It has come to my attention that MTV are in the process of creating a weekly TV series for the classic teen Slasher flick, Scream. Fans are outraged at the idea and admittedly, it does seem unlikely that the producers could keep fans entertained on a weekly basis, when the plotline for Scream is nothing more than a serial killer (with the worst villain motive in movie history – “We thought it would be kind of cool to scare and then kill people”), chasing down the usual teen stereotypes: Jock, Bimbo, Geek, moody lead female (work after Twilight for Kristen Stewart, maybe?).

But this news has got me to thinking. Are there any films out there that could benefit from a TV series of their own? For example, right now, Joss Whedon is writing a spin-off of the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D, and it looks promising. Here are some ideas and reasons behind why a TV series would work for them. Also, if you feel I have left out a film that could definitely have a series, post them in the comments below.

3 – IN TIME 

 In Time was a film that came out earlier this year with Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfreid. The concept was that in the future when we turn 25, a timer for the rest of our lives begins counting down. Instead of money, people worked for more years to live. Therefore, the rich were immortal and the poorer characters were dropping like flies in the street. The idea was brilliant and it is one of the best Sci-Fi universes in a long time. Sadly, the second half of the movie squandered this brilliant idea on what wasn’t much more than a glorified chase movie, which is why several readers probably won’t remember this film.

That is precisely why I want a TV series of this film. There would be endless time to explore this universe, building on it. Families torn apart by the Minute Men (thugs who steal time), gamblers literally risking their life, corrupt Timekeepers, the film’s versions of police officers. In Time is an example of the film industry ruining a great idea by squeezing into a two-hour viewing slot, as that is what makes money.

2 – TAKERS 

If you haven’t heard of this movie, I won’t be surprised. It was a heist movie that came out in 2010, starring Idris Elba, Paul Walker, Chris Brown and Matt Dillon. Think of it as Italian Job 2, but without the arrogance of pretending it’s in the same league. It is sadly a fairly forgettable film. A gang of robbers, despite their genius, slowly fall apart, until Matt Dillon, playing the stereotypical ‘one over-achieving cop who isn’t corrupt’ manages to take them out one by one. The script is lost on most of the actors, as the film seemed to become a vehicle for singers to try their hand at acting (T.I, Chris Brown), and even the heavyweight actor, Idris Elba, doesn’t quite get the drama out of his story: earning cash to get his heroin addict sister into rehab.

Looking back over the synopsis I summarised, it is hard to see why this didn’t work out. Despite cliches, it seems like a good action flick for a quiet evening. The film wasn’t awful, merely forgettable and I believe this is due to director John Lessenhop biting off more than he can chew. Which is why a series will suit this story brilliantly. Stretch the gang’s dilemma over the course of several seasons and by the time the cops get to the criminals, we will genuinely care when the characters start being killed off.

1 – JURASSIC PARK

 OK, bear with me, as this one will take some convincing.

Hopefully, we can agree that Jurassic Park has gone downhill, since the first one. Now, the producers are giving us flat characters and contrived plotlines. In Jurassic Park 3, noone cared about any of the characters that were killed off. They were brought into the movie for cannon fodder and we all saw that as soon as they stepped onto the big screen. Also, there will always be debates about which dinosaur deserves the top spot. No one knew or cared about what a Raptor was until Jurassic Park and now they seem more nefarious than most Spiderman villains. But, despite being recently proven to be a fairly useless predator, the T. Rex is a staple of the Jurassic Park franchise. And after these two, there is no room for new dinosaurs to have a turn at the starring role.

A series solves all of these problems. Imagine the Walking Dead, but with killer dinosaurs. A group of survivors, their characters being built up episode after episode, try to survive on the Isla Nublar, different dinosaurs (including old favourites), turning up each week. The problem would be creating a storyline that could introduce new characters without getting repetitive or far-fetched, but once achieved this has the potential to be a fantastic series.

And if all else fails, take out the swearing and give it to the kids. Kids love killer dinosaurs!