What Culture
10 Announced Movie Sequels That Shouldn’t Happen
By Jack Pooley
January 9, 2025
This is an AI image
Mister D: The Bette fans are going to riot over what this guy says lol Don’t hurt him too bad!
Sequels are unquestionably the lifeblood that powers the film industry, because Hollywood is loath to roll the dice on risky original ideas – unless you’re called Christopher Nolan – when they can just give audiences more of what they’ve already shown up for.
It makes economic sense even if it regularly results in creatively bankrupt fare being listlessly sloughed into cinemas and on streaming services, at which point audiences are left to lament that these uninspired follow-ups were ever made at all.
After all, it’s tough not to see a bad sequel as a waste of the artistic time and energy of those involved, especially if it’s clearly produced for purely cynical reasons rather than because someone involved actually had a great idea worth exploring.
Barely a day goes by without a new sequel being announced in Hollywood, and in recent times these are the ones that had most asking, “Why?”. Money is always the answer of course, but even so, the majority of the following planned sequels feel so unnecessary and after-the-fact that you have to question if they even have the potential to turn a profit at all.
- Gladiator III
Dogma 2Paramount
It’s nothing short of a miracle that Gladiator II actually got made after more than two decades of trying, and more to the point that it was actually pretty good, if not nearly as statuesque as its Oscar-winning predecessor. But before the sequel was even in cinemas, director Ridley Scott was busy talking-up plans for Gladiator III, revealing that he actually had a few pages of the script already written.
Gladiator III will focus on the continuing adventures of Lucius (Paul Mescal), yet considering that Lucius was ultimately one of the more tepid aspects of Gladiator II – lacking the full-throated gravitas of Russell Crowe’s Maximus – are many truly enthused to see more from this character?
Moreover, there are the additional hurdles of Scott’s age, being 87 years old at the time of press, and the fact that Gladiator II’s gargantuan budget put a huge dent in its box office profits. Sir Ridley and company should probably quit while they’re ahead and just appreciate that they made a pretty good Gladiator sequel against the odds. Trying to do it again is just tempting fate.
- Dodgeball 2
Dogma 2Fox
Back in 2023, it was announced that a sequel to hit 2004 comedy Dodgeball was now in the works, with Vince Vaughn set to star. Yet given how much time has passed since the original, and the wonky track record of belated comedy sequels, it’s tough not to ask, “Why?”
Even if you consider Hollywood’s craven love of money, is there really an audience out there prepared to leave their house for a 20-years-later Dodgeball sequel? Especially one that might not co-star Ben Stiller?
It feels like the time passed for Dodgeball 2 many years ago, and if 20th Century Studios really wanted this, the time was probably around 2007. Dodgeball is a perfect singular entity of a movie that just doesn’t warrant a follow-up in any way.
That said, bringing Lance Armstrong back for another cameo has some hilarious potential, at least.
- I Am Legend 2
Dogma 2Warner Bros. Pictures
2007’s I Am Legend was a rock-solid post-apocalyptic action thriller that nevertheless seemed to cement itself as a one-off movie given the demise of Will Smith’s protagonist, Dr. Robert Neville, at the end. But where there’s a Will, there’s a way (sorry) – as in 2022, Warner Bros. announced that a follow-up was in the works, with Smith set to reprise his role… somehow.
Producers have since confirmed that I Am Legend 2 will do the most uncommon of things, by ditching the theatrical ending and opting for the vastly superior alternate ending instead, where Neville survives.
While that makes sense to an extent, the alternate ending still doesn’t provide a particularly compelling “in” for a new movie, especially not almost 20 years after the fact. Plus, given that returning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman hasn’t written a single acclaimed film since the original I Am Legend, it’s tough to have faith in him turning in something worthwhile.
Though casting Michael B. Jordan opposite Smith is plenty enticing, this just feels like another sequel that a movie studio wants more than audiences, because for as much money as I Am Legend made in 2007, is anyone still talking about it in 2025?
- Free Guy 2
Dogma 220th Century Studios
Free Guy was a perfectly acceptable blockbuster that arrived at just the right time – a breezy, crowd-pleasing tentpole that woke up the box office in the middle of the pandemic.
Still, who among us has given Free Guy a second thought since they saw it? It is a fleetingly amusing popcorn-gobbling diversion while you’re watching it, but ultimately substance-devoid cinematic junk food. But of course, its decent box office performance ensured Disney wanted to fast-track a sequel into production, yet more than three years after release, we’re still no closer to Free Guy 2 actually coming to fruition.
Though some version of a script was being written in 2022, director Shawn Levy revealed in 2023 that the success of Barbie caused them to rework the story to avoid similarities. Furthermore, given the success that both Levy and Reynolds had recently with Deadpool & Wolverine, they may ultimately prefer to reunite on another Marvel Cinematic Universe project rather than the sequel to a movie that barely cracked $300 million globally (during the pandemic, granted).
Is the world really thirsting for Free Guy to become an outright IP rather than a mere fun one-off?
- Orphan 3
Dogma 2Paramount
Back when a prequel to 2009’s cult horror film Orphan was first announced, many questioned the logistics of how lead actress Isabelle Fuhrman would continue to play childlike villain Esther, aka Leena, given that Fuhrman was now in her mid-20s.
Orphan: First Kill employed a multitude of old-school techniques to pull this off, including body doubles, forced perspective camerawork, and makeup to allow Fuhrman to reprise the role, the results of which were ultimately a relatively mixed bag – despite Fuhrman’s solid performance.
