If there’s one thing that recent reboots and revivals have taught us is that Hollywood loves to play with our nostalgia.
And while Superhero movies and galaxies far, far away are constantly coming out with new spinoffs, sequels and follow ups to the stories and characters we all know and love, there are many other iconic films who have quietly been working on sequels fans never thought would happen.
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Given the hype already building up for the upcoming Top Gun sequel, take a look at some of the upcoming sequels to classic movies you may have not heard about until now.
Gladiator 2
Nearly 20 years after the original movie dominated conversations, director Ridley Scott seems to be ready to revisit the world of Ancient Rome.
While Maximos Decimus Meridious is long dead, The Hollywood Reporter writes the sequel will focus on Lucius, son of Maximus’ old love interest, Lucilla. No casting news has been announced yet, though Peter Craig — who wrote The Town, both Mockingjay films and the Top Gun sequel — has been tapped with writing the screenplay.
The Craft 2
THR announced that Sony would be remaking the classic witchcraft movie back in 2015. However, filmmakers clarified the possible franchise would take a Jurassic World approach and do a sequel-like movie set 20 years after the events of the first movie.
In February 2018, co-writer Daniel Casey said on Twitter that the script had been submitted and in the hands of the producers. There have been no casting announcements for the project so far, though it would be a dream come true to have the original cast return.
Die Hard 6: McClane
Die Hard has been a fan-favorite action movie franchise since its first installment in the 1980s, though the latest film was panned by both audiences and critics.
The franchise seems to be making a comeback soon with the sixth part of the franchise, a story that will reportedly jump back and forth in time. One timeline will follow Bruce Willis as he fights off terrorists, while the other deals with John McClane strolling the streets of 1970s New York.
Beetlejuice 2
Many have tried to pitch a follow-up story to the 1988 cult classic from Tim Burton, and according to a 2017 Deadline report, we might have a winner.
Screenwriter Mike Vukadinovich was tapped to rewrite Seth Graeme-Smith’s screenplay — which he used to approach Burton with a sequel idea back when he was filming Dark Shadows — meaning Warner Bros. is interested in following up the classic movie.
The report claimed both Burton and star Michael Keaton are excited about the idea of the sequel, meaning we might be hearing a green light sooner rather than later.
Men In Black spinoff
Rather than a sequel of the classic movie series starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, the upcoming Men in Black film will feature new characters and an expanded universe.
The sci-fi movie, which is already filming and is expected to be released in 2019, stars Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, alongside MiB original Emma Thompson. The movie will also star Liam Neeson, Kumail Nanjiani and Rafe Spall.
Master and Commander 2
Could we really see a follow-up to the Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany-led movie sometime soon? Crowe sure wants it to happen.
Back in Nov. 2017, Crowe said on Twitter that he had heard “whispers” of 20th Century Fox planning a sequel for the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin aboard the HMS Surprise. However, Bettany pointed out in May 2018 that Crowe tends to do public teasers to see if they would gather interest from investors.
Would he sign on for a potential sequel? “I would revisit those waters in a heartbeat,” Bettany said.
9 to 5 Sequel
Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin teamed up against inequality in the workplace back in 1980, and we might be getting a new chapter in the fight very soon.
Part two will reportedly focus on a new group of women facing another inappropriate employer, and who will be seeking the help of the original heroines of the story to teach the inappropriate man a lesson. Original screenwriter Patricia Resnick is reportedly teaming up with Rashida Jones for the script, and Parton, Fonda and Tomlin are reportedly set on reprising their roles for the film.
The Shining: Doctor Sleep
One of the scariest films of all time will get a sequel treatment, inspired by a sequel of Stephen King’s own making titled Doctor Sleep, and following the story of Jack Torrance’s now adult son Danny.
Warner Bros is adapting Doctor Sleep with Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game and Haunting of Hill House), and the film is set to star Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson and Jacob Tremblay. The film will reportedly feature some references to The Shining, and it will likely be as scary and masterful as Flanagan’s previous work.
King recently praised Flanagan for his work adapting Haunting of Hill House for Netflix, so let’s hope he likes this upcoming film — set for release in 2020 — just as much.
Bad Boys
After more than 10 years of fans hoping to see a new chapter in the story of Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey, Bad Boys for Life is finally happening.
The movie is slated for a Jan. 17, 2020 released date and will feature the return of both Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. Michael Bay will not be back as director, but producer Jerry Bruckheimer is definitely returning for the upcoming follow-up.
