9. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
The most recent film on this list, Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is a twist on the old Grimm fairy tale that received mixed reviews. It was average on the box office return, and was an hour and a half of bloody violence, vulgar violence, Gemma Artertons cleavage behind a corset, and Jeremy Renner being Jeremy Renner. For some, that may be enough, but many would agree with me that there could have been so much more than just that. When a pilot is evaluated to become a television show, one of the factors considered is its longevity, because television is monetary based, and everyone likes a long lasting product. Even the films title itself is indicative of its longevity. Seeing Hansel and Gretel hunt various kinds of witches, trolls, and other creatures week after week wouldve been entertaining enough. Shows like Grimm and Supernatural are popular among television viewers, so a show about Hansel and Gretel doing just as much hunting in ye olde days wouldve fit nicely into primetime. One thing a television version can excel at that the film fell flat in is the back story. Youll find that this is a recurring trend in this article. In the film, it turns out that Hansel and Gretels mother was one of the most powerful white witches, and sent them into the woods to protect them from the dark witches. Holy crap, so the siblings are demi-witches! Or whatever you call half human half witch zombies. This revelation is revealed so late in the film and has very little exposition that it ultimately feels rushed and tacked on. So we have a premise that can churn out stand alone episodes, a meaty back story that can serve as one of the major arcs, a well established universe with various creatures, and a big bad in the form of the evil dark witch. Why wasnt this turned into a TV series again? The entire plot of the movie couldve been the entire first season, with the final scene of the film being a perfect establishment of season 2. The only trade off I can see with making this a TV show is that all the cursing and gore will have to be taken out, which Im fine with. The only other thing it will lose is its star power. As much as I enjoy Jeremy Renners acting, Im more interested in delving into the world of Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters with much more depth.