20 Film Franchises That Were Cancelled After One Movie

11. Flash Gordon

Flash Gordon
Universal Pictures

Since the 1960s, producer Dino De Laurentiis dreamed of bringing the space opera comic strip Flash Gordon to the big screen. When the project got the green-light in 1980, De Laurentiis hoped the film would spawn an entire franchise.

Despite having a killer soundtrack by Queen, Flash Gordon didn't fare well at the box office. Although it was delightfully corny, its crummy sets and cheesy aesthetic couldn't compete with other sci-fi flicks at the time like Star Wars and Aliens.

Even if it made enough money to warrant a sequel, the lead actor, Sam J. Jones, vowed not to return. When he learned De Laurentiis had dubbed most of his dialogue, Jones vowed not to work with him on the proposed follow-up.

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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows