Kristin Thompson, Introduction: Sequel-itis

(In The Frodo Franchise)

In what is possibly the only academic book to explicitly concern itself with franchises (certainly the only one to use the word franchise in the title that I've seen), Thompson (of Bordwell, Staiger and Thompson fame) sets out to trace the development of the Lord of the Rings franchise. Although positioned as a work of film history, Thompson is also concerned with using the franchise as an exemplar of changes in contemporary Hollywood and the larger entertainment industry.

Thompson is quick to point out that the film versions of Tolkien's books build upon an already rich and varied franchise, including many different printings of the novels, films, music and all manner of merchandising. This helps to put the recent success of the franchise in context - much as with superhero films, the pre-existing franchise and fandom is an essential aspect of a new text's success.

Additionally, Thompson notes that although Star Wars can be seen as a seminal contemporary franchise, Walt Disney had maintained tight control over merchandising for many years prior, indicating a long history of franchise approaches to film-making. Franchises (like genres), she suggests, make for much more effective branding than studios, stars or directors, which are of secondary importance. Familiar characters, stories and formulas attract audiences first.

The principle concern of this book is the industrial aspect of franchises, and Thompson (at least in her introduction) treats the concept as a network of branded products. For her purposes, this is sufficient, but I hope to expand the term to refer to a larger network including other discourses as well.

One theory Thompson presents for the success of Lord of the Rings is that the franchise is strong enough to last many years in the cultural consciousness and to live on in re-releases, merchandise and liscenced properties, but it is also narratively self-contained enough to avoid jumping the shark and "out-staying its welcome." This makes sense, but I wonder what Thompson would make of the possibility of a new film in the franchise, to take place between Guillermo del Toro's The Hobbit film and the existing trilogy.