To qualify for purposes of this list, the original media must have originated from the work of an identifiable author or set of co-authors, and must have been adapted into works in at least three forms of media, and must have two or more separate works in at least two of those forms of media (a television series or comic book series is considered a single work for purposes of this list; multiple spin-off series or remakes of a previously ended series are considered multiple works). For example, a novel that spawned one film and one television series would not qualify; a series of novels made into a television series that had a spin-off series, or was remade as a new series, and which also spawned one film, does qualify.
In the following tables, the initial media through which the franchise characters or settings became known is shown in boldface. Only works of fiction are only considered part of the series; a book or a documentary film about the franchise is not itself an installment in the franchise.
Franchises originating in literary works
These franchises began as novels, short stories, and other forms of purely literary works.
Les aventures de Spirou et Fantasio (2018) Le Petit Spirou (2017) (spin-off adaption)
Spirou (1993–1994) Two of a Kind: Spirou and Fantasio (2006–2009) Spirou and co (series of animated shorts) Le Petit Spirou (2012–present) (spin-off adaption)
In one of the most celebrated ventures in media convergence, Larry and Andy Wachowski, creators of The Matrix trilogy, produced the game Enter the Matrix (2003) simultaneously with the last two films of the trilogy, shooting scenes for the game on the movie's sets with the movie's actors, and releasing the game on the same day as The Matrix: Reloaded. Likewise, on September 21, 2004, Lucasfilm jointly released a new DVD box set of the original Star Wars trilogy with Star Wars: Battlefront, a combat game in which players can reenact battles from all six Star Wars films. In 2005, Peter Jackson likewise produced his blockbuster film King Kong (2005) in tandem with a successful King Kong game designed by Michael Ancel and published by Ubisoft. In the last several years, numerous licensed videogame adaptations of major summer and holiday blockbusters were released a few days before or a few days after their respective films, including: all three Star Wars films (1999–2005); all five Harry Potter films (2001–2008); all three Spider-Man films (2002–2007); Hulk (2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003); The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005); Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006); Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007); and Transformers (2007). These multimedia franchises have made it more difficult to distinguish the production of films and videogames as separate enterprises.
↑ Nick Hunter, Popular Culture: 2000 and Beyond (2012), page 11, ISBN1410946266: "The Harry Potter series was another huge multimedia franchise that triumphed at the box office".
↑ John Sutherland, Lives of the Novelists: A History of Fiction in 294 Lives (2012), p. 195, ISBN0300182430: "It was the films, beginning with Dr No in 1962, which made Bond into a multimedia franchise which continues to turn over more money per annum than any other literary creation of the twentieth century, with the possible exception of the Harry Potter films".
↑ Note: Alien vs. Predator is a crossover franchise established from the existing Alien and Predator franchises
↑ "Media crossovers have us asking, 'who's ripping off who?'", Edmonton Journal (July 14, 2000), p. E3: "Marvel Comics is already reaping an "X-cellent" multimedia bounty on the backs of the special effects-laden feature..."
↑ Ian Gordon, Mark Jancovich, Matthew P. McAllister, Film and Comic Books (2007), p. 161, ISBN160473809X: "[W]hen considering Superman as a multimedia franchise, and critical interpretations of him, it would seem that development and variety have been central to his longevity".
↑ Gilbert A. Blouchard, "Mining comic books for movie gold is old hat", Edmonton Journal (July 14, 2000), p. E3: "Marvel Comics is already reaping an "X-cellent" multimedia bounty on the backs of the special effects-laden feature..."
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