#spinoffs

[dailyclassicwho]

IANTO JONES ⍉ 1.04 "CYBERWOMAN"

[harrypottermovieproblems]

Hello, all!

We find ourselves at a funny little crossroads today. There is officially an HBO television adaptation of Harry Potter in the works, one with a clearly stated commitment to open casting that could create an inroad to character representations aligning with a great many fans' longtime hopes and dreams for Harry and Hermione especially. Ten years ago, this would have been everything we could have ever hoped for in this fandom. Today, news of this new television show cannot bring joy.

The movie adaptation has brought many book fans a great deal of frustration over the years (hence the creation of this blog); while being greatly beloved by an entire generation, it simultaneously dropped the ball in many areas focusing on characterization and worldbuilding. And yet the faces of that film franchise - the actors of the main trio especially - have been invaluable voices in the public struggle to push back the flood of anti-trans rhetoric free flowing from JK Rowling's social media accounts.

On the other hand, we finally have a long-form adaptation of the series on the horizon, but it comes less than fifteen years after the end of the original movie series and therefore inevitably falls into the exhausting position of being yet another franchise remade too soon. And most importantly, of course, the main and inescapable effect of its creation will be lining the pockets of a woman who has been actively and enthusiastically supporting bigotry against women - both trans and cis - in society and in politics.

There have been rumors that Warner Brothers is trying to buy the rights to the entirety of Harry Potter from JK Rowling, and if true, it has to be admitted - ironically, given the nature of this blog - that I hope they succeed. If the choice is between lack of artistic fulfillment in the portrayal of a fictional world or real-life financial support of a woman actively making the world a more dangerous place for vulnerable populations, there is only one choice to support.

A few years ago, I started writing a detailed post that was a general post-mortem on our collective fanship of JK Rowling, and never completed it due to general feelings of exhaustion, disgust, and feelings that it was redundant. But briefly:

Many years ago, JK Rowling made a post on her personal website about her portrayal of Aunt Marge's bulldogs. She was dissatisfied with how she had written them, because she hadn't known a lot about bulldogs at the time and hadn't taken the care to portray them in a way that did them any justice. While she meant no harm, she's since learned better and wishes, in retrospect, that she had portrayed them differently.

When I think about JK Rowling, I think about that post a lot.

Even before her newest and most outspoken TERF era, even prior to all of the issues involved in the Fantastic Beasts spinoff series, JK Rowling wrote a beloved children's series that was seen as highly progressive upon publication but also contained a number of elements that have aged, shall we say, very poorly. Some of these were markers of the time when Harry Potter was originally written - many things from the 90's have aged badly - and some of them are down to the personal ignorance of the author, whether or not you assume that ignorance came hand-in-hand with malicious intent.

She could have spoken out about this if she wished - you know, like she did with the fucking bulldogs, to say that she had no ill-intent at the time but that would write these elements differently today if she had the chance - but as far as I'm aware, she has not. In fact, despite having endless wealth and resources at her disposal now, as opposed to the original start of her writing journey as a single mother scribbling ideas on cafe napkins, her portrayal of delicate issues of things like race, gender, and sexuality in her writing has only gotten worse.

The 'JK Rowling was always a secret conservative' rhetoric is strong, especially on Tumblr, and while I understand it, I genuinely think that it is misguided. The woman spent most of her life voting in favor of and speaking out for leftist and progressive politics. We (progressives) are not immune from propaganda, radicalization, or being raging fucking bigots. However she votes now, whatever idiots she is friends with now, the call very much started from inside the house on this one.

So, to circle back to the original point of this post:

This new HBO television series, in a best-case scenario, could take all of the tone-deaf sociopolitical issues with the original novels and fix them. It could take all of the creative issues with the movie franchise and fix those too. It could give us a diverse cast and tell an emotional story that does credit to what so many people held dear about the book series while growing up.

(I doubt it will, but it could.)

