With so many incredible films already out this year and countless more still to come, I felt it was high time to look at some films which may not have blown audiences away, but contained enough of an interesting concept for some further exploration. Whether it’s that the 120 minute runtime didn’t allow for enough of a look in to the movie’s themes, or that the story being told would fit a more serial based approach, these concepts could make for intriguing TV series. Below are just a few of the films from 2018 which I believe could work as TV shows.
1. Hotel Artemis
Based around a hideaway for assassins and criminals, Hotel Artemis provided a few action set pieces as well as plenty of drama and intrigue. Set in a world in which water is an increasingly scarce resource and the streets are full of rioting and crime, Hotel Artemis sets up a fantastic premise in a world which could be full of stories to tell. However, we are only shown a tiny slice of what could be available for us to see. Starring the likes of Jodie Foster, Dave Bautista and Sofia Boutella we get a single night’s worth of action, but there’s so much more that could be explored within this world they have created.
How The Show Could Work: I could see this as a ten-part series set in the weeks leading up to the events of Hotel Artemis, with the film serving as a two-part finale to the season. Jodie Foster and Dave Bautista remain as the doctors caring for criminals within the hotel and each episode can include new characters coming in from various backgrounds. This could allow for some interesting scenarios for Foster and Bautista to encounter, as they were a great comedic pair within the movie. There is also a great opportunity to explore the wider world that lies outside the hotel with the political aspect of water being restricted to the public.
2. A Wrinkle in Time
Based on the bestselling novel by Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle In Time starred the likes of Chris Pine, Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey. It was a massively ambitious project which in the end proved not to be the critical or financial success that Disney would have hoped for. Following Meg, her brother Charles Wallace and classmate Calvin, they go on an adventure across time and space. With help from Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon) and Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling) they go on an adventure through crazy worlds in hopes of finding Meg’s missing father (Chris Pine).
How The Show Could Work: One of the elements of A Wrinkle in Time which was a success was the worlds in which the group had explored. With some gorgeous scenery I would be massively interested to see this world explored with animation. Within recent years we have seen a large number of animated shows which are still aimed at kids while tackling themes that are important. The likes of Steven Universe, Adventure Time and Gravity Falls looking in to themes sometimes thought too adult for younger audience members. Similarly it could be possible to explore the ideas of love and family that are present within the novel but were perhaps not as clear within the movie due to the restricted runtime. Keeping the cast on to provide the voices for their characters would allow a connection between the movie while also providing Disney with a big name series to start with on their planned, currently unnamed streaming service that is currently on the cards.
3. Mute
From director Duncan Jones, whose previous work in the sci-fi genre has proved successful (Moon and Source Code) but with Mute, ambition may have got the best of him. With multiple storylines ranging from a noir about a mute bartender and his missing girlfriend to a criminal looking to smuggle himself and his daughter back to the United States, there is a wide range covered within Mute. The trouble is that the movie begins to feel unfocused for a two hour movie, as too many plot threads are started without being explored deeply enough for a satisfying ending. This is where a TV format could fit in to help make Jones’ passion project into a more successful piece of work.
How The Show Could Work: One of the most successful TV series of recent years has been Black Mirror. It has been able to explore grand ideas of the darker sides of humanity while remaining just plausible enough to get audiences worried about the future of society. Mute as a TV series could certainly work similarly with episodes being able to focus on different characters and their stories within this bigger world. One episode could focus on Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and his attempts to get out of Berlin with his daughter, another could follow the trial of the Sam Bells (Sam Rockwell) who are on trial with regards to their cloning from the events of Moon. This gives the chance for Jones to explore these ideas in greater depth than a single movie could allow.
4. Early Man
Aardman Animation is a studio famed for their claymation style and lovable characters. The Wallace and Gromit series is one of their greatest creations, and over the years they have grown from short films to full length features with the likes of Shaun The Sheep Movie, Flushed Away and Chicken Run.
Early Man is the latest in their collection but hasn’t hit the same level as previous entries. With Early Man we follow a group of Stone Age people led by Dug (Eddie Redmayne) who are forced out of their home by the Bronze Age. While the trailers suggested an adventure seeing the battle between the two ages, instead we get an advertisement for football as the film becomes focused solely on a match to decide if the stone age can keep their home.
How The Show Could Work: With the Shaun the Sheep TV series being one of their longest running series as well as the most successful, perhaps giving Early Man a similar treatment could breathe more life into this world. With an expansive world to explore which could see crossovers from various historical periods, restricting the movie to focus solely on a football match feels like a wasted opportunity. From dinosaurs to Ancient Egypt, have Dug and his friends explore wild and wonderful stories through time. This could provide an educational value to children as well as providing an alternative to what the Horrible Histories series offers. With Horrible Histories looking at the gruesome details of history, an Early Man TV series could focus on cultures throughout the centuries.
5. Unsane
Perhaps the most controversial of my picks, Unsane was a success among critics and made over ten times its budget at the box office worldwide. Claire Foy plays Sawyer, a woman who becomes trapped within a mental health clinic when she unknowingly signs herself into voluntary commitment. While incarcerated, she starts to see the stalker that terrorised her previously and she begins to lose her grip on reality. One of this film’s greatest strengths is the way it uses the viewpoint of the iPhone camera throughout to create this sense of intimacy and paranoia. With Steven Soderbergh being known to experiment, it would be interesting to see how he could apply his work from Unsane to a longer format.
How The Show Could Work: Sticking with the iPhone style, I would be interested to see further ideas explored with regards to paranoia within the digital age. One option could be to see how other people are affected by online stalking. With shows like American Vandal proving you can combine modern day technology and techniques in to a thriller story, this similar way of using handheld camera, mixed with computer screen footage and CCTV could become a template for Unsane to be a success.
Possibly one of the best parts could be, with the footage being shot on iPhone, that it would open a new world to explore with regard to viewing content on mobile devices. While previously the idea of watching films or TV on your phone is seen as the lowest possible way to enjoy them, Unsane being designed specifically to be viewed from your phone could create an intimate experience for viewers. Soderbergh is someone who likes to push technology to its limits and this feels like a step that he could easily take in the future as the digital form becomes more and more influential.
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