Sequels make the most buzz in the entertainment world nowadays. But this is not a new trend as this was the pattern with releases for a long time now. Studios love to invest in the success of their original movies and make the sequel an opportunity to gather more audience and hence make a lot of money. Often these studios would go to crazy lengths to get a sequel, trying to grab any possible storyline just for the sake of the money it would make. This often leads to bad sequels that aren’t even worth watching and end up ruining the reputation of the original movies. But at the same time often certain sequels might end up being good movies that might not get the chance to see the light of the day because of the production houses wanting more and more. Let’s take a look at some movie sequels that got canceled due to a weird reason.
Mrs. Doubtfire 2
Who doesn’t remember Mrs. Doubtfire as one of the most awesome childhood comedy movies that can be watched multiple times? The movie was a major hit amongst the audience. Robin William shined in the role due to his energy and his comedic quips. The movie was such a big success that the plans for a sequel came along. The sequel was supposed to see Daniel, Robin William’s character, follow his daughter Lydia to college in order to keep an eye on her. But Williams didn’t like the storyline and felt it was a bit too creepy. The script went through multiple changes and it was finally completely dropped by 2007. With the passing of Robin Williams, any chances of the sequel absolutely got squashed and we can say it is actually a better thing.
Amazing Spider-Man Sequels
Amazing Spider-Man was a very unique spin on the fan-favorite character of Spider-Man. But the movies didn’t end up having much success and the sequel was so disappointing that Sony entirely stopped with this spin and decided to instead head for a reboot. This was not the only reason as the Sony Hacks in 2014 led to the leaks in the storyline for the third film in the franchise. Apparently, the third movie was supposed to see a return of Rhino as played by Paul Giamatti and also the return of Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy somehow.
Superman Lives
This was supposed to be the next big rendition of Superman on screen. And it’s no joke as Tim Burton was supposed to helm the project, who had previously made his name with superhero movies with the Batman film from 1989. The movie was supposed to follow the arc of The Death of Superman with Nicholas Cage set to play the titular character. The entire drama behind the cancellation of this project has become one of the most popular stories. The producer for the movie wanted to have his dreams to become a part of the movie as he demanded a giant spider battle in the movie that absolutely no sense. Even the final attempt at a script was boring and ineffective.
Star Trek IV: The Trial Of James T. Kirk
There were plans for a sequel to Star Trek: The Search for Spock, with the idea being about a legal drama exploring Kirk being tried for his actions in the previous film. This didn’t really sound enticing as Paramount wanted the movie to be very simple and show us a much more lighthearted picture. This was absolutely out of the leagues of previous Star Trek projects.
Mathilda: The Professional
Luc Besson is one of the most well-respected directors because of his creativity and action-packed cinematic endeavors. One of his most successful movies Leon: The Professional was supposed to have a sequel following the tale of Mathilda. According to the story, the movie would follow her story years after the original movie and shows her become a hired killer. The only thing that stopped the chance of this sequel was that the production house wanted Natalie Portman to be a lot older. Another hurdle was Luc Besson making his own production company and wanting the movie to be released under this house. The movie was changed and made into a completely new story and released under the title Columbiana with Zoe Saldana starring as the lead.
E.T 2: Nocturnal Fears
Yes, E.T was supposed to have a sequel. Though the ideas for that sound absolutely terrible. The sequel E.T: Nocturnal Fears was supposed to have seen Elliott and his friends getting abducted by aliens as they start experimenting on them. Elliott has to break free and try and reach E.T for help. Well, one can clearly see that we are lucky we didn’t have to this sequel.
Anchorman 2 – Ron Burgundy: The Musical
Adam McKay has established himself as one of the most essential directors in Hollywood. Anchorman was one of the most successful comedy movies that we were able to get from him. The movie ended up being one of the most beloved comedies that we ever got to see. Plans for a sequel came along and it was hinted at being a musical. This plan was such a joy that all the stars involved in the original film joined in on this and decided to work it out. The movie came out in 2013 and alas, it was not a musical. But this only goes to show us how amazing it would have been as a musical. Let’s hope we get to see this plan in a Broadway adaptation of the movie.
The Bodyguard 2
The Bodyguard starred Kevin Costner as the bodyguard of singer Rachel Marron, played by Whitney Houston who was herself a singer. This movie became one of the most timeless classics in romance as they fall in love. Recently, Kevin Costner revealed that there was a sequel in plans for the movie and he was supposed to star opposite Princess Diana herself. He added that he had received the first script for the movie only a few days before Princess Diana’s tragic death. Apparently, he had been able to discuss the movie with her. She was a bit apprehensive of the way her character was dealt with in the movie. Her death put an end to any possible chance of the audience getting a look at the sequel.
Roger Rabbit 2
The sequel to the massively successful Who Framed Roger Rabbit, was scrapped because of a lot of behind-the-scenes drama that included the director attached with the project, Steven Speilberg. The plot was supposed to show Roger trying to save Jessica Rabbit from the Nazis during World War 2 as he was already searching for his birth mother. Spielberg didn’t like this plot as he had just released his masterpiece Schindler’s List that explored the holocaust and he dropped out of the project.
Gladiator 2
Ridley Scott planned a sequel to his 2001 Best Picture Winner Gladiator. Now the film obviously didn’t require one as the protagonist dies in the movie but the critical and audience success couldn’t stop it. The movie was supposed to have a sequel without any Gladiators and Russell Crow. Crowe worked out his own sequel with his character making a return with more bloody adventures. But all these ideas were dropped went the plot for the latter was revealed wherein Maximus ends up killing Jesus and his followers and he later realizes he has killed his own son.
So these are the movie sequels that got canceled due to unexpected reasons.
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