Sequels are big business in Hollywood, but not every fan favorite has gotten a follow
up film, despite the money-making opportunities in play.
When it comes to these films, the creatives involved have often hyped up potential sequels,
but fans have been left disappointed time and again by everything from endless delays
to downright project abandonment.
Here are a few sequels that we're still waiting for.
Director Neill Blomkamp's 2009 film District 9 offers up a great blend of science fiction,
action, and horror, presented with a unique premise that echoes the real-life events of
apartheid South Africa.
The film chronicles an alternate history in which an alien ship appears over Johannesburg,
and the insect-like aliens within the ship are eventually relocated to a government camp
on the edge of town.
Twenty-eight years later, one alien attempts to escape with his son and return to their
home planet.
The film earned heaps of praise, four Academy award nominations and was a runaway box office
success.
Since its release, Blomkamp has been promising fans that a sequel to District 9 would be
forthcoming, and in 2010, lead actor Sharlto Copley hinted that the second shoot was about
two years down the road.
Despite this promise, no sequel has ever materialized, as Blomkamp's schedule has been tied up with
other projects.
Comic character Judge Dredd first hit the big screen in 1995 with Sylvester Stallone
starring in the title role.
The movie was a critical and commercial flop, however, so director Pete Travis tried again
with a complete reboot in 2012's Dredd, which featured Karl Urban in the lead.
Unfortunately, although his film earned praise from fans and critics, it failed to make a
profit at the box office.
Dredd did find new life following its home release, however, and the film has since become
a cult favorite.
Producer Alex Garland has suggested that a potential TV series might be a better idea
than a cinematic sequel, considering the film's lackluster ticket take.
And after a viral push for it to happen, a new series called Judge Dredd: Mega-City One
was announced in early 2017, with reports indicating Urban may be in discussions to
reprise his role for the show.
Since then, however, most news about the series has been little more than speculation or rumors,
and it has yet to find a home, let alone begin production.
The heartwarming holiday film Elf was an instant success upon release in 2003 and has since
joined the pantheon of "classic" Holiday films thanks to its wholesome humor and catchy characters.
Naturally, many fans would love to see an Elf sequel that covers Buddy's next stage
in life, and it's not the studio executives that have been holding back such a project.
Instead, the main detractors are actually director Jon Favreau and star Will Ferrell.
For his part, Favreau has been generally noncommittal, but Ferrell has been downright negative about
the idea.
"I don't think either of us are on that side of ever wanting to rush into a sequel of things
that we really care about."
In other words, Elf fans shouldn't ask Santa for a sequel any time soon.
Director Kenny Ortega's 1993 horror comedy Hocus Pocus reigns as one of the most popular
Halloween-themed movies of all time.
Starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, Hocus Pocus received negative
reviews and only earned a small profit at the box office.
Nevertheless, the film went on to become a cult classic, with an extremely dedicated
fan following through DVD sales and television broadcasts.
Fans have been begging for a sequel featuring the Sanderson Sisters for years, and the cast
has been ready for some time, as well.
In late 2017, screenwriter Mick Garris let slip that he was working on a script for Hocus
Pocus 2, but Disney let fans down when they revealed the truth: the new project is a remake
to be aired on the Disney Channel, and neither the director nor the original stars will be
involved.
"Goodbye, cruel world…"
"Bye bye, cruel world."
In fact, Midler has publicly raised doubts about the project, predicting it will look
cheap, so it looks like fans may have to be satisfied with her breaking out the costume
from time to time.