And yet this would still be a thing that on some level brought me no joy, because at the end of the day, it would also be putting pallets and pallets of cash into JK Rowling's pocket as she continues to dig her way down the conservative rabbit hole instead of fixing any of the mistakes of her early writing career.

Gross.

xoxo

[allergictocolor]

The fact that Netflix is considering making a spinoff show about Fester proves that they have no idea what they're doing, and they just lucked out with the success of Wednesday.

[mysticdragon3md3]

[bad-fire-emblem-posts]

7 years ago, this legendary tweet was made

[matt0044]

What the Whoniverse could learn from RTD's first era:

The Stolen Earth and Journey's End are one hell of a two parter that has The Sarah Jane Adventures along with Torchwood to crossover into the main series. Characters and elements from each spin-off it utilized as a means of helping the Doctor against the greatest threat the Daleks have ever posed.

However, it also involves aspects that few wouldn't be able to catch on quickly. I hadn't seen The Sarah Jane Adventures since it never made it to the States as far as I know. However, I knew that Sarah Jane was still investigating alien phenomenon as "School Reunion" showed. Of course, she'd have a supercomputer in her attic. I also assumed that Luke was a boy she adopted before learning his origins in "Invasion of the Bane."

Kind of wish we saw Maria and Clyde when Luke called them with their actors on the sets of their homes. Maybe have them gawk at the Daleks from afar and hold on as the Earth is towed back. Maybe a cameo of Rani if they felt bold enough to promote SJA Series 2.

Torchwood, on the other hand, I had seen in full before Series 4 and as such, I was able to appreciate some nods to the spin off such as Gwen calling her husband, Rhys, or telling Ianto that she'd rather go down fighting like Owen and Tosh.

However, I wouldn't have needed to have seen the spin off since I'd have known that Jack had a team in his sect of Torchwood since Series 3. We're just meeting them in the main series proper.

Additionally, we don't need to know about Rhys to understand that Gwen's calling her loved ones during this worldwide crisis. "Owen" and "Tosh" are easy to identify as previous members of Torchwood that had died in their dangerous line of work. Their two seasons of adventures are just self-contained enough to be basically backstory for them.

As such, Series 4's finale feels less like you had to have seen both spin-off to understand and more like they pique your interest in them. What was Jack up to during Series 3 and 4? What's going on with Sarah Jane these days?

That's really what the new Whoniverse should take a cue from. The Main Series crossing over with the spin-off should have us feeling less like we missed out and more like, "Cool, I know what I'm putting on my watch list ASAP."

Thought?

[iolaussharpe-24]

Things With A Better Spinoff

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie) < Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the series) < Angel

Hercules the Legendary Journeys < Xena: Warrior Princess

Godzilla (1998) < Godzilla: the series

Rocky < Creed

Suicide Squad < Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Jurassic World (trilogy) < Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (five six book series) < Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (book trilogy)

The Mummy (1999 - 2008) < The Mummy: The Animated series

[themousefromfantasyland]

My personal theory is that since almost every piece of media being made today is related to an existing IP or franchise, creators often had to find new ways to tie their original ideas to these already established proprieties if they want them to get made. That's why several recent spinoffs, adaptations, and reboots seem so far removed from their sources.

Cruella was a crazy woman trying to skin dalmatian puppies to make a coat, and somehow became a punk rock stylist disputing the spotlight with an old school stylist in her solo movie.

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers was a 90s animated show about the titular characters having a detective agency, and somehow became a meta comedy about animated actors in Hollywood in the live-action adaptation.

The Addams Family was a comedy about the culture clash between a ridiculously gothic family and Rockwell Americana world. In the Netflix series, they give the spotlight to Wednesday Addams and focus the plot on a supernatural boarding school.

Joker came from an iconic Batman villain that spread a toxic gas to make his victims die smiling and laughing, to a pastiche of mentally ill protagonists from classic Martin Scorsese movies in his hit film.

If things don't change, expect more weird ideas for spinoffs and adaptations that are strangely distant from their source material, like an alien invasion in the universe of Lilo and Stitch, a horror movie in the universe of Shrek, or a detective show in the universe of Harry Potter.

