Why Not More Revolutionary War Films?

HBO Films' current release of the miniseries John Adams raises a question...

Why aren't there MORE miniseries or films set during the period of the American Revolution?

Sure, there have been a few. On the Big Screen, you've got The Patriot starring Mel Gibson and Revolution with Al Pacino.





And that's about it for the Big Screen.

When it comes to the Little Screen, you've got a varied assortment of miniseries and lower-budget television movies over the years, including:





...and the incredibly hard-to-find, but pretty good...



Why not more?????

The answer seems to be that moviegoing audiences tend to be teenagers and young adults, and this demographic just doesn't find early American history that thrilling.

Older audiences prefer to stay home and watch TV, and this explains why David McCullough went to HBO to produce John Adams as opposed to 20th Century Fox or Touchstone Pictures.

For my own part, I think younger audiences WOULD find the Revolutionary War era appealing IF it was presented in a more gripping format than the tedious name-and-date history class model to which they are accustomed.

What do you think?

Oh, and rumor has it that Tom Hanks and HBO Films are planning to produce David McCullough's bestselling 1776 as their next project. I hope that rumor is true - and I can't wait!!!