10 Fantasy Franchises That Will Never Die: Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones & More!

Fantasy Worlds We Never Want to See End!

Top 10 Fantasy Franchises We Hope Never End!

fantasy books, Movies, and TV shows frequently get spun into huge franchises; that's a great outcome because they have some seriously interesting potential; usually these things center around awesome, sprawling worlds, crafted by insanely talented creators. While some spin-offs and sequels completely flop; many others add even more brilliance to the entire experience! Exploring those fantastical universes that just never seem to fail? That's an escape. An adventure. An amazing source for storytelling that helps deliver these incredibly creative narratives that become hugely important for those watching.

Now, there are some series that go on WAY too long and then completely fail! That's also a common experience in the film industry, for certain reasons! It becomes extremely clear the entire series has truly run out of ideas, lost any interest and this becomes obVious upon watching those later sequels. But then there's another category; this encompasses series which remain awesome and generate interest in many various ways. And to add additional value – sometimes, knowing that this franchise is likely not going to stop keeps many of us happy; because those endless opportunities to generate and show off a whole new perspective never stops!

10. The Lord of the Rings (1937–Present): Middle-earth's Enduring Magic

J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece? The thing which basically started it all! This multimedia phenomenon— books, movies, Amazon's Rings of Power— shows this crazy level of imaginative creativity that few authors and productions might manage! This rich world offers limitless possibilities for additional explorations. Even though that latest TV series (Rings of Power) has created some significant controversy, those complaints haven’t destroyed the value, rather just showing that trying to keep faithful to Tolkien's canon involves various choices. There is that Second Age! That age itself already hints toward endless other creative storytelling opportunities; which really hasn’t yet explored.

Tolkien's level of intricate details makes those unique races, cultures, languages and various elements of this world far too vast, too complex; these simply couldn't ever just vanish, nor can they truly fade over time. It is what generates interest. The future's uncertain, yet plenty of that age remain to explore in the Rings of Power! Any adaptation must really adhere to that very original spirit and those creative narrative styles.

9. Game of Thrones (1996–Present): Westeros' Never-Ending Power Struggles

The Lord of the Rings Franchise Poster with Gold Words Resembling a Ring Image

George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire and HBO's Game of Thrones? Absolutely iconic, regardless of those many conflicts in its fandom surrounding that very divisive last season which impacted the show in surprising ways and resulted in significant controversy for many involved! Yet even that doesn’t quite explain its longevity. Even after its main series finale; interest and attention grew in many directions which would show up as multiple projects: that amazing prequel series (House of the Dragon), highlighting that specific time period involved; these all further reinforce how important that storyline truly was. And there is more already underway. The vast history in Westeros and Essos is massive!

The amazing narrative focus upon these interlinked, compelling storylines are almost what made this series; which continue in newer iterations in its spin-offs, promises tons of great storylines that can completely showcase those very core elements and ideas involved. This universe hasn’t reached its maximum creative potential; demonstrating how much work still awaits that expanded universe in years to come.

8. Cosmere (2005–Present): Brandon Sanderson’s Expansive Universe

Brandon Sanderson is seriously prolific. And the genius involved in this author is his ability to tie it all together across different narratives! He's created the Cosmere— an amazing connected universe; demonstrating some amazingly unique craftsmanship in a huge narrative which expands its creative elements. His books feature connected magic systems, histories, religions—these connect storylines; showcasing consistent worldbuilding across many works. He’s shown incredibly creative versatility!

It is unlikely the Cosmere ever ends. Sanderson’s still creating! His consistent creative flow continues producing many great works; the scope is far too great for even a prolonged lifetime of creativity, highlighting his creativity and that deep storytelling capability of focusing on those major overarching plots and characters that matter the most in every release. This approach perfectly conveys those interlinking elements of a massively interconnected storyline spanning numerous books!

7. Percy Jackson (2005–Present): Myth Meets Modernity!

Closeup of Kit Harington as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones Image

Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series? It mixes mythology with modern-day storytelling, making a seriously awesome series about this young demigod (Percy Jackson) navigating his magical world. Camp Half-Blood? Fighting mythological monsters? Exploring ancient family secrets? It really works brilliantly. Those initial film adaptations flopped. That changed with the brilliant Disney+ series— it really started well!

There’s much more than the original series though. Riordan created multiple sequels, which expand across Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, Magnus Chase, and Kane Chronicles, building on this impressive universe’s storytelling value! This incredibly detailed storytelling which demonstrates this deep storytelling capability should keep the Percy Jackson series going for decades more! The books, coupled with its show and even those hinted future releases; show massive interest within this well-crafted fictional universe!

