Franchisography

With the live-action Spider-Man in the capable hands of Marvel Studios, Sony and producers Amy Pascal and Avi Arad looked to animation as a way of continuing to tell Spider-Man stories on their own. To accomplish this, they turned to Phil Lord & Chris Miller, hot off of their success directing Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs for Sony Animation as well as 21 Jump Street and its sequel for Sony Pictures. The pair agreed to take on the film under two specific circumstances: the film had to be about Miles Morales instead of Peter Parker, and it had to feature the Spider-Verse.

The film was SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE and it would change the feature animation game forever.

Join Nick and Scott as they gush over this masterpiece of a film that could be the best Spider-Man film ever made, and could arguably be the best film ever covered on FRANCHISOGRAPHY.

No guests. Just vibes.

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

After the creative and financial disappointment of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Amy Pascal was ready to roll right into another sequel. But before she did, she decided to take a lunch meeting with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige to discuss the in-development story for the next Garfield/Webb collaboration only to be shocked when Feige rejected Sony’s plan for the character and instead made a counter-offer: Why not bring Peter Parker to the MCU instead?

This led to an extended cameo in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, the start of a new creative partnership between Sony and Marvel Studios that continues to this day, and a new film that brings Peter Parker back to high school once again. Inspired by the high school films of John Hughes, SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING starred Tom Holland as the world’s third live-action Spider-Man as he struggled to balance his personal life against a blue-collared alien weapons dealer, and an irresponsible superhero mentor.

Joining Nick and Scott to discuss the story of a good boy doing his best is returning guest and Spider-Man author Preeti Chhibber (Spider-Man’s Social Dilemma, Spider-Man’s Bad Connection).

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

After the response to the Amazing reboot wasn’t what Sony had hoped for, the studio decided to correct the direction of the series with a new tone, a new costume, and new writers, but also a new series of creative demands for director Marc Webb.

With shared universes being all the rage, Sony wanted a piece of the pie, so it became the responsibility of 2014’s THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 to introduce multiple concepts for possible spin-offs while also adapting one of the most beloved Spider-Man stories of all time: The Night Gwen Stacy died.

The result? A trainwreck that derailed all of their best-laid plans and may have single-handedly ruined the career of Dane DeHaan.

Nick and Scott try to make sense of the complicated plot, wacky characters, and tonal whiplash that makes the second (and final) Webb/Garfield film the hot mess that it is.

(NOTE: This episode features material originally released on Patreon in November of 2021.)

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

After Spider-Man 3, Sam Raimi attempted to develop a fourth film but after 3 years and an ultimatum by Sony to either make the movie or move along, Raimi left Spider-Man behind and gave his blessing for a reboot.

To helm the reboot, Sony chose director Marc Webb, fresh off of his Sundance darling 500 Days of Summer, with a plan to make a Twilight-inspired Spider-Man movie for $90 million. What they got was 2012’s THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, a 3D film that reportedly cost $230 million. While it received a solid box office return, the response from viewers was tepid at best. But the one thing everyone agreed on? Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone had incredible chemistry.

Nick and Scott take a look at the ins and out of the first Spider-Man reboot and speculate about how an exciting premise, mostly became a rehash of a better movie from ten years earlier.

(NOTE: This episode features material originally released on Patreon in September of 2021.)

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

After the success of Spider-Man 2, a sequel was immediately greenlit, featuring the Sandman and the Vulture teaming up to take on the friendly neighborhood webhead this time around. But the development of the next Spider-Man would be complicated by the desire for a different villain’s inclusion by Producer Avi Arad over director Sam Raimi’s objections. 

The villain? Venom. The movie? SPIDER-MAN 3. The reaction? Not great!

Nick and Scott aren’t quite on the same page this time around as FRANCHISOGRAPHY takes on the controversial trilogy capper to the Raimi/Maguire era.

(NOTE: This episode features clips from the podcast SPIDER-MAN MINUTE hosted by Scott Carelli and Zach Luna, originally released in July of 2019.)

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

What happens when you greenlight a sequel without a proper script or star? Somehow, you get the best superhero movie ever made.

Two years after the mega-success of the first Spider-Man feature film, Sam Raimi’s SPIDER-MAN 2 was released in the Summer of 2004 to wide acclaim among critics and fans alike. A film that almost starred Jake Gyllenhaal as Peter Parker; filmed with a Frankensteined script from multiple drafts rewritten on the fly; it’s a movie that has no right to be as good as it is.

Join Nick and Scott as they break down how a movie with multiple plot holes and questionable character arcs can be miraculously held together by good vibes and a strong central theme to become a superhero cinema classic.

(NOTE: This episode features clips from the podcast SPIDER-MAN MINUTE hosted by Scott Carelli and Zach Luna, originally released in April of 2018.)

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

With Great Podcast, Comes Great Responsibility… and so FRANCHISOGRAPHY returns with a new mini-series focused on everyone’s favorite friendly neighborhood wall-crawler.

It’s difficult to understate the impact that SPIDER-MAN had on pop culture when it hit theaters in 2002. Filled to the brim with meme-able moments, memorable characters, and an iconic kiss that has never been matched, the first film to feature Peter Parker was unstoppable. Not only was it the first film to ever break $100 million at the box office in its opening weekend, it eventually became the top-grossing domestic film of the year, beating Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings.

And with that, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man launched superhero cinema into the stratosphere.

Join Nick and Scott as they try to pinpoint just what makes this movie so special and how it continues to stand the test of time.

(NOTE: This episode features clips from the podcast SPIDER-MAN MINUTE hosted by Scott Carelli and Zach Luna, originally released in April of 2017.)

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

We interrupt our regularly scheduled mini-series with a BONUS FEATURE as we return to Wes Anderson for a look at his latest film, 2023’s ASTEROID CITY.

Releasing less than 2 years after The French Dispatch, Wes Anderson returns to cinemas with another film featuring a framing device and a massive ensemble. This time, a play about a small desert town forced into quarantine after an interaction with an alien visitor and the effect it has on the lives of the people trapped there.

Join Nick and Scott as they dig into one of Wes Anderson’s best films, as well as his deepest and most thematically rich as it examines life’s biggest questions and the very nature of art itself.

Next Week: SPIDER-MAN begins!

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

It’s a Betweenisode!

Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Apatow mini-series, what they want to see him do next, and announce our next mini-series (beginning on July 14)!

Next Week: ASTEROID CITY

FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: Zack and Miri Make a Porno (2008) episode now available on PATREON!

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Patreon Associate Producers: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

As all of humanity grappled with a worldwide pandemic, writer-director Judd Apatow wanted to provide filmgoers with distraction and laughter, but could he provide that distraction while also investigating the existential crisis of lockdown and quarantine with his patented brand of honesty and self-deprecation? The answer it turns out was a resounding no.

Subbing out his grounded, humanistic style with bawdy slapstick and uncharacteristic mean-spiritedness, THE BUBBLE is unlike any movie Apatow had ever made before and, hopefully, unlike any movie he ever makes again.

The Apatow era of FRANCHISOGRAPHY somehow ends with both a whimper and a bang as Nick and Scott take on one of their toughest challenges yet.

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!

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra