Making sequels and building franchises have become a trend that every studio is trying to follow blindly. Instead of respecting the story that should have ended with one movie or season, they are stretching the films and shows to cash money. The same was going to happen with the following movies as their sequels were promised to the audience. However, the disastrous performance of the film left the producer with no option but to quit. How will they invest in the next installment when there’s not enough revenue? So they went home instead of going big. Here are 10 movies that never made the sequels that had announced.
Green Lantern
When the world and the lead actor pretend to forget a movie, the studio has no right to slap us with its sequel. Thankfully, the abysmal performance of “Green Lantern” didn’t leave DC Universe too hopeful for a sequel. Even though it was hinted at in the post-credit scene when Sinestro put on the yellow ring, the whole franchise was wiped out from existence.
E.T. Extra-Terrestrial
So many children’s movies got a sequel and turned into a world of their own by establishing a franchise, from “Home Alone” to “Pirates of the Caribbean”. The same was on the cards for “E.T. Extra-Terrestrial” which would have been great news for its fans. The great Steven Spielberg had already begun writing E.T. II: Nocturnal Fears where E.T. had to rescue Elliott a spaceship of dangerous aliens who would have eaten the young boy. But Spielberg felt such a dark and violent installment would snap away from the essence of the original.
Freddy Vs Jason
Every soul was excited to finally watch the two classic villains share the screen. We all had high expectations from the biggest sinister monsters from “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th”. Sadly, Freddy and Jason’s efforts to destroy each other brought no emotion out of us. The sequel to this silly franchise was indicated in a three-way crosser in the comic books. But the poor reception by the audience and Bruce Campbell’s lack of interest saved us the torment.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The classic hit was ready for a sequel after decades and we wish we would have gotten it. In the second installment of “Ferris Beuller’s Day Off”, Ferris was a 40-yr old life coach who took another day off with Cameron, his manager by then. Matthew Broderick, then 50 yrs old was on board but sadly, John Hughes, the filmmaker was no more.
Batman & Robin
Michael Keaton and Tim Burton made the DC Batman films a classic hit till 2 installments. But when the talented actor and director refused to return for the 3rd installment, the franchise was doomed to drown. “Batman & Robin” was the fourth part of this franchise under the wing of DC. The studio had finalized a deal with Joel Schumacher for a fifth part as well while it was still filming the fourth. But when George Clooney starrer “Batman & Robin” became a laughing stock, DC immediately pulled back the deal like it never happened. George Clooney apologizes to this date for this disaster.
Gladiator
After the superb reception of “Gladiator”, Russell Crowe was da*n positive for a sequel and convinced the screenwriter to envision its plot. According to sources, it had a dead gladiator fighting his way through purgatory and killing Jesus in the end. No wonder Russell Crowe decided to back off.
Godzilla 1998
The original “Godzilla” of 1998 had clearly envisioned for a second part with their cliffhanger. They ended the movie by showing a hatched egg with the purpose of exciting the audience for the next part. Unfortunately, no one gave a tiny rat’s a*s and therefore they turned the so-called sequel into animated series.
Casablanca
It’s not new for studios to build a franchise out of a hit film. The same fate was planned for Casablanca as there were reports of Warner Bros. going for its sequel. But they wanted to do justice to the original film with an equally compelling script that meets the benchmark. But that never happened.
Forrest Gump
Our favorite classic was close to bringing back the bundle of joy in the ‘00s with “Forrest Gump 2: Gump & Co.”. The second part of the book was released and even the script was written for Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis to read. But then 9/11 happened and they realized that “the world had changed’ and wasn’t the same world as Forrest Gump.
The Breakfast Club
Another classic hit by John Hugh was “The Breakfast Club” which still runs on several televisions for the sake of reliving the golden days. The late filmmaker was keen on bringing the characters back together once again after 10 years but changed his mind later. Sometimes great things should be left as they were with integrity.
