Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - Planned Franchise

Planned Franchise

Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies hoped the film would become a franchise like the Harry Potter film series. Jim Carrey was attracted to the film because he found it to be a good recurring franchise character that would still allow him each time to dive into a new role. "I don't have a deal, but it's one that I wouldn't mind doing again because there are so many characters," the actor explained in December 2004. "I mean, it's just so much fun. It's so much fun being a bad actor playing a character..." In May 2005, producer Laurie MacDonald said "Lemony Snicket is still something Paramount is interested in pursuing and we're going to be talking with them more." In an October 2008 interview, Daniel Handler said that "a sequel does seem to be in the works. Paramount has had quite a few corporate shakeups, widely documented in articles I find too stupefying to finish, which has led to many a delay. Of course, many, many plans in Hollywood come to naught, but I'm assured that another film will be made. Someday. Perhaps." In June 2009, Silberling confirmed he still talked about the project with Handler, and suggested the sequel be a stop motion film because the lead actors have grown too old. "In an odd way, the best thing you could do is actually have Lemony Snicket say to the audience, 'Okay, we pawned the first film off as a mere dramatization with actors. Now I'm afraid I’m going to have to show you the real thing.'"

The franchise hopes were raised a little further when Paramount purchased DreamWorks in 2006, gaining the non-US rights in the process.