10 Iconic Characters Movies Keep Screwing Up

On paper, adapting a famous character to the big screen should be the easiest way to make money. We know Sherlock Holmes, Captain Kirk, and Spider-Man are universally beloved, which is why Hollywood keeps pumping out adaptations of these iconic heroes.

Even if one of these films doesn't do well, it's not the end of the world. If the property gets stale, studios can put a different spin on it, like with the gritty reboot of James Bond. If an adaptation takes too many liberties with the source material, a studio can try again with a more faithful adaptation.

But there are some legendary characters who have rarely, if ever, been done right after they transition to film. Everyone loves the tales of Robin Hood, and yet, we struggle to think of the last adaptation we enjoyed. The Terminator has had so many mediocre sequels, it's easy to forget how influential and treasured the franchise once was. And there are some characters like the Fantastic Four who've NEVER been successfully adapted to cinema one single time.

Although these characters have so much potential, the movie world can't stop screwing them up.

In hindsight, it's a miracle the first live-action adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turned out as well as it did. It was an independent film with a pitiful budget of $13.5 million, that had to bring our reptilian heroes to life without the aid of CGI. Just to make things more difficult, the filmmakers decided to amalgamate the dark tone of the comics with the wacky, comedic antics of the animated series.

Even though Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles should've been a dud, this adaption made nearly 20 times its money back, and is still regarded as the best adaption of the heroes in a half shell.

What makes this feat more impressive is how no studio or director has come close to replicating its success. The sequel didn't even make half as much. The third outing is best forgotten. TMNT was a step in the right direction, but failed to make a splash in the box-office, or in our memories.

The Michael Bay-produced reboot was meant to give us the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie we always wanted. Instead, it relied on fart gags, sex jokes, and enough product placement to put Mac and Me to shame. When the follow-up tanked, this incarnation of the ninja turtles was put to bed. With the recent adaptation, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles not fairing well on Netflix, it feels like the property is doomed to fail.

But there is hope. Because Seth Rogen's CGI adaption, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, is set to be more in line with the source material and the original series, we might get our first good Ninja Turtles film in decades.