10 Scrapped Sequels We Wish Had Happened, From Alien 5 To Ghostbusters 3

It’s no secret that Hollywood loves a sequel, but for a variety of reasons, some of the most exciting sequels end up being canceled. Usually, if the cast are willing and the box office receipts are positive, it shouldn’t be much of a struggle to get a sequel off the ground. However, there are a million things which can go wrong. Some exciting sequels get stuck in development hell for years, or scrapped altogether.

Influential directors like Spike Lee, Neil Blomkamp and Robert Zemeckis have all seen their sequels get canceled, proving that it can happen to anyone. In other cases, it’s the director who pulls the plug if they lose enthusiasm for a sequel idea. These days, movies from decades ago are getting surprise sequels, so there’s always hope that old ideas might be revived. However, this runs the risk that the ideal time for a sequel has long-gone, and the movie audiences end up getting isn’t the one they wanted years ago.

10 The Movie Critic

Quentin Tarantino Recently Scrapped His Sequel To Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino has scrapped a few projects in his career, as he tends to be very selective about the movies that he makes. He has often spoken about the importance of his legacy, so if he feels that a movie could end up being a dud, he will simply pull out and go back to the drawing board. His latest cancelation was set to be one of his most highly-anticipated projects of all, since his tenth movie will be his last, if he sticks to his plan.

Details were relatively hard to come by for The Movie Critic, but some reports suggested that it was a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. One concrete detail is that Brad Pitt had agreed to star, potentially reprising his role as Cliff Booth. There were also rumors that The Movie Critic would feature Tarantino’s versions of several classic New Hollywood movies, carrying on from where Once Upon a Time in Hollywood left off.

9 Alien 5

Neil Blomkamp’s Alien Sequel Never Got Off The Ground

District 9 director Neil Blomkamp announced in 2015 that his next project would be a sequel for the Alien franchise. While Ridley Scott was still interested in developing his prequel series, Blomkamp’s potential sequel was meant to continue the timeline from the first two Alien movies, although he planned to retcon or ignore Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. Ultimately, 20th Century Fox chose to fund Scott’s next prequel, Alien: Covenant, without opting for Blomkamp’s riskier plan.

Sigourney Weaver and James Cameron both spoke positively about Blomkamp’s vision for Alien 5, but the project never developed into a full-length script. There are only a few ideas and concept art sketches which have been made public, showing new xenomorph variants, a jungle setting, and different military factions. The experience of working on Alien 5 had an impact on Blomkamp’s view of Hollywood, and it could go some way to explaining why he has resisted too many questions on District 10.

8 The Naked Gun 4

Leslie Nielsen’s Cop Comedy Could Have Kept Going And Going

The Naked Gun trilogy is rare for a comedy franchise, because it remains just as funny right until the end. While other comedy sequels tend to suffer from a lack of spark, the detective-spoofing jokes of The Naked Gun mean that the plot is secondary. Leslie Nielsen’s hilariously deadpan performance as Frank Drebin is a joy to watch in all three movies, and he nearly returned for a fourth.

The Naked Gun 4, tentatively titled Rhythm of Evil, was announced in 2009. Alan Spencer wrote a script that paired Frank with a rookie cop. This would have introduced a new dynamic to the franchise, and it could have allowed Nielsen to pass the torch to a younger generation of incompetent cops. Now, 30 years on from the last movie, The Naked Gun is getting a reboot starring Liam Neeson.

7 The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe

Douglas Adams’ Series Of Novels Deserves A Great Movie Franchise

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is based on the first novel in Douglas Adams’ best-selling sci-fi series. It could have easily kick-started a long-running franchise, but its mediocre box office receipts meant that any hope for a sequel was soon cut short. The next book in the series is The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, which follows the crew of the Heart of Gold on another intergalactic misadventure.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy wasn’t the most faithful adaptation, but it was always going to be a challenge condensing Adams’ surreal comedic saga into one movie. A sequel could have built on the positives from the first movie while introducing more zany characters and strange planets. Following Alan Rickman’s death, a sequel wouldn’t be the same, but there’s always a chance that another adaptation could take off at some point.

6 Atomic Blonde 2

David Leitch’s Cold War Thriller Deserves A Second Act

David Leitch was an uncredited co-director on the first John Wick movie, and he brings his punchy fight choreography to Atomic Blonde, a spy thriller starring Charlize Theron. Set in Berlin just before the wall came down, Atomic Blonde follows a British spy tasked with securing a list of double agents. Atomic Blonde‘s neon-soaked style gives it an appropriately hedonistic atmosphere to indulge its violent desires.

