These days, it can seem like Hollywood's got so many sequels on the slate, it's practically
impossible to keep track of them all.
Never fear, though, here are a few of the upcoming sequels, prequels and spin-offs that
might have slipped under your radar.
Many fans thought the day would never come, but it looks like Ridley Scott is finally
making a sequel to the story of Maximus Decimus Meridius, nearly 20 years after the original
Gladiator hit theaters.
Of course, ol' Maximus is busy walking through wheat fields in heaven, so what's the sequel
actually going to be about?
According to producer Walter F. Parkes, the film is going to begin about 20 to 30 years
after the original ended.
And according to The Hollywood Reporter, part two will focus on Lucius, the son of Maximus'
old flame, Lucilla.
While Spencer Treat Clark played Lucius in the first film, we don't know if he's going
to reprise his role for Gladiator 2.
What we do know is that Peter Craig is writing the screenplay, and he's a guy with some pretty
impressive credits to his name, including The Town, both Mockingjay movies, and the
upcoming Top Gun sequel.
And with Scott himself behind the camera, you can be sure it'll be nothing if not entertaining.
Based on the comic book series by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons, the Kingsman films have
followed the adventures of Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, a London street thug who joins an organization
of gentlemen spies.
"Manners maketh man."
Soon enough, he finds himself in a hyper-violent world of electric lassos and bulletproof umbrellas,
and now, director Matthew Vaughn wants to expand on the franchise's quirky and messed-up
mythology, by finding out how Kingsman came about in the first place.
The King's Man will explain the origins of the well-dressed intelligence agency, going
all the way back to the early 20th century.
According to Collider, the story will focus on an Eggsy-style hero named Conrad, played
by Harris Dickinson, who gets involved in World War I.
While the exact plot details aren't entirely certain, the film boasts an impressive lineup
of actors, including Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Charles Dance, Rhys Ifans, Tom Hollander
and Djimon Hounsou.
Collider also reports that this movie will feel more like a "period drama than a spy
thriller," which might make for an interesting departure from the previous two Kingsman films.
Whatever Matthew Vaughn has in store will become clear on Valentine's Day, 2020.
Ever wonder what happened to Django and Broomhilda after they blew Candieland to kingdom come
in Django Unchained?
Well, wonder no more, because it looks like the fastest gun in the South is riding back
into theaters.
According to Collider, Quentin Tarantino is working on a sequel to Django Unchained, and
this time, he's teaming up with one of the most legendary heroes in vigilante history.
Based on a comic series co-written by Tarantino and Matt Wagner, the sequel will find Django
forced to escape westwards after burning down Calvin Candie's plantation.
And that's when he runs into a Spanish nobleman named Diego de la Vega…who you might know
better as Zorro.
That's right, Django is reportedly going to team up with the famous masked swordsman,
and together, these two are going to use bullets and blades to free the local indigenous people
from some very nasty bad guys.
That might sound like an incredible premise for a sequel, but it's not entirely certain
just how involved Tarantino is going to be with the whole thing.
He's ultimately in charge of the project, but the folks at Collider believe he'll be
producing instead of directing.
As for the screenplay, comedian Jerrod Carmichael will be writing the script, but it's also
uncertain whether Tarantino is co-writing with Carmichael or simply overseeing the screenplay's
development.
One of the most influential shows in TV history, The Sopranos, came to an end in 2007, not
with a bang but with a fade to black.
The gangster series earned massive acclaim throughout its run, set the stage for shows
like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and gave us one of television's most iconic characters:
Tony Soprano.
Now, over a decade later, the show's creator, David Chase, is bringing his Mafia saga to
the big screen with The Many Saints of Newark, a movie that serves as a prequel to the Emmy-winning
series.
According to Deadline, the film will be set in the 1960s, during the deadly Newark riots,
and will focus on Dickie Moltisanti, Tony Soprano's mentor and Christopher Moltisanti's
father.
The film will also star the likes of Vera Farmiga, Jon Bernthal, Billy Magnussen, Corey
Stoll, and Leslie Odom Jr.
