Everyone in Hollywood loves a cash cow, that certain something that you always know will be there to save your bottom when nothing else works. Unfortunately for Hollywood cash cows are not easy to create and for every Lord of the Rings there’s a Golden Compass. Here we’ll take a look at 5 movies that really wanted but never could turn into future franchises.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, $200 million budget and $337 million worldwide made at the box office. This had all the makings of the next Pirates of the Caribbean, Jerry Bruckheimer, talented cast, good director, Disney and lots and lots of money thrown at it. The upsides is that it was based on a video game, but ultimately the finish product was so far from the source material that said upside becomes almost mute. So what really happened? Well first there were the various script rewrites (even during filming), then there was Disney overestimating the potential franchise value of this series and overspending on things that could have been done at half the price. Finally, while a good director, Mike Newell was just not the man for the job.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, $150 million budget and $215 million worldwide made at the box office. Yet another Jerry Bruckheimer movie failing at living up to expectations. With National Treasure‘s John Turtletaub directing and Nicholas Cage starring, many saw this doomed from the start but Disney certainly had other plans for this when they invested $150 million in it.

Robin Hood, $200 million budget and $321 million worldwide made at the box office. Ridley Scott directing and Russell Crowe starring, what could possibly go wrong, after all this is team Gladiator we are talking about. Well it did and while at first this might seem like a standalone picture, it was actually planned as a trilogy by Ridley Scott. I guess another overestimation of the franchise potential of an old hero like Mr. Hood, not to mention he has been done to death (just take a look here). Oh but wait, the Wachowskis are working on yet another adaption of Robin Hood, simply titled Hood.

The Last Airbender, $150 million budget and $319 million worldwide made at the box office. While this technically doubled its budget (sometimes considered the point where a movie breaks even), it was so bad and left such a bad taste in just about everyone’s mouth that none would touch a second movie, at least not as long as M. Night Shyamalan is behind it, not to mention it would probably make half as much money if they made it, now that people know what to expect.

The A-Team, $110 million budget and $177 million worldwide made at the box office. What the hell happened here? Did Fox overestimate the popularity of the show or do people just not give a damn about it anymore? Either way The A-Team was a failed attempt at bringing back an old (and most would say DEAD) series. On the other hand The Green Hornet (much older, deader and a lot higher on the “don’t give a damn” scale) seems to be doing just fine, so maybe it was just the damn movie sucking.

This year we have another batch of potential future cash cows that could fail just as bad if not worse then the titles above. So with that being said, I’m looking forward to lots and lots of failed franchise starts, Hollywood oh Hollywood, you have to love the way they just don’t stop believing.

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Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood didn’t turn critics into Merry Men however it did make over $300 million worldwide. That that won’t be enough to give Ridley Scott the sequel he wanted but I suppose Universal may consider it if does well on DVD/Blu-ray.

Universal recently announced that a never-before-seen unrated director’s cut of Robin Hood will be released on September 21st, and it will include 15 minutes of new footage. You can pre-order Robin Hood now on:

DVD | Blu-ray

Special features on the two-disc special edition DVD and Blu-ray include:

• Director’s Notebook (BD-exclusive): a seamless multimedia experience focusing on the director’s vision gives viewers a peek inside Ridley Scott’s unique filmmaking process. Incorporating behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Scott and his trusted inner circle of collaborators, this feature launches at critical moments throughout the film to illuminate the task of mounting a vast production like Robin Hood.
• The Art of Nottingham (BD-exclusive): a special look at the portfolio of designs generated for the film, including video introductions by key department heads such as production designer Arthur Max and costume designer Janty Yates. Galleries of concept art, costume designs, storyboards and other imagery are featured.
• Deleted scenes with introduction and commmentary by editor Pietro Scalia
• Rise and Rise Again: Making Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood
• Ballad, Legend & Myth: Pre-production – see how the filmmakers and actors, including Ridley Scott, Brian Grazer and Russell Crowe, tackled the challenge of breathing new life into the longest surviving character in the English language, Robin Hood.
• The More the Merrier: Production – a stellar cast led by Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett descended on England to shoot this massive epic under the direction of Ridley Scott. With an unparalleled passion for detail, Scott oversees all of the production design, costuming, weaponry and action sequences in the film.
• No Quarter Given: Post-production – Sifting through a million feet of shot film, Ridley Scott and editor Pietro Scalia perfect the screen story and work with the post-production team to add layers of sound design, visual effects and Marc Streitenfeld’s beautiful score.
• pocket BLU
  • Advanced Remote Control
  • Video Timeline
  • Mobile-To-Go
  • VIRTUAL Keyboard
  • uHEAR (new feature): This innovative feature instantly skips back a few seconds on your Blu-ray disc and turns on the subtitles for the section you couldn’t hear.
  • INTERACTIVE TICKER (new feature): get the latest information about Universal’s theatrical and Blu-ray releases. Plus, get updates about upcoming BD-Live events, awards and TV shows on NBC.
• BD-Live
• My Scenes

You can pre-order Robin Hood now on:

DVD | Blu-ray

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In an interview with The Times Robin Hood director Ridley Scott spoke about the film alongside Russell Crowe. They touch upon one of the original drafts of the script when the film was called Nottingham with Robin Hood as the villain and the sheriff as a well-meaning public servant. Crowe said “it kind of read like CSI: Sherwood Forest” to him, and they decided to delay production to work on the script.

One interesting section that’s worth a mention is when Ridley Scott talks about the film as an origins story, and that there may be potential for a sequel.

Theirs is an origins tale (think Batman Begins), carrying Robin up until the point that he is outlawed. “It is the beginnings of how the man becomes known as Robin the Hood,” explains Scott. “You don’t really get that until the last few minutes. When you realise that ‘Ah, this is who he is’.” Scott smiles. “Let’s say we might presume there’s a sequel.” (Again, think Batman Begins, which launched a monster franchise). “Honestly, I thought why not have the potential for a sequel, particularly if it is a genre that you absolutely love and has never been fully explored? If there were to be a sequel to Robin Hood, you would have a constant enemy throughout, King John, and you would follow his reign of 17 years, and the signing of Magna Carta could be Robin’s final act.”

I don’t recall there ever being a follow-up to any recent historical epic, so a Robin Hood trilogy could be interesting (if the first film delivers the goods that is).

Robin Hood will be released on May 14th so we’ll find out if Scott’s ideas for a sequel could become a reality. Although Iron Man 2 will be released a week before Hood and could eat into its box office takings slightly, so we’ll have to wait and see.

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I may be in a minority when I say this but i’m actually looking forward to Robin Hood more than I am Iron Man 2. Both movies will be released a week apart from each other next month (IM2 on May 7th, Hood on May 14th) so there will be some competition when it comes to the box office, although there’s no reason why both can’t do well. If I had to choose between the two though it’d be Robin Hood. I’ve got a thing for historical epics.

A new behind the scenes featurette for Ridley Scott’s latest had made it’s way online and it contains footage of the director, Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett talking about the film. We also get a look at a few new scenes. Watch below:

Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as “Robin Hood,” whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

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Universal has released another trailer for Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, and it’s probably the best one so far. We start by seeing Robin Hood as a kid who witnesses his father being murdered by the powers that be, and from this an outlaw is born. One with a dodgy Yorkshire accent. Anyhow, there’s lots of action, arrows being fired in all directions, and a great big epic battle on a beach. It looks like Gladiator 2.0 will be rather good.

Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as “Robin Hood,” whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

Robin Hood stars Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, Mark Strong and will be released on May 14th. Mark said date in the nearest tree stump.

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Yahoo! has provided the brand new trailer for Robin Hood, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe.

I think we all know that this film bears a striking resemblance to Gladiator. But don’t you think Ridley Scott knows that also? I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and (like Dan Trachtenberg from the Totally Rad Show said) assume that Scott is going to bring something new to the table. The man is one of the most influential directors in history; I’d like to think that he’s willing to challenge himself and not revisit similar territory unless he truly believes he has something fresh to contribute.

Check out the trailer below. Robin Hood opens in theaters on May 14th, 2010.

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/Film got their hands on a new poster for Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood. We’ve been getting quite a lot of promotional material recently, with the release of two trailers and now a poster. From what I’ve seen I’m quite looking forward to this.

Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as “Robin Hood,” whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

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We got our first trailer for Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood last week and it was cool, but I was slightly underwhelmed. I have no doubt the film will be good, I just not a fan of historical films using rock-type music in trailers.

Today Yahoo! released a new international trailer and it’s miles better than the first trailer. We get a lot more information on the story, more Cate Blanchett and more dialogue. We also have music that suits the footage.

Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as “Robin Hood,” whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

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Our very first look at moving footage from Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood has appeared online in the form of a trailer. It’s a bit different to what I expected but it looks interesting. It starts off mysterious with a dark forest and wolves, but then Russell Crowse rises from the water screaming and that then all the action kicks in. I’m liking how Ridley Scott has filmed the close-up/slo-mo arrows firing.

Oscar winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as “Robin Hood,” whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

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In the latest issue of Total Film magazine there is a 36 page special on James Cameron’s Avatar, and while the film is the main topic of discussion they threw in a few questions on Terminator Salvation and the upcoming Alien prequel which Ridley Scott will be directing.

What did you think of Terminator Salvation?
It didn’t quite have the emotional power that it should have had. I thought Sam was great, very powerful, and Christian… people have criticised him for being one-note but that’s part of the character. He was playing a guy who’s furiously dedicated to the survival of the human species. Maybe more could have been done with that. In T2 we showed the consequences. It drove Sarah insane.

Was McG the man for the job?
McG’s a strong shooter and he honoured the iconic touchstones of the first two movies – almost too much. I actually felt Salvation is like Aliens, in that it’s a fan making a sequel to a movie they loved.

It must be tough for Cameron to see other people’s take on his creation, especially as both T3 and Salvation have been disappointing. The rights are being auctioned off at some point this month so hopefully a competent studio buy them, instead of two shady producers like last time.

Now for another sci-fi franchise, Alien. Earlier this year Ridley Scott decided to return to the franchise after a 30 year absence, and it may have been Cameron who inspired him.

Ridley Scott is talking about doing an Alien prequel
That’s a strange move for him. I mean, Ridley and I talked over lunch maybe 10 years ago and I said, “Look, I’ll write it and produce it, you direct it, it’ll ****ing kick ass!” And he was like, “Yeah, let’s do it!” And nothing happened. And then they did Alien vs. Predator, and that kind of pissed in the soup. I think Ridley really should do science fiction. He made the two most iconic science-fiction films of the 20th century. When he came to visit me [on the set of Avatar] I said to him, “Quit ****ing around with these wine movies in the south of France, make another science fiction film.” And he saw the technique we were using and got all fired up about it. He turned to his producer and said, “Why am I doing this Robin Hood? I should be doing science fiction!”

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