Sagas that never die:

If you had to think of a successful saga, what would be the first one that would come to mind? In recent decades, many have garnered legions of fans: ‘Lord of The Rings’, ‘Star Wars’, ‘Harry Potter’… They seem destined to be eternal.

Some, like ‘Game of Thrones’ (‘Game of Thrones’), have simply decided not to stop: after the end of the television series, with countless video games and merchandising, and despite the fact that the literary version ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ it is still unfinished; They decided to continue exploiting the saga with the prequel ‘House of the Dragon’, which has been very well received.

But there are cases in which a story that was apparently closed returns years later. This is the case of sagas that either receive ‘spin-offs’, prequels or sequels after a long time without new deliveries or even announce a ‘reboot’ to be told again.

It is the ‘boom’ of nostalgia: adults who are excited to continue or relive the stories of their childhood and adolescence, and new children and young people who have their first contact with stories that were born before them… But who continue to give speak years later.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS

‘Lord of The Rings’ is a saga that has left an indelible mark on popular culture. Created by JRR Tolkien, this epic fantasy tale tells of the adventures of Frodo Baggins and his quest to destroy the one ring that bestows great but evil power on its bearer.

These novels have sold more than 150 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than 40 languages. In turn, the film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson raised more than 3,000 million dollars at the box office and won 17 Oscars.

The story of Middle-earth has been a major influence on fantasy literature and film, and has inspired a host of merchandise, from video games to theme parks. And other novels like ‘The Hobbit’, adapted into three films, or ‘The Silmarillion’ have also been widely recognized.

Now, despite the fact that the latest series, ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’, from Amazon Prime Video, has not had the expected reception, it seems that the story will continue with a new season.

And that’s not all, in addition to the imminent launch of its new video game, ‘The Lord of the Rings: Gollum’, the saga has a new film project underway: an animated film about the Rohirrim War that, although it is planned to be released in 2024, it will be able to be seen very soon at the Annecy Film Festival in France.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter saga, created by JK Rowling, is one of the most popular of all time. The story follows a young wizard named Harry Potter and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley as they battle the evil Lord Voldemort.

This collection of books has sold more than 500 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 80 languages. The franchise has spawned a slew of merchandise, from movies to theme parks, board games and video games, like the recent ‘Hogwarts Legacy’.

Furthermore, the Harry Potter story has had a huge impact on popular culture and has inspired a generation of young readers. However, the author’s controversial statements against the trans community have caused many of these young people to turn their backs on Rowling.

Despite this, and even with the failure of the third part of the ‘Fantastic Animals’ saga, which seems to be left unfinished without the two remaining installments to close the story, Harry Potter continues to be synonymous with success.

And it is that, despite the fact that Rowling’s image continues to arouse enormous controversy, the novels of the main saga, ‘Harry Potter’, will once again be adapted to the screen, but, this time, in serial format, to one book per season.

On the controversy surrounding the author, the CEO of content for HBO and the future Max (who will be in charge of the adaptation) Casey Bloys, he did not want to speak: “I do not think this is the place and we are not going to get into that issue. Our only priority is what is going to be seen on the screen,’ he said in statements collected by Variety.

STAR WARS

Another saga that has been enormously successful is ‘Star Wars’ (‘Star Wars’). Created by George Lucas, it follows the fight between the rebels and the galactic empire, and features some of the most iconic characters in ‘geek’ culture, such as Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.

But what makes ‘Star Wars’ so special is its ability to mix elements of science fiction with those of fantasy. In addition, the special effects were innovative at the time, and continue to enjoy enormous affection today.

This film saga has raised more than 10,000 million dollars at the box office and has inspired a large number of products, from toys to video games and comics, including spin-offs of all kinds.

The franchise has been a major influence on popular culture and has built a legion of fans around the world. In fact, one of his latest series, ‘The Mandalorian’, has once again been a success.

Now, at Star Wars Celebration, three new film installments have been announced on the way. And it is that this saga has used to stop for a while after each trilogy, or release ‘spin-offs’ and prequels, and then continue the main story. ‘Star Wars’ remains for a while.

TWILIGHT

Created by Stephenie Meyer, the ‘Twilight’ saga tells the story of a forbidden romance between the vampire Edward Cullen and the human Bella Swan. And, despite the criticism it has received, it was a success, especially among teenagers.

This literary saga has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and has been adapted into a successful film franchise. He even had a video game, ‘Scene It? Twilight’.

Years after its completion, Stephanie Meyer revived the saga with the publication of ‘Midnight Sun’, a novel that recounted the events of the first installment, but from Edward’s point of view (in the previous ones, the narrator was always Bella). .

However, his return has not been limited to novels. According to The Hollywood Reporter, and following the line of Harry Potter, there will be a new series on ‘Twilight’, which will re-adapt the story, but with greater luxury of details from the novels.

THE HUNGER GAMES

Another popular saga is ‘The Hunger Games’, created by Suzanne Collins. The story follows Katniss Everdeen and her fight to survive in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world, where children are forced to fight to the death in a reality show called ‘The Hunger Games’.

The plot is dark and heartbreaking, as well as youthful. And that is what makes this saga so special, along with the courage and determination of its protagonist, Katniss, as well as the exploration of themes such as social inequality and the fight against an oppressive and tyrannical power.

‘The Hunger Games’ has sold more than 100 million book copies worldwide and has been adapted into a successful film franchise. It has also generated a large number of products, from board games to clothing to video games.

Now, years after the premiere of the last film, ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’ (2015), fans have finally been able to enjoy the first trailer for a prequel that will be released in November 2023 ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’.

AVATAR

The Avatar saga, created by James Cameron, follows the story of an ex-marine who is sent to an alien planet to interact with the native culture and gather information to allow the human side to gain access to a valuable metal deposit.

The technological innovation that went into creating the film helped make ‘Avatar’ one of the most successful movies of all time, and has led to video games, games, and marketing of all kinds.

The first installment was a resounding success at the box office and left a mark in film history for its revolutionary visual effects technology. In addition, it became the highest-grossing film in history, with a worldwide gross of more than 2.9 billion dollars.

But Cameron announced at the time that there would be four sequels. Although the fans had to wait more than a decade, practically 13 years, to enjoy the second part, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’.

Now, one of the producers, Jon Landau, has explained to Screen Rant that the saga will continue not only through the movies, but also through graphic novels and video games that will include other plot elements. Something that makes the expectation grow before the next game ‘Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’.

DRAGON BALL

Created by Akira Toriyama, the anime and manga saga ‘Dragon Ball’ follows the story of Goku, a warrior of the Saiyan alien race who fights against powerful enemies and protects the earth and the universe from various threats.

Since its creation in 1984, the series has inspired a host of products, including video games, movies, and toys. It has also broken several records, such as being one of the best-selling manga series in history, with more than 300 million volumes sold worldwide.

The last thing that aired about the series at the time was ‘Dragon Ball GT’, a continuation of ‘Dragon Ball Z’ in which Toriyama was not involved. However, in 2015, the original author decided to continue the story where he left off in Z with a new series, ‘Dragon Ball Super’.

Almost 20 years had passed. In 2022, an official and canonical film, ‘Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’, was released, also with great reception. And the video game ‘Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’ also allowed us to relive the story from another perspective.

And, although there are no new episodes in the anime series at the moment, the manga has continued and many hope that they will be able to see Goku on television again at some point in the not too distant future.

Each of these sagas has been enormously successful for its ability to transport viewers and readers to imaginary worlds filled with adventure, charismatic characters, and exciting plots. They have left a lasting mark on popular culture and have inspired the imagination of entire generations. And maybe that’s why they never die.