Adaptation Sequence

This is where a work is adapted, then the adaptation is adapted, and so forth. The adaptations pile on a ridiculous number of times, usually resulting in the actual source material appearing completely unrelated.

This is often done to capitalize on a popular franchise, especially when an expired copyright is involved...

It's important to note that this is not necessarily a bad thing, as the adapted works sometimes end up being genuinely good, or at least lucrative.

This trope often results in (and is not to be confused with) Recursive Adaptation, Adaptation Displacement, Lost in Imitation, and Adaptation Overdosed.

Examples of Adaptation Sequence include:

• The Addams Family: Newspaper Comic --> TV show --> Cartoon --> Video Game --> Movie --> TV show loosely based on movie --> Video Game --> Sequel to movie --> Broadway Musical
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Disney ride --> Movie --> Video Game and Novel
• 300: Actual events --> Movie --> Graphic Novel --> Movie --> Video Game
• Gods and Generals: Actual Events --> Book --> Movie --> Video Game
• Beowulf: Folklore (possibly) --> Epic Poem --> Movie --> Video Game and graphic novel
• Street Fighter: Game --> Movie --> Game
• Hairspray: Movie --> Broadway musical --> Movie musical
• The Producers: the same as Hairspray; Movie --> Broadway musical --> movie musical
• Negima Manga --> alternative retelling OVA --> alternative retelling anime --> alternative retelling Manga (which outlasted the anime its based on).
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Started as a radio series, then exploded into a series of novels, movies, and video games.
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Comic --> Cartoon --> Comic based on cartoon --> Movie --> Band --> ...
• The Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers: play --> what the Marxes did to the play --> movie --> play based on the movie
• Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as their characters.
• Freaky Friday: Children's novel --> Movie (1976) --> Movie (1995) --> Movie (2003).
  • Also: Children's novel --> Sequel --> TV show
• The Experiment: Real life --> Book --> Movie (2001) --> Movie (2010)
• Transformers: Toys --> Comic --> Cartoon --> Animated movie --> Sequel cartoons --> Reboot cartoons --> Lots lots more comics --> Live-action movie --> Another reboot cartoon --> Even more comics, and prose --> Second movie --> Video game --> More prose -->Slightly video game/movie-based reboot cartoon --> Third Movie. Whew.
• The Legend of Zelda: Video games --> Cartoon --> Comic
• Little Shop of Horrors: Movie --> Stage musical --> Movie of musical --> (Extremely) short-lived Saturday morning cartoon show
• The Mighty Ducks : Movie -> Actual hockey team -> Cartoon
• Bionicle: Toys --> Comics --> Novels --> Non-canon video game --> Direct to Video movies --> Novels based on those movies --> Another non-canon video game --> Another DTV movie --> Novel.
• The Scorpion King 2 might just take the cake. It's a direct to dvd prequel of a spin-off of a sequel of a remake.