Could a Bionicle Cinematic MOVIE be Inevitable?

[Banana Gunz]

Now, click bait title aside, some time ago I posted a lovely topic about whether a G3 is inevitable, and the reason I use the word inevitable is because this is about taking all of the future into consideration, so this is taking into consideration whether it'll be announced in ten seconds or ten decades.

 

Now, recently thanks to a discussion on a topic where there was a discussion about a false rumor that Disney had bought Bionicle, as well as a talk had in the latest episode of TTV, I decided I didn't want a G3, because LEGO is a TOY company. And for someone like me who hasn't the money for toys and loves stories, that sucks. And considering the damage done to the brand with G2 and LEGO's lack of interest in telling stories but rather telling toys, it seems unlikely now that Bionicle will come back in the same way it did.

 

TV shows like Young Justice (for example) are made to sell toys to kids. When they fail to do that, they fail to fulfill their ultimate purpose to the corporate overlords, and the plug is pulled. It's unfortunate, but regardless of how I want to look at it the truth I've come to accept is that the stories that come with toy brands are supplemental. Whether it's good or not is irrelevant because LEGO is not in the business of telling stories.

 

Or at least that's how it was.

 

The LEGO Movie really changed everything, because although now LEGO isn't directly in the story telling business, their LEGO brand IS, and so are each of its themes, hence the LEGO Ninjago Movie coming out next year. I don't know if Warner Brothers has exclusive film rights to all of LEGO's properties, but regardless, LEGO is making a boat load of money off of brands they're giving the rights off to make movies of, and the toys they design after it.

 

LEGO and Warner Brothers want a LEGO cinematic universe, because that's the big deal in hollywood now, and it makes BANK when done well. The thing is, the cinematic universe they've started up treats story themes very differently. For example, it would be odd to make a really serious spin off movie that takes place in the same universe that's fun and jokey and has brick-based physics. Bionicle would NOT fit into this universe.

 

But aside from Ninjago, the one story based theme LEGO has at their disposal is Bionicle. I'd love an Exo-Force movie as much as the next guy, but it's nowhere near as successful as Ninjago or Bionicle in its prime. So then what makes Bionicle a candidate for a film? G2 very likely did nowhere near the numbers Ninjago does!

 

That's where memes come into play.

 

This is the crazy world we live in where a totally random and strange explosion of popularity in Bionicle memes for a few days shows that there still is a memory of Bionicle as a name and a brand in pop culture. Because really, that's all you need when making a film, a name. There's a reason why studios like sequels and reboots, and it's because there's an awareness and audience surrounding that name already, and although the people who remember Bionicle may only remember it vaguely, there is still a nostalgic curiosity to see just what this is, to see a cool film with that special touch of that toy line long ago. And it'll draw those crowds, and many others, ESPECIALLY if the trailers are good and sell it to people who aren't aware of Bionicle but are interested in this new and cool looking movie they can take their kids to.

 

And does LEGO really want to have to help manage two separate movie universes? YES, because they're very different ones that attract different audiences, and the only thing better than one universe is two, because again, they make money. Whatever LEGO wants to do with toys is up to them, but aside from Ninjago, of all LEGO's themes they'd want to make into movies, Bionicle makes the most sense. And I think LEGO really does want to make more movies because they are profitable, and that's what corporate cares about above all else (unfortunately).

 

And again, when I say inevitability I don't quite mean guarantee, but as things are I personally find it VERY likely that LEGO wants to continue getting as many movies made as they can, and Bionicle is the strongest case for it given its weird circumstance.

 

But what I say doesn't matter because you're all gonna scream at me for how wrong and hopeful I am anyway so go ahead and tell me how this Banana Gun is a few bullets short of sanity. Do the poll. Have a conversation. It doesn't even matter anymore.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Banana Gunz

[Ta-metru_defender]

Nah.

