Franchisography

The Ballad of Tony and Steve continues with new heights for Steve Rogers in the modern day as he takes on the return of HYDRA and a new villain… who happens to also be an old friend.

This is CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER

The Russo Brothers, two guys from Community, enter the MCU with gusto in a film that is fondly remembered by fans as “The Dark Knight” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and would launch a Marvel filmmaking career more successful than any other director before or since.

Join Nick and Scott as they wonder if this political thriller holds up 12 years later.

NEXT WEEK: Avengers: Age of Utlron

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Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey

The Ballad of Tony and Steve is in full swing as we enter the Phase Two era of the MCU! Just one summer after The Avengers took the world by storm, who better but Ol’ Shellhead himself to kick off the next phase mighty Marvel moviemaking? This is IRON MAN THREE!

Taking over for Jon Favreau as director would be 80’s screenwriting legend Shane Black, director of the cult favorite Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, who would bring his trademark offbeat humor to the saga of Tony Stark. But would the True Believers of the MCU take to Black’s irreverent take on Marvel icons like The Mandarian and AIM?

Join Nick and Scott as they valiantly defend of their favorite Marvel movies on an earth-shattering episode of FRANCHISOGRAPHY!

NEXT WEEK: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

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Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey

There was an idea. Bring together seemingly disparate cinematic superheroes with a cult showrunner to see if they could work together to break box office records and change the landscape of blockbuster filmmaking forever. Would it work? Or would the shared universe experiment end here?

This is THE AVENGERS.

The Ballad of Tony and Steve continues as our titular guys join forces to become Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in a movie that feels like drinking a cherry ICEE on a hot summer day. 

NEXT WEEK: Iron Man 3

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Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey

The Ballad of Tony and Steve continues with the origin of the Sentinel of Liberty, himself! But how do you get modern audiences to care about a character who wears the American flag for a costume and fights a red skeleton Nazi? 

Well, Steve Rogers may have been a 95lbs weakling (soaking wet), but he had the heart of a good man and getting the audience to fall in love with him was what Kevin  Feige, writers Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and director Joe Johnston decided to focus all of their attention on with his period set origin film. Would it pay off? Or would Marvel fans ultimately find Cap’s first film forgettable?

This is CAPTAIN AMERCA: THE FIRST AVENGER.

NEXT WEEK: The Avengers!

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Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey

The Ballad of Tony and Steve continues with a deep dive into one of the most polarizing and controversial installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Join your favorite pals in podcasting, Nick and Scott, as they give you the full scoop, the solid dick, the warts-and-all tale of the growing pains that nearly crippled that grandest of cinematic experiments before it even began!

Director Jon Favreau was nervous from the start about the tight turnaround for his hotly anticipated sequel to the 2008 smash hit that announced to the world that a hot new franchise had hit the scene. Could this plucky, ambitious director survive the rising ego and power of star Robert Downey Jr, the wills and wherefores of Kevin Feige and the Marvel Brain Trust, along with the fickle feigns of the general moviegoing public?

Press play and let the adventure begin, True Believer, as FRANCHISOGRAPHY uncovers the dark and terrible secrets of IRON MAN 2!

NEXT WEEK: Captain America: The First Avenger!

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Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey

Face front, True Believers! FRANCHISOGRAPHY returns with their most explosive, awe-inspiring series yet! An epic saga that spans the century and pierces the very heart of that mightiest and merriest of cinematic franchises… THE MCU. This is the Ballad of Tony and Steve, a colossal collaboration that uncovers the secrets of Iron Man, Captain America AND the Avengers! And it all starts Here!

We begin our ballad with the origins of Ol’ Shellhead himself, America’s favorite billionaire genius playboy philanthropist… Tony Stark! But if you can believe it, there was once a time when the Archduke of the Arc Reactor was seen as nothing more than a junior varsity benchwarmer in that Mighty Marvel House of Ideas. But destiny would have other plans for Stark. For it would be this character, along with two of Hollywood’s most interesting iconoclasts, director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr., that would reshape the Hollywood landscape forever and jumpstart a cinematic earthquake whose aftershocks we still feel to this very day.

This is IRON MAN.

Join Nick and Scott as they discuss the origin of the most successful franchise of all time!

NEXT WEEK: Iron Man 2!

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Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey

It’s a Betweenisode!

Join Nick & Scott as they rank the RoboCop films, discuss where we’d like to see RoboCop be taken next, and announce our next franchise!

FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: Judge Dredd (1995) / Dredd (2012) episode now available on PATREON!

NEXT WEEK: A new franchise begins!

Become a Premier Tier PATREON supporter to hear our “Franchise Potential” companion podcast, plus bonus podcasts each week including Dueling Genre Tonight hosted by Nick & Scott!

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Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey

Two decades after the previous installment, RoboCop returns with a new coat of (black) paint and very earnest vibe shift.

Now owned by MGM Studios, Orion was interested in rebooting RoboCop in the “gritty and grounded” style of the time, heavily inspired by other franchise reboots like Casino Royale and Batman Begins. Director José Padilha was chosen to helm a fresh take on Alex Murphy based on the breakout success of his Elite Squad films.

This is ROBOCOP (2014).

Join Nick and Scott as they debate the merits of a film they respect more than they actually enjoy.

NEXT: RoboCop Betweenisode

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Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey

After the lukewarm reception of RoboCop 2 at the box office, Orion decided that the blame should fall on its R-rating. They believed that kids really wanted to see the film, and had they been able to buy a ticket, the sequel would have been another massive success. And that’s why the next sequel had to be PG-13.

To direct, they would turn to a filmmaker known for making a film (The Monster Squad)that still felt scary and violent without being inappropriate for kids: Fred Dekker. Unfortunately, after successfully giving the studio exactly what they asked for, he would never direct another movie ever again.

This is ROBOCOP 3.

Join Nick and Scott as they defend a movie that is much more fun than it’s reputation suggests, even with a new actor in the suit.

NEXT: RoboCop (2014)

Become a Premier Tier PATREON supporter to hear our “Franchise Potential” companion podcast, plus bonus podcasts each week including Dueling Genre Tonight hosted by Nick & Scott!

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Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey

Orion wanted a RoboCop sequel immediately. 

After a few false starts and a writer’s strike, Orion turned to non-union comic book writer/artist Frank Miller to write a sequel to a movie he had only seen once. To direct, the turned to a man who had successfully directed the sequel to a massive blockbuster once before: Irvin Kershner. 

This is ROBOCOP 2.

Join Nick and Scott as they are pleasantly surprised by a movie that doesn’t really work as a story, but ends up being a fun watch.

NEXT: RoboCop 3

Become a Premier Tier PATREON supporter to hear our “Franchise Potential” companion podcast, plus bonus podcasts each week including Dueling Genre Tonight hosted by Nick & Scott!

Join the Dueling Genre Discord Server: https://discord.gg/rngwTkz8yw

Dueling Genre Associate Producer:
Matt Bennett
Mark Ybarra
Harley Winfrey