Adaptations in the Franchise Era: 2001-16

Description

Adaptations in the Franchise Era re-evaluates adaptation's place in a popular culture marked by the movement of content and audiences across more media borders than ever before. While adaptation has historically been understood as the transfer of stories from one medium to another-more often than not, from novel to film-the growing interconnectedness of media and media industries in the early twenty-first century raises new questions about the form and function of adaptation as both a product and a process. Where does adaptation fit within massive franchises that span pages, stages, screens, and theme parks? Rising scholar Kyle Meikle illuminates adaptation's enduring and essential role in the rise of franchises in the 2000s and 2010s. During that decade-and-a-half, adaptations set the foundation for multiplexed, multiplied film series, piloted streaming television's forays into original programming, found their way into audiences' hands in apps and video games, and went live in theatrical experiences on Broadway and beyond. The proliferation of adaptations was matched only by a proliferation of adaptation, as fans remixed and remade their favourite franchises online and off-. This volume considers how producers and consumers defined adaptations-and how adaptations defined themselves-through the endless intertextual play of the franchise era.

Kyle Meikle is Assistant Professor of Communication and English at the University of Baltimore, USA, and Film Reviews Editor for Adaptation.

Impressively broad, offering a tech-savvy take on adaps of all stripes, not to mention Shades - among the illuminating case studies is a compare/contrast between the legit movie of E.L. James' bonk-buster and an XXX 'parody'. * Total Film * This book brings adaptation studies into necessary conversation with mainstream media studies - demonstrating that modern media industries and audience behaviours simply can't be understood without placing adaptation front and centre. * Simone Murray, Associate Professor (Reader) of Literary Studies, Monash University, Australia * In Adaptations in the Franchise Era, Kyle Meikle deepens our understanding of both the economic and the cultural resonances of contemporary textual transformations. Focusing specifically on under-researched texts in streaming services, fandom, play culture, and live-action events, Meikle's breathtaking range of examples highlights adaptations from both top-down industrial processes and bottom-up fannish ones. By opening up our understanding of "adaptation" to new forms and new practices, Meikle pushes media scholarship into new and engaging territories. A must read for media scholars and fans alike. * Paul Booth, Associate Professor of Communication, DePaul University, USA * This book makes an important and timely contribution to adaptation studies in the twenty-first century. Meticulously and extensively researched, its insightful analyses make valuable conceptual contributions to the field. Energetically and often wittily written, with vivid case studies, the book is a pleasure to read. * Kamilla Elliott, Professor of Literature and Media, Lancaster University, UK *