To End the Decade: Books and Movies That Never Die
Photo by Masaru Suzuki from Pexels
As the decade rolls down to its inevitable end, it is hard to think that the twenty first century is nearly a quarter done. It is weird though that the feeling of finality is nothing more than an artifice, a presentation of an idea which has no bearing on reality. The clock will strike midnight on December of 2019 and in a flash, it will be Jan 1st 2020. The world will continue to turn and life will continue forward essentially undisturbed. Much like the passage of time, there are some stories which seemingly will never end and with that in mind, we've have decided to provide a list of tales which seem to have an infinite shelf life.
James Bond
Created by Ian Flemming in short novel Casino Royale, James Bond is one of the most culturally influential characters in all of pop culture history. The super spy has been represented in twenty-five films by seven different actors with the twenty-sixth movie coming to theaters in 2020. At this point, the popularity of the character shows no signs of waning and no doubt when current Bond, Daniel Craig, gives up his tuxedo and martinis, there will be another young Brit waiting to get behind the wheel of Bonds Aston Martin.
Batman
Shrouded in darkness, Batman is the dark defender of Gotham City and conceivably the most popular superhero of all time. His story spans thousands of comic books, and a plethora of both live action and animated films/TV shows. At this very moment, a new live-action incarnation of the character is in the works with Robert Pattinson taking up the cowl. Even Batman’s supporting characters are billion dollar franchises with his villain The Joker now holding the crown for highest grossing R-rated film of all time.
Star Wars
In a Galaxy Far Far Away, a rag tag group of freedom fighters take on a massive totalitarian government with sci-fi tech and fantasy magic. It is that combination of genre that has made the Star Wars franchise so popular. While this month will see the end of the Skywalker Saga with The Rise of Skywalker, the Star Wars mythos will continue forward on in film television, novels, comic books, toys, clothing and who knows what else, even Le Creuset sells a Darth Vader Dutch oven.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
It has been over four-hundred years since the first Shakespeare play was performed and there is likely one being performed somewhere right at this moment. There have been hundreds of adaptations of his work including modernized versions like She’s The Man, Ten Things I Hate About You, and Westside Story. References to the plays appear in a weird, unexpected places like South Park. Even if, one day, Shakespeare’s plays stop being performed, the legacy is here to stay.
The King Universe
Stephen King is perhaps the most prolific modern author. With sixty-one novels, around two-hundred short stories and who knows what else locked away in his home vault, there are estimates that by the time publication of his work is done, King will have had over one-hundred novels published. The numbers are literally staggering. Even more shocking though is that all of his work seems to be in some sort of massive interwoven universe. Even more surprising is that his son Joe Hill seems to be adding to the universe with references to his father’s work in his novel N0S4A2. That means that even after the eventual passing of King, his universe will continue onward with his son.
Obama and Biden’s Bromance
A strange love indeed, but one that is hard to ignore, the bromance of former president Obama and vice president Joe Biden is the stuff of legend. The friendship of the two has spawned both a meme culture and a mystery book series right here at Quirk with Hope Never Dies and Hope Rides Again. Never before has America seen such great friends in the highest of offices and likely never will again. Still, there is always hope.
