What Makes a Good Sequel?

With the news that Sin City 2 flopped so hard it reverberated across the world, Stealth Media Films asks what it takes to make a good sequel.

Sequels are the Unknown Quantity of the Film World

The sequel is the unknown quantity of the film world. As a film finance firm, Stealth Media Films sees movie makers struggle with this all the time.

They’ve had a hit, and there might be an appetite for another film, but so many sequels fail. How do you know whether your film concept will even work a second time around? How can you know whether the audience has had their fill, or whether they’ll flock to the theatre in droves?

Five Films that Defied the Odds…

In Stealth Media Films’ opinion, we can learn from the successful sequels that have defied the odds. We can determine something about what it takes to make a successful sequel from each of the following five films…

1.       Empire Strikes Back: The Star Wars sequel was one of those rare films that was actually more successful than its predecessor. Why? Many reasons, but one of the most obvious has to be that ‘Luke, I am your father’ moment. It got everyone talking, proving that a shock twist will always make for a successful sequel.

2.       Toy Story 2: Audiences loved Toy Story, and they loved Toy Story 2 – the continued story of Woody and Buzz Lightyear, just as much. Essentially, this film added something new to the plot – it developed the relationship between the two main characters. It goes deeper, expanding on themes of powerlessness present in the first film, showing that sequels often prove successful when they expand upon what the audience found so compelling about the original film in the first place.

3.       Aliens: Alien may have proved a hit, but Aliens shot the sci-fi franchise into the stratosphere, making it one of the most beloved in geek history. In this case, it was just a film that upped the ante, showing that successful sequels only prove lucrative when they actively try to top what came before.

4.       The Two Towers: Epic as part of a trilogy, nevertheless, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is fantastic as a standalone piece, and proved a truly successful sequel. Here they clearly just relied on quality story-telling. As a second movie in a trilogy, Two Towers had the potential to be nothing more than filler, but like any successful sequel, it moved the story on, drawing audiences into Middle Earth all over again.

5.       The Dark Knight: What a fantastic sequel this was! Batman sequel The Dark Knight gripped audiences just as much as the first instalment did, thanks in no small part to Heath Ledger’s perfect casting as the Joker. Sometimes, casting is all a sequel needs to matchup to the bar set by its predecessor.

Audiences like to Be Introduced to Something New

What each of these five films can tell us in their own way, is that the successful sequel is one that steps it up a gear; that adds something new. A sequel that relies on a story, a formula, that the audience has seen before is bound to fall on deaf ears. Audiences may like familiarity, but they also like to be introduced to something new

Ben Affleck Talks Batman Role

Stealth Media Films has discovered that Hollywood actor Ben Affleck has spoken out on his highly anticipated Batman role. What did he say?

Stealth Media Films is no Stranger to the Work of Ben Affleck

As a film finance firm that regularly features at some of the world’s most renowned film festivals such as Cannes, Toronto and Berlin, Stealth Media Films is no stranger to the work of Ben Affleck.

He’s one of the most talented actors in Hollywood. Ever since his first outing with best pal Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, Affleck has featured in a number of high profile productions including Shakespeare in Love, Pearl Harbour, Daredevil and Argo. He directed the latter, which went on to receive seven academy award nominations, of which it won three.

Affleck’s Casting Spurs Volley of Criticism

We cheered when it was announced that the A-Lister would feature as Batman in the new Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film, slated to open in 2016.

But he’s certainly got a task ahead of him. The announcement of Affleck in such a pivotal role prompted a slew of negative reactions. However, according to EW, Affleck revealed that the studio behind the blockbuster, Warner Bros, prepared him for the negative reaction the announcement of his casting would surely bring.

Ben Affleck Speaks Out

Affleck said that the studio “gave me a bunch of past reactions to casting and said, 'Are you sure you want to get into this? This is part and parcel of these movies now. There's a lot of active fans with a lot of opinions'."