Atomic Blonde was a box office hit, and both Leitch and Theron voiced their enthusiasm for a sequel. Gradually, news of this elusive sequel began to fizzle out, and there has been no further information since Netflix supposedly began development in 2020. It’s possible that Atomic Blonde 2 will happen one day, but it’s just as likely that the opportunity has come and gone already. Leitch and Theron both seem to have moved on for the time being.

5 Night Skies

Columbia Pictures Asked Steven Spielberg For A Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Sequel

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was a big hit for Steven Spielberg early on in his career, and Columbia Pictures soon lobbied him to start working on a sequel. Spielberg believed that he had already told the story he wanted to tell, but he didn’t want somebody else to take charge of a sequel, which is what he saw happen with Jaws. His compromise was to develop a movie called Night Skies.

Night Skies was developed as a spiritual sequel to Close Encounters of the Third Kind, with a plot inspired by the Kelly-Hopkinsville alien sightings of 1955. Spielberg didn’t end up making Night Skies, but he chopped up his script and used it as inspiration for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, as well as Poltergeist and Gremlins, which he produced but didn’t direct. Spielberg is currently developing another UFO movie.

4 Who Framed Roger Rabbit 2

Robert Zemeckis Almost Made An Unprecedented War Movie

Who Framed Roger Rabbit was a huge box office success, and talk of a sequel began soon after. The initial plan was for a prequel, tentatively titled Roger Rabbit: The Toon Platoon. Set during the Second World War, The Toon Platoon was to feature Roger and a squad of other cartoon characters behind enemy lines in Germany, trying to rescue Jessica from being held captive and forced to make Nazi propaganda.

Although The Toon Platoon didn’t take off, Robert Zemeckis explored a few other ideas. He abandoned the Second World War plot, but he retained the idea that Roger was searching for his parents. Some test footage was shot for the retitled Who Discovered Roger Rabbit in the 1990s, but the sequel would have required double the budget of the original. Zemeckis wanted to add CGI to his blend of live-action and hand-drawn animation. This was the closest the sequel came to being produced, although rumors occasionally resurfaced over the next couple of decades.

3 The Nice Guys 2

Shane Black’s Buddy Cop Comedy Ends With A Sequel Tease

Shane Black mastered the art of buddy-cop comedies with the Lethal Weapon franchise and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and The Nice Guys carried on this trend. Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe don’t seem like the most natural comedic pairing, but they strike up a brilliant dynamic. Their chemistry is too good to be wasted on just one movie, but any talk of a sequel died down long ago.

Shane Black seemed interested in a sequel for The Nice Guys, but an underwhelming performance at the box office may have killed any hope for more. The Nice Guys ends with an exciting tease for a follow-up, as Healy and March agree to start a detective agency together. Eight years later, this tease is even more excruciating. Despite its financial failure, The Nice Guys has developed a cult following over the years.

2 Ghostbusters 3: Hellbent

Dan Aykroyd’s Idea Was Shelved After Ghostbusters II

Although Ghostbusters became an instant sci-fi classic when it was released in 1984, Ghostbusters II failed to live up to expectations. This meant that another sequel was tricky, and the franchise took a long break before the all-female reboot in 2016. Dan Aykroyd remained optimistic for years that his idea for Ghostbusters 3 would get greenlit. Sadly, it never panned out.

Titled Ghostbusters 3: Hellbent, the sequel’s plot takes place a few years later, as the original team of Ghostbusters are training the next generation. When a “poltergeist plague” is unleashed on Manhattan, the Ghostbusters travel to an alternate dimension called Manhellton, where they ultimately have a showdown with Lucifer. Some elements of this idea are used in the 2009 Ghostbusters video game, with the player acting as the new recruit.

1 Inside Man 2

Spike Lee Planned To Bring Clive Owen And Denzel Washington Back Together

Spike Lee’s Inside Man did eventually get a sequel, but it’s not the one that fans wanted. 2019’s Inside Man: Most Wanted was made without any of the same cast members or Spike Lee, and it failed to live up to the original. Lee first began talking about an Inside Man sequel shortly after the release of the first movie in 2006. It was his highest-grossing movie ever, but he still couldn’t get the funds for a follow-up.

Heist movies don’t get sequels very often, since it’s hard to come up with another story after a climactic crime. The Ocean’s trilogy is one notable exception, and Michael Mann is currently working on Heat 2, but there aren’t many others that maintain a high quality. Spike Lee’s plan for Inside Man was to have Clive Owen’s character pulling another heist, which Denzel Washington’s cop would once again try to foil.