Franchise Hopefuls
Kingsman: The Secret Service (February 13th)
Based on the comic book The Secret Service by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, the chances of this adaptation reaching franchise status are high – particularly since the screenplay is written by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn, of Kick-Ass fame.
Vaughn also directs the story which sees a veteran secret agent (Colin Firth) take an unrefined young man under his wing in order to battle a global threat. Taron Egerton, Samuel L Jackson, Mark Hamill, Mark Strong and Michael Caine also star.
Fifty Shades Of Grey (February 13th)
Shaping up to be something of a divisive literary adaptation, the film version of E.L James’ infamous book series already has people talking. Discussions so far seem to have it either as misogynist or feminist, a tale of abuse or a romantic love story, unbelievable twaddle or enjoyable fantasy. Wherever opinions fall, director Sam Taylor-Johnson helms this movie about a young woman (Dakota Johnson) who falls for a successful business man (Jamie Dornan), only to discover he has a deep, dark secret.
Minions (July 10th)
A spinoff from the Despicable Me franchise, this is essentially an origin story for Gru’s loveable little buddies. There have already been several very successful short films about the Minions, and with Michael Keaton, Sandra Bullock, Allison Janney, Jon Hamm, Steve Coogan and Jennifer Saunders all lending their voices to the cast, this is bound to be a huge start for a new Minions franchise.
Ant-Man (July 17th)
Another part of the Marvel stable, Ant-Man could well kick off its own franchise, along the lines of Iron Man, Thor and Captain America. Paul Rudd stars as the titular hero – also known as Scott Lang – who must help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), perpetrate a heist that could save the world, using a super suit that can shrink him.
Originally set to be written and directed by Edgar Wright, the final film is delivered with Peyton Reed (The Break-Up) at the helm, and a script by Wright, Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, Joe Cornish, Paul Rudd and Adam McKay.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E (August 14th)
Clearly, there weren’t nearly enough spy movies being scheduled, so writer-director Guy Ritchie thought it was the optimum time to kick-start a Man From U.N.C.L.E franchise.
Based on the 1960s NBC series that starred Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, this film version stars Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Hugh Grant and Jared Harris. David C. Wilson, Jeff Kleeman and Lionel Wigram are co-writers with Ritchie on a story that sees CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Cavill) embark on a mission with a KGB operative (Hammer) in an attempt to stop the movement of illegal nuclear weapons.
Published: Feb 5, 2015 02:54 pm