He went on to say that "To me, having been through a certain amount of that, it doesn't really... Everyone's entitled to their opinion. I wouldn't have taken the part if I didn't trust my instincts in terms of the filmmaking. I think Chris Terrio wrote a terrific script. Zack's a great visual director. And there's an interesting take.”

"I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think I could do it. I have the benefit of a lot of that understanding. But also, everyone is entitled to their opinion. That's a big part of this international sport. The Fifty Shades of Grey kid or whatever it is. That's sort of become a thing."

We’ll Soon See whether Affleck Really Was Right for the Role of Batman

So Affleck certainly seems ready to take on the iconic role of Batman, despite what his critics have to say. At Stealth Media Films, we honestly can’t wait for the release of the film in 2016. It’ll be fascinating to see whether Affleck really was right for one of the most beloved superhero roles in Hollywood history.

What Five Films Defined the Cinematic Landscape of the Eighties?

The Eighties was a landmark decade for Hollywood, and Stealth Media films believes that there are five movies that defined the cinematic landscape of the eighties.

The Eighties, Big Hair, Big Shoulder Pads and Even Bigger Aspirations

The Eighties were an amazing time to be alive. It was the decade of big hair, big shoulder pads and even bigger aspirations. The social angst of the Sixties and Seventies was dead, and in its place stood the American Dream, as everybody tried to make as much money as humanly possible.

That’s what Hollywood became in the Eighties; a machine dedicated to squeezing as much cash out of movie goers at the box office as it could. All of a sudden, budgets got bigger, plugging your latest project on talk shows became a thing, and star power became more important than acting talent.

Top Five Films of the Eighties

For better or worse, there are five movies that Stealth Media Films believe came to make the cinematic landscape of the Eighties what we now it as today. These are:

Raging Bull: Released in 1980, Raging Bull in fact became one of the best-selling films of the decade, and is regarded as one of the best of all time. A project Martin Scorsese was initially reluctant to direct, Raging bull is a biographical film about Italian Middleweight boxer Jake La Motta. A simple human interest story, Raging Bull touched hearts cross the world.

E.T: E.T was a standout film for many reasons. It became the highest grossing film of all time, shot Steven Spielberg’s career to new heights and introduced a young Drew Barrymore. It is ultimately remembered though, as the film that showed the power of friendship, a trope hat Hollywood has repeated many times since its original debut back in 1982.

Empire Strikes Back: Following on from the success of the original Star Wars film, Empire Strikes Back had a to prove. It rose to the occasion, becoming more successful than the original and immortalising the line ‘Luke, I am Your Father.’ This has to be the most parodied line of all time, and practically reinvented the cliff hanger for a modern audience.

Top Gun: Everyone remembers the Top Gun soundtrack. This film practically established the film soundtrack as a cinematic staple, and is one of the highest selling of all time. Oh, and it also popularised Aviators, really big hair for men and Tom Cruise. Stealth Media Films isn’t sure we can forgive it for the latter.

Breakfast Club: How many times have we seen high school shenanigans play out on screen? This theme was a staple of the Eighties, and has remained a Hollywood mainstay ever since. However, the Breakfast Club is arguably the film that defined the high school movie as a Hollywood classic. Even now, it’s our ultimate guilty pleasure.

The Eighties was a Landmark Decade for the Silver Screen

For different reasons, these five films not only defined the cinematic landscape of the Eighties, but of Hollywood as we know and love in the modern day. Whether you like that or not, you cannot deny that the Eighties was a landmark decade for the silver screen. 

Screen Yorkshire backs $25m US action film

Stealth Media Film Investments learnt today that the regional screen agency Screen Yorkshire made its biggest investment to date in the US action film Hunter’s Prayer. The US-UK co-production is based on the novel For The Dogs by Kevin Wignall.

Avatar star Sam Worthington is set to play the lead role and the film will be directed by Jonathan Mostow who lensed Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. The production is due to start filming in the UK and Hungary in 2015.

Dramatic impact on production levels
Screen Yorkshire declined to comment on that exact amount of funding it had committed to but executive producer Hugo Heppell, head of investments at Screen Yorkshire, said: ‘’The Yorkshire Content Fund continues to have a dramatic impact on production levels in the region.

