Since sequels, prequels, remakes, and spin-offs continue to
be cash cows for Hollywood and authors alike, I thought I’d write about some
spin-offs for side characters I want to see more of. No, this isn’t just
another excuse to mention my still-unsold Renfield short story. What actually
made me think of writing this post is the upcoming The Adventures of Cliff
Booth movie due to arrive on Netflix this summer. One can argue that Cliff
was more of a co-lead in Quentin Tarantino’s film and novel Once Upon a Time
in Hollywood but given that Brad Pitt was not only nominated, but won the
Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the role I’m comfortable sticking with the idea
he was a supporting character for the purpose of this post. I’m eagerly awaiting the chance to revisit Cliff and what he’s up to in the ‘70s since we
last saw him killing off members of the Charlie Manson gang in 1969. What other
supporting characters would entice me to buy a ticket and sip an overpriced
Sprite at the local theater?
I’ve mentioned this on social media a few times over the
years, but I’ll say it again for the record, I’d love to see an Arya Stark Game
of Thrones spin-off. With so many family dynamics and rivalries, GOT is
ripe for expansion. HBO MAX has already given us the House of the Dragon
and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms prequels. Why not more Maisie
Williams and her portrayal of the feisty assassin who is easily the most
interesting member of the Stark family? What happened to her after she left on
a ship to the west? I want to see more of her Faceless Man skills against
difficult and exotic foes.
Another one I called for on Twitter back in the day is a
Paloma/Nomi spin-off from the James Bond film No Time to Die. Daniel
Craig’s Bond may be dead, but Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch kicked ass in
their limited screentime. A spy story that featured them after 007’s demise
would be a great way to expand that universe while we wait for the inevitable
reboot of the series.
You might laugh at this one and I admit the idea had more
merit 25 years ago than it does today, but I always wanted to see more of the
Fruit Brute munching heroin dealer Lance from Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Eric
Stoltz was so good in the small role that I’d happily sign up to see him in
another crime adventure where his sales skills and little black medical book
are put to the test. Given actress Rosanna Arquette’s recent criticism of
Tarantino, I doubt her return as Lance’s wife Jody is in the cards, but who’s
to say Lance hasn’t moved on to a new love along with new customers?
Finally, I doubt we’ll ever see this thanks to the
well-deserved cancellation of author Neil Gaiman, but the brief appearance of
occult detective Johanna Constantine in the Netflix adaptation of The
Sandman promised more. Jenna Coleman’s performance would be a welcome lead
for a new show if the streamer could somehow separate new material from the
original writer.
What about you? Have a favorite supporting character you
want to see take the spotlight? Comment below!
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