And, oh yeah, gangster legend Ray Liotta is also set to show up.
The screenplay will be co-written by Chase, and acclaimed TV director Alan Taylor will
be sitting in the director's chair.
In addition to working on Thor: The Dark World and Game of Thrones, Taylor also directed
several episodes of The Sopranos, which should make him a natural fit for the prequel.
Speaking with Deadline, Chase explained this new film will take place in an era when the
mob was a bit more dapper than they are today.
He said:
"It is going to depict when it was good.
The mafia was very polished at that time, how they dressed and what they did…These
weren't guys who wore tracksuits back then."
But that's not all: a young Tony Soprano is also going to appear, played by none other
than Michael Gandolfini, son of James.
The Many Saints of Newark is set for release on September 25th, 2020.
While he'd already won plenty of attention with movies like Boy and Eagle vs. Shark,
director Taika Waititi really broke into the cinematic consciousness with his supernatural
mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows.
Starring Waititi himself and fellow New Zealander Jemaine Clement, this improv-heavy comedy
tells the story of three vampire roommates just trying to get by in the 21st century.
The film wound up on multiple "best of the year" lists, and since then, Waititi has gone
on to direct a certain little indie picture you might just have heard of: Thor: Ragnarok.
But despite his new role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Waititi is still eyeing a return
to the world of the undead.
In January 2016, Waititi told Crave Online that his Shadows sequel will focus on the
werewolf pack led by actor Rhys Darby.
"Don't swear.
We’re Werewolves not Swearwolves.”
“That’s a very offensive word to call people."
In June, the director explained the plot of We're Wolves would focus on a power struggle
between Darby's alpha male and Stu Rutherford's recently transformed computer programmer.
However, Waititi has explained that making We're Wolves is going to take a while.
Speaking with IGN, the director said:
"The Jemaine and Taika works is a very long and slow machine…We put an idea in one end,
and it takes about six years to come out the other end.
And sometimes it doesn't even come out."
In other words, We're Wolves is still currently creeping its way through the creative "sausage
maker," but if you need your Shadows fix sooner than later, you'd do well to check out the
spin-off shows set in the same universe: Wellington Paranormal and FX's What We Do in the Shadows
series.
Die Hard could well be the greatest action movie of the '80s.
In fact, it's probably one of the best action flicks ever made, full stop.
But let's be honest: the series has suffered in recent years, with the last film bombing
with critics and tanking at the domestic box office.
So fingers crossed that Die Hard 6, a.k.a. McClane, can bring a bit of fun back to the
franchise.
According to Len Wiseman, who directed Live Free or Die Hard, the new film will jump back
and forth in time, similar to The Godfather Part II.
In one timeline, we'll have Bruce Willis squaring off against a team of dastardly terrorists.
In another, there'll be a younger John McClane patrolling the streets of 1970s New York.
As for the cast, there's no word yet on who will play the younger McClane, but Wiseman
has promised the appearance of a young Holly Gennero, who fans know grows up to become
McClane's wife.
However, there's been a snag in getting the film to the big screen.
Die Hard was originally owned by 20th Century Fox, but now that Fox has been bought out
by Disney, the folks at the House of Mouse have to give the movie the go-ahead.
Luckily, according to McClane producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Disney does indeed like the
script, so at the moment, it looks like Die Hard 6 is still in play.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is one of those movies everybody loves
today, but nobody saw when it was in theaters.
Starring Russell Crowe as a British sea captain and Paul Bettany as his scientific best bud,
the film follows the adventures of the HMS Surprise during the Napoleonic Wars.
Despite rave reviews, the movie's poor box office performance seemingly sank the chance
of a sequel.
However, in November 2017, Russell Crowe took to Twitter and posted this cryptic tweet:
"For the Aubrey Maturin lovers, I do hear whispers indeed that a second voyage is perhaps
potentially pre-proposed a possibility."
Admittedly, it's not a lot to go on, but if Crowe is on board for such a massive undertaking,
maybe we'll get to see the further adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin
before long.
