The frenzy of sequels that appeared in movie theaters around five years ago appears to have gone quiet recently. Between all the sequels and superhero films, somebody in Hollywood thought it might be a nice idea to showcase a few original ideas every now and then and commissioned some original productions accordingly. That lull won’t last forever, though. The era of the sequel is seemingly upon us once more – and some of the sequels that are currently in the works might surprise you.
Not every movie that’s currently in production gets publicized. While we’re all familiar with the biggest-name films scheduled for release during the next year or two – the long-awaited fourth “Matrix” movie, for example – there are a few projects lurking in the shadows of the movie world. These projects include sequels we thought we’d never see and revivals of franchises that we thought were long dead. In a few cases, we’re seeing sequels being discussed for films that were made more than thirty years ago!
We were shocked when we found out that some of these films are apparently on the cards, and we bet you will be, too. Here are five sequels that are ready to enter pre-production and might appear on your local movie theater screen within the next two years.
The Expendables 4
If Sylvester Stallone has any plans on retiring, he’s not doing so any time soon. The veteran action movie star always promised there would be a fourth and final entry in the “Expendables” series, but the idea seemed to die on the vine after it was first announced in 2016. The popularity of the franchise has never waned, though. When an official slot games based on the “Expendables” was released a couple of years ago, it proved to be so popular that a second “Expendables” online slots game was released to capitalize on its success. There’s only so much space available for games at online slots websites, and so for two to be existing side by side and remaining profitable, there must be a lot of people playing them. Perhaps that’s why Vertice Cine made an August 2020 announcement to confirm that they, Millennium Films, and Lionsgate were actively working on the grand finale for the series, and they hope to have it filmed and released before the end of 2022.
Passion of the Christ 2: Resurrection
As well as proving that there was an audience for Biblical movies with a strong body horror element, the first “Passion of the Christ” movie helped to rehabilitate the career of Mel Gibson after a difficult period. It very much seemed to be a “one and done” film, though, and a sequel was never discussed on the grounds that the film told the only story that the source material allowed for. Apparently, that isn’t the case. “Passion of the Christ 2: Resurrection” is in the works and was being discussed by star Jim Caviezel as recently as September 2020. Screenwriter Randal Wallace has confirmed his involvement, and Mel Gibson has offered a few hints about what the plot might entail. The Bible says that Christ spent three days in Hell before he returned to Earth, and apparently, this movie will deal with those three days and show Christ going up against demonic monsters from another realm. On those grounds, we doubt it will appeal to the same audience who enjoyed the original movie 17 years ago, but that doesn’t mean that it couldn’t work.
Labyrinth 2
If you’re in your mid-to-late 30s (or even a little older), “Labyrinth” was part of your childhood. You knew all the songs. You found David Bowie’s “Goblin King” character confusing. You looked forward to seeing it every Christmas because it was always on television. Not many channels show the movie every year anymore, but those who grew up with it have never forgotten it, and that’s apparently enough to get a sequel green-lit. The Jim Henson Company is forging ahead with its plans for a sequel to the 1986 original and confirmed Scott Derrickson as the project’s director in May 2020, with Maggie Levin writing the script. We’re led to believe that this will be a direct sequel rather than a reboot, although how a continuation of the story might work without the sadly-departed David Bowie remains to be seen.
Big Trouble In Little China 2
Here’s another 1980s cult classic that’s about to get a long-overdue sequel. It was reported in 2017 that John Carpenter was interested in making a ‘reboot’ of the original with Dwayne “The Rock” Johson replacing Kurt Russell in the role of Jack Burton, but as of 2018, that idea is out of the window, and Carpenter is working on a sequel instead. Interestingly, Seven Bucks Productions said at the time that they had ‘no intention’ of swapping Russell out for Johnson or anyone else, so that raises the prospect of the veteran actor leading what will presumably be an action movie while in his early 70s. If it’s good enough for Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s good enough for Kurt Russell. There’s conflicting information about whether or not Dwayne Johnson will still be in the film anyway, but the fact that people are still talking about it at all in early 2021 is enough for us to believe it’s happening.
Sister Act 3
We’re blessed to be living in a time where Whoopi Goldberg is undergoing a late-career renaissance – and we’re also blessed to be getting another sequel to the nun-themed comedy “Sister Act” after twenty-eight years! It looks like this film won’t be heading for movie theaters, though. Disney has confirmed that when it’s ready, it will go straight to the “Disney Plus” network, where it’s likely to persuade the hundred-or-so people who don’t already have Disney Plus to buy it and see what all the fuss is about. Quite how Goldberg’s character Deloris Van Cartier ends up wearing a habit for the third time is difficult to imagine, but we’re sure the producers will have found a way to do it that doesn’t stretch the boundaries of plausibility too far. To be honest, we don’t even care if it does. We just want to see Whoopi play the role again, and we’re thrilled that it’s happening!
