Have you ever had an idea so good, you just knew it would go over well? So well, in fact, you’d receive universal praise and acclaim for your efforts? There’s no doubt we’ve all felt that way at some point or another. With that in mind, there’s also no doubt we’ve all also been let down when that idea doesn’t go as well as we thought it would. The same can be said for films. In many cases, a film is projected to be a box office smash. In others, a film flops but eventually becomes a cult classic. When either of these things happens, the obvious next step (at least in the studio’s mind) is to make a sequel. Cash in on that success. Give the audiences what they want: more of the same. Still, sometimes those plans fall through. There are many film sequels that have been planned over the years but never ended up happening.
Napoleon Dynamite 2
When Jared and Jerusha made their short film “Peluca” during their time in the BYU film program, they never imagined it’d be turned into a film. Likewise, when they made Napoleon Dynamite, they never imagined it’d be a Sundance hit and an eventual cult classic. When that happened, there were talks of a sequel (and even a third film, both to be filmed simultaneously). However, this never ended up happening. The closest thing was a short-lived animated series on FOX in 2012.
Airplane 3
At the end of the credits for Airplane II: The Sequel, an ad comes up that says “Coming from Paramount Pictures: Airplane III.” As we all know, this never happened. Whether or not it was a joke all along is unclear, but we can be sure the filmmakers would rather say they were kidding than admit that they failed to create a third film in the series.
Edge of Tomorrow 2
Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise are practically a match made in heaven (or whatever Scientology’s version of heaven is). One of their earliest collaborations, Edge of Tomorrow, wasn’t the biggest box office smash but earned a lot of praise from critics and audiences alike. McQuarrie and Cruise both have expressed interest in doing a sequel, but no new news has really emerged beyond this. A script has been completed, according to McQuarrie, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
The Breakfast Club 2
This one actually isn’t such a bad idea: taking a page from the Richard Linklater Book of Sequels, this movie would’ve picked up ten years after the original a la the Before Trilogy. Almost every actor from this film would go on to become a success in some way or another, so it wouldn’t be lacking star power. If there’s someone out there with the ability to do something about this, please: look into the possibility of making a Breakfast Club sequel.
E.T. 2
Believe it or not, there was supposed to be a sequel to E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. There was even a video game made for the film. Obviously, this sequel never came to be, and that’s probably for the best. E.T. is one of the finest and most excellent films of the 1980s, and a sequel would have cheapened that immensely.
Forrest Gump 2
For a movie that spans nearly the entire life of its lead, it’s hard to imagine what good a prequel would do. Still, that was the intent with Forrest Gump 2, which was supposed to follow Forrest Gump’s time with the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in the 1980s. For better or worse, the film will probably never end up happening.
Kill Bill 3
Given the recent drama that has emerged between Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman, there’s no saying whether or not Kill Bill: Vol. 3 will ever happen. Tarantino had envisioned the series as a trilogy, not a two-parter, but either never got around to making the third one or was exaggerating when he said he had a script for a third. Tarantino frequently says one thing but does another (he has teased many projects that never came to fruition), so the latter is entirely possible.
Elf 2
Probably the most well-known Christmas movie of the 21st century, making a sequel to Will Ferrell and Jon Favreau’s Elf seems like a no-brainer. There are limitless possibilities and it would’ve been a definite hit, but Will Ferrell is the one who ultimately refused to make the movie. Thy kind of got around this by making a claymation television special for NBC starring Jim Parsons as Buddy, but it’s nowhere near as good or as special as the film on which it’s based.
Beetlejuice 2
This is another film that has always been teased but never brought into existence. It seems like everyone wants the film to happen, but the one person who holds the power to make it (ahem, Tim Burton) never actually does anything about it. Maybe there’s an issue with the script, maybe there’s a lack of motivation on his part, or maybe it’s just destined not to happen — no matter what the reason, a sequel to Beetlejuice seems destined not to happen.
Casablanca 2
For some reason, someone somewhere thought that Casablanca 2 was a good idea. Easily one of the most iconic and incredible movies of the 20th century, there’s no denying that a sequel would have done significant damage to the influence and importance of this beautiful film. Where would it even go? What would even happen in a Casablanca sequel? There’s really no telling, but thank goodness it never made it to the silver screen.
