Get ready for a wild ride as Nick, Scott, and guest Andrew Darowski find themselves on opposite sides of the river when discussing the sequel to the 1999 smash hit with 2001’s THE MUMMY RETURNS.

Director Stephen Sommers was already plotting a sequel on the set of The Mummy, so Universal Pictures wasted no time after their action/horror hybrid became a surprise success. But would their eagerness to rush out a sequel prove to be their biggest downfall? Rick, Evelyn, Johnathan, Imhotep, and Ardeth Bay all return for another desert adventure, along with a hot new up-and-coming star named The Rock.

FRANCHISOGRAPHY continues to uncover the secrets of this beloved series with one of our most polarizing episodes yet!

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT Nick and Scott finally begin their dive into the winner of this year’s Listener Pick Tournament with 1999’s generation-defining favorite, THE MUMMY.

Go beyond the memes as FRANCHISOGRAPHY uncovers the long and forgotten history behind this millennial favorite. Which legendary horror directors almost had their shot at remaking the Boris Karloff classic before Stephen Sommers finally beat them to it? How close did star Brendan Fraser come to death during that infamous hanging stunt?

All these questions and more are answered with guest Gary Roby in the episode listeners have been waiting for!

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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 the Spy Kids franchise for a look at the latest family film from the imagination of Robert Rodriguez, 2023’s SPY KIDS: ARMAGEDDON.

It’s been 12 years since the last pair of kid spies from the OSS hit our screens and while you would think a reboot would come from a new, up-and-coming filmmaker who grew up with the original franchise, instead it’s a reboot written and directed (once again) by franchise creator Robert Rodriguez, this time for Netflix.

Join Nick and Scott as they come to terms with the latest entry in the Spy Kids saga, whether or not there comes a time for a creator to move on from their past work, and if this is better or worse than Spy Kids 4.

This Friday: THE MUMMY 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 Spider-Man mini-series and get deep, ranking every Spider-Man movie!

Next Week: THE MUMMY (1999)

FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: Morbius (2022) episode now available on PATREON!

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Patreon Associate Producers: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

Into the Spider-Verse was Sony Animation’s biggest hit, with a box office lifespan that lasted six months, so, of course, they greenlit a sequel. The first of two planned sequels developed simultaneously and planned for release nine months apart, SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE raises the game across the board narratively, artistically, and cinematically.

Join Nick and Scott for a Bonus Feature-style episode where they discuss the newest Spider-Man film to hit theaters.

No guests. Just vibes.

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

Three months after the release of Far From Home, Sony and Marvel Studios entered into contract negotiations that ended abruptly with Sony announcing that the next Spider-Man movie would be made without the help of Kevin Feige and the MCU. Eventually, cooler heads prevailed and a deal was made, allowing for the biggest and most successful Spider-Man film ever made: SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME.

Peter’s identity is now public knowledge and the film wastes no time picking up from the exact moment that Far From Home’s pivotal post-credit scene left off. But when a memory spell from Doctor Strange goes wrong, bringing Spider-Man villains from across the multiverse to the MCU, Peter has to decide just what kind of superhero he’s going to be once and for all… with a little help from two guys with similar backstories.

In a reunion that has been a long time coming, Nick and Scott are joined by actor, cosplayer, and Spider-Man Minute co-host Zach Luna (Mythic Quest, The Sex Lives of College Girls).

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

The success of Spider-Man: Homecoming led to the immediate greenlight for a sequel, but this time it would be the epilogue to the entire Infinity Saga, releasing just two months after the universe-shaking Avengers: Endgame. What does a post-blip world look like? And what is an MCU without Iron Man?

For Sony, however, the modus operandi once again was to put Spider-Man in a situation we had never seen him in before, going up against a villain he’s never fought on film. So they plucked Peter out of New York and send him on a European Vacation to fight Mysterio. 

Join Nick and Scott as they discuss the overlooked and underappreciated SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME.

No guests. Just vibes.

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Patreon Associate Producer: Matt Bennett & Mark Ybarra

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