 

Feel like the line missed the boat on that one.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Ta-metru_defender

[Aanchir]

I think it's a little early to say anything is "inevitable" when it comes to the LEGO cinematic universe. For starters, while it seems unlikely at this stage, it's still possible that the LEGO Batman Movie and LEGO Ninjago movie might perform poorly, putting a damper on subsequent spin-offs. This is especially true since with more and more movies being released each year, the box office has become intensely competitive. Even heavily hyped and critically acclaimed movies can struggle to bring in huge amounts of money as movie tickets continue to increase in price and there are so many movies for viewers to choose from at any given time.

 

Also, it's hard to say whether memes and nostalgia are big enough factors that Warner Bros. would want to give a Bionicle movie a go. When the Ninjago movie was greenlit, it was a theme that had been mind-blowingly successful within just the past few years (perhaps even more successful than Bionicle had been at its peak). Likewise, Batman is one of the best-selling, most iconic, and most familiar superhero characters out there among fans of all ages, and has been that way for many decades. Chances are that neither of these movies was seen as a tremendous gamble. Bionicle, on the other hand, has struggled to maintain any sort of lasting relevance among kids, its popularity as a meme among young adults seems to hinge partly on its borderline obscurity, and many older adults (i.e. the sort who are likely to be parents) never liked or understood it in the first place. Overall, I feel as though these factors might speak much louder to Hollywood bigwigs than story strength or meme potential.

 

There's also no reason to assume themes with pre-existing stories are inherently better suited to be translated into future LEGO movies than other popular and iconic themes. One of the LEGO movies currently in development, The Billion Brick Race, doesn't even seem to tie in with any one specific theme. Classic themes with less established storylines like Space or Pirates might be viable in their own right, since they could give the writers more free rein to create an original story within a specific well-established genre, and perhaps even include familiar characters like Benny and Metalbeard from The LEGO Movie for that extra dose of star power.

 

So, is a Bionicle cinematic movie possible? Yeah, sure. Anything can happen. But inevitable? I don't think so.

[Takametru007]

I would think it depends on brand recognition, as many others have said. It's not likely that a movie will be made until after BIONICLE achieves a higher recognition as a brand, and that may mean BIONICLE will gain recognition through another medium first, such as a TV show.

 

On the other hand, though it would be riskier, it's possible someone would want to make a film independent of the Toys. Not as likely, but still possible.

 

But either way, BIONICLE is a harder sell as a movie by itself because it features exclusively non-human characters in a story that isn't a comedy, but rather a serious drama/science-fantasy/adventure. Try naming 3 movies that have successfully done that.

[Sumiki]

It won't happen.  G2 didn't really work well, and while the potential for a good, successful G3 is still out there, I can't see it coming back to the point that Lego would invest in a feature film.
 
I'd like for it to because I feel like it has the potential to be good on the big screen, but in reality ... nah.

[Toa Smoke Monster]

1. I voted maybe. It probably will never happen IMO, but I also think that there is always a chance, even if its a small one.

 

2. I voted yes, I would love to see a cinematic Bionicle movie in the theaters. 

[Lyichir]

A couple points:

• I don't see a cinematic Bionicle movie happening (whether in the Lego Cinematic Universe or otherwise) until the brand has once again proven its staying power, and after the short-lived G2 it still has a lot to prove in that respect. I doubt Lego would be willing or able to relaunch the brand with a movie right off the bat.
• Lego has multiple other story themes that could be adapted into movies, including ones that are more currently relevant than Bionicle. Most significantly, Lego Friends remains one of Lego's top themes and has a well-established cast of characters. Do I see a Lego Friends movie as likely? Not really, considering the stigma against girl-focused properties in Hollywood. But to act like Bionicle is the single next-most-popular story theme after Ninjago is short-sighted.
• Bionicle memes are still far from mainstream, and if they didn't indicate a big enough audience to sustain G2 I certainly doubt they prove anything about a prospective audience for a Bionicle movie, let alone sets that tie in with such a movie. Keep in mind that even with Lego being more involved with media these days, they are still a toy company at their core and unless they see potential for a successful line of toys to tie in with a Bionicle movie, such a movie will not happen, regardless of how much potential a film studio sees in the franchise.

