15 Sci-Fi Movies That Deserve Second Chances As TV Shows

Why It Failed As A Movie: The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is often thought of as his best set of books, and fans were eager to see King's sci-fi Western masterpiece hit the big screen. King's written eight books and a short story for the series, and somehow, the movie only ended up clocking in at just over an hour and a half - nowhere near enough time to explore the story's intricacies. The studio also fought for a PG-13 rating, which eliminated many of the more graphic elements of gunslinger Roland Deschain's adventures. 

Why It Would Work As A TV Show: In the era of premium streaming TV, The Dark Tower could still have the "toughness" that King believes the film adaptation lacked. Audiences would be able to really take in all 4,250 pages of the source material. Plus, the Dark Tower series acts as the linchpin of King's multiverse; a TV show would allow for plenty of crossover with some of King's other successful adaptations. 

Why It Failed As A Movie: John Carter is the name Walt Disney studios opted to go for when they decided to adapt Edgar Rice Burroughs's 1912 sci-fi Barsoom series. Instead of playing up the fact that they were adapting what many consider a science fiction classic or calling it one of Burroughs's book titles, like Princess of Mars, the studio decided to take the protagonist's rather bland name as the title. Disney also softened some of the source material in order to make it more family-friendly.

Why It Would Work As A TV Show: There are already rumors that Disney is hustling to make a John Carter series for their Disney+ streaming service. A TV show could show fans of Burroughs's series all of John Carter's trips to and from the Mars-like planet instead of focusing on one larger story. 

Why It Failed As A Movie: Video game movies have historically been hit or miss, and the 2016 adaptation of Assassin's Creed falls into the latter category. Michael Fassbender stars as both Aguilar de Nerha and Callum "Cal" Lynch, a new character created for the film. That's the problem. Instead of relying on the video game's already rich story, the filmmakers opted to write an original piece to expand the mythology of the video game world. Even Fassbender admits that the film took itself "too seriously" and could have been much better.

Why It Would Work As A TV Show: Given the game series' complex and rich story, a TV series would be an ideal setting for the time-traveling historical fiction. Instead of creating new storylines, a show could get into the centuries-long struggle between the Assassins and the Templars, while also having fun and introducing historical revisionist concepts. 

Why It Failed As A Movie: Director Luc Besson is known for his sometimes campy sci-fi films, like 1997's Fifth Element. Fans of both Besson and the movie's source material, a French comic series called Valérian: Spatio-Temporal Agent, had a lot to be hopeful for. Unfortunately, Valerian goes a little too hard in the "weird for weird's sake" department and feels more like a disjointed space rave than a sci-fi film with an actual premise.

Why It Would Work As A TV Show: Agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevigne) are called to the City of A Thousand Planets, a utopian city floating through space with thousands of intergalactic species sharing knowledge. A TV show could still capture the tongue-in-cheek ethos of the source material while also delving into the intersecting lives of so many different intelligent creatures.

Why It Failed As A Movie: In theory, Hotel Artemis had everything stacked in its favor, from its stellar cast and original premise. Set in a dystopian 2028 Los Angeles, Hotel Artemis, a dilapidated, Art Deco hotel, acts as a front for a secret hospital for mobsters and ne'er-do-wells. The premise is ripe for action, but instead, it relies on forgettable dialogue-driven exposition a majority of the time. 

Why It Would Work As A TV Show: On a premium streaming platform, Hotel Artemis can live up to the action that is no doubt a part of the characters' daily lives. As it is placed in the near-future, turning Hotel Artemis into a television series could also feature commentary on the 21st-century American health industry. 

Why It Failed As A Movie: Where to even start with a film widely regarded as one of the biggest flops ever? Set in a post-apocalyptic 2500 CE, Waterworld follows the Mariner (Kevin Costner), a gilled lone traveler, as he navigates a world flooded by the melted polar ice caps. The $172 million budgeted sci-fi film was a massive flop, thanks to hokey acting and a script that was stuck in development hell for 10 years. 

Why It Would Work As A TV Show: Climate change has always divided folks, but more and more, scientists and activists are advocating for extreme preventative measures. Waterworld made in the 21st century could explore the repercussions of humans' actions. A TV series could also be much darker than the 1995 film, which had a PG-13 rating.