[dailyclassicwho]

IANTO JONES PER EPISODE S01E01 “EVERYTHING CHANGES”

[mateushonrado]

Characters I'd like to see their own spinoff

Status Post #11216: I'll also include honorable mentions.

Team Rocket (Pokémon)

What's not to like about them? After all, they may not be great at their jobs but they were really fun characters and honourable mention: Gary Oak (why not? It would be cool to see an anime focusing on Ash's friend/rival after all).

Solar Rangers (Power Rangers)

It's a real shame that we have not gotten a comic book ongoing focusing on the current incarnation of the Solar Rangers who appeared in Darkest Hour. If only Boom really cared about them.

Tuxedo Mask (Sailor Moon)

It would've been cool to see a third manga title set in the Sailor Moon universe that would've focused on Usagi's boyfriend Mamoru as the mysterious ally Tuxedo Mask as it could show his past before becoming the hero and honourable mention: Sailor Starlights (let's face it, the Sixth Ranger-type trio could've had their own manga or anime set before going to Earth and becoming the J-pop group Three Lights or set after the end of the manga in which they would've returned back from the dead not unlike the main Sailor Guardians).

Tiger Lily (Peter Pan)

This would be a good opportunity to serve as an author's saving throw towards the film's depiction of indigenous characters but also, would give focus on her with an indigenous cast and crew, hence I could picture someone like Devery Jacobs, Amber Midthunder or Kiawentiio voicing her and she wouldn't be the only one who got a spinoff as Tinkerbell had her own film series from the late Noughties to the mid 2010s.

[esctoydotcom]

Now in stock! @hotlinemiami x @erickscarecrow #SAMURAIJ #RAW colorway- https://esctoy.com/collectibles

[stuff-of-legends]

FF x Disney?

Right now, I think the weakest aspect of KH is the original characters and plot. I don't leaning more into FF more would fix that. It would just be a bigger reminder of that flaw.

However, I'd be up for Noctis meeting Oswald the lucky rabbit, Zack teaming up with Max Goof and Webby from Ducktales, and a Squall and Mickey prequel to KH1.

not in that order but you get the idea.

kH was my intro to FF but FF took its place in my heart. im fine with more FF games instead of FF having a bigger role in KH.

[trixtermagi]

HauntedQuest...?

SO. I’m hesitant to reach out directly to either of the CK emails I found, considering the state of everything MagiQuest (never mind the fact they’re probably both defunct). The trail of HauntedQuest has always been lukewarm at best and I think I’m going to let it drop— however, I do want to catalogue what I’ve found alongside some general thoughts.

A 2006 archive of the MagiQuest website (with a 2005 copyright) lists multiple MagiQuest Themes, including SawyerQuest and HauntedQuest, as well as a “B” medieval theme (presumably a closer variation of the standard MQ skin, which I’m considering “A”)

SawyerQuest (presumably Tom Sawyer themed, considering the other CK attraction called The Great Barn from Stone Mountain in Atlanta) and HauntedQuest both appear on the “Our Creations” page of a 2009 archive of the Creative Kingdoms website. In 2012, the website is redesigned and now has a “Portfolio” page, which lists only MagiQuest, CompassQuest, GWL Story Explorers, and DinoQuest. There is no further mention of either HauntedQuest or SawyerQuest.

It’s worth noting that on that same 2009-2011 archive, MagiQuest and MedievalQuest are now two different things. It seems that “Medieval B” would’ve been more historically accurate (VS the more fantasy-based standard MQ/”Medieval A”). This is entirely speculation.

There was a 2001/2002 patent filed by CK (which is now abandoned) that discusses the possibility of an interactive dark ride. 2-16 riders/players would face each other in a ride vehicle (each vehicle would have a different personality/associated character and would itself be able to interact with riders) as they use wands (or other IR activators; potentially something similar to the SplashQuest gloves) to interact directly with the scenery and complete challengers. Think MagiQuest but timed and on a set track. There’s some cool potential here, and CK continues to dabble in similar attractions like their Slideboarding concept (2015 article discussing the gamified water slides; these also appear to be defunct).