[Banana Gunz]

I think it's a little early to say anything is "inevitable" when it comes to the LEGO cinematic universe. For starters, while it seems unlikely at this stage, it's still possible that the LEGO Batman Movie and LEGO Ninjago movie might perform poorly, putting a damper on subsequent spin-offs. This is especially true since with more and more movies being released each year, the box office has become intensely competitive. Even heavily hyped and critically acclaimed movies can struggle to bring in huge amounts of money as movie tickets continue to increase in price and there are so many movies for viewers to choose from at any given time.

 

*snip*

 

All very good and valid points. The only thing I have to say is that I agree the box office is becoming more and more competitive, but as a reaction to that big block buster movies that studios know will do well are being moved to less crowded dates, such as Star Wars in December rather than taking part in the Summer Movie Season (which in itself keeps getting expanded) and BvS in March. Still, I agree with your point that competition is getting crazier, with studios getting bigger and producing more movies, and eventually when it gets too big to just create new movie seasons I'll be interested to see what happens.

 

 

 

• Lego has multiple other story themes that could be adapted into movies, including ones that are more currently relevant than Bionicle. Most significantly, Lego Friends remains one of Lego's top themes and has a well-established cast of characters. Do I see a Lego Friends movie as likely? Not really, considering the stigma against girl-focused properties in Hollywood. But to act like Bionicle is the single next-most-popular story theme after Ninjago is short-sighted.

 

I don't think I'm short sighted for thinking Bionicle is the next best contender for a movie. I don't mean that it's the only contender, but I think it really is the strongest one. You say it isn't, but you haven't really named any other LEGO properties that would make a better choice.

 

I'm not really into Friends, at all, but as an outsider I look at the theme and don't think it suits a movie adaptation for more than the stigma against girl-focused properties. I don't really see the appeal of girl focused properties in general, though I understand in practice they do attract large audiences. But LEGO Friends just isn't interesting as a whole. Looking at it, its aesthetic doesn't have strong contrasts. It has an excellent pallet, but aesthetically it's all very light. There's nothing about the theme as a whole that feels unique and nothing to its premise other than a bunch of young girls going out and doing stuff. Sure, there's stuff you can learn and discover on the way, but nothing really people don't understand for the most part. Friendship is good, but what is it about friendship that makes it worthwhile? Is friendship just another form of unity, or does the personal aspect to it make it more valuable to us as individuals? What about the more twisted side about friendships and relationships with others? Sometimes unity isn't good as associating ourselves with twisted groups and damage us as individuals and cause us to lose our way. I don't think the characters stretch into that realm either, and I can't imagine you doing anything really compromising to hammer in a lesson. Yes, Friends is well established, but it's not exactly worthwhile- to me at least.

 

And sure, LEGO has other themes like Nexo Knights I guess, but who really wants that? Themes like that haven't been around long enough or gained the traction of something like Ninjago to really be relevant.

 

And Bionicle has a HUGE library of characters, settings, stories, themes, aesthetics that you can cherry pick from. I'd LOVE a LEGO Space movie, because all the different factions and such could make for a really great universe/part of the LEGO universe to explore, but there's little to connect them together, few actual characters or settings. And sure, you can make a bunch up, that worked well with The LEGO Movie, but Bionicle just already has more there to work with, and already has an established feel and idea. Bionicle expresses ideas about Gods, heroism, power, unity, etc. and has a really unique way about it all that sticks out from most other brands. For most other brands with thin or no stories to come with them, you'd have to come up with new ideas entirely to tack onto them, but it could very easily end up feeling inappropriate, like the idea wasn't born with the property. It worked with The LEGO Movie because LEGO inherently has several aspects about creativity and expression that most other toys just don't have.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Banana Gunz

[Lyichir]

 

I think it's a little early to say anything is "inevitable" when it comes to the LEGO cinematic universe. For starters, while it seems unlikely at this stage, it's still possible that the LEGO Batman Movie and LEGO Ninjago movie might perform poorly, putting a damper on subsequent spin-offs. This is especially true since with more and more movies being released each year, the box office has become intensely competitive. Even heavily hyped and critically acclaimed movies can struggle to bring in huge amounts of money as movie tickets continue to increase in price and there are so many movies for viewers to choose from at any given time.

