It鈥檚 easy to forget that the Netflix original film department is still rather young. Five years ago, the streaming service didn鈥檛 even really have one. But things move quickly in the competitive streaming world, especially when starting from scratch.
Now with a robust library of proprietary and commercially minded films and characters, Netlifx is leaning into another important pillar of the movie business: Sequels.
They've dabbled before, with romantic comedies and teen-focused fare like and but with a breakneck annual output, Netflix has now amassed enough of their own intellectual property to develop franchises in more genres, including adventure, mystery, comedy, action and thrillers, created by and starring some of the industry's biggest names.
Kicking off with which is and sees Millie Bobby Brown back as the spirited young detective, Netflix has a slew of starry, high-profile follow-ups to some of their most successful films on the way. Later this year, 鈥� 鈥� will bring Daniel Craig鈥檚 Benoit Blanc back to solve a new murder case on a private Greek island. In 2023 and beyond, Chris Hemsworth will reprise his role as black ops mercenary Tyler Rake in 鈥� ,鈥� Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler will reunite for 鈥淢urder Mystery 2鈥� and Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne will be back as immortals in 鈥� .鈥�
鈥淥ur goal was always to build stories and films and characters that we can return to,鈥� said Netflix executive Kira Goldberg. 鈥淲e鈥檙e finally at that moment, we鈥檙e feeling really good about it.鈥�
Goldberg and Ori Marmur co-head the studio film team at Netflix under global film chief Scott Stuber. Both were veterans of traditional studio filmmaking, with Goldberg having come to Netflix from Fox, where she oversaw the likes of 鈥淏ohemian Rhapsody鈥� and 鈥淭he Greatest Showman,鈥� while Marmur came from producing films like 鈥淓scape Room鈥� and 鈥淭he Green Hornet.鈥�
鈥淲e loved the idea that we could come to a studio that was starting from scratch,鈥� Marmur said. 鈥淭hat just doesn鈥檛 happen, especially not at this scale.鈥�
In the years they鈥檝e been at Netfix, they鈥檝e been able to draw on relationships they鈥檝e made over the years and also forged new ones with directors, writers and talent they wanted to work with. They also knew they had to play catchup with the legacy studios that had a century of intellectual property at their disposal.
鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty impressive that sequels are a conversation and a reality,鈥� said Mary Parent, who produced both 鈥淓nola Holmes" movies.
The sequel was put into motion soon after it hit Netflix in September 2020, with Brown, Henry Cavill, writer Jack Thorne and director Harry Bradbeer all on board. An estimated 76 million households streamed the lively detective story in its first four weeks.
鈥淲e mobilized really quickly,鈥� Parent said. 鈥淵ou try not to take it for granted. And you try to raise the bar on yourself, to up the storytelling, up the stakes with everything that you loved about the first but also something new.鈥�
The sequel strategy is not so unlike that at traditional studios: They want to keep viewers coming back for familiar characters. And it鈥檚 an equation that has proved effective with their most popular television shows, like and
There may not be a set formula or mandate around what gets another film, but most are among Netflix鈥檚 most-watched originals. In their first four weeks, was seen by 78 million households and drew in 99 million households, according to data provided by Netflix.
鈥�(鈥楨xtraction鈥�) obviously benefited from the timing of its release, which was at the early days of the pandemic,鈥� said Mike Larocca, the co-founder and vice chairman of the Russo Brothers鈥� AGBO Productions. 鈥淏ut they were very supportive of the sequel script before that. We were prepared to move quickly and they didn鈥檛 wait for the performance.鈥�
Part of the Netflix equation is looking at genres that either aren鈥檛 getting made at the big studio level anymore or aren鈥檛 getting enough audiences at the theaters to make them worth investing in frequently, like teen rom-coms. As a classic stunt-driven action movie, 鈥淓xtraction,鈥� Larocca said, was in that 鈥渄readed middle that was getting killed theatrically.鈥�
鈥淧eople still want to see big, practical stunts and exotic locations and a really cool hero at the center,鈥� Larocca said. 鈥淚 think given their model, they鈥檙e able to make it at a higher budget than theatrical would have would have supported because their numbers look different.鈥�
The notable exception is 鈥淕lass Onion,鈥� as 鈥淜nives Out鈥� did not originate at Netflix. But the streamer saw an opportunity in Rian Johnson鈥檚 fun murder mystery, which was a hit at the box office, and potential in spinning out more stories anchored by Craig鈥檚 shrewd detective. They shelled out $450 million for two sequels. There is also a 鈥� 鈥� film in the works, based on the hit crime series, with Cynthia Erivo, and a re-imagining of 鈥� ," with Robert Rodriguez on board to write and direct.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e really succeeded in creating an environment where I think people can do their best work,鈥� Parent said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e there to offer support but don鈥檛 create unnecessary obstacles. They don鈥檛 overly micromanage, which can sometimes kill creativity. They understand the balance ... And the power of their platform is undeniable.鈥�
At Netflix, Goldberg and Marmur have also found opportunities in working cross-functionally with other departments.
鈥淲hen I worked at other traditional studios, I didn鈥檛 know who was in the series team. I didn鈥檛 know who worked in consumer products. There was never any communication,鈥� Goldberg said. 鈥淗ere, we get in a room together all the time. We strategize collectively.鈥�
Case in point: When developing the graphic novel 鈥淏RZRKR鈥� as a live-action film with Keanu Reeves, they also committed to an anime series so he could 鈥渉ave the best of both worlds鈥� since the artwork was so important to him.
鈥淲e鈥檙e constantly trying to figure out how we can do things in different, innovative and cool ways,鈥� Marmur said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not rare to have a conversation with a filmmaker about how their film can branch into other things.鈥�
It has been a rollercoaster year for Netflix, but they鈥檝e recovered from and were back on top with . Netflix now boasts 223 million subscribers, and is once again the world鈥檚 largest video streaming service. The Walt Disney Co. had briefly eclipsed Netflix in August when it reported its service had 221 million subscriptions, though there is some debate over how comparable the numbers are as Disney counts households that subscribe to its bundle package of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ as three separate subscriptions.
The company is also days away from launching its first ad-supported plan that debuts in the U.S. and 11 other markets in early November. The new in the U.S., less than half the price for Netflix鈥檚 most popular $15.50-per-month plan without commercial interruptions.
But Goldberg and Marmur say they're just concerned with putting their heads down and making great films.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e come so far so fast, it鈥檚 incredible,鈥� Larocca said. "The legacy studios have tremendous advantages in terms of IP that they can draw from. It鈥檚 fun to see them start building their own franchises. They鈥檙e making big swings.鈥�
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Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.
Lindsey Bahr, The Associated Press
