Franchisography

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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! Join the Dueling … Continue reading →

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: … Continue reading →

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. … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

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 … Continue reading →

Five years after Trainwreck, director Judd Apatow was now nearly two decades into his storied career as Hollywood’s leading comedy director. For his next film, Apatow would return to a now familiar formula: Collaborating with a young star-in-the-making to craft … Continue reading →

One day while stuck in LA traffic, Judd Apatow heard stand-up comedian Amy Schumer talking on Howard Stern and felt the same excitement and curiosity he felt when he first discovered Steve Carrell, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Lena Dunham. … Continue reading →

We interrupt your regularly scheduled mini-series for a Centenisode! Join Nick and Scott as they celebrate 100 episodes of Franchisography, answer listener questions, and rank all of the franchises that we’ve covered so far. Plus, what better way to commemorate … Continue reading →

2009’s Funny People was neither the critical nor the commercial success that his previous films were, but for his follow-up, writer/director Judd Apatow decided to get even more personal while returning to familiar characters from the world of his previous … Continue reading →

In the wake of Knocked Up’s critical and commercial success, Judd Apatow has become “The Guy:” The Guy Who Brought You Superbad,” “The Guy Who Brought You Pineapple Express,” “The Guy Who Brought You Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” But as his … Continue reading →

The 40-Year-Old-Virgin’s unexpected critical and box office success put Judd Apatow in a new and uncomfortable place in his career. No longer the guy who created much beloved, quickly canceled TV shows, but bona fide comedy blockbusters. For his next … Continue reading →

With the massive Star Trek series behind them, Nick and Scott begin a new FRANCHISOGRAPHY adventure by diving deep into the filmography of director Judd Apatow, famous for his profane and heartfelt comedies that launched several successful film careers and … Continue reading →

We interrupt our regularly scheduled mini-series with a BONUS FEATURE as we return to the Evil Dead franchise for a look at its latest entry, 2023’s EVIL DEAD RISE. It’s been a decade since Fede Alvarez’s EVIL DEAD and in … Continue reading →