Hidden Underrated Fictional Worlds Ready to Ignite Monumental Franchise Success

Underrated Fictional Worlds That Deserve Massive Franchises

What If the Next Marvel Was Already Sitting on a Shelf?

Back in 2008, Iron Man was a mid-tier character. Today, he’s the face of a $29-billion-dollar franchise. What changed? Vision, worldbuilding, and timing.

Now imagine if someone gave the same franchise-building love to other lesser-known — but epically layered — fictional universes. Ones with built-in lore, political depth, magical rules, and a loyal cult following.

In this list, we spotlight underrated fictional worlds that deserve massive franchises — worlds just waiting for the right showrunner, studio, or streamer to say, “Let’s go.”

1. Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Genre: Fantasy | Potential Format: Prestige HBO-style Series

Why It Deserves a Franchise:

Before Harry Potter ever stepped foot in a wizard school, Earthsea was already exploring magic, balance, and coming of age in a stunning archipelago world. Le Guin’s universe is deeply philosophical, racially diverse, and full of layered magic systems.

Missed Opportunities:

• A 2004 miniseries flopped (Le Guin herself disowned it)
• Studio Ghibli’s Tales from Earthsea was beautiful but incomplete
• Still waiting on the epic treatment this deserves

Franchise Potential: High

External Source: NPR: The Timeless Power of Earthsea

2. The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

Genre: High Fantasy / Political Intrigue | Format: Prestige TV + Graphic Novels

Why It Deserves a Franchise:

Jemisin builds gods, empires, and rebellions like nobody else. Set in a world where deities are enslaved, politics is brutal, and no one is safe, The Inheritance Trilogy has the same ambitious scope as Game of Thrones — but with a fresh, diverse, myth-heavy edge.

Perfect For:

• Audiences who love morally grey characters
• Political drama with divine stakes
• Fans of House of the Dragon, Dune, The Sandman

3. The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

Genre: Sci-Fi Fantasy | Format: Film Trilogy or High-End Animation

Why It Deserves a Franchise:

Yes, Jemisin again — but different trilogy. In The Broken Earth, the planet itself is alive and angry. There are orogenes (people who can control seismic activity), post-apocalyptic politics, and a brutal survival story told in second-person narration. It won three consecutive Hugo Awards — a first in history.

Why It Stands Out:

• Black protagonists, climate metaphors, and jaw-dropping plot twists
• The visuals alone could rival Dune or Avatar
• Genre-bending and boundary-pushing

External Source: NYTimes on Jemisin’s Legacy

4. Discworld by Terry Pratchett

Genre: Fantasy Satire | Format: Anthology Series

Why It Deserves a Franchise:

There are over 40 books in this absurd, brilliant, world-within-a-world. Think Monty Python meets Middle-earth. It’s hilarious, satirical, philosophical — and still somehow manages compelling story arcs.

Franchise Blueprint:

• Each sub-series (Guards! Guards!, Death, The Witches) can be a standalone series
• Potential to mix animated, live-action, and miniseries formats
• Built-in global fanbase that’s been begging for faithful adaptations

External Source: Discworld Reading Guide

5. Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown

Genre: Sci-Fi / Dystopia | Format: Multi-Season Series + Film Spinoffs

Why It Deserves a Franchise:

It’s like Hunger Games meets Game of Thrones in space — with Roman politics, brutal class hierarchies, and epic war. And it gets way more complex and mature after book one. Think The Expanse, but gladiator-style.

What Makes It Click:

• Insanely detailed worldbuilding
• Characters who grow from rebels to revolutionaries
• Color-coded caste system ripe for allegory

6. The Giver Quartet by Lois Lowry

Genre: Dystopia / YA | Format: Anthology Film or Series

Why It Deserves a Franchise:

Everyone read The Giver in school, but few realize it’s part of a four-book saga. The 2014 film barely scratched the surface. With new interest in dystopias (3 Body Problem, Silo, Fallout), a faithful re-adaptation could resonate with Gen Z in major ways.

What’s Inside:

• The Giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger, Son
• Interlinked stories that build a shared world over time
• Emotional, thought-provoking, and rich with symbolism

External Source: Lois Lowry on Her Forgotten Masterpiece

7. Shannara Chronicles (Done Right)

Genre: Fantasy / Post-Apocalyptic | Format: Netflix Reboot or Adult Animation

Why It Deserves a Franchise:

The original MTV adaptation was… rough. But Terry Brooks’ Shannara world has over 25+ novels spanning thousands of years, with elves, druids, demons, and post-apocalyptic ruins of our own world.

Second Chance Potential:

• The lore is massive and rivals The Witcher
• Has that “ancient magic meets fallen tech” blend
• Animation could allow deeper storytelling without CW-level budget cuts

External Source: Terry Brooks on Shannara’s Future

8. His Dark Materials Universe (Expanded)

Genre: Fantasy / Multiverse | Format: HBO Prequel & Spinoff Series

Why It Deserves More:

The main trilogy (His Dark Materials) already had its HBO run. But author Philip Pullman has expanded the universe with The Book of Dust — a deeper, darker dive into Dust, daemons, and Lyra’s world.

Franchise Fuel:

• La Belle Sauvage and The Secret Commonwealth are franchise-ready
• Perfect for Gen Z’s appetite for morally complicated fantasy
• Cross-multiverse storytelling done right

External Source: Philip Pullman Official

Honorable Mentions (Franchise-Ready, but Missed by Studios)

• The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix (necromancers with bells — yes, really)
• The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir (lesbian necromancers in space. Iconic.)
• An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (fantasy rebellion meets Roman empire)
• Temeraire by Naomi Novik (Napoleonic wars + dragons. Why isn’t this a thing yet?)

The Next Great Franchise May Already Exist — on Page 47 of That Book No One Filmed

We don’t need more remakes of things that already have 12 sequels. What we need is risk, creativity, and vision. These worlds? They’re already built. The fanbases? Already waiting. The IP? Just sitting there.

The real question isn’t “What’s the next Marvel?”
It’s “Who’s finally going to take a chance on something that isn’t Marvel?”