Harry Potter
Hollywood is changeable place, and these franchises know how maintain a successful streak despite changes in the cast and creative teams.
The Harry Potter film series took the world by storm in 2001 and was successful enough to incorporate new directors like Alfonso Cuarón (who took over after Chris Columbus) as well as, poignantly, handle the loss of Richard Harris, the original Albus Dumbledore, was later replaced by Michael Gambon.
American Pie
What do you get when you pair four high school virgins and apple pie together? One of the longest running sex-based franchises we've ever seen. The Pie has come full circle with changes in cast and directors (but always with the beloved Eugene Levy) and completing the journey (so far) with American Reunion this spring.
Underworld
Kate Beckinsale kicks some major booty as a vampire warrior in all but one Underworld film. In Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, a prequel to the 2003 story, vampires and Lycans battle sans Beckinsale. Fret not, she returns in the fourth installment of the series and is as awesome as ever.
X-Men
Crazy, hot mutants—yes we are talking X-Men! The series has been handed off from director Bryan Singer to Brett Ratner and now Matthew Vaughn, who has rebooted it with the First Class film.
Transformers
Michael Bay's robo-alien films have transformed into huge stacks of cash, but by the third installment Megan Fox was replaced and the new role of leading lady went to Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Shia LaBeouf is one lucky dude!
Pirates of the Caribbean
Johnny Depp has got the sexy buccaneer look down in the original trilogy, but by Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides he was hanging out with a different crew. Along with a new director, Penélope Cruz was a comely replacement for departed Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.
James Bond
Bond...James Bond. The infamous 007 franchise has had its fair share of leading men and directors in its 23 films. From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, they are all sexy and super-manly. The directors are pretty good, too.
Jurassic Park
By the third film, Joe Johnston had replaced Steven Spielberg, but it was still jam-packed with dinosaurs who just want to terrorize humans!
Batman
Whether it's Tim Burton or Christopher Nolan directing, Batman has been protecting Gotham city for more than 20 years now. In the most recent films, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, the Caped Crusader has been played by Christian Bale.
The Twilight Saga
Edward Cullen and Bella Swan have become the star-crossed lovers of this generation. Along the way there have been director changes, but none have derailed the success of the romantic vampire-werewolf fueled films.
Star Wars
George Lucas masterminded this incredible Force of cinema. He didn't, however, direct all the films, handing off Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi to others. That said, there is perhaps no one more deeply involved with a long-running franchise than Lucas is with this one.
Alien
Including Ridley Scott, James Cameron and David Fincher, directors have created new takes on this durable franchise, but no one seems to be able to make the aliens stop. Scott returns, perhaps with these creepy creatures, in Prometheus.
Die Hard
Through a roller coaster of different directors and writers, one thing has remained constant: Bruce Willis and his will to stay alive and kick some bad-guy butt.
Mission: Impossible
Tom Cruise has proven time and again that if you give him a mission he will complete it with gusto. He has traveled the world with his spy buddies with a revolving list of A-List directors—and we don't think he's finished!
Final Destination
The premise of Final Destination is simple: don't mess with destiny—it will find you! With each film, success has followed despite the fact that the characters have been changing since the first two films.
The Terminator
James Cameron created the unstoppable force that is The Terminator and we are forever grateful. Though he didn't direct the third and fourth installments, this killer series shows incredible resilience.