What Upcoming Movie Series Will Create New Popular Culture Trends?

Successful movie franchises now reach into many different parts of our lives. With new movies updating series like Mission Impossible, Avatar, and John Wick in the next year or two, there’s no sign of this trend slowing down. However, this is also a good moment to consider how potential new blockbuster franchises could also affect popular culture.

Kevin Costner and the Horizon Saga

It’s been reported that Kevin Costner has been trying to bring Horizon: An American Saga to the big screen for more than three decades. He’s recently mortgaged a huge ten-acre plot of land to fund this Western project, which has a first part due out in June 2024 and a second chapter a couple of months later. Costner has a vision of four movies covering the expansion of the American West and the Civil War but will it succeed?

The Wild West remains a popular subject and the far-reaching influence of this genre can be found in live casino games such as the Dead of Alive Saloon Live by Evolution. Partially based on the popular slots of the same name, this game uses a live dealer in a Wild West setting where the player has to be on what card or cards they think will be drawn. The addition of a Bounty Hunt bonus round adds to the Western theme and gives an extra way of winning.

This theme is present in many other aspects of pop culture, from TV shows like the upcoming The Abandons starring Gillian Anderson to books and art exhibitions. AR Mitchell and Frederic Remington are among the best-known artists to have brought this period of American history to life in their paintings, which are shown in places including the A.R. Mitchell Museum of Western Art and the Contemporary Western Art Gallery.

The Rebel Moon Sci-Fi Epic

Two parts of Rebel Moon have already been filmed, with the first part getting a limited theatrical release at the end of 2023 and the second part coming out in April next year. Described as an epic space opera, it’s directed by Zack Snyder and shows us how the residents of a peace-loving colony react when they get attacked by a ruthless dictator.  

With the second part of the Dune saga also due out in 2024, this could be an exciting period for sci-fi fans. This genre has already provided massive franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek, and the Avatar series has three more sequels still to be released.  The presence of science fiction in pop culture can be seen in aspects such as the way that we can play sci-fi board games like Dune and Star Wars: Imperial Assault. It’s also easy to find clothing, gifts, and accessories inspired by the biggest franchises set in distant galaxies.

Last year’s sci-fi exhibition at London’s Science Museum gave writer Kim Stanley Robinson the opportunity to state that sci-fi should now be used to help us imagine what life could be like in the future as we battle against climate change and other challenges. Perhaps we can look forward to sci-fi merging further with areas including art and science as we face up to the future and look for ideas from these stories.

Both of the genres covered here have inspired many huge franchises and had a considerable impact on popular culture. The release of Rebel Moon and Horizon could provide an extra appeal that helps more people discover these stories.