It is upon us ladies, gentlemen and non-binary persons of the world: the end of it all. The Endgame, if you will. 2019 has brought with it, and promises to still bring with it, some incredible examples of TV and cinema. But, as things start to wind down, and the year rolls as it inevitably does into a new one, we head for calamity.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has reached a conclusion in the form of Endgame, and while we will be seeing new adventures over the coming years, this effectively brings to a close 11 years of storytelling and character development. Within mere weeks of this happening, Game of Thrones – perhaps the most successful TV show of all time – will air its last episode. Whatever state we leave Westeros in, we will be leaving it. And then you have the biggest gun of them all. The legacy. The legend that is Star Wars. The finale of the new trilogy will see the end of our favourite galaxy far, far away for a good while.
What does this mean? It means Nerdmageddon is well and truly upon us. Soon, we’ll be out of lifelines and out of time. Those movies and TV shows that gave us hope; that shone light into the darkness of our pathetic lives — just me? — will be gone from our world, and we’ll be left wandering around aimlessly, asking strangers if they’d like to hear our old theories about Littlefinger or the flaws in Thanos’ plan.
But is this really our fate?
Actually, there is a chance we could all survive Nerdmageddon. 2019 might see the demise of some genuinely epic sagas, but there are some upcoming franchises that promise to shine a ray of light on an otherwise bleak and hopeless landscape. So what are these upcoming franchises? What’s heading our way that has enough potential to stop you kicking that chair from out beneath your feet?
Netflix’s The Witcher
There is nothing quite like an epic fantasy TV series to captivate an audience. Their expansive worlds and incredible winding narratives take us on a journey unlike any other form of storytelling. The Witcher TV promises to offer us just that kind of reprieve.
Despite the fact that we know very little about Netflix’s The Witcher at the moment, other than that Henry Cavill has been cast, that it’ll hit in late 2019 or early 2020, and it’s going to be a similarly violent as the games, we still have high hopes for this game turned TV series. With a massive budget behind it, and a cult following that guarantees an audience of devoted followers early on, there is no way this show is going to scrimp on quality.
Will it rival Game of Thrones? We’ll soon see.
The Lord of the Rings TV Series
Speaking of a rival to Game of Thrones, surely if there is any other contender for this crown, it will be Amazon’s upcoming franchise set in the heart of Middle-Earth? With a backing of $1 billion before it’s even entered production, the series is touted as the most expensive ever the be aired, and it hasn’t even aired. Money does not a good series make, but it’s a damn good start. With incredible source material to work from, talent like Sir Ian McKellen clamouring to be involved, and a juggernaut like Amazon behind it, this show really is too big to fail.
It has been confirmed that the series will be set during the Second Age. For anyone not brushed up on their Lord of the Rings lore, the movies and book series are set during the Third Age. The Second Age is a fairly expansive timeframe of around 3000 years, within which the showrunners have a lot of material they can draw upon. The Second Age culminates in the demise of Sauron — spoilers — at the hands of Isildur on those hot and sweaty slopes of Mount Doom, yet Amazon may choose to explore anywhere within that history.
What we’re saying is, we don’t know what this series will be, but there is a good chance it’ll be another breathtaking outing into Tolkien’s legendary world. Some might even argue this is an upcoming franchise that is so enticing it is worth the sacrifice of franchises like the MCU and Star Wars at the altar of mainstream entertainment.
James Cameron’s Avatars
Avatar was a bit of a weird one. Despite being one of the highest grossing movies of all time, it had the cultural impact of a movie like The Departed. You know it existed, you can probably remember some of the plot, but you don’t go around quoting it, cosplaying as the leads or watching it religiously like you do movies like Star Wars or Harry Potter.
Still, that might be about to change. Cameron has begun work on his squeals to Avatar, and we aren’t just getting one. By the time he’s done, there will be four Avatar movies in good old James’ catalogue. Now, these could be awful, or they could be a fat lot of nothing. OR, they could be utterly sensational.
The Avatar world was, if nothing else, a beautifully designed and incredibly creative one. It cannot be said that Cameron didn’t craft a landscape that was worth exploring. What we have here is an opportunity; an opportunity for a spectacle that could take on a life of its own and become a future classic.
Sure it’s a longshot, but we’re all about optimism here at FinalBoss.
The DC Universe
See, I told you we were about optimism. Why else would be putting DC on a list of upcoming franchises that are worth holding on for, given how unsteady its past has been?
Sure, the evolution of the DC Universe has been rocky. Batman Vs. Superman was evidence that you can take beloved characters and stories and destroy them in a manner that is both upsetting and, quite frankly, impressive. Justice League wasn’t much of a triumph either, and the less said about Suicide Squad the better. Yet, much like the garish symbolism they ram down your throats, there is hope in this universe.
Wonder Woman was a great film, as was Shazam. I didn’t much care for Aquaman, but many others did, and Man of Steel wasn’t a total disaster. DC seem to have tried to do the Marvel thing and failed, but they’ve accepted that. Now that they’re making more stand-alone films and relying less upon Mr Snyder, we’ve got some movies to really look forward to. There is Wonder Woman’s return for a start. We’ve also got James Gunn’s upcoming Suicide Squad film, Birds of Prey and the as yet untitled Batman film; all of which show real promise and a chance for us to forget about Nerdmageddon.
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