Mighty Marvel...

As a DC Guy I don't like to admit this...

Marvel is simply cleaning up.  They are Pixar in tights and a cape really.  With all the success they've had in film, they've started to move into television.  First they moved into animation a few years ago and now they've taken their first step into live-action with "Marvel's Agents of Shield".  Development is starting to gather steam on a possible adaptation of the Marvel One Shot short, "Agent Carter".  Now, according to the trades they're about to go for a BIG expansion.

Deadline Hollywood says that Marvel is in the early stages of putting together a package of four television series and a mini-series totaling 60 episodes (presumably four series with 13 episodes each, and an 8 episode mini-series = 52) that it plans to take out to several media outlets.  Netflix, Amazon and WGN America are the services being eyed for the pitch of the unnamed shows. Whoever does bite will be asked to carry the purchase of all four shows and the mini-series.  No meetings have been scheduled yet as Marvel Television is reportedly packaging the projects and talent has yet to be finalized.

We have no idea which characters will be the focus of each/any of these shows but Marvel has thousands of characters to choose from (look how WDAS chose the little known group Big Hero 6).  There are several characters that I believe would be great properties for small screen adaptation.

One group if characters that this type of project screams for is "The Runaways".  It would almost play like a teenage version of "Supernatural" via superheroes in the place of paranormal.  Another property that might make for an excellent transition to television is "Cloak & Dagger".  The drama surrounding these two characters could provide a dark representation similar to something like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".  Lastly, a cult classic like "Power Pack" could provide an alternative to most of the Marvel programming audiences are used to seeing.

Not that I have any knowledge as to what shows they are trying to develop.  This is just some friendly, unwanted I'm sure, advice.  Oh , and if they want to hire me as a consultant just e-mail me.

Developing (literally)...

Netflix's New Season...

For fans of the "Arrested Development" series tomorrow is the day you've waited for...

The Fourth Season of the show premieres on Netflix.  And by season, we mean season.  The entire run of episodes will be available all at once.  You'll be able to have a marathon if you want.  And some will.  Of course, if you watch all of them at once, what will you do then?

Cross your fingers that enough viewers see it and then hope that Netflix announces a Season Five?  Or a movie?  I personally think a movie couldn't contain enough of the antics of the show to make it as enjoyable.  So, if it's a hit we can only hope that Netflix comes to a deal with Mitchell Hurwitz, and he can bring back to cast for another season.  Then you'll have to wait for them to write, film, edit and then stream that one.

But it wouldn't/can't be as much time as the amount between 3 and 4, right...

One Against 4...

So Micro$oft introduced their successor to the XBox 360...

And it's not called the XBox 720 like so many gaming geeks expected.  It's called the XBox One.  One?  Really, didn't they already have a one?  That means the fourth version of this will be called, what?  The XBox Two?  Confusing.  I guess they're going back to square one and starting fresh.  So now we know the competition that the PS4 will have.  But could they have made it look better than a late 70's VCR?

But it appears that the guys up in Redmond want to also become like Netflix.  Hulu has tried to be a Netflix competitor.  Amazon has started their own streaming service, HBO has hinted that HBO GO might eventually be a Netflix like service and now, it appears that the XBox Live service plans to have original content as well.  And they've lined up the Babe Ruth of film to start it off.

Steven Spielberg.

And not only him, but the television series that he'll produce for the XBox Live: Halo.  That's right, Halo is finally going to be seen in live-action.  Just as a television show, not a film.  Spielberg will be executive producing the series.  Not much information is available about the show other than the fact that it'll be exclusive to XBox Live.

There are a lot of competing platforms out there competing for your eyeballs.  It's creating an incredible amount of fragmentation in the marketplace.  The result is many more markets with smaller audiences.  Long gone is the night when a network would have fifty percent of the viewing audience.  Today, if you get ten to twenty it's huge.  And it's only going to get more fragmented.  But that means more choice, and choice is good.  And now with XBox One, you have another choice.

And with the Halo series, you'll have another...

Next For Netflix...

More specifically, what series could be next for the streaming channel...

And by series, I mean cancelled series.  We've all heard of the new original content that they're going to be debuting over the next eighteen months, but the major buzz right now is for "Arrested Development" season four.  And we know a lot of other companies have pitched their cancelled shows (Terra Nova) to Netflix.  Their CEO has even talked about it, but the prospects for the resurrection of some shows was dampened by their diminishing returns of potential new viewers (Firefly).

That said, what other shows would make for a great addition to their lineup?

Imagine the return of your favorite show that the suits at some particular network decided to can?  There are many shows that would have been great were Netflix around when they got cancelled.  Batman 66?  Star Trek after 68?  Sadly, it's a little unrealistic to dream of these, but what about shows that have been put on ice in the past five or so years?  If AD can be brought back after seven years, it's possible some of these could too:

24 - Yeah, I know it just got picked up by Fox.  I'm simply giving it as an example of something with obvious potential, and who wouldn't love to have all 12 episodes viewable n demand?  Jack Bauer on Netflix would be a great draw if the Fox Suits were to make the bad decision to cancel it again.

Pushing Daisies - This show has a huge cult following and a critical pedigree that falls in line with Arrested Development.  This would be a strong pony for Netflix's growing stable of high quality shows.  Bryan Fuller's series is comedic drama filled with wit, clever humor and compelling stories that would be a great addition to their line of shows.

Boss - A lot of people were disappointed in STARZ for cancelling this show after only two seasons.  Kelsey Grammer's portrayal of a defeated Chicago mayor with physical problems that he claws back was critically acclaimed.  It was a surprise that the network let it go.  Could Netflix take this series and bring it back to life?