“This latest investment is highly significant as it demonstrates that Yorkshire is now able to attract - and host - big budget international feature films, as well as major sporting events like the Tour de France.’’

Regional film investment

Screen Yorkshire is making this investment through the Yorkshire Content Fund which is the largest regional investment fund for production in the UK. It’s backed by the European Regional Development Fund. The fund is available to film, TV, games and digital producers based in or outside of Yorkshire.

Screen Yorkshire have made recent investments into Peaky Binders, Get Santa, Catch me Daddy and ’71. In the past the fund also backed Peter Stricklands’ Berberian Sound Studio amongst others.

Hunter’s Prayer

The film follows the story of a lone assassin who is hired to kill a young girl but can’t bring himself to complete the task. Eventually both the girl, and the assassin are forced to go on the run across Europe.

Casting is currently underway for the female lead. Both Emma Roberts and Hailee Steinfield have been previously linked to the film but the female star has yet to be confirmed.

Welcome investment in the regions

Stealth Media Film Investments welcomes this great news for the UK industry and production in the regions. It’s encouraging seeing Screen Yorkshire partner with the American film industry on high budget, high concept, productions.

The Yorkshire Content Fund does a sterling job of attracting high profile production to the Yorkshire area, which is rich in scenic locations but also has a high level of skilled production talent local to the region.

Who In Tinsel Town Has Won the Most OSCARS Ever?

OK, we’re about over half a year away from awards season, but we never get tired of it. At Stealth Media Films, we reckon that with the crop of truly epic productions that have hit the silver screen this year, the OSCARS in 2014 is going to be an event that cannot be missed.

Which is why we’re already prepping all of you lot out there by letting you know, who the actors are to beat, when it comes to clinching the most prestigious of acting awards. So just who won the most OSCARS ever?

Who Won Three OSCARS?

It’s important to remember that a lot of actors have won two awards. However, only six have won more than that, and only one tinsel town alum has won more than three awards. So, let’s start with who won three:

Walter Brennan: OK, at this point, you’re obviously wondering who he is, but Walter Brennan was a huge star back in the golden age of Hollywood. He won three Best Supporting Actor Awards; Come and Get It (1936), Kentucky (1938) and The Westerner (1940)

Ingrid Bergman: A classic siren of the early talkies age, Bergman didn’t actually clinch all of her awards in the golden era of Hollywood. She won Best Actress Awards for Gaslight (1944) and Anastasia (1956), however it wasn’t until 1974 that she racked up her third OSCAR;  Best Supporting Actress for her role in Murder on the Orient Express.

Meryl Streep: Should it surprise you that Streep is on the list; the woman can do anything. She won two Best Actress OSCARS for her stunning roles in Sophie’s Choice (1982) and The Iron Lady (2011), and bagged a Best Supporting Actress gong for one of her breakout roles in Kramer vs. Kramer (1979).

Jack Nicholson: A legendary Hollywood alum, he deserves to be on this list. Nicholson has grabbed the Best Actor Award twice; One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest in 1975 and As Good as It Gets in 1997. He also scored a Best Supporting Actor award for 1983’s Terms of Endearment.

Daniel Day-Lewis: Perhaps the most modern actor on this list, nevertheless, Daniel Day-Lewis has earned his place on it. He earned his first Best Actor nod for My Left Foot back in 1989, and has since racked up two more; There Will be Blood (2007) and Lincoln (2012).

Who Won Four OSCARS?

So, we've seen everybody who’s managed to clinch three OSCAR’s, but there’s only one person who has gone one better and won a staggering total of four. That person; ultimate Hollywood icon Katherine Hepburn.

Hepburn is arguably the most famous actress who ever lived, and was honoured numerous times by the Academy in her lifetime. However, she only received one Best Actress Award (they were all Best Actress Awards) in her youth; for 1932/1933’s Morning Glory. The other three came later in her life, for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968) and On the Golden Pond (1981)!

