Part 2... Not
These days, it seems like almost every movie made is a sequel—and the history of Hollywood is replete with part 2s and 3s and 4s, etc. But what about the sequels that were discussed—and even planned—that never saw the light of day? Or, at least, haven't seen it yet. Those are the ones we wanted to look at.
Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian
We wanted to start with this one because while a Beetlejuice sequel was made, it wasn't the Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian that had been discussed in the 2010s, with the Deetz family planning on a move to Hawaii to build a resort—only to discover that their hotel was built on top of ancient burial grounds.
Warner Bros., Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
E.T. 2
Yup, Steven Spielberg considered making a second ET movie. In fact, he went so far as to pen a nine-page treatment called E.T. 2: Nocturnal Fears—a tale of carnivorous aliens going after Henry and his friends. Thankfully, he took a step back and decided this dark follow-up didn't fit with the essence of the original and moved on to other things.
Universal, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
The Breakfast Club 2
Writer/director John Hughes had thought about making a sequel to his classic 80s teen comedy in which the characters were reunited serving detention in University—but this time they would all have become opposites of what they were like in the first film. Unfortunately, the idea didn't really get anywhere before Hughes passed away.
Universal, The Breakfast Club (1985)
Edge Of Tomorrow 2
2014's sci-fi time-loop film Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, is one of those movies that doesn't get the recognition its fans think it deserves. And so far, it hasn't gotten the sequel fans want either. In 2015, it was announced that Cruise had an idea for a sequel and that it was "locked and loaded". Director Doug Liman even said that the story was "much better than the original film".
As of 2024, the project was still in discussion—but that's as far as it is at this point.
Warner Bros., Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Batman & Robin Sequel
Tim Burton made two great Batman movies in the late 80s and early 90s. Then Joel Schumacher took over directing duties and the franchise took a big turn towards mediocrity. First with Batman Forever—and then with the even worse, Batman & Robin. The latter of which was so bad Warner Bros cancelled plans to continue the franchise at that time.
Warner Bros., Batman & Robin (1997)
Casablanca 2
There have been three attempts at a Casablanca sequel (including one offered to famed French director François Truffaut in 1973)—but none have made it past the initial stages. That includes the first sequel concept called Brazzaville, which would've focused on the life of Bogart's Rick after Ilsa's departure. Honestly, we can't get past that terrible title.
Warner Bros., Casablanca (1942)
Double V Vega
Yes, we're talking Vic and Vincent Vega from Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction respectively. Quentin Tarantino had a prequel script that saw the brothers dealing with the Amsterdam criminal underworld. But once Michael Madsen and John Travolta aged out of the roles, the project was shelved. Tarantino made it clear he would not do the de-aging thing.
And while we're talking Tarantino movies...
Kill Bill: Volume 3
Turns out Tarantino originally saw the whole Kill Bill thing as playing out in four parts—with a 10-year break between the first two and the last two films. The idea for number three was to check in on the Bride's enemy Vernita Green’s daughter, Nikki. He even dream cast Uma Thurman's daughter Maya Hawke as the Bride's daughter.
While we would never say never, the fact that Tarantino has said he will retire after making 10 movies and he currently stands at nine means any more Kill Bill movies look to remain just a dream.
Miramax, Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Who Discovered Roger Rabbit
The Who Framed Roger Rabbit prequel, Who Discovered Roger Rabbit, is just one of the ideas that has been talked about/developed since the first film hit theatres back 1998. At one point, Steven Spielberg was talking to JJ Abrams about writing a sequel. There have been animation tests done, and even music written... but so far, nothing has made it to the late stages and it doesn't look like it ever will.
Touchstone, Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Lethal Weapon 5
This is what Mel Gibson had to say in September of 2024 about a Lethal Weapon 5: "The fifth one is written, it's been held up for one reason or another, there's always issues with these things...I think it's the best one of the series, it just won't get made for one reason or another, I just can't explain why".
Warner Bros., Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Ei8ht
Originally titled Solace, this sequel to Se7en was going to see Morgan Freeman's character gain psychic abilities and hunt down a supernatural bad guy. Thankfully Freeman, David Fincher, and Brad Pitt all thought this was a bad idea and said no. We do love the title Ei8ht though.
Forrest Gump 2
Even if this one had been made, we're pretty sure it would've had to be done without Tom Hanks. To quote the OG Gump in 1995: "I’ll be saying ‘box of chocolates’ again about the same time that Sean Connery says, 'I’m Bond. James Bond'".
Paramount, Forrest Gump (1994)
District 10
Since even a couple weeks before the release of Neill Blomkamp's awesome sci-fi directorial debut, District 9, he has been talking about making a potential sequel (or prequel).
"There probably will be", "...if people want to see another one, I'd love to do it", "[I] want to make District 10 at some point"—these are all things he's said over the years, and there have been statements made about a script in development. But then in 2023, he said this: "I don't know if I even want to make that right now, but at some point down the line, it'll probably get made". So, who knows?
Freddy Vs Jason 2
Given how Hollywood seems to eat up horror sequels like TicTacs, we're quite surprised this one never got made given the $100+ million box office success of the first Freddy vs Jason film. But while there was some momentum behind it, Robert Englund hanging up his blade fingers cooled said momentum and the thing ended up in development hell (no pun intended).
New Line Cinema, Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Green Lantern 2
Is anyone who saw the original Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern film surprised they decided not to make a second?
Warner Bros., Green Lantern (2011)
Mathilda: The Professional
Luc Besson's 1994 film Léon: The Professional is known for being a classic of the action/thriller genre—as well as the movie that pretty much jump started the career of the then 12-year-old Natalie Portman. Besson had a story in mind that would spinoff Portman's Mathilda character later in life, but it fell by the wayside when he left the film company he was with to start his own studio.
Fun fact: The Mathilda script was reworked and became the basis for the 2011 Besson-produced film, Colombiana.
Columbia, Léon: The Professional (1994)
Bubba Nosferatu: Curse Of The She-Vampires
Bubba Ho-Tep is one of those movies that if you know it, you know it and you want a sequel. And if you don't, well...you probably don't care that they never made a second one.
Silver Sphere Corporation, Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
John Carter: Gods Of Mars And Warlord Of Mars
Back in the early 2010s, Taylor Kitsch—with his Friday Night Lights popularity—was positioned to be one of the big up-and-coming stars. And Disney's John Carter was set to be a grand action sci-fi jump to the big screen with the first of a planned trilogy of movies. However, John Carter didn't become the blockbuster Disney had hoped it would. Instead it became one of the biggest flops of all time—and thus, the next two films in the trilogy were scrapped.
Walt Disney, John Carter (2012)
Ferris Bueller's Day Off 2
Sequel? Sequel? Anyone? Sequel? As much as we love Ferris Bueller's Day Off, this is one we're glad never got a sequel. And it turns out Matthew Broderick and John Hughes felt the same way about it. The two had discussed making another movie—this time with Bueller in college or at his first job—but, as Broderick said in a 2010 interview, "neither of us found a very exciting hook to that. The movie is about a singular time in your life".
Paramount, Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Airplane III
If we told you they planned on making a third Airplane movie you might've said, "Surely you can't be serious?" And we would've said, "We are serious—and don't call us Shirley". Then after we all finished laughing, we would've told you about how the second sequel had been announced in a post-credit message at the end of Airplane II: The Sequel. But that aforementioned II only grossed $27 million—as compared to the $171 million that the first movie did. And with that, the third film was nixed.
Paramount, Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
The Golden Compass 2 And 3
To be fair, New Line Cinema's president, Toby Emmerich, always said that the fate of the sequels to The Golden Compass was tied pretty heavily to the financial success of the first film. So, when those financials underperformed (especially at the North American box office), the sequel movies—based on the next two books, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass—were scrapped.
New Line Cinema, The Golden Compass (2007)
National Treasure 3
While neither of the first tWo National Treasure movies were very well received by critics, audiences loved them and there are the big box office numbers to prove it. So, why didn't they make a third? Well, we aren't exactly sure. Yes, they did make that Disney+ show in 2022, National Treasure: Edge of History—which was a continuation of the franchise. But in 2020, we were all told that along with the series, they were also working on a third film.