Few came away from First Kill believing that it left the door open for more movies, especially considering the increasing difficulty of making Fuhrman convincingly pass as a “child” as time goes on. But last November, Orphan 3 was confirmed to be in development with Isabelle Fuhrman once again set to return.
Given that Esther dies in the original Orphan, it’s fair to assume that this will be another prequel set between the second and first movie. But honestly, they were lucky enough that First Kill wasn’t a pure laughing stock, and they’re really pushing it with this one, especially as Fuhrman will be likely nearing 30 by the time Orphan 3 starts filming.
- Hocus Pocus 3
Disney+
Hocus Pocus 2 was finally released in 2022, some 29 years after the original fantasy comedy hit cinemas and quickly became a Halloween TV mainstay. It was… fine – creatively uninspired, but elevated by the solid performances of returning trio Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy.
Despite scoring mixed reviews, Hocus Pocus 2 was a sizable streaming hit, enough that some analysts questioned why Disney sent it straight to Disney+ instead of granting it a theatrical bow. Either way, the performance was enough for Disney to greenlight a threequel, which was being written as of 2023 and will apparently be once going direct to Disney+.
All the same, Hocus Pocus 2 wasn’t nearly inspired enough to suggest that another sequel is going to be worth it. It managed to coast off the nostalgia for the original and goodwill of the cast, but audiences are likely to be decidedly less forgiving for a third film released shortly after the second. Leaving it at two is surely best.
4. Bill & Ted 4
Along incredibly similar lines, Bill and Ted also managed to get away with one not-bad, egregiously belated sequel, enough that the cast and crew are now trying their luck at another.
Bill & Ted Face the Music was finally released in 2020, almost 30 years after Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, but even before it came out, franchise screenwriters Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon were busy talking up a possible fourth film.
Last year, star Alex Winter confirmed that the creative team has cracked the idea for another sequel that they plan to write soon, though Winter did caution that it might take a while to get made. But honestly, wasn’t Face the Music a totally fine coda for these characters?
If a fourth film took another decade to get made, as is quite likely per the realities of Hollywood, Winter and Keanu Reeves would probably be playing Bill and Ted at 70+ years old. Is that what fans really want?
This is one franchise that’s perfectly fine left exactly where it is. We got a neat reunion with the duo that didn’t retroactively ruin the first two films, and that should be considered a victory.
- Road House 2
Dogma 2Amazon
The wave of pre-release negativity surrounding Amazon’s Road House remake was sizable, with most fans of the Patrick Swayze-starring 1989 original failing to see the worth of remaking such a culturally specific product of its time.
While Road House 2024 wasn’t a great movie by any means, it did fare far better critically than most were surely expecting, largely due to Jake Gyllenhaal’s knowing central performance and some entertainingly off-the-wall action sequences. Basically, it knew exactly what it was.
All the same, few saw franchise potential from this not-bad remake, so it was a surprise when, last May, Amazon confirmed that Road House 2 was in development with Gyllenhaal set to return.
Even accepting that Road House was a massive streaming hit for Amazon, it was ultimately something that director Doug Liman got away with by the skin of his teeth rather than a genuinely pleasant surprise that confounded all expectations. Sure, there are worse streaming fodder sequels to get the greenlight, but given the talents of Liman and Gyllenhaal, it’s a shame to see them wasting time on basically forgettable junk “content” like this.
- Dogma 2
Dogma 2View Askew Films
There’s a strong argument to be made that Dogma is Kevin Smith’s greatest film, but it also seems like the one Smith movie least suited to getting a sequel.
In recent years, the filmmaker has been delivering nostalgic victory lap sequels and follow-ups with the likes of Jay and Silent Bob Reboot and Clerks III, and with a planned Mallrats sequel failing to gain traction for years, Smith has now moved on to Dogma.
Late last year, Smith confirmed that he is currently writing Dogma 2 and expects Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to return for cameo appearances as fallen angels Bartleby and Loki. Yet nothing in Smith’s late-career output suggests a Dogma sequel will be much good – even the most forgiving Kevin Smith fan can surely appreciate that his recent work lacks the sharpness and wit of his work from 25 years ago.
Plus, with Affleck and Damon unlikely to return for more than cameos, let alone original cast members such as Chris Rock and Salma Hayek – not to forget the late Alan Rickman and George Carlin – it just seems like the time for this movie to happen passed many, many, many years ago.
Leave it alone, Kev.
- Ice Age 6
Dogma 2Disney+
Are there many franchises more obviously played-out than Ice Age? Fox’s hit animated series released five movies between 2002 and 2016 of wildly varying quality, with the disappointing performance of the most recent film – Ice Age: Collision Course – suggesting audiences had tired of the formula.
The final nail truly seemed to be hammered in when studio Blue Sky was closed by Disney in 2021, after which they produced a direct-to-streaming spin-off – The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild – which was widely panned by critics and fans alike. But last September, franchise star John Leguizamo confirmed that Ice Age 6 was indeed happening with all original cast members returning, and a theatrical release set for December 18, 2026.
It’s tough to be even remotely enthusiastic or optimistic, though, given that the only genuinely good Ice Age movie is the first, with the four mainline sequels ranging from passable to terrible. There’s no juice left to be squeezed from this franchise, creatively speaking at least, and so Disney probably should’ve just let it die with Blue Sky. But, you know, money.
