12 directors stuck in franchise mode: Michael Bay, James Cameron, Zack Snyder

Of the last five movies directed by Michael Bay, four of them have had the word “Transformers” in the title, including the upcoming “Transformers: Age of Extinction.” Meanwhile, James Cameron is gearing up to direct three “Avatar” sequels in a row, Peter Jackson will soon release his sixth Middle Earth adventure, and Zack Snyder could be calling the shots on “Man of Steel” sequels and spin-offs for the next few years. 

With Hollywood studios obsessed with multi-franchise universe-building in the hopes of capturing the kind of cash brought in by “The Avengers,” “Avatar,” “Harry Potter” and “The Dark Knight,” more and more filmmakers are finding themselves “trapped” in blockbuster franchise mode with little to no time to focus on other types of films.

Are we missing out on the type of unique films which brought most of these filmmakers to our attention in the first place? Is it a good thing for a director to see a franchise (or franchises) through from film to film?

Check out our list of 12 directors stuck in franchise mode. Who did we forget?

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