The most interesting thing about this abandoned dark ride patent is that, while it does briefly mention haunted houses among a list of standard dark ride themes, it includes some... curiously haunted-sounding things in its list of ride vehicle effects: “whispered breath in ear,” “spook cold chill effect,” “cold finger brushing neck,” “crawling bugs,” “chilled air on neck effect,” “vehicle possessed effect,” “traveling ghost,” and “nails on a chalkboard.”

(the list also includes things like “heaving romantic kiss effect” and “running snot effect” so clearly they were covering all their bases for a potential audience)

Based off the date of the patent and the date range of the archives, I think it’s safe to assume that HauntedQuest started life as a potential interactive dark ride concept before pivoting to a MagiQuest retheme after MQ took off significantly (the first archive of the MQ website is from 5/27/2005 while the first archive of the CK website is an under construction page from 6/19/2001 and the patent linked above was filed on 6/14/2001).

So, we’ve got one piece of concept art, some vague mentions of ghostly effects in an abandoned patent, and jack squat else. Where exactly does that leave us? Well...

Running our tiny concept art through waifu2x doesn’t do much to make it CLEARER, but hey, at least now it’s big enough for me to add notes!

There appears to be a main entrance to a haunted forest/graveyard area with an old tree surrounded by graves serving as a stand-in for the Quest Tree/Quest Stones. Some of the tiny little people appear to be holding wands still, which is interesting. There’s the potential to do something like the PKE meter from Ghostbusters, since having graves function as the Quest Stones would imply to me we’re helping and/or hunting for ghosts in this creepy graveyard/mansion.

Behind the Quest Graves (lol) is another old fence which seems to lead into a mansion area. There’s a fireplace with a creepy portrait hanging over it, fake stairs and fake alcoves, potentially a dining room? It’s extremely hard to tell, but it definitely transitions from some sort of outdoor space to a more standard “haunted mansion” environment. You’ve got the same “screen behind a themed barrier” setup as standard MQ, and quite honestly I’m sad that this theme in particular never came to fruition.

I love Halloween, I love all things creepy and dark and scary— competitive ghost-blaster dark rides are already a thing, and a popular one at that. Theme park haunted houses are also already a thing. It would be very, very fun to mesh the two together. Run around with your friends competing to see who can defeat the most ghosts, get spooked by scare-actors. Market it to older teens/adults, maybe tie it to a barcade or something (though that’s risky; drunk people and scare-actors shouldn’t really mix. watch any of the Halloween Horror Nights behind the scenes footage and hear them talk about how one of the primary things they check for is whether or not props can be stolen and things still go missing. I’m just saying) — I think there’s a real recipe for greatness here. I would certainly pay to spend an evening running around a slightly tamer, competitive haunted house!

It’s unfortunate to me that this seems to be all that’s out there online, but it is what it is. Creative Kingdoms had a lot of good ideas, but some were clearly more marketable than others and with the way 2.0/MagiQuest+ is going it seems like those ideas will stay mostly-forgotten relics of the early 2000s.

EDIT: if you would like to see all of the Creative Kingdoms patents I found, here’s the link!

[mysticdragon3md3]

How many spinoffs does that make it now?😆 Because I'm adding them all to my reading list.📚💕

[walks-the-ages]

We're watching the K9 (2009) spinoff and so far it's delightful.

Idk why anyone said it was a "cursed" show. K9s redesign is super cute and expressive (plus more mobile! No more blowing up in the ocean!) And all the characters are unique enough I can tell them apart AND I actually have a chance of remembering the main characters name since they actually say it a lot in the first two episodes (out of 26)

Usually it takes me like half a season and subtitles to remember a characters name.

With no subtitles available and only two episodes I can almost confidently say the main character's name is Starkley.

Uh. Just don't ask me what the girl or blonde had boys name is . Or the professor whose totally not the doctor we swear