Every movie begins with an idea. An idea that develops into a script that will eventually need to be financed before it can be cast or filmed. Once all the red tape is knocked out, the film cast is signed on, and the filming locations are scheduled, the only thing left to do is shoot it.
The shooting of the film is the most important part of any movie but it isn’t the last stage. The editing, mixing, and reviewing of the takes are the final steps before releasing it to the public.
So when you hear a rumor about a movie sequel, the most important part of that rumor is how far along it is in the movie making process. If the film is in the early stages, aka before financing, it could be doomed to fail. There is no guarantees until the film is shooting, even then, in rare occasions, it can fall apart and never see the light of day.
Let’s take a look at movie sequels we heard about from time to time but never made it onto the big screen.
(Note: Some of the movies are still being worked on or are officially coming out in the next few years.)
20. Flash Gordon II
In 1980, Sam J. Jones starred in the film adaptation of the comic book series Flash Gordon. It wasn’t a huge success, grossing only $27 million (budget of $20 million). But it was the cult following that earned it a place in cinema history. Thanks to all the fanboys of science-fiction and fantasy that turned this otherwise lame 1980’s film into one begging for a sequel.
Now that it has been out for 26 years, the rumor mills are going nuts about a sequel still being possible and 3 months ago, Matthew Vaughn even signed on to direct. But hiring a director does not mean it is going to happen anytime soon but it is a good sign for fans.
19. Twins 2: Triplets
During summer of 2015, Arnold Schwarzenegger confirmed that Twins 2: Triplets is being worked on currently and could come out in the next few years. We have been there before with rumors flying around in 2012 also.
If this one is true, however, then be prepared for a movie that will guest star Eddie Murphy as the third sibling.
Yeah, it’s going to be bad.
18. Airplane III
Two of the funniest comedy films of all-time are both called Airplane. The second one was simply called Airplane 2: The Sequel. Both films had more laughs than plot and they featured some of the best one-liners ever spoken. Remember that famous “Don’t call me Shirley,” line?
Compared to today’s standards, movie sequels were not as big thirty years ago. In fact, movie sequels were something to avoid because the fans would have such high expectations that anything short of perfection would be a bomb.
Robert Hays, star of the first two films, wasn’t available during the time they were trying to create a script and make the third one happen causing it to eventually fall apart.
17. Godzilla 2
The original film, Godzilla (1998), was one of the worst film’s ever made and the box office numbers backed us up so a sequel would have been a joke even if they were ready to get started filming it right away. ($136 million domestically)
Originally, the film was supposed to bring in tons of money and it was supposed to be the lead film in a Godzilla movie trilogy but all it did was kill the entire franchise.
In 2014, a new version of the famous on-screen lizard made its’ debut and was a much bigger success than the original 1998 version. It wasn’t a sequel, it was an entirely new story that has spawned a sequel set to come out in 2018.
16. Battlefield Earth 2
Before Battlefield Earth came out in 2000, fanboys from all over were excited about the movie and were expecting it to be great.
However, John Travolta and Scientology caused this movie to fail long before it even found its’ way into a theater. The media might have been the main culprit in the destruction of such a good idea by connecting Scientology to the story.
But John Travolta wasn’t very helpful to the sequel by confirming a sequel was in the works, even after the movie was panned as one of the worst films of all time.
15. Bimbos (Showgirls 2)
If anyone spent money going to see Showgirls, we would like to apologize to you all. That movie was nothing more than an excuse to show Elizabeth Berkley’s naked body.
Last year marked the 20th anniversary of the film and the original director, Paul Verhoven, mentioned that a sequel could happen, very soon.
The idea behind this sequel would find the movie’s lead character, Nomi struggling with life in Hollywood. It wouldn’t be easy to make Elizabeth Berkley look 20 years younger, who would want to see her naked now, so expect a whole new cast. That is, if this ever happens.
14. Ei8ht
Spoiler Warning!
The ending to Se7en was so brilliant that a sequel would just ruin it. We do not need to see what happens after Brad Pitt’s character, Detective David Mills, is arrested or what life is like after John Doe is murdered.
The villain is dead, what is left to tell that would be interesting? What if they gave psychic powers to Detective Lieutenant William Somerset, Morgan Freeman, and followed him around solving cases using his special powers?
It wasn’t long before Brad Pitt was nixed from the idea of a sequel, it did not take long before the film idea fell apart.