 

*snip*

 

All very good and valid points. The only thing I have to say is that I agree the box office is becoming more and more competitive, but as a reaction to that big block buster movies that studios know will do well are being moved to less crowded dates, such as Star Wars in December rather than taking part in the Summer Movie Season (which in itself keeps getting expanded) and BvS in March. Still, I agree with your point that competition is getting crazier, with studios getting bigger and producing more movies, and eventually when it gets too big to just create new movie seasons I'll be interested to see what happens.

 

 

 

• Lego has multiple other story themes that could be adapted into movies, including ones that are more currently relevant than Bionicle. Most significantly, Lego Friends remains one of Lego's top themes and has a well-established cast of characters. Do I see a Lego Friends movie as likely? Not really, considering the stigma against girl-focused properties in Hollywood. But to act like Bionicle is the single next-most-popular story theme after Ninjago is short-sighted.

 

I don't think I'm short sighted for thinking Bionicle is the next best contender for a movie. I don't mean that it's the only contender, but I think it really is the strongest one. You say it isn't, but you haven't really named any other LEGO properties that would make a better choice.

 

I'm not really into Friends, at all, but as an outsider I look at the theme and don't think it suits a movie adaptation for more than the stigma against girl-focused properties. I don't really see the appeal of girl focused properties in general, though I understand in practice they do attract large audiences. But LEGO Friends just isn't interesting as a whole. Looking at it, its aesthetic doesn't have strong contrasts. It has an excellent pallet, but aesthetically it's all very light. There's nothing about the theme as a whole that feels unique and nothing to its premise other than a bunch of young girls going out and doing stuff. Sure, there's stuff you can learn and discover on the way, but nothing really people don't understand for the most part. Friendship is good, but what is it about friendship that makes it worthwhile? Is friendship just another form of unity, or does the personal aspect to it make it more valuable to us as individuals? What about the more twisted side about friendships and relationships with others? Sometimes unity isn't good as associating ourselves with twisted groups and damage us as individuals and cause us to lose our way. I don't think the characters stretch into that realm either, and I can't imagine you doing anything really compromising to hammer in a lesson. Yes, Friends is well established, but it's not exactly worthwhile- to me at least.

 

And sure, LEGO has other themes like Nexo Knights I guess, but who really wants that? Themes like that haven't been around long enough or gained the traction of something like Ninjago to really be relevant.

 

And Bionicle has a HUGE library of characters, settings, stories, themes, aesthetics that you can cherry pick from. I'd LOVE a LEGO Space movie, because all the different factions and such could make for a really great universe/part of the LEGO universe to explore, but there's little to connect them together, few actual characters or settings. And sure, you can make a bunch up, that worked well with The LEGO Movie, but Bionicle just already has more there to work with, and already has an established feel and idea. Bionicle expresses ideas about Gods, heroism, power, unity, etc. and has a really unique way about it all that sticks out from most other brands. For most other brands with thin or no stories to come with them, you'd have to come up with new ideas entirely to tack onto them, but it could very easily end up feeling inappropriate, like the idea wasn't born with the property. It worked with The LEGO Movie because LEGO inherently has several aspects about creativity and expression that most other toys just don't have.

 

Personally I see a lot of potential for a "Lego Friends movie" if only because the high-school coming of age comedy is a genre about as done-to-death as the "hero's journey" that formed the basis of The Lego Movie, and I think it'd offer a similar amount of promise for a well-written deconstruction/reconstruction of the trope. In your comment you yourself brought up a number of questions raised by that sort of cliché storyline, and in the hands of a competent writer each one of those could potentially be explored in a way that doesn't gloss over those issues but still manages to reaffirm for kids that, yes, having and maintaining friendships is a great thing that will generally make your life much better. Obviously the current media hasn't really examined those sorts of themes fully, but The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie seem to be starting a trend of taking time-worn tropes/characters and turning them into something fresh and new, and I'd love to continue seeing other themes getting that treatment.