Of course, as Bettany pointed out in May 2018, Crowe has a history of teasing this sequel
in hopes of interesting the people with the pocketbooks, and there's still no telling
whether there's enough studio interest to get this project going.
But if it does?
As Bettany put it:
"I would revisit those waters in a heartbeat."
Based on the novel by Andre Aciman, Call Me By Your Name picked up several Oscar nods
at the 90th Academy Awards and even won the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay, making
James Ivory the oldest Oscar winner of all time.
The movie made its way onto multiple best-of-the-year lists, and inspired by its success, director
Luca Guadagnino has decided he might return to helm a follow-up.
At the BFI London Film Festival, the Italian filmmaker said that he wanted to do a sequel
that takes place several years in the future.
It would be set during an era where Timothée Chalamet's character Elio would be dealing
with the impact of the Gulf War, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the rise of the AIDS
epidemic.
He also told The Hollywood Reporter that he wanted Elio to "be a cinephile," and the sequel
might open with our protagonist sitting in a theater, watching Once More, the first French
film to grapple with the subject of AIDS.
Guadagnino is also considering an entire series of films that follow Elio and his lover Oliver
as they grow older.
Right now, this is all very theoretical, but Guadagnino is reportedly "serious" about pursuing
a sequel, and Armie Hammer has confirmed that both he and Chalamet would be up for returning.
"Andre Aciman wants to write another book.
Luca wants to write another script.
Timmy and I are down as long as they give us twelve million dollars."
However, not everyone will be returning if the film gets going, as the first film's now-Oscar-winning
screenwriter James Ivory has said he has no interest in working on a sequel.
André Aciman, on the other hand, seems pretty gung-ho about the whole idea, as he's writing
a sequel of his own.
Will the potential movie take any inspiration from Aciman's new book, or will Guadagnino
do his own thing?
Right now, that remains a mystery.
Do you feel the need?
The need for...a sequel?
If not, you'd better get yourself right back into the danger zone, because Pete "Maverick"
Mitchell is soaring back into theaters next year.
Over 30 years after Top Gun turned Tom Cruise into a legitimate star, the A-list actor is
finally returning for part two.
And he's not the only original cast member making a comeback.
According to The Wrap, Val Kilmer is set to return as Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.
But don't expect Top Gun: Maverick to be a clone of the first film.
While nobody knows the plot for sure, Variety says that Cruise's character will be a flight
instructor, and that the movie will, quote, "explore a world of drone technology, fifth-generation
fighters, and the end of the era of dog-fighting."
And to represent this brand new world, Miles Teller is playing the son of Maverick's late-and-great
wingman, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, played in the original by Anthony Edwards.
Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, and Ed Harris will round out the cast.
Joseph Kosinski, who previously worked with Cruise on Oblivion and broke onto the scene
with Tron: Legacy, is taking the director's chair.
Expect Top Gun: Maverick to take off on June 26th, 2020.
Widely considered one of the scariest movies ever made, The Shining certainly seems like
a clear-cut standalone story.
Jack Torrance dies, and Danny Torrance escapes the Overlook Hotel.
What more needs to be said?
But there was one person who disagreed with conventional wisdom and thought The Shining
needed a sequel.
Over 35 years after publishing the original novel, Stephen King returned to the psychic
world of Danny Torrance with Doctor Sleep.
Published in 2013, the plot follows a middle-aged Danny as he overcomes alcoholism and uses
his "shining" abilities to help hospice patients find peace.
But things get a little bit complicated after he befriends a young girl with incredible
powers, as she's being hunted by a cult that wants to feed off her psychic energy.
Following the success of It, Warner Brothers is adapting Doctor Sleep for the big screen,
and there are some impressive stars joining the cast.
Ewan McGregor will play the older Danny Torrance and Rebecca Ferguson of Mission: Impossible
- Rogue Nation is co-starring as the villain known as Rose the Hat, while Westworld vet
Zahn McClarnon is on board to play her lover and lieutenant, Crow Daddy.
