With everyone wanting a shared universe, what are some "true" shared universes

[Güicho]

I heard about this! I still need to read the comic. Is it any good?

Django/Zorro was a pretty good read, and would have made a decent movie if SONY and Tarantino had pursued it. Both as a sequel to Django, and expansion of the Zorro franchise.
http://www.businessinsider.com/djang...-movie-2014-12

Similar to Dynamite's other crossover Lone Ranger/Zorro, by nature it mostly favors the later characters, who are shown in their prime, while Zorro is older at the end of his career, somewhat passing the mantle role. He's mostly there to validate the "newer" characters whose time has come, while he fades away.
So if you are a Lone Ranger fan, or in this case Django, great! For Zorro it's good, but not great.

Mostly it comes from casting an aging Zorro in more modern times, and falling back on the suposedly stuck in his past, unwilling to adapt trope, particularly in the use of a gun.

It's a fine romanticized stance to take, if they want to show Zorro can successfully get by without resorting to a gun!, or will force what he considers a more honorable sword duel where he can, that's great! He does that! But that is not what they are doing here, to the contrary, they have him take a never use a gun stance which in the end they imply diminishes Zorro, while the new guys prevail and are celebrated for embracing the gun.

It's a weird strict stance they chose to retrofit onto the character, which seems to be an invention by Dynamite. As Zorro in most popular portrayals; Fairbanks, Tyrone Powers, Disney(Guy Williams & Alex Toth) and especially the pulpy McCulley version, that Tarantino seems to want to allude to, all had him with no problem using a gun when necessary.
He was in fact expert with it. Expert marksman, quick on the draw, could shoot to disarm which is what he mostly did.




That rant aside, Diego de la Vega still holds up even as an aging hero, and was well portrayed.

The story was based loosely on real life events and character- James Reavis - a really interesting character and chapter in American history, as it "came into" huge swaths of land once deemed home to many Mexican Americans who lived and worked it.
It was the basis for the movie The Baron of Arizona an old Vincent price movie, that Tarantino seems to have borrowed heavily from.
Both Zorro and Django fit in well as characters coming from very different times, and places, including their POV's, at a crossroad in American history and expansion, in a territory where they are both at home and strangers, and ultimately find common ground.
And in the end a new hero (who is mostly ignored and unsung in American popular culture) emerges.
If this had been a movie, whoever would have got to play the Baron, the villain of the story, would have stolen the movie.
It's visually staged and reads like a film, and has a big cinematic Peckinpah finish.

[Güicho]

...what are some true shared universes that Hollywood could adapt.

Any other Shared universes that I haven't listed.

Another potential "true" shared movie-universe is the worlds and characters of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Neither the latest John Carter or Tarzan films were a great success, but the potential is there.

As well as Tarzan and John Carter, adding other characters and concepts from; At the Earth's Core Pellucidar tales, Carson of Venus, and with some time fudging the Land That Time Forgot setting and characters, all work as stand alone films, and can cross over into shared-universe adventures.



Dynamite (again) has secured several of these under one roof, and are doing just that in their Greatest Adventure series.
I've only bought one issue so far but seems like a great set up.

Under one movie studio this could definitely spark a shared movie-verse. (although unfortunately I think Disney has let Tarzan(which went to Warner Bros.) and is letting John Carter go) .

Although in a dream worst idea ever scenario, Disney and Warner could pool their efforts, pick up the pieces of their failed John Carter and Tarzan attempts, with stars (Kitsch & Skarsgård), go against all expectations and rational, and do a shared Lords of Mars crossover.

[Güicho]

Again invoking Dynamite, who after MASKS which was a bit unwieldy, bringing in characters from all over the place.

The next more specifically brought together the great 3 Street & Smith publishing Pulp heroes;
Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Avenger, into the same universe, which made allot more sense.