 

Bionicle also has a wealth of characters, settings, and storylines to draw from, definitely more than pretty much any other theme, as you say. But I just don't see a movie happening unless the theme and constraction as an overall category of Lego's portfolio experience a resurgence, and sadly we just aren't there yet.

 

Warner Bros. would probably love to have their way with the theme, but then, they were the ones who made a big fuss about potentially picking up Hero Factory as a movie just because they thought it could be their answer to the wildly successful Transformers film franchise. But that was on the wane like Bionicle is now. Film studios can flock to Lego as much as they want, but unless Lego thinks both the story and the sales potential for sets have legs, they're not likely to take any of them up on that offer. The way I see it, outside of cameos I don't see Bionicle being brought back at least until another theme has replaced it for a few years so that the memory of G2 is less fresh and Lego is free to rework the concept from scratch. And I certainly don't see the theme relaunching with a new movie right out of the gate. Even if they could potentially tie it to a strong cinematic universe, I think relaunching a theme that has failed multiple times with such a large up-front investment might be too big of a gamble for Lego.

[ToaTImeLord]

This is a interesting topic.

Maybe not right after the Ninjago movie but the second to next movie.

 

LEGO is a smart company.

They see Bionicle's potential and gave it a second shot. It didn't work.

But it was one of these most successful IPs.

 

So after the Ninjago movie I see a second movie to either the LEGO MOVIE or a second THE BATMAN MOVIE.

 

After that Lego movie I see a Bionicle Movie being possible.

It be a cool way of bringing back the line in a almost go big or go home kind of way.

[The 1st Shadow]

I have to agree with most of the points brought up by the 'Chirs. After the flop of G2, I don't see LEGO putting any money on a Bionicle movie. As much as I would love to see the line given the screen time that it deserves (such as the Ignition arc), it's not likely to happen unless a future reboot does an outstanding job in terms of story, sets, and sales.

 

Alternatively, we could just wait until 2021or sometime thereafter, as I know one Hollywood director that seems to have a thing for taking awesome childhood franchises and turning them into decent/tolerable films that make a ton of money regardless of how overused his explosions are. Of course, if Bay were to do to Bionicle what he already did to Transformers and TMNT, I think maybe we can look to him as a desperate last resort.

[Aanchir]

Warner Bros. would probably love to have their way with the theme, but then, they were the ones who made a big fuss about potentially picking up Hero Factory as a movie just because they thought it could be their answer to the wildly successful Transformers film franchise. But that was on the wane like Bionicle is now. Film studios can flock to Lego as much as they want, but unless Lego thinks both the story and the sales potential for sets have legs, they're not likely to take any of them up on that offer.

Slight correction: that was Universal, not Warner Bros. But you're right that it's a good example of how LEGO ultimately has the final say about which of their properties they license out to movie producers. A movie studio can be all geared up to impose their vision on another company's IP and still get vetoed before the project ever gets off the ground.

 

Another thing I should bring up is that it's debatable whether a movie studio would be any more prepared to do right by Bionicle than the LEGO Group is on their own. I believe we've heard from Greg Farshtey and other sources that multiple movie producers had approached LEGO to create Bionicle movies during the early days of G1, and most were turned down because they didn't understand or respect the brand (for instance, pitching movies with human kids as the heroes and the Toa as supporting characters or sidekicks). As Takametru007 mentioned above, the Bionicle concept doesn't exactly align with the kind of formula that many movie producers tend to favor. Hollywood is rife with failed movie adaptations of already successful properties (like The Last Airbender, Dragon Ball: Evolution, and Super Mario Bros.). A property that can't maintain lasting popularity on its own starts out with an even greater disadvantage, because its owners will have a harder time convincing film executives that the core aspects of the property already resonate with viewers. It's tantamount to an invitation for Hollywood to impose their idea of what works and what doesn't on the franchise.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Aanchir