Why It Was Written Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera opened on West End in 1986 and premiered on Broadway in 1988, and has since become the longest-running Broadway musical of all time. Based on a 1910 novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux, Webber's version was both innovative in the theater …
Continue reading Semi-Sequel Series: “The Phantom of the Opera” and “The Phantom of Manhattan”
Why It Was Written Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park was a huge hit when it released in 1990, and the 1993 movie adaptation by director Steven Spielberg further cemented the story as a staple of science fiction. The cautionary tale about scientists and capitalists playing God by resurrecting dinosaurs, only to have their creations escape …
Continue reading Semi-Sequel Series: “Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World”
Why It Was Written E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is considered by many to be one of the most beloved children's films of all time. The story of young boy Elliott, the titular alien E.T., and the bond they develop during their short time together won over audiences and critics alike upon its release in 1982. It …
Why It Was Written When George Romero and his writer John Russo parted ways after creating the genre-defining Night of the Living Dead, they split the fruits of their labor. Russo retained the rights to use the term “Living Dead” in any future projects, while Romero was free to create his own sequels to continue …
Continue reading Semi-Sequel Series: “Night of the Living Dead” and “Return of the Living Dead”
Why It Was Written Author Bill McCay consulted the notes of the film’s directors Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich when mapping out the story of his sequel novels to the original film. McCay would go on to write four other books to accompany Rebellion, attempting to envision where the story would have gone had there …
Continue reading Semi-Sequel Series: “Stargate” and “Stargate: Rebellion”
Why It Was Written We’ll start with one of my favorite franchises, Star Wars. Back in 1977, the success of George Lucas’ space opera was far from certain. Still, Lucas gave the film a semi-open ending to leave room for more story. Yes, the Rebels had destroyed the Death Star. But Darth Vader, the Emperor, …
Continue reading Semi-Sequels Series: “Star Wars” and “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye”
Culturally Opinionated 