double duty. As well as playing Eddie Brock on set, the actor then reacts to his own performance in the recording booth once the digital effects have been added, voicing the symbiote and essentially reacting to his own work.
Not to beat a dead horse even further into submission and compare the two comic book companies and their respective live-action franchises for the millionth time, but you'd have to imagine the executives at Warner Bros. and DC Films are keeping a close eye on what Marvel Studios are doing as both superhero franchises expand into the streaming space on HBO Max and Disney Plus.