The Franchise Lives

Meeting Your Heroes

The boys try to figure out whether it's good or bad advice to never meet your heroes by sharing some of their own personal stories.

Elf 2

This holiday season, the boys gift themselves the 2003 mega-hit Elf, starring an actor who was on neither of their Christmas lists. They consider whether its imaginative premise made up for its predictable plot points, and discuss additional ways in which the stakes could have been raised for a catalyst hero. Then they try to unwrap all the hang-ups that prevented this from having a sequel, and make a list of the possible ways in which a studio could take liberties in order to construct a new installment after all these years, before finally sticking their own original sequel ideas under the Christmas tree when they make their pitches for Elf 2!
Chapters:
00:00:50 Intro
00:11:37 Elf
00:42:51 Rumors
01:05:28 Nolan's Pitch
01:33:09 Chad's Pitch
02:01:59 Wrap-up

Planes, Trains and Automobiles 2

Just in time for Thanksgiving, the boys buckle up and hit the road with the 1987 John Hughes comedy, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. They review how the straightforward story impacted its overall success and if its surprise emotional ending is its saving grace. They discuss a few ways in which this could have had an immediate sequel, and then evaluate the casting choices rumored to be considered for a remake before throwing out some suggestions of their own. They finally discover just how hard or easy retracing the simplistic and sentimental journey of the original is, when they pitch their own ideas for Planes, Trains and Automobiles 2!
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:16:27 Planes, Trains and Automobiles
00:53:02 Rumors
01:08:58 Chad's Pitch
01:44:17 Nolan's Pitch
02:25:30 Wrap-up

Friday the 13th part 13

The boys pack their bags and prepare for a long night at Camp Crystal Lake when they head off to explore Friday the 13th. They discuss which elements of the original were the most critical for creating a franchise and explore the multitude of ways in which they could've continued after killing their antagonist. They hike through the numerous plot trails blazed by the sequels and determine which ones were scenic and which ones were too hazardous for audiences, all in an effort to track down the perfect blueprint for the slasher sub-genre. They then take all of their newly acquired skills and attempt to craft their own sequels for Friday the 13th part 13!
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:10:13 Friday the 13th
00:52:28 Friday the 13th part 2
01:35:02 Friday the 13th part 3: 3-D
02:08:54 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
02:48:06 Friday the 13th part V: A New Beginning
03:31:57 Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives
04:09:32 Friday the 13th part VII: The New Blood
04:37:40 Friday the 13th part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
05:09:45 Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday
05:56:59 Jason X
06:18:36 Friday the 13th (2009)
06:47:23 Rumors
07:22:22 Nolan's Pitch
08:05:25 Chad's Pitch
08:44:12 Wrap-up

Encino Man 2

The boys reacquaint themselves with a critically despised cult classic from the 90's when they unearth Encino Man. They try to determine why there was such a chasm between audiences and critics, and pinpoint the film's most crucial factor to its eventual success. They speculate over who the protagonist should have been, and offer potential ways to groom the story into something a little bit more presentable. Then they commiserate over the difficulty of how to write a new story for a caveman who has lived in modern times for the last 30 years, all while trying to recapture the tone of the original, and decide if this is a franchise that has more juice to wease, when they present their ideas for Encino Man 2!
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:11:01 Encino Man
00:54:51 Rumors
01:04:21 Chad's Pitch
01:25:18 Nolan's Pitch
01:48:57 Wrap-up

Caddyshack 3

The boys hit the links with a franchise that contains one of the most popular comedies of all time, and also one of the most hated sequels of all time, when they tee up Caddyshack. They attempt to locate exactly where this franchise was shanked into the rough and debate which elements were good enough to make the cut. Then they discuss whether this is a franchise better suited for a remake, and if any of its characters are even worth bringing back, before trying to make the best of a bad lie when they take their swings at pitching a Caddyshack 3!
Chapters:
00:00:00 Intro
00:14:48 Caddyshack
00:46:10 Caddyshack II
01:08:50 Rumors
01:18:10 Nolan's Pitch
01:40:57 Chad's Pitch
02:03:38 Wrap-up

The Cable Guy 2

The boys tune-in for a mid-90's dark comedy that starred and marked the turning point for one of Hollywood's biggest stars at the time, when they set their dials on The Cable Guy. They try to unravel the real reason as to why this was such a failure with critics and fans, discuss if it is possible to make the antagonist the star of the film, and question whether the screenwriting rules that were broken were intentional. They then take their best attempts at finding the sweet spot when they pitch their treatments for The Cable Guy 2!

Death Wish 6

It's film criticism, city-style, when the boys stalk the streets of the Death Wish franchise. They discuss how to sustain a franchise that was born out of moral ambiguity and how to repeatedly bring back a character that suffered such great personal loss. They then act as judge, jury, and executioner for all four sequels, plus its remake, and have some surprising verdicts about which choices were justified and which ones were repeat offenses, before finally taking the franchise into their own hands when they pitch their ideas for Death Wish 6!

The Canon of Cannon

Before the boys take on their next franchise, they discuss the history of the production company behind it, the iconoclastic 1980's studio, Cannon Films. They share which films and franchises were their favorites, as well as which films they think should have been made into franchises. Nolan unveils his Cannon Films concept generator, and they speculate whether something like Cannon could ever exist again and what it might take to make that happen.

Trainspotting 3

The boys analyze a movie that stayed clean of becoming a franchise for 20 years when they shoot up Trainspotting. They determine if the sequel had as much character as heroin, James Bond, or the original film, and if it properly balanced a dramatic ensemble-cast story, gave satisfactory character arcs, and answered the question as to "why now" all these years later. They debate over what the appropriate amount of time should have been for a sequel relapse, as well as how much content this franchise can produce before experiencing an overdose, and then cook up their own ideas for a Trainspotting 3!