10 Costly Mistakes That Doomed Great Movie Franchises

10. Not Sticking To One Vision - Star Wars

After a set of prequel flicks had largely divided the Star Wars fanbase, it came as a pleasant surprise to find just about every lover of the galaxy far, far away walking out of the first Skywalker Saga Episode in ten years with a smile on their face.

People who wanted to see more jaw-dropping visuals, lightsabers clash in epic duels, and invest in a bunch of brand new heroes and villains fighting over the fate of this galaxy, were given precisely that in Episode VII: The Force Awakens. And others who just wanted something that felt like the heart-warming Star Wars they'd been raised on back before midi-chlorians and politics began infecting the franchise got what they were looking for, too.

But then things started to get a little unfocused.

While Rian Johnson's Episode VIII: The Last Jedi was certainly a bold departure from what came before it, stuff like its laughing off of the identity of Rey's parents and the idea of Snoke being the trilogy's major threat definitely rubbed some folks up the wrong way.

And the decision to hand the story back to J. J. Abrams after Colin Trevorrow's exit from Episode IX - one that led to the director pretty much undoing everything Johnson had dared to explore in Episode VIII - only highlighted how foolish it was of Disney/Lucasfilm to not head into this huge challenge without a general beginning, middle, and end plan for their directors to stick to.

The inconsistent sequels will forever sit as a reminder of what not to do for Lucasfilm going forward.

So, here's hoping the franchise's long-awaited return to theatres in the not too distant future comes with a more carefully thought-out plan from the likes of Dave Filoni and co.