Filmmakers are always looking for new ways to tell their stories. As the idea of an expansive cinematic universe continues to evolve, virtual reality has become a new platform for creators to continue to push their fictional worlds, allowing fans to explore them further.
Huge brands, like Star Wars and Harry Potter, have already made the leap into virtual reality, with games like Tales From The Galaxy's Edge and a Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them spin-off experience. But there are a surprising number of cinematic universes that have yet to utilize this new, ground-breaking technology. Many of them would surely succeed if they did take advantage of these advancements in VR.
Avatar
James Cameron's Avatar is gearing up for a seemingly never-ending supply of sequels. Alongside the release of a novel, a video game and the creation of Pandora at Disney Parks, Cameron is always looking for the next way to expand upon his fictional world.
Virtual reality is perhaps the most logical next move for the franchise, considering it would pretty fantastical to step into Pandora from the comfort of a fan's own home. An experience like this would be a perfect way to tie into the underwater adventure that Jake will be embarking on in Avatar 2, and it would surely look beautiful in this format.
Percy Jackson
No one really knows too much about the upcoming Percy Jackson reboot on Disney+, besides the fact that author Rick Riordan is heavily involved in the production and scripting process. When it finally does launch on the streaming service, this Greek mythological world will surely be a hit.
A fantasy land like this definitely deserves to be realized in virtual reality. Gods and monsters aside, there's something quite exciting about giving the player the power of a demi-god and allowing them to go on a journey through this fictionalized version of the United States.
Lord Of The Rings
The Lord Of The Rings, as it is known today, is really a combination of work between the original author, J.R.R. Tolkien, and what Peter Jackson has done with Middle Earth since. An area that has yet to be explored is the concept of moving this fictional landscape into VR.
Lord Of The Rings has a long history in video games. Indeed, the recent success of the Shadow series, as well as the upcoming launch of Gollum demonstrates there's still a large appetite for LOTR content. Middle Earth would be an incredible world for fans to step into and experience first hand, as audiences relive the most goosebump-inducing moments of the series.
Pirates Of The Caribbean
It's not quite clear which direction Disney will take the future of the Pirates Of The Caribbean film series. There's plenty of talk of Disney+ picking up future films or series, but it does seem that the company wants to put the brakes on the franchise for now.
Perhaps a virtual reality experience or game might be the best way forward, while pirate fatigue subsides in cinema-goers. There are a few swashbuckling games already on the market, but none would be able to combine the fantasy elements and iconic characters in the same way as this property would.
The Hunger Games
The dystopian narrative is still a popular one, with plenty of TV shows and films taking cues from the original young adult novels and cinema releases, which relaunched the genre in recent years. The Hunger Games was certainly at the forefront of that movement.
The film series may have concluded, although thanks to the release of a President Snow centered novel, fans are still hungry for Suzanne Collins' work. With cinematic moments put on the backburner, perhaps fans can interact with this beloved series through the much more personal VR.
LEGO
Hollywood is often looking for the next place to draw inspiration from. Comic book movies are the current trend and novel adaptations have powered cinema for years. Video games have yet to be fully tapped into and there are only a few great movies actually based on toys.
Luckily for LEGO, they managed to hit it out of the park with a trio of movies: The LEGO Movie, its sequel and The LEGO Batman Movie. The world of LEGO has been explored a great deal in video games. Fortunately, there's still a lot of interest in this franchise amongst kids and adults alike, which means a VR experience would be a huge success and a lot of fun to interact with.
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is one of the public domain properties that Disney has used which ultimately became synonymous with the company. Audiences have a very specific image of Neverland in their minds and that is largely due to the animated classic.
There have been a number of other takes on the famous boy that never grew up, although Disney's iteration is still the most popular. With plenty more versions of Neverland in development over the next few years, a VR trip to this fantasy island would be a different way for players to explore this famous world.
Masters Of The Universe
Masters Of The Universe is really the toy brand that just keeps giving. Countless times throughout its history it seemed as if the franchise was about to crumble in on itself. Yet, the year is 2021, and not only is a popular She-Ra show streaming on Netflix, but another live action movie is in the works, one that will hopefully learn from the mistakes of the first.
Of course, many kids in the current generation might not have any idea what the Masters Of The Universe really is. A VR tour of this toy brand, where players can meet He-Man, Skeletor and travel around Eternia, would probably be a perfect way in for new fans.
Godzilla Vs. Kong
Godzilla Vs. Kong is setting itself up as one of the biggest cinematic battles of the year. Those invested in the MonsterVerse are already betting on this monumental battle, over who will eventually triumph out of the two titans.
The mythology of this cinematic universe runs deep. One location of particular interest is that of Skull Island. With a number of terrifying monsters and strange creatures to investigate, virtual reality could be the right platform to expand upon the dangerous location further.
The Incredibles
Fans have fond memories of both films in The Incredibles franchise. A third film might not be currently in the cards, although Pixar did briefly revisit this superhero world for two installments in short films known as Pixar Popcorn.
Nonetheless, they have already invested in VR experiences with Coco for Oculus Rift, so there's potential for The Incredibles to also follow suit. There's a lot of space for designers to make the most out of this retro, vigilante era that the studio has created.