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If the massive success of Deadpool & Wolverine has taught us anything, it’s that audiences really appreciate fan service, especially when it’s served up in a star-studded, expensive package and accompanied by swearing. To some, this might be seen as a negative — a sign that pop culture is increasingly eating its own tail like a nerdy ouroboros more interested in shoring up existing market share than finding new fans and audiences — but, really, I think this is something that other studios and publishers should be leaning into far more heavily.

With that in mind, I have some suggestions for other studios, franchise owners, and filmmakers as they consider new ways to transform their characters into box office gold. Well, box office golder.

The Trial of the Flash

What is it? The 1980s comic book storyline that saw Barry Allen put on trial for the murder of the Reverse-Flash exhausted comic book readers due to what seemed (at the time) like its over-extended length — in truth, it ran just under two years, all-told, which seems like nothing by today’s standards — but is nonetheless primed for a reboot on the big screen… especially if it keeps to the conclusion of the original storyline, in which the Flash is found guilty for reasons that aren’t entirely trustworthy.

How would it work? Think of it as the final installment of the Snyderverse, with Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen on trial — which plays as a meta angle, considering that he’s had his own real-life troubles with the law. The fact that it’s a trial that will need character witnesses allows for all number of cameos from fellow Snyderverse actors, from Henry Cavill’s Superman to Ben Affleck’s Batman (or George Clooney’s, if we’re going by the end of last year’s The Flash), and — if filmmakers choose to follow the original’s plot and offer a  guilty verdict — there’s a potentially very downbeat end to the Snyderverse available to continue the feel-good vibes of Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Snyder’s own Justice League cut. 

Would it be R-rated? Of course! Just imagine the swearing possible in gritty prison sequences featuring Suicide Squad members. (David Ayer’s Suicide Squad, ideally.)

Star Wars: Grumpy Old Men

What is it? While much of 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi divided audiences, everyone seemed to appreciate Mark Hamill’s grizzly old Luke Skywalker, who mixed the new age belief in the Force with a curmudgeonly attitude to… well, seemingly everything else about Star Wars, wonderfully enough. So why not really dive into that with a feature set before his untimely death, in which he gets to offer a satirical take on the entire franchise, backed up by a Force Ghost of an equally curmudgeonly Han Solo, as played by professional grump Harrison Ford.

How would it work? Play into the fan service of an entire generation of fans who complain about Star Wars not being what it used to be with a self-conscious comedy about two old men complaining that the battle against intergalactic forces of oppression not being nearly as good as it was when they were young, with cameos from any number of characters from other Star Wars properties to boost interest — even, as in Deadpool & Wolverine’s case — if they’re appearing in live-action for the first time. (The Bad Batch, I’m talking about you.) Plus, Deadpool & Wolverine demonstrated how successful a buddy comedy making fun of a franchise could be.

Would it be R-rated? There’s an entire generation of fanboys who would lose their mind if they heard Luke Skywalker swear. So, obviously, yes.

Fast & Furious: Roll Out

What is it? Just before Fast & Furious X hit theaters, some smart prankster edited the movie’s Wikipedia page to insert a wonderfully gonzo fake post-credit scene into the movie’s plot synopsis. In this fake edit, Vin Diesel’s Dom comes face to face with the only cinematic hero who outdoes him in terms of robotic acting and gravelly voice: Optimus Prime, with the joke being that the only place left for the Fast & Furious franchise to go being a team-up with the Transformers. Friends, ever since seeing that gag, I have wanted nothing more than to see a Fast & Furious/Transformers crossover. Nothing more.

How would it work? Who even needs to ask that question? Dom and his family love to drive supercharged cars into outrageous adventures. What could be more supercharged and outrageous that skidding into an intergalactic war with robots that can transform into alien-powered cars? It writes itself — and even better, Universal Pictures is responsible for both Fast & Furious and the Transformers movies. That money’s right there on the table.

Would it be R-rated? Really, who cares about the dialogue? This one is all about the stunts.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

What is it? Look, I’m not saying this is already a piece of potentially ridiculous fan-service filmmaking, but we have Idris Elba and Keanu Reeves voicing Sonic supporting characters. Just take a look at the trailer and you’ll realize: this one doesn’t need any advice at all. It’s got it all just fine.

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