The greatest films to come out of Japan
Some movies are so successful that we are eager for a sequel. Sure, sometimes fans do have to wait a long time for these to come out, and sometimes these are disappointingly poorer than the original movie. Either way, they are made, and we get to watch them. Other times, though, these much-awaited sequels never get made, despite plans to the contrary.
In this gallery, we remember some of the movie sequels that nearly got made, but for one reason or another never did. Click on to get to know them!
A sequel to Steven Spielberg's 1982 classic 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' nearly got made. This time, though, the plot would be a lot darker, involving evil aliens abducting kids. But the horror twist proved too much for a sequel to the family-friendly blockbuster, and was eventually dropped.
David Fincher's 1995 neo-noir crime thriller 'Seven' (aka 'Se7en') nearly got a sequel. 'Ei8ht' would be based on a script involving a detective with psychic abilities, which ended up being used in the 2015 movie 'Solace.'
Quentin Tarantino talked about making a spin-off of 'Reservoir Dogs' (1992) and 'Pulp Fiction' (1994) called 'Double V Vega.' The protagonists would be brothers Vic (Michael Madsen) and Vincent Vega (John Travolta). Sadly, the director didn't find a way to make the story work.
The 1986 teen comedy 'Ferris Bueller’s Day Off' was about a teen who takes a day off from school. The sequel would follow Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) as an adult, trying to take a day off work. The death of director John Hughes in 2009 dictated the end of the project for good.
The movie title may sound like a joke, but the idea was pretty serious. Thus far, however, it hasn't happened.
'Forrest Gump' (1994) was based on a novel of the same name by Winston Groom. The author wrote a follow-up in 1995, but the movie adaptation wasn't made. This was because screenwriter Eric Roth didn't think it made sense or was relevant anymore, following the 9/11 terror attacks.
David Fincher was supposed to direct the sequel to the zombie movie starring Brad Pitt. Unfortunately, he dropped the project due to other commitments, and the movie was put on hold following the Chinese ban on zombie movies.
Wouldn't it be nice to watch another Robin Williams movie? The reason it never happened was because the actor turned down the script, which saw his character spying on his daughter at college.
A sequel to this Hollywood classic nearly got made in the '80s. Howard Koch's story followed Richard, the illegitimate child of Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), on a journey to locate his biological father. In 2012 the script resurfaced again, and, again, the studios didn't make the movie.
A sequel to the classic teen movie would see the return of the characters 10 years later. But despite numerous offers, filmmaker John Hughes refused to do it.
The original movie was a big hit, and the sequel would be set in the '70s and revolve around the theme of police corruption. Unfortunately, screenwriter Brian Helgeland saw the project be rejected by Warner Bros.
The original 2003 movie was a huge success, but a second one was never made. There was a sequel planned, but it's believed that animosity between cast members and the director was the reason why 'Elf 2' never got off the ground.
After 1992s' 'Batman Returns,' Tim Burton teamed up with screenwriter Daniel Waters to bring Michelle Pfeiffer's character back to life as the protagonist. But Warner Bros. weren't on board with the idea of a female lead. A not-so-successful version starring Halle Berry was eventually made in 2004.
The title is as crazy as the movie would have possibly been. Tim Burton would take the story to Hawaii, but the director eventually scrapped it in 2019.
This was supposed to be the fourth installment of the franchise. The story would follow Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) on a mission to find an Aztec mummy (Antonio Banderas).
Yes, there are lots of 'Star War' movies, but this one would be the sequel to 1977's 'Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope.' The plot, based on a novel by Alan Dean Foster, would see Luke and Leia crash-landing on a mysterious planet. George Lucas ended up going with 'Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' (1980) instead.
There was another sequel planned before 'Rambo: Last Blood' came out in 2019. Back in 2009, Stallone revealed that the sequel's plot saw Rambo tracking down a super soldier. This was too much of a departure from the other movies though, so it was scrapped.
There was a script made for the third Indian Jones movie before 1989’s 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' was made. The film would see Jones in Africa battling gorillas, riding a rhino, and fighting Nazis. In the end, it proved to be too much, and way too expensive to make, so it was dropped.
A third installment of the franchise would have seen the crew crossing to another dimension through a portal into ManHellton, where they would fight an evil businessman. But Bill Murray wasn't convinced, so the movie was scrapped.
The film would follow the daughter of Vernita on a journey to avenge her mother's death, who was killed by The Bride in the first movie.
The first 'Airplane' movie was a hit, but 1982's 'Airplane II: The Sequel' not so much. There were plans for a third movie, but the studios pulled the plug. We can only imagine how hilarious it would have been!
The sequel to 'Jurassic Park 3' was as crazy as it gets. John Sayles' plot included dinosaurs with human minds and dog DNA that could use guns. Sounds like something we'd like to watch!
Tim Burton was supposed to direct this movie starring Nicolas Cage as Superman, but it was just too expensive and Warner Bros. pulled the plug. Cage still got paid for it, though.
Roland Emmerich's 1998 'Godzilla' was supposed to be the first installment of a trilogy. But it was so poorly received that the idea was scrapped completely.
Believe it or not, the sequel to the 1992 blockbuster was supposed to star Diana, Princess of Wales. Lady Di would play a fictional version of herself, and Kevin Costner's character would be protecting her from stalkers and paparazzi (sounds familiar, right?). Sadly, Diana died in 1997, before the movie could be made.
The sequel would see Sylvester Stallone's character using his skills to fix a dam at risk of bursting. The movie never got made because the plot was too similar to his 1996 disaster film 'Daylight.'
In 2003, we saw 'Freddy vs. Jason' hit the big screen, so why not add another horror movie character for a sequel? Ash of 'Evil Dead' (1981) fame would fit right in. Sadly, the 'Evil Dead' producers refused to sign off the rights to use the character.
The initial idea for a sequel would see Candyman as Jack the Ripper. A sequel titled 'Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh' was eventually made in 1995, based on a different script.
Guy Ritchie's 'RocknRolla' (2008) wasn't as successful as some of his other movies, so the planned sequel, which would have seen the Wild Bunch gang heading to America, never got made.
Sources: (Flickering Myth) (Go Social)
See also: Lesser-known sequels to famous movies
Bizarre movie sequels that nearly got made
'The Bodyguard 2' starring Diana, Princess of Wales!
MOVIES Film
Some movies are so successful that we are eager for a sequel. Sure, sometimes fans do have to wait a long time for these to come out, and sometimes these are disappointingly poorer than the original movie. Either way, they are made, and we get to watch them. Other times, though, these much-awaited sequels never get made, despite plans to the contrary.
In this gallery, we remember some of the movie sequels that nearly got made, but for one reason or another never did. Click on to get to know them!