Every TV network makes its own TV shows, but none are more prestigious or as well made as those that come from HBO. Viewers will watch HBO shows purely based on the fact that it’s coming from HBO, without even knowing the premise. These three letters usually come with the promise of well-written dramas and comedies, vulgar language, and maybe even some gore and violence.
However, the shows aren’t always original concepts, as Watchmen is based on the comic book, and even Game of Thrones is based on the best-selling novels. There are so many movies that would be great in a series format, especially if produced by HBO. And though some of these movies aren’t necessarily masterpieces, they are great candidates for getting the HBO treatment.
The Nice Guys
In The Nice Guys, two private investigators, Jackson (Russell Crowe) and Holland (Ryan Gosling), are constantly locking horns as they’re trying to solve the same case. The end of the movie perfectly set up a sequel, as it sees the former odd couple now best buds and ready to take on several more investigations together, but it never happened.
A TV show could continue where the movie left off, and it doesn’t even have to be serialized, as it could be procedural in the way that they take on a new, ridiculous case every episode. And as the two private investigators are foul-mouthed, excessively violent, and frequently rubbing shoulders with adult film stars, HBO is perfect for a Nice Guys series.
Nobody
Nobody follows Hutch (Bob Odenkirk,) a former government assassin for the CIA, get revenge on the people who raid his home, and it’s massively influenced by a different massive movie franchise, John Wick. However, there doesn’t exactly need to be two franchises almost identical to each other.
However, as a violent HBO show, Nobody would be perfect. And considering that Odenkirk is TV royalty, having got his start in the comedy series Mr. Show and going on to star in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, getting the HBO treatment is the most logical next step.
Mortal Kombat
Though it’s very newly released and clearly setting up a franchise, the probability of any sequel happening is unfortunately somewhat unlikely, as Mortal Kombat didn’t collect the biggest numbers at the box office. However, though critics didn’t like it, it was loved by fans of the game, with a massively high audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and if it doesn’t continue as a movie franchise, Mortal Kombat would fit in with the HBO canon of shows perfectly.
The video game series was made for HBO, as it features the same level of violence HBO is known for, not to mention colorful characters who hurl offensive insults at each other, and it’s even more fantastical than Game of Thrones. On top of that, a series would suit the few fans who think there shouldn’t be a sequel.
Django Unchained
HBO could adapt any Quentin Tarantino movie, and it wouldn’t be hard to fit the network’s mold in the slightest. But it’s Django Unchained that has the most potential for a HBO series out of the whole of Tarantino’s filmography.
HBO is no stranger to Western crime dramas, as the network created Deadwood, and Westworld is currently one of the most popular TV series right now. On top of that, there’s so much to explore with Django, and the series could follow him collecting bounties up and down the country.
Saw
As there are nine Saw movies all continuing in the story of the Jigsaw Killer, a seasons-long narrative already exists. And as the series mixes the soap opera-like narrative of how Jigsaw came to be a serial killer, with detectives trying to uncover who he is, it could make for a terrific HBO adaptation.
But the biggest reason why Saw would be perfect for HBO to adapt is because the network doesn’t actually have many satisfying horror series. Saw could be that series, as it still retains all of the crime and detective elements that HBO is known for.
Hancock
Many felt that Hancock wasn’t a great movie, but the premise, which has been echoed in currently celebrated shows like The Boys, is creative and hilariously satirical. The movie is about a superhero who hates being a superhero and he has an alcohol addiction and unashamedly leaves millions of dollars worth of destruction in his path.
In the right hands, the IP could be a brilliant HBO series, and it wouldn’t have to smoothen out the rough edges for a more family-friendly rating, like the movie maybe did.
Knives Out
There are already a fair few whodunnit series on HBO, but none have more potential than Knives Out. The movie is full of surprising moments that could be stretched over a miniseries.
And throughout the movie, there are so many instances of other mysteries and cases that Benoit Blanc has solved throughout his career. It could even be a prequel, as Blanc is already a very seasoned detective in Knives Out, but there is a theory that the upcoming sequel will actually already be a prequel.
Tomb Raider
Coming 15 years after The Cradle of Life, the Tomb Raider film series was rebooted in 2018. However, there hasn’t been much fanfare surrounding it, which has a sequel coming this year, despite its underwhelming box office performance.
With the reboot being based on the reboot trilogy of games, which have quickly become the best games in the series, it was much more grounded in reality and much grittier than fans were used to, which is right up HBO’s alley. A series following Lara Croft searching different tombs each week could be brilliant, and there are so many games to base a series on.
Sicario
Directed by Denis Villeneuve, who loves epic, sweeping shots, Sicario is filled with great cinematic moments that have to be seen on the big screen. But HBO has been making more and more epic series with each passing year, so much so that they’re pumping millions of dollars into each episode (the final season of Game of Thrones had a whopping budget of $15 million per episode).
Nothing screams HBO more than a series about the war on drugs between Mexican gangs and the US government. The series could follow Kate Macer as she uncovers more of the corrupt goings-on of the government task force.
The Raid
The Raid was a simple movie that saw a police force raid a derelict building full of gangsters wielding knives and guns. But the second movie took the series so much further by building the world tenfold. Though the second movie was neatly wrapped up, it still seemed like there was more to see of the world, and there was almost a Raid 3, but it unfortunately never saw the light of day.
An HBO series, or even a miniseries, would work great with The Raid, as the criminal underworld would fit right in with the network’s current roster that includes The Wire, The Sopranos, and Boardwalk Empire. But The Raid would be different, as it’d be full of incredible martial arts and take place overseas.