Highest paid actor goes to the “Iron Man”

Here at Stealth Media Films we’re really big fans of ‘Iron Man’ actor Robert Downey Jr. And we weren’t surprised to see him top the Forbes ‘highest earning actor’ list for a second year running.

It’s said that Downey Jr. has earned an estimated $75 million dollars in around 12 months! “Iron Man 3” made over a billion dollars in 2013 and Downey Jr. has other films set for stateside releases in 2014.

Early Days

Downey Jr. was born in 1965 in New York into a show business family headed by his father Robert Downey Sr. His father was an actor and film-maker and even used his young son in the film Pound. His parents divorced when he was eleven.

During the 80s Downey Jr. turned in a number of memorable performances in some cult films. Including a wacky comedy turn in the Rodney Dangerfield vehicle Back to School. His comedy background led him to be the first regular member of the Saturday Night Live troupe to be nominated for a best actor Oscar.

Troubles

It’s great to see that Downey Jr. has truly overcome his much publicized problems earlier in his career. Nearly going off the rails due to drug abuse, Downey even spent time in prison.

In the early 90s he took the lead role in Richard Attenborough’s Chaplin where he won plaudits playing the silent cinema genius Charles Chaplin.

Sherlock Holmes

Downey Jr. has had success with a number of films recently that have spawned multiple sequels. As well as the Iron Man franchise Downey Jr. has been a box office smash as Sherlock Holmes. He’s currently rumoured to be preparing for a third outing as the Victorian detective.

The Avengers series is currently filming a third outing, again featuring Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man persona. Another standalone Iron Man film may also be on the cards in the future.

Astonishing productivity

Since he put his past problems behind him, Downey Jr. has been astonishingly busy, with an acting work rate that would put most stars to shame. He’s appeared so many film roles that he really is one of the hardest working men in Hollywood.

Here at Stealth Media Films we’re pleased that Downey Jr. is achieving the popularity and success that his hard work deserves.

Sacha Baron Cohen Causes Even More Controversy!

Stealth Media Films has discovered that Sacha Baron Cohen has caused controversy once again, this time by upsetting the citizens of Grimsby!

People Tend to Get Mad At Sacha Baron Cohen A LOT!

You know what they say about marmite, that you love it or you hate it. Well that’s how people tend to be about comedic actor, Sacha Baron Cohen; star of movies such as Ali G Indahouse, Borat and Bruno

Cohen is known for ruffling feathers, because he often doesn’t let people in on the joke, thus causing offence when thy find out that they’ve literally been made to look like a fool. It makes for great entertainment, but it does tend to mean that he gets plagued with a lawsuit or two along the way.

Case in point. When he made the epically hilarious Borat, a film about fictional Kazak journo Borat Sagdiyev, the country’s government thoroughly denounced it, before oddly enough, using it to raise awareness of the central Asian republic.

Is Grimsby The Home of Football Hooliganism?

We don’t think the residents of Grimsby will be following in their footsteps though, as they seem to be pretty mad about Baron Cohen’s latest project, and have taken to vocally speaking out against it.

According to Digital Spy, the comedian’s latest film – which has begun filming nowhere near Grimsby, in Tilbury, Essex – is expected to portray the town as the rundown home of Britain’s football hooligan culture, populated by perennial drunks and people who have a penchant for urinating in the street.

It Could Put Grimsby on the Map!

The entertainment news site went on to quote North East Lincolnshire councillor Matthew Brown, who spoke out on the outrage to the Mail Online, suggesting that he was “disappointed” by the depiction of the area.

He went on to say: "It is using the town's name in potentially a poor light," and "what also worries me is that there is no benefit to the local economy which is carrying the town's name. Anything that you associate with football hooliganism is going to be negative, but I hope people will be open-minded when they watch the film.”

Stealth Media Film investment Comments

We love Sacha Baron Cohen here at Stealth Media Film Investment, he’s hilarious, and to be honest, we find this whole thing extremely funny, but as the councillor accidentally pointed out, it will bring attention to the town, which we actually think is a good thing, so it can’t be that bad really!