Black Panther to Star Wars: Hit films that became TV shows

Can Black Panther replicate the small screen success of The Mandalorian and Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Wakanda forever? Disney certainly seem to think so.

The fictional African kingdom is set to inspire a new Disney+ series based on the wildly successful Marvel film Black Panther, which was released in 2018.

A cultural juggernaut, the Oscar nominated film's impact quickly spread beyond cinema, credited as a major step forward in African-American representation in Hollywood.

Overseen by black writer-director Ryan Coogler, it also featured a predominately black cast, fronted by the late Chadwick Boseman.

Disney have confirmed Coogler will also lead the forthcoming series as part of a five-year deal to flesh out the universe for its Disney+ subscription slate.

But just how easy is it to extend a film franchise onto the small screen? There have been many attempts over the years with mixed results. Here are five of the most memorable.

1. Star Wars / The Mandalorian (2019 - present)

The TV series' most marketable star is baby Yoda

When Disney acquired the rights to Star Wars from original creator George Lucas in 2012, they promised to expand the universe.

As the first live-action television series in the Star Wars franchise, The Mandalorian begins five years after Luke Skywalker's heroics against The Empire in the original trilogy's Return of the Jedi (1983).

Created by Jon Favreau exclusively for Disney+, it shifts focus towards the adventures of a lone bounty hunter tasked with protecting a young creature of the same species as Yoda.

Their adventures along the galaxy's outer rim have quickly become one of the platform's biggest hits and insulated interest in the universe from the mixed reaction to some of the recent film sequels.

In December, Disney announced that the show has been renewed for a third season, alongside a host of similar televisual spin-offs.

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)

Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy continues to develop a lasting legacy

Sarah Michelle Gellar was not the first Buffy Summers but, in perhaps the biggest sign of the show's success, has undoubtedly become the most famous.

Kristy Swanson originally played role of the teenage vampire slayer in the 1992 silver screen debut. After the film closed with a $16.6m (£12.1m) box office total, writer Joss Whedon convinced TV execs to let him continue the story on Warner Bros' cable channel.

The new format saw the cast refreshed. Gellar stepped perfectly into the slayer role as an empowered heroine, starring alongside Nicholas Brendon, Alyson Hannigan, and Anthony Head, while David Boreanaz's Angel and James Marsters' Spike added spicy love interest.

The series soon became far more successful than its predecessor, airing for seven seasons and picking up Golden Globe and Emmy nominations in the process. It also gave Whedon a director's pass to the big-time.

In the years since its conclusion, the show found a new audience on Netflix and other streaming platforms, and... you guessed it, is set to be rebooted. Stakes at the ready.

3. M*A*S*H (1972-1983)

Alan Alda and Ed Flanders in an episode of M*A*S*H in 1972

When Richard Hooker wrote MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors in the 1960s, it's unlikely he would've believed the lifespan it would go on to enjoy.

A comic look at the lives of officers in a US medical unit during the 1950-53 Korean War, the 1970 film adaptation earned over $80m (£58.6m) at the box office - sweeping five Oscar nominations and the award for best adapted screenplay.

But this success was more than matched on the small screen. The roles of Hawkeye Pierce, Hot Lips Houlihan, Trapper John McIntyre, and Frank Burns found perfect fits in Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, Wayne Rogers, and Larry Linville, as the show ran for almost 11 years.

Its finale in 1983 drew 106 million viewers, a record at the time, and a fitting send-off after winning 14 Emmys during its time on air.

4. Fargo (2014 - present)

Frances McDormand won an Oscar for her performance in the original Fargo film

The Coen Brothers arguably cemented their distinctive style of biting dialogue and quirky characters with their 1996 black crime comedy Fargo.

Its tone, led by the Oscar-winning performance of Frances McDormand as dry-humoured, unrelenting police officer Marge Gunderson, made it a cult classic revered by critics and film fans alike.

Nearly two decades later, writer Noah Hawley acted on this lasting acclaim, presenting the Coens with a television script for a series set in the film's universe. Impressed, they approved the idea - jumping on board as executive producers, but leaving the writing to Hawley.

Since premiering on Netflix in 2014, the TV show's ties to the film's narrative have been sparse, beyond the snowy Minnesota location and brutal murders, but captured the same tone as the original.

Now four seasons in, the standalone storylines and revolving cast - from Ewan McGregor and Kirsten Dunst to Chris Rock and Jessie Buckley - have kept the show fresh (and winning Emmys).

5. Clueless (1996-1999)

Alicia Silverstone was Cher Horowitz in the original film

Alicia Silverstone's turn as Cher Horowitz helped shaped high-school life in the 90s. From the language ("as if!") to the fashion, the summer 1995 flick became a teen staple (and set hearts racing for Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd).

Unsurprising then that a year later a TV series launched on ABC. Rachel Blanchard replaced Silverstone with enough style for the show to keep running for three seasons, but ultimately it lacked the chemistry of the original film and ran out of steam.

• Clueless? Where are the original cast now?

The teenage infatuation's not quite over yet though. The film is being remade for the Gen Z era, produced by Tracy Oliver, who wrote Girls Trip, with a script by Marquita Robinson, who worked on Netflix's Glow.

You just wouldn't put it past Cher to trend on TikTok.