13. Spaceballs II
As with most of the movie sequels on this list, Spaceballs 2 would not have lived up to its’ predecessor being that the original surpassed all expectations nearly 30 years ago.
If the movie happens, it would be Mel Brook’s greatest movie ever, it would have to be to match the quality of the original.
Even in 2016, the sequel continues to be rumored with the idea that the success of the recent Star Wars movies would be a perfect time to unleash another Spaceballs.
12. Office Space 2
Back in 2009, Mike Judge spoke freely during an interview with Scott Beggs of FilmSchoolRejects.com about whether or not a sequel to Office Space would be a good idea and it appeared Mike Judge had no intentions on it.
Nothing is worse than when a comedy movie sequel forces a joke to the audience. The dry sense of humor that the original Office Space was full of would fall so far short of a positive reception, the movie would have to be funded by Mike Judge himself.
11. Back to the Future 4
For Back to the Future 4, we are going to let Robert Zemeckis, the film’s original director, to explain the reason this one hasn’t been made yet. Zemeckis once said, in regards to the fourth film, “There’s no Back to the Future IV and there shouldn’t be a Back to the Future IV. I don’t think there should ever be a fourth sequel to anything. Three is a dramatic number. It’s a three-act structure. Four is even. Four is boring.”
10. The Breakfast Club: 10 Years Later
The second version of The Breakfast Club would have followed the original group as mature college students in the exactly the same situation, for some odd reason, as they were in the original. The idea got some heat in 2005 when the group reunited for the MTV Movie Awards and Emilio Estevez was even rumored to be signed on for a sequel.
9. Gladiator 2
Even the best movies ever made had sequels that were pitched. Gladiator 2 is the perfect example of why some movie sequel ideas belong in the trash, forever.
Nick Cave went ahead and even wrote a script for it knowing it would never get made and called it Christ Killer: The Second Gladiator!
To prove we aren’t crazy, here is the script he wrote, enjoy.
8. Searching for Keyser Soze
How can you follow the greatest movie twist ending? Would a sequel to The Usual Suspects be anything but a glorious waste of time?
Bryan Singer had a contract that gave him the right to control whether or not a sequel would be made that could potentially ruin the original. Thankfully, he never planned on making a sequel to it.
7. E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears
Some movies are made for one and only one. E.T. is a movie that belongs a stand-alone feature film. A sequel would ruin the way we picture the animatronic alien.
Steven Spielberg has even teased that he would be producing the sequel back in 2014.
6. Roger Rabbit 2: Toon Platoon
Of all the directors in Hollywood, J.J. Abrams was the one that once pitched the idea for a sequel to Roger Rabbit back in 1989.
Since then, the rumor mills have remained stocked full of rumors, and even a script, surrounding the creation of the sequel eventually happening. As much as we would actually enjoy watching this sequel, do not expect it to happen, ever.
5. The Matrix 4
As if the third installment of The Matrix trilogy wasn’t already confusing enough, a fourth one would do more harm than good. What else could they show us that would make sense at this point? The movie ended and it’s all said and done.
However, the Wachowski Brothers are reportedly releasing another Matrix Trilogy set to begin in 2017. Will that mean that Matrix 4 is a real thing? All signs point to yes.
4. Superman Lives
Zack Snyder resurrected the Superman movie franchise with Man of Steel in 2013. But before that happened, Tim Burton was set to direct the script written by Dan Gilroy.
Things fell apart when Tim Burton went on to film other projects but for a short while, this was going to be as real as it gets. Who was going to play Superman you ask? Nicholas Cage.
3. Forrest Gump 2: Gump & Co.
Tom Hanks was perfect in the original Forrest Gump, in 1994. How could he play the same character twenty years later?
The rumored sequel would have been similar to the original and would be an adaptation from the novel, Gump and Co., written by Winston Groom. It seems like the idea was better than the story.
2. The Godfather 4
The third Godfather movie was too much so a fourth movie would not have been anything but painful, to say the least.
Francis Ford Coppola has even said he wouldn’t create a fourth movie, he didn’t even want to make the first sequel because he thought the first move was great on its’ own.
1. Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off
John Hughes knew how to make a 90’s teen comedy. He was responsible for more cult classics than any other director in the 80’s or 90’s and his biggest triumph was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It was a perfect combination of story, chaos, and acting that created and shaped the careers of several different big name actors.
Now that John Hughes has passed away, writing and directing a sequel would be a bad idea for all involved. Rick Rapier wrote the script back in 2011 but the movie is nothing more than a good idea today that just will not die.