Newcomer Kyleigh Curran will play Abra Stone, the girl with a psychic gift, and we're also
going to see the return of some classic Shining characters.
Alex Essoe of Starry Eyes will play Danny's mother, Wendy Torrance, and Carl Lumbly will
play the telepathic Dick Halloran.
"I think a lot of things happened in this particular hotel over the years and not all of them was good."
So how exactly will Doctor Sleep connect to the Stanley Kubrick original?
Well, speaking with Bloody Disgusting, director Mike Flanagan said that while this movie isn't
The Shining, his sequel will indeed acknowledge the 1980 horror classic.
Doctor Sleep will be released November 8th, 2019.
Ready for some totally bodacious news?
Bill S. Preston and Theodore Logan are re-teaming for another timey-wimey adventure.
Bill & Ted Face the Music takes place nearly 30 years after the duo's Bogus Journey, and
finds the two excellent rock stars stuck in a serious mid-life crisis.
After a visitor from the future shows up with a dire warning, Bill and Ted must travel through
time and write a musical masterpiece that will save all of space-time.
Along the way, the duo will be joined by their daughters, played by Brigette Lundy-Pain,
who'll play Ted's daughter, Billie, and Samara Weaving, who plays Bill's daughter, Thea.
Rapper Kid Cudi is also going to show up, although we don't know who he's going to play,
while William Sadler is reprising his role of Death.
Dean Parisot of Galaxy Quest fame will direct, while original screenwriters Chris Matheson
and Ed Solomon will pen the screenplay, and the legendary Steven Soderbergh will produce.
Even though a whole lot of time has passed since the last film, screenwriter Ed Solomon
told Collider that part three will "maintain the tone, the sweetness, the absurdity" of
the first two while being "something unique."
Prepare to witness Bill and Ted's bogus and incredible new adventure on August 21st, 2020.
In May 2015, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Sony was set to remake The Craft, the
black magic cult classic from 1996.
But as it turns out, that initial report wasn't 100 percent accurate.
Instead, the filmmakers are taking the Jurassic World approach, setting the film in the same
universe but 20 years after the first film, making it something of a quasi-sequel.
Producer Douglas Wick told HitFix:
"There will be callbacks to the original movie, so you will see there is a connection between
what happened in the days of The Craft, and how these [new characters] come across this
magic many years later."
Leigh Janiak of Honeymoon, who also co-wrote the original draft of the screenplay, will
direct.
As for actresses, we don't know yet who's joining the high school coven, but Robin Tunney
has expressed interest in returning for part two.
Here's hoping the rest of the original cast will bring back some of the old magic by showing
up in supporting roles.
The trippy Jim Henson fantasy Labyrinth is beloved by a seriously diehard cult following,
and David Bowie's performance as Jareth the Goblin King has gone down in Hollywood legend.
So making a sequel to Henson's final film is bound to be a pretty intimidating task…but
Fede Alvarez is up to the challenge.
Luckily, since Alvarez is best known for directing Don't Breathe and the 2013 Evil Dead remake,
he should have no problem recreating the eerie atmosphere of the original.
At the moment, there aren't any plot details, other than the film will be "a direct continuation
of the first movie many years later," according to Alvarez.
But rest assured, Labyrinth fans, there won't be another actor filling in for Bowie.
It's impossible for anyone to replace Ziggy Stardust, after all, so Jareth the Goblin
King will simply not appear in the upcoming sequel.
And sure, the idea of someone tampering with such a beloved movie is kind of frightening,
but Alvarez is approaching this film as a true fan.
As he explained to Deadline:
"Labyrinth is one of the seminal movies from my childhood that made me fall in love with
filmmaking."
At the moment, it certainly looks like we're in good hands, although fans probably shouldn't
hold their breath for the sequel's arrival.
Henson Company chairman Brian Henson told Forbes in 2018:
"We're still excited about the idea.
We are working on something but nothing that's close enough to say it's about to be in pre-production
or anything like that."
"It's further than you think."
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