Adventure Time: Distant Lands and Fionna and Cake served as extensions of the Adventure Time franchise, and it seems that there will be more spin-offs according to an update straight from its showrunner Adam Muto.
In June 2020, Distant Lands became the first spin-off launched from the Adventure Time world. It was made up of four one-hour-long specials that revolved around Finn and Jake's journey to explore undiscovered areas in the Land of Ooo.
Fast forward to August 2021, Max announced that another spin-off, Fionna & Cake, was in development, focusing on the titular characters first introduced in the main series.
After the show premiered on August 31, Muto expressed concern about Fionna & Cake's success due to the mixed reception that other sequels and reboots received lately.
Will More Adventure Time Spin-Offs Be Released?
Speaking with the Washington Post, Adventure Time and Fionna & Cake showrunner Adam Muto discussed the potential of developing more spin-offs for the franchise.
When asked if they thought about doing more spin-offs set in the world of Adventure Time, Muto confirmed that they "definitely" did, noting that they "pitched so many different ideas" to the studios:
Post: "Have you guys thought about doing more spinoffs?"
Muto: "Definitely, you know, even leading into this we pitched so many ideas because there was a period of real volatility at CNS [Cartoon Network Studios] and Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. Discovery in general. So we pitched so many different ideas and were just hoping to get some kind of green light."
Muto also explained that these shows' possible development would entirely depend on fans' interest and "who's willing to bankroll it:"
"There’s grist for a lot, whether all those get made feels like it depends on what the appetite is and who’s willing to bankroll it because you don’t have guaranteed buyers anymore."
In a separate interview with The Hollywood Handle, Muto was asked if Fionna and Cake and the world of Adventure Time return in the future.
Muto admitted that "it's very out of [their] control:"
THH: "Before we wrap this up, I just have one final question. Will 'Fionna and Cake' or the world of 'Adventure Time' return in the future?"
Muto: "I don’t know. I hope so in some way, but it’s very out of our control. It depends on how things do. We’ll keep pitching stuff, but it always feels like a craps shoot."
The Adventure Time showrunner then advised fans to keep their fingers crossed, acknowledging that they were "really fortunate" that they were able to develop Fionna & Cake:
"I feel really fortunate that we were able to do this after the original series ended so keep your fingers crossed. This was already pretty extremely unlikely that we got to make this and I think we’re really fortunate that we were able to do this!"
Inverse asked Muto in a separate interview if he is considering making a sequel about adult Finn's adventures.
While "not discounting Finn," the Fionna & Cake showrunner said that there are other characters that would be "interesting" to explore:
"I think there are some other characters for sure that it would be interesting to do. Not discounting Finn, but so much of the original show was about him growing up that it felt satisfying where we left him off and now we’re seeing glimpses of him. He’s really unchanged and it’s not a clear line of getting more and more mature over the years. If there was a really good take on it, maybe we would do something."
Muto noted that "we don't necessarily have to follow" Finn all the time:
"But I like the idea that he just kind of is living his own life and we get to see him, but we don’t necessarily have to follow him for multiple episodes. We kind of get around that by seeing the Farm World version of him, which is a very different version."
Will Adventure Time receive a reboot, someday? It appears so.
Muto acknowledged that such a reset would arrive in the future:
"Eventually, there will just be some reboot that has nothing to do with the continuity we’ve established, and it’s more about the recognizability of the characters. Because they are very recognizable, just as visual icons. You have the blue thing and the pink thing and the yellow thing, and I feel like that might trump whatever particular character arc we laid out. It might become the new version and that will be somebody else’s ‘Adventure Time.’"
Which Adventure Time Characters Deserve the Spin-Off Treatment?
Fionna & Cake's arrival opened up many storyline possibilities for the Adventure Time franchise since it introduced new characters and other worlds in the Land of Ooo that could be poised to be explored in the future.
In fact, Fionna and Cake were first introduced in Adventure Time as side characters before eventually starring in their own spin-off. The same treatment could be made for potential characters that would land a new show someday.
But the question remains: which characters will receive the spin-off treatment?
Based on Adam Muto's comments, an adult Finn-centered show is out of the cards. Given that Jake's fate is unknown, a spin-off focused on him is also not possible.
It's likely that characters like Finn's idol and mentor Billy, the Lumpy Space Princess, and the Cosmic Owl could receive their own spin-offs in the future.
On the flip side, new characters from Fionna & Cake, such as the Ice Prince could take the spotlight.
Fionna & Cake is now streaming on Max.
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