6. The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–Present): Aslan's Enduring Power

Percy Jackson and The Olympians Disney Plus Series Poster Image

C.S. Lewis's chronicles of narnia books ended decades ago. However, attempts to portray those imaginative worlds continue! Those classic movies are cherished as fondly and the nostalgia remains deeply embedded across many people’s memories; however there's that new Netflix adaptation coming (with Greta Gerwig involved—she made some seriously excellent movies!); showing an interest that goes much, much deeper. The series uses some beautifully created concepts of epic adventure involving those incredibly iconic fantasy elements, demonstrating just why this still remains appealing for so many!

Seven books provide ample story material; providing potential opportunities to create new stories. There’s massive space for new things! Spin-offs focusing on the broader Narnia history; those magical aspects within this fantasy world itself creates an ideal environment for crafting even more interesting stories in later installments!

5. Invincible (2003–Present): A Gory Superhero Saga That Just Keeps Going!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) Movie Poster Image

Robert Kirkman's Invincible comics made an epic transition to Amazon Prime Video (2021) and delivered one seriously great animated show. Those bloody, gory moments; and that mature storyline totally captivated. Even though the comic series ended—this TV show continues. Its unique animation style is amazing— they aren’t going to rush it, and those early episodes have stood the test of time really well. The overall story itself, being intensely brutal yet entertaining will create a much longer continuation; that will also eventually capture all the details from that original comic book series, expanding it to reach those even more profound ideas in future sequels!

The Atom Eve special showed how readily spin-offs might already exist within Invincible’s world, a brilliant way to flesh out existing storylines.

4. Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–Present): Bending Beyond the Original Series!

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Avatar: The Last Airbender (animated series blending martial arts action, incredible story; these things alone would create this series legendary. The live-action adaptation is divisive but hasn’t destroyed the fanbase. Even with these difficulties faced by the live action adaption – there is still that rich world for potential opportunities!) The world's immense; capable of handling even more exploration; both in live-action for The Legend of Korra, or the animation from the amazing comics already produced!

Many past Avatars, those awesome heroes; all this really hasn’t gotten attention, folks. These stories just offer too much great potential! This truly has almost endless possibilities, highlighting that there is far, far more to see for many involved!

3. A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015–Present): Romance, Magic, and Everlasting Adventures

Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses is popular— but not just for that adult stuff. It also has action, interesting magic, and surprisingly well-crafted characters! Those characters especially have shown amazing developments as the story continued and their focus on those less popular aspects, those less important plotlines really developed over a much longer arc in an unexpectedly compelling manner, building those deep relationships throughout multiple storylines. Even now there is great suspense surrounding how everything might possibly end up!

That ending has some big questions! And those unanswered questions showcase just why that immense desire for continued storytelling, across that universe should keep expanding! This universe just shows immense opportunities for creating even more unique and detailed storylines which will show what else Maas can achieve within those limitations.

2. Arcane (2021–2024): Piltover’s Unending Conflicts

Arcane (Netflix's League of Legends series) blew people away. Amazing animation! The Vi and Jinx story was compelling and well-made; its story also generates tons of hype for a future installment; and while a finale will certainly happen – those worlds themselves show immense creative potential. That creative storytelling shown throughout those relatively few episodes showcases some great capabilities which show endless opportunities, expanding beyond this excellent and popular series!

There’s plenty of Piltover story potential for more spinoffs; using creative ideas involving existing stories within a richer expanded universe; further building upon its themes and storylines involving politics, social interactions and those conflicts which were established in those well-designed series and stories! There is a rich and largely untapped potential; a chance to keep making the highly detailed narratives involving various other key members.

1. The Hunger Games (2008–Present): Panem's Everlasting Struggle

Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games books? They captured many imaginations – and that didn’t fade! The series' success showed up as films with Jennifer Lawrence; those early ones were massively successful; they become something that impacted the younger generations involved in surprising and impressive ways. Yet despite those multiple movies, fans remain deeply enthralled, hungry for even more information surrounding this expanded universe!

The prequel novel, A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (and an upcoming Haymitch story), continues proving its popularity; a continuation from the original series; making it absolutely possible for further sequels across these books; its ongoing exploration; showcasing this never-ending struggle inherent in Panem itself, expanding on themes within existing universes, creates tons of opportunities. That storyline, being both dark yet highly captivating might remain for an even prolonged time, adding more compelling characters which build even deeper thematic exploration which has still yet to reach a full realization of its initial creative concept.

Also Read: Dark Knights of Steel #1 Review: A Fantasy Epic You Won't Want To Miss

Conclusion: The Enduring Allure of Great Fantasy Storytelling

These ten fantasy franchises illustrate the endless potential that amazing worldbuilding generates! Even though those concerns surrounding series longevity, and potentially those issues faced from creating those spin-offs which might simply fail. Those issues remain present; and that potential for generating new material shows these worlds haven’t reached their full capacity; they show endless creative potential for continuing storytelling. It’s not merely a repetition; that continuing evolution, expanding its narrative and other details create richer experiences. That continuing exploration remains awesome! We’re talking endless imaginative narratives. And those worlds we truly, truly want to explore forever.