As far as a movie verse, I'd love to see them cross over, Doc Savage and The Shadow are both up for much needed movie reboots, sadly I think they are optioned at different studios, as far as I know The Avenger has never got a movie.
But a shared Street & Smith Pulp movie universe would be great!

[MoneySpider]

There are some NBA players that have performed crossover dribbles in their careers, and they are all share the same universe - ours.

Is the door that way? I'll see myself out.

[MoneySpider]

I think it reconnected with the Dallas reboot series since Gary and Val showed up on that show after JR died for some episodes.

I thought both shows would only really be reconnected if Knots Landing characters finally acknowledged that Bobby Ewing was still alive?

[Güicho]

The old Adam West Batman and the Green Hornet TV show were connected.

Also Dr. Henry Wayne, Bruce Wayne's great great great grandfather met Zorro.



And in another universe uhm this happened ....


Don't know how either franchise is doing as movies, maybe putting them together again is ridiculous enough it could work!

[Thor2014]

How's that?

Characters from DS and TJ had cameos on the finale of TFPoBA, they were looking at the house which was up for sale. DS and SS were on NBC at the same time so they probably crossed-over, ditto with TFPoBA and Blossom.

The 80s/90s sitcoms Golden Girls, Nurses and Empty Nest all too place in Miami, were from by the same producers (Witt Thomas Harris) and created to bounce back and forth with each other.

Cheers, Wings and Frasier all take place in the same universe as well. Wings was created by Cheers people who later would create Frasier. Frasier even guest starred on an episode of Wings while Cheers was still on. Which was easy to do since both Cheers and Wings took place in Massachusetts.

All in the Family had numerous planted spin-offs, but the main show would morph into Archie Bunker's Place and there would be a short-lived Gloria spin-off and about a decade later would be 704 Hauser which was set in the same house.

[Vic Vega]

Going by spin offs alone, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Joanie Loves Chachi and Mork and Mindy(!) all take place in the same universe.

Edit: I see I was beaten to this.

Also, Dragnet, Emergency and Adam 12 all take place in the same universe.

The Jack Webb-iverse.

[Qwerty]

Some more recent crime dramas I think as well. NCIS, along with the other NCIS stuff is also in the same universe as JAG (Which it spun off from) and the new Hawaii 5-0.

I'm pretty sure CSI crossed over with Without a Trace at some point too.


Video game wise, there's a bit of crossover between Hideo Kojima's non-Metal Gear work. Policenaughts, Zone of the Enders and Snatcher all reference Metal Gear or vice versa, and one character-Meryl-even appears in both PN and MGS. However, there's a few contradictions and continuity issues between them, so maybe it's just "easter eggs".

For a bit of fun, it's possible E.T and Star Wars exist in the same universe, as E.T recognizes a Yoda costume in the film and we see E.Ts in the senate in TPM. Of course it's just a two-way nod but a lot of fans have ran with it...(Including wondering if E.T's telekinetic/telepathic skills are somehow linked to the force).


Regarding the Whoniverse, a crossover with Blake's seven was considered at some point, and there's even a few books and audios that try to establish a connection.

And the new MacGyver series. It crossed over with Hawaii 50 last season.

[Qwerty]

Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois are in the same universe.

[Jim Kelly]

There's the Degrassi universe. The first series was THE KIDS OF DEGRASSI STREET--however, this series featured actors that would later appear on the other series but in different roles, so it's a question whether it should be in the same universe or an alternate universe. Nevertheless, a lot of the rules for the universe are established in that first series. To follow would come DEGRASSI JUNIOR HIGH, DEGRASSI HIGH, SCHOOL'S OUT, DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION, DEGRASSI and DEGRASSI: NEXT CLASS.

[The Big G]

Then Showa and Heisei Godzilla films

[Qwerty]

Btw Lone Ranger and Green Hornet are Great Uncle and Great nephew

[Gaastra]

Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois are in the same universe.

Garfield and blondie are also!

[Gaastra]

And ninja turtles?