Fringe - Ok, it's a stretch, but this show was so bizarrely weird I'm sure there would be a way to explain the continuation of the series that fans would buy.  After all, alternate universes could pick up the show, right?  And I think that Netflix would love to get into business with J.J. Abrams.

Young Justice - Having picked up four shows from Disney, an original series from DreamWorks, and more on the way, the streaming service is looking for content for families.  This is a popular show amount the young male demographic, and superheroes seem to be a thing right now.  So...

Dollhouse - Joss Whedon's show took some strange turns and found trouble finding it's wheelhouse at times, but it has a fascinating plot, beautiful ladies and it was being produced by Whedon.  Maybe they can pick up a few years later with everyone's memory being wiped and everyone spending the entire season looking for answers as to who the bad guy is (hint: Fox Suits).

Flash Forward - Ok, this is a guilty pleasure for me.  If you've followed the site, you know I was a big fan of the show.  As the season when on the stories got a bit disoriented, but I'd like to see what else happened to the characters on the show.  And really, doesn't David Goyer have too much time on his hands?

Cupid - I'm referring to the original series (Jeremy Piven), not the reboot which didn't interest me.  The tale of a man that thinks he's Cupid and wants to help people fall in love.  It's a simple plot, but Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) takes the plot and interesting characters through stories that you just can't help but fall in love with.

The Middleman - A geeky series that lasted one season was based on an obscure comic book about a female artist recruited into a secret agency to fight evil.  It was quirky and fun.  There were only twelve episodes made, and fans of the show hoped for another season to the ABC Family show, but to no avail.

Reaper - How could a show about the grim reaper only last two seasons?  A man turns twenty-one and finds out his parents sold him to Satan to be his "Reaper" that has to collect souls that have escaped from hell.  It's a fun, clever show that lasted two seasons.  I'm sure there are plenty of people that escaped from hell he could go after on Netflix.

Veronica Mars - Hey, I can dream, can't I?  Just imagine all those Kickstarter fans that would pay nine bucks a month to see a new season of this show?

I'm sure there are others that you'd like to see.  These are just ones we here at Blue Sky would be interested in giving mouth to mouth so that they come back from that shining light.  Somewhere down the road I have a feeling when a show gets cancelled, there'll be a call that day to Netflix, or maybe even Hulu or Amazon.  If the show has a connected following then it might have value to go on.  Essentially, some of these shows can/will be like a sports free agent.  If they're let go by one team, they can try out for another.

It's a new game out there...

The Grid On Netflix...

"Tron: Uprising" is one of the most creatively underrated animated series created...

And the chaotic schedule that the Mouse put in on gave fans of the series a hard time finding it.  It also made it difficult for a potential growing audience.  So there was/has been no announcement of a new season following the original run.  But if you liked the show, there's a new way to see it; especially if you don't have Disney XD.

Netflix.

Disney, as part of their expanding deal with the streaming Juggernaut  have announced that the entire season of the show will be available on demand for all its subscribers.  The show along with four others ("Jake and the Never Land Pirates", "Handy Manny," "Special Agent Oso" and "JoJo's Circus,"), increase the company's content on Netflix.  Will this result in more shows?

There has been no announcement of a season two of the show, and we don't know if they will continue it on XD.  But what about Netflix?  They have brought other shows back to life based on viewing habits.  Could Disney Television Animation get another season together by proxy?  Having Netflix decide to pay to have more seasons available on demand?  It would be a way for The Walt Disney Company to continue to have more episodes while defraying the cost of such an expenditure.

Netflix is looking to add more family entertainment recently (Turbo F.A.S.T.).  Could this be a way to broaden the Tron universe by partnering with Netflix?  It could be a business friendly way to increase content and exposure for a franchise that has a sequel in development.  It would be a great way to remind the public that the Grid is still alive.

And it's on Netflix...

2015: Becoming A Disney World...

With all the major purchases over the last five years, the Walt Disney Company is about to have a bumper crop...

What am I talking about?  Well, between the purchases of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, not to mention the live-action/animated films coming from the main branch, the Mouse is gearing up for a monster year.  That year will be 2015.  Just a little more than two years from now Disney will dominate the box office.  It's simply a given.  What films will they release that year?  Take a look at what most likely will be the summer offerings:


Avengers 2

Pirates of the Caribbean 5

Star Wars 7

Finding Dori

Walt Disney Animation Studios release (which one hasn't been determined yet, more in a future post.)

Tron 3 (not announced, but likely)

Ant-Man

Can you imagine the box office that year?  The public is going to get very used to seeing that castle every time they go see something at the local movie theater.  I don't believe any other film studio has had such a dramatic effect on the box office of an entire year this much.  It's going to be a very interesting year.  I'm trying to picture what the other major studios are going to line up against it.

And it's not just the films they release that will mark the year for Disney, but the theme park expansion as well.  There are several expansions (including a rather nice one for Disneyland if it's green lit) that could happen, but aren't approved as of yet.  These are the main two expansions that are on schedule to be opened.


Disney's Animal Kingdom: Pandora: The World of Avatar (tentatively)

Shanghai Disneyland 


This year will mark the end Disney's normal content distribution system as well.  Starting the next year, Netflix will be a primary driver of Mouse entertainment that will likely change distribution channels.  So this year will close on a normal way people get shows, films, and possibly even gaming.  Better sign up now.

Bob Iger is going to be leaving the company on a high note.  The opposite of how Eisner left the entertainment giant.  It's hard to believe how large the company has grown in the last decade, but it shows the popularity of the Disney brand.  Of course, Iger will still be there for a year or so after his resignation as "Chairman Emeritus", but the day to day of the company will be handled by one of four people who now report to him.

Just don't let it be Rasulo...