20 Film Franchises That Were Cancelled After One Movie
4. Sahara
To a casual viewer, Sahara may seem like a generic and forgettable action movie. But the film was intended to launch a franchise filled with dozens of sequels, much in the same vein as James Bond. Based on Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels, the series revolves around an automobile-obsessed desk jockey who goes on larger-than-life adventures with his best friend.
Matthew McConaughey adored the novels and campaigned for the lead role for years. Having a big star like McConaughey headlining a film based on a 25-book series sounded like the perfect recipe for a mega-franchise and so the first film, Sahara, was green-lit.
Sadly, it didn't win over critics, who saw it as a copycat of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. Unable to make its money back, the potential series got the boot.