However, in a 2022 AMA, Nicolas Cage said this about a possible sequel film: "No, the priority was to turn it into a TV show so I would say probably not".
Walt Disney, National Treasure: Edge of History (2022-2023)
Mama Mia 3
In 2020, it was announced that a third film in the franchise was in development. In 2023, ABBA's own Benny Andersson said that, unless there were major changes, a second sequel was "wishful thinking". That was in May. In October, producer Judy Craymer reaffirmed that a third movie was gonna happen. Here we go again. Maybe.
Universal, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Twilight Of The Mallrats
That's the title of Kevin Smith's planned sequel to his 1995 sophomore effort. Actually, that's the latest title. In 2015, the title was said to be MallBrats—before the whole thing was announced to be switched from a film to a miniseries. Although, after failing to sell the miniseries, Smith took it back to the movies and, in 2020, announced the Twilight Of The Mallrats title. That's pretty much the last anyone has heard about it.
View Askew Productions, Mallrats (1995)
Goonies 2
There have been talks and rumors of a second Goonies movie for decades—and back in the 2000s, it looked like it might actually happen. However, since director Richard Donner's passing in 2021, a sequel looks even less likely as many of the actors have said they wouldn't be a part of a Goonies 2 without Donner at the helm.
Warner Bros., The Goonies (1985)
Ghostbusters 3
While Ghostbusters 2 is rightly criticized for not being as good as the 1984 original, it still made over $200 million on a $40 million budget. But Columbia Pictures called it both a critical and financial failure and thus put a hold on any plans for a Ghostbusters 3.
Columbia, Ghostbusters II (1989)
Ghostbusters 2 (Reboot)
In 2016, they tried to reboot the series with an all-female cast and while it made $229 million at the box office, it also cost over $100 million to make and ended up losing the studio $70 million. Which led to them putting the kibosh on any sequels they had planned.
Finding Nemo 2
No, we didn't forget about Finding Dory. We're talking about Finding Nemo 2: Escape from Oilglobs—the planned sequel to Finding Nemo that didn't happen back in the mid-aughts. That one was written to focus on Nemo's twin, Remy, but it never happened. Then, in 2016, Dory became the star of the sequel/spin-off.
Walt Disney, Finding Nemo (2003)
Tangled 2
They did make a short sequel called Tangled Ever After—but why didn't they ever make a full-length Tangled 2? Well, according to the film's producer, when the writers and director got together to discuss a second movie, they realized, "she cut her hair. It's over!"
Mac And Me 2
It's gained a cult following over the years, but Mac and Me is easily in the discussion as one of the worst movies ever made—the fact that its Rotten Tomatoes score is as high as 7% will probably surprise many who've seen it. While Orion Pictures did have plans for a sequel, those plans were quickly changed after its release and failure with critics and at the box office.
Mac and Me Joint Venture, Mac and Me (1988)
Slither 2
Anyone who saw 2006's Slither probably assumed there was going to be a second one given the post-credit sequence which hints at more alien slugs on the loose. And according to director James Gunn, there were definitely plans to make a sequel. But the first one just didn't make enough money and so that was that for a Slither 2.
Strike Entertainment, Slither (2006)
Something Blue
2011's Something Borrowed ends with a "To Be Continued..."—so, when is it going to be continued? Well, Emily Giffin (the author of the book series) announced she had written a Something Blue script in 2014 and in 2017 was still posting on Facebook about a sequel happening. However, no one else has really said anything about it and as of 2024, there is no concrete news of the "To Be Continued..." actually continuing.
Alcon Entertainment, Something Borrowed (2011)
King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword 2,3,4,5 And 6
Guy Ritchie's 2017 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword was supposed to be the launch of a six-film King Arthur-verse franchise that would focus on different characters throughout the various films, before eventually bringing them all together. It all sounds very MCU Avengers-ish to us—but we would've totally been down for it. However, when the first film lost the studios $150 million, plans changed. Instead of making five more movies, they decided to make no more movies.
