Popularized in the 1970s to enable successful slasher flicks to rake in the cash with extended franchises, movie sequels have come from humble beginnings to dominate the box office market today. Where it was once an unthinkable endeavor to release a follow-up feature, it’s become the new norm, with everything from action blockbusters to murder mysteries and even children’s movies getting the sequel treatment.
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However, there have been plenty of instances – both in recent times and decades ago – where sequels have been planned, penned, and even begun pre-production only to never see the light of day. From box office flops that were meant to spawn franchises to sequels stranded in development hell, these movies made a promise that there would be more to come, but nothing ever came our way.
‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ (1938)
Despite being released over 80 years ago, The Adventures of Robin Hood is still viewed by many as the ultimate Robin Hood movie, an impressive feat considering the iconic archer has been depicted on screen over 70 times. With Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland’s chemistry, as well as brilliant character actors Claude Rains and Basil Rathbone in the villainous roles, the film was a huge financial success, and a sequel was commissioned.
It ran into roadblocks indicative of its time though, such as the U.S. government wanting to restrict money being put into filmmaking as it anticipated entering World War II. By the time the war was over Rains and de Havilland were no longer under the employment of Warner Bros. and the project was scrapped.
'Casablanca' (1942)
Widely regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, with immense financial success and three Academy Awards to boot, Casablanca has unsurprisingly had a number of sequel attempts over the years. Barring two short-lived television spin-offs, the closest we ever got to a sequel being made came not long after the film’s Oscar success when Warner Bros. announced plans to produce Brazzaville.
Frederick Stephani outlined the script which would have shown audiences what came next for Rick (Humphrey Bogart) and Louie Renault (Claude Rains). However, the studio was unhappy with the story – which would reveal Rick and Renault to have been secret agents the entire time – and the project was soon abandoned.
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‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ (1988)
One of the biggest hits of the 80s, this live-action/animation cross-over has endured for decades as one of the most iconic movies ever made. As the highest-grossing movie of 1988, it seemed likely that there would be another, and there very nearly was with Nat Mauldin writing a screenplay for a follow-up film.
The story underwent several drastic changes – from Roger Rabbit: The Toon Platoon following the animated icons in WWII to Who Discovered Roger Rabbit?, a rise to fame tale – but it never came to be. Disney, Warner Bros., and Amblin Entertainment (who had barely held the peace long enough to produce Who Framed Roger Rabbit) weren’t able to come to an agreement and the project never came to fruition.
‘Leon: The Professional’ (1994)
After Leon: The Professional proved to be a hit, Luc Besson wasted no time penning an idea for a sequel that would see a grown-up Mathilda (Natalie Portman) working as a “cleaner.” As Besson knew fans of the first film wouldn’t accept anyone other than Portman in the role, the project was shelved until a point when she would be old enough to return.
Over the years though the sequel became increasingly unlikely with Portman’s meteoric rise to super-stardom and, more significantly, Besson’s unpleasant parting of ways with the Gaumont Film Company who held the rights to the property. The script was eventually reworked into 2011’s Colombiana, an action-packed revenge film with Zoe Saldaña in the leading role.
‘Freddy vs. Jason’ (2003)
There might not be much call for another Freddy vs. Jason movie beyond the desires of teenage thrill seekers and horror hounds, but given the number of sequels, spin-offs, and follow-ups most slasher franchises are able to accumulate, it’s intriguing that the showdown between two the genre’s greats was never revisited.
A sequel was in the works after the success of the first film, with Ash (Bruce Campbell) of the Evil Dead franchise set to feature as well, but it wasn’t long before the project was stranded in a pre-production nightmare which not even Freddy Krueger could do anything about. Wheeling and dealing between production companies drew out the process before Robert Englund's retirement from the Freddy Krueger role saw the idea lose momentum for good.
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‘District 9’ (2009)
2023 will mark 14 years since District 9 was released to widespread critical acclaim, and it seems as though every one of those years has brought new rumors and hope of an anticipated sequel. Neill Blomkamp’s directorial debut was a controlled sci-fi action-drama armed with arresting visuals, commanding thematic resonance, and an ending that left us all wondering what the future held for Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley).
While a promising announcement was made in mid-2021 on the writing of a sequel, little has been heard since except for Copley insisting the project was still in the works. With Blomkamp attached to direct the upcoming Gran Turismo movie – and with no further announcement being made on District 10 – it seems fans will have to live in hope a little longer at least.
‘Green Lantern’ (2011)
To say 2011’s Green Lantern has earned a reputation would be an understatement. Sadly the picture – released at the beginning of the superhero movie blitz – wasn’t able to do the character justice, but it did have designs on follow-up movies evidenced by Sinestro’s (Mark Strong) mid-credits scene.
Due to the film’s negative reviews and underwhelming box office performance, Warner Bros. wasted little time in scrapping ideas for planned sequels. Ryan Reynolds has been able to turn the reception of the film into an asset though, using it in multiple gags in the Deadpool movies to the delight of all superhero fans.
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‘John Carter’ (2012)
Based on Edgar Rice’s novels, John Carter made for a visually spectacular marriage of sci-fi and fantasy which boasted exciting action sequences and massive scope. With Andrew Stanton at the helm, the film was intended to be the first in an epic trilogy.
The box office failure of the first film though was simply too great for the following two pictures to be produced, with Disney announcing a loss of $200 million on the project. The production company lost the rights to the property in 2014, leaving Stanton’s ultimate vision sadly unachieved.
‘World War Z’ (2013)
There’s being lost in Hollywood development hell, and then there’s what World War Z’s planned sequel has had to endure. From multiple rewrites to a revolving door of directors, it’s always been one step forward and two steps back and the project has never been able to gain momentum.
It did look to be on the right track when David Fincher, a long-time collaborator with Brad Pitt, signed on to direct. Unfortunately, due to production on other projects for both Pitt and Fincher, shooting schedules had to be delayed a number of times before Paramount indefinitely postponed the sequel in 2019 due to Chinese censorship laws banning zombie movies.
‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ (2014)
The Amazing Spider-Man franchise is certainly not the only superhero saga to be axed prematurely, but it has become the most sorely missed. Not only were there intended to be another three Amazing Spider-Man films, but Sony had also planned a number of spin-offs as well.
Unfortunately, underperformance at the box office, critical reviews, and a deterioration in the relationship between Andrew Garfield and the producers saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2 stand as the final installment of the series. However, fan discussion around a return for the franchise has mounted since Garfield’s Spider-Man appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home.