In today's Hollywood landscape, sequels and franchises are all the rage. Movie stars act like if you can't squeeze a trilogy out of an idea, than what's the use? Franchises have become the blockbuster back bone of most major studios and nearly every big name has been attached to one at some point during their character. Every name except one, that is.
Of all the A-listers currently working, Leonardo DiCaprio is the highest grossing actor to have never made a sequel in his adult career (we're disregarding "Critters 3"). DiCaprio will continue that trend with his upcoming project, "The Revenant," but that doesn't mean he's opposed to joining a film series.
"To me, every movie that I've done has been its own piece of individual art...That's not to say I wouldn't do something that has sequels," DiCaprio told Variety. "Some of the greatest movies in the world, 'The Godfather,' have had sequels. 'The Godfather 2' is fantastic. You read a script, it's got a beginning and an end. It's hard to envision that being resurrected again. It just hasn't happened."
DiCaprio's name has been mentioned in association with franchise-tastic roles in the past such as Spider-Man, Anakin Skywalker and Robin. But, to this point, he has only chosen to do standalone films that routinely compete for Academy Awards. Some of this has to do with the quality of director DiCaprio works with; guys like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese rarely, if ever, do sequels (Tarantino has said numerous times that he views "Kill Bill" as one long film). To DiCaprio's credit, he rarely appears in a bad film which is why his movies have become must-see cinema.
But could Leo make the franchise move sometime soon? Director Christopher Nolan, who worked with DiCaprio on "Inception," has been rumored to be adapting the beloved anime series "Akira" into a trilogy for Warner Bros. with DiCaprio's name possibly attached. In addition, DiCaprio has been connected to "The Cartel," adapted from Don Winslow's two-part book series, with Ridley Scott possibly directing. While both are still unconfirmed rumors, each opportunity has a certain attraction that an actor of DiCaprio's stature would be open to. Both series are worth the man's talents.
"The Revenant" will have a limited release starting on Dec. 25 before hitting theaters across the country on Jan. 8.
