Sequels are sometimes a curse, and sometimes a blessing. It depends on a multitude of factors, from the franchise to the director’s vision, and of course timing. With the right approach, however, great films can soldier on with a solid second act that continues the story.
Here are 10 sequels that we wouldn’t hesitate to greenlight if we were in charge! We aren’t adhering to any particular time period, so all movies are fair game.
GATTACA
This sci-fi classic is one of the best cautionary tales of all time, detailing the dangers of genetic manipulation, and the subsequent rise of a class-based social hierarchy. The film centers around Vincent Anton Freeman, a gifted young man with a genetic heart condition that automatically puts the kibosh on his dreams of being in space. To compensate, he poses as the genetically superior Jerome Morrow, a professional swimmer who came in second place and purposely threw himself in front of a car in a suicide attempt, which left him paralyzed. With nothing to live for, Morrow plays along by providing DNA and urine samples so Vincent can fool the higher-ups.
This was relevant stuff in 1997, and even more so today as we continue to unlock the mysteries of genetics. A sequel could involve revisiting Vincent’s character many years later, or reflect on him posthumously after his death through the eyes of a new protagonist. Either way, there’s much more to see from this world.
WALL-E
Pixar President Jim Morris was very clear when he claimed that Wall-E wouldn’t be getting a sequel, as he felt the original was its own self-contained story. Madness, we say! Wall-E is one of the most lovable Pixar characters ever invented, and his charming relationship with EVA could see them embarking on another fun adventure together.
Disney would get the dough, and we’d get another outing with everyone’s favorite little robot. What’s wrong with this scenario? Nothing! Nothing at all.
INCEPTION
Christopher Nolan has made himself quite clear regarding a sequel to his hit film Inception. To put it bluntly, it’s not on. That’s a crying shame because the ingenious nature of the source material offers a highway paved in gold for future stories. The layered nature of dream states could tackle any plot, from diving into the mind of a murder, a la The Cell, to rescuing the comatose President of the United States.
Take your pick! This is a wellspring of untapped storytelling, provided the director who takes over the franchise has the same knack for filmmaking as Nolan.
VIRTUOSITY
We’re not sure how many people actually remember the original Virtuosity, but it’s one of the most unique action movie vehicles of the 1990s. Denzel Washington proved he had the right chops for an action hero, while Russell Crowe’s delightfully over-the-top performance as SID 6.7 made us root involuntarily for the bad guy!
The premise of the original film was a little hard to swallow, but we’d still love to see the character of Parker brought back to deal with an upgraded version of SID 6.7, regardless of whether Crowe returns to the role, or not.
FACE/OFF
While we loved the cartoony goodness of John Woo’s breakout hit Face/Off, we’d prefer a sequel that didn’t feature Travolta going under the knife. Instead, Sean Archer could end up spearheading a team that has built upon the original face-lifting technology, turning it into a tool for special operatives within the U.S. government.
His character could (and should) take center stage, but not as a broken family man. Rather, we’d like to see a confident, in-charge Sean Archer working alongside his compatriots to stop a new terrorist threat using a variety of ingenious face-swapping methods! It may play a bit too close to Mission: Impossible if handled incorrectly, so caution would be the order of the day.
PAYBACK
1999’s Payback was a riotously funny, action-packed flick starring Mel Gibson in one of his best roles. As ex-Marine Porter, a guy who has turned to heists to make a living, the film rotated around his quest to get back $70,000 (exactly that amount) wrongfully stolen from him by his partner in crime, Val Resnick.
It’s a tongue-in-cheek crawl to the top, as Porter must contend with increasingly more difficult waves of bad guys including Chinese triads, and a criminal syndicate known as The Outfit. The film ends with Porter offing the major heads of The Outfit before driving off into the sunset, but let’s be real - a guy like Porter never retires! We’d love to see one more outing with Gibson in the role, for old time’s sake.
BEETLEJUICE
There are a few killer movies that are simply dying for a sequel, yet they never happen. Beetlejuice is one of them. Several sequels have been announced over the years, and all of them died quickly. The only person interested in slipping back into the makeup and striped suit is original actor Michael Keaton, and why shouldn’t he? He’s more than able to handle it!
Of course, it would probably be best if a sequel focused on a new family for Beetlejuice to terrorize. We’d also love to see more emphasis on his character, rather than as a secondary in his own film.
EUROTRIP
The original Eurotrip was a raunchy teen comedy loaded with some smart laughs! It’s been over 15 years, which is more than enough time to revisit the original characters as adults and see where they’ve gone in life. What better way than by kicking off yet another trip around Europe that goes horribly wrong?
A sequel to Eurotrip might ruffle a few feathers in today’s politically charged world, but it may just be what everyone needs - an excuse to poke some fun at each other’s cultures and get us laughing again.
UHF
Where, oh where has “Weird Al” Yankovic gone? Sure, he’s still making music, but we’re quite disappointed that he didn’t have more success on the silver screen. After all, his classic UHF is one of the most insane comedies of all time, with a huge cult following!
What exactly happened to Channel 62 after so many people cut the cord? That’s the question we’d love to see answered, as George Newman pulls out all the stops to stay relevant in the YouTube age. How do you one-up the entire internet? Only Yankovic knows the answer!
DISTRICT 9
Too many questions were left unanswered when the credits rolled at the end of District 9, and director Neil Blomkamp doesn’t seem particularly focused on making a follow-up. This needs to change because District 9 was one of the most inventive sci-fi films ever to have gotten a green light.
It’s safe to say that the character of Wikus van de Merwe is far beyond any hope of regaining his human form, but that says nothing about the bigger picture. The alien mothership made it off-world, with a promise to return. Will it happen? What form will it take? We picture a sequel involving a fight for the liberation of the Prawns from the clutches of their nefarious human overlords, with some new tech thrown in to dial the action up to 11!
