Cover The Nice Guys (Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment Inc via IMDB)
The Nice Guys (Photo: Warner Bros Entertainment Inc via IMDB)
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Some of these movie sequels are stuck in development hell, while others seem permanently shelved. But with streaming services changing the landscape of film distribution and audience demand higher than ever, there’s always hope
Some films wrap up so perfectly that a sequel feels unnecessary. Some movies do so well that studios want to squeeze out every inch of their potential. Others are based on complex worlds that demand further explanation. Still, others leave audiences on the edge of their seats, only for the follow-up to remain trapped in development limbo. These plots deserve a chance to play out the entire story.
Whether it’s due to studio hesitation, unsatisfactory box office numbers or creative differences, certain movies deserve a continuation. Here are seven films that we’ve been rewatching because their endings have kept us hanging.
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‘Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World’ (2003)
Peter Weir’s Master and Commander was a rare cinematic triumph: a historical epic as thrilling as it was cerebral. Russell Crowe led the charge as Captain Jack Aubrey, commanding the HMS Surprise in pursuit of a French warship during the Napoleonic Wars. The film was based on three of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series, which comprises 20 books, so there’s so much rich material to adapt. The film was made on a whopping US$150 million budget but made “only” US$212 million, which may explain the studio’s hesitation.
Despite Crowe teasing fans with cryptic hints over the years, Hollywood has yet to set sail on a sequel. A prequel was supposedly in development in 2021 but no updates have been made since.
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ (2018)
One would think that director Jon M Chu’s success with Wicked would trigger a demand for him to complete Kevin Kwan’s trilogy. Plus, the first film was the highest-grossing rom-com of the 2010s. Crazy Rich Asians made waves not just for its all-Asian cast but for its dazzling take on wealth, tradition and romance. The film follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she discovers her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) is Singaporean royalty. Her working-class American upbringing sparks a showdown with his tradition-driven formidable mother (Michelle Yeoh).
Kwan’s sequels, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems, offer ample material for a continuation, but despite reports of a follow-up, production delays have kept fans waiting. With the original cast now busier than ever, will we ever see Astrid’s story play out?
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‘Atomic Blonde’ (2017)
Charlize Theron’s Lorraine Broughton was the coolest spy to grace the screen in years. Her portrayal was equal parts elegance and brutality, wrapped in a neon-drenched 1989 Berlin. The action sequences were bone-crunching, the soundtrack was flawless and the Cold War espionage twists kept audiences hooked.
While Theron has expressed interest in a sequel, there’s been little movement beyond vague discussions. Atomic Blonde was directed by David Leitch, who was also responsible for the first John Wick. If that out-of-left-field Keanu Reeves film became a franchise, why can’t Atomic Blonde? In a world hungry for more female-led action thrillers, the lack of a sequel is a crime.
‘Dredd’ (2012)
Brutal, stylish and relentlessly intense, Dredd took the iconic 2000 AD character and finally did him justice. Karl Urban’s no-nonsense portrayal of Judge Dredd, tasked with taking down a high-rise drug empire, won over fans, even if the film’s box office numbers didn’t.
Dredd has since gained cult status, and Urban remains keen to don the helmet once more. With streaming services thriving and audiences embracing darker, grittier comic book adaptations, now seems like the perfect time for Dredd to dispense justice again.
‘District 9’ (2009)
Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi masterpiece delivered a sharp social commentary disguised as an alien thriller. It centres around Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley), a bureaucrat who undergoes a horrifying transformation after exposure to alien technology. He then embarks on a desperate quest for a cure.
The film’s ambiguous ending practically begged for a sequel. The director even said a sequel was possible if the film did well enough. District 9 earned US$211 million against a US$30 million budget. It was also nominated for four Academy Awards. Still, over a decade later, nothing has materialised. While Copley did express enthusiasm for a District 10 several years before, he has said in 2023 that he wasn’t sure if he wanted to make one at this point.
‘The Nice Guys’ (2016)
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe were an unexpected yet electric duo in Shane Black’s 1970s-set neo-noir comedy. The Nice Guys is about the bumbling but oddly effective private investigator Holland March (Gosling) and gruff enforcer Jackson Healy (Crowe) as they uncover a deadly conspiracy in Los Angeles. The film was witty, stylish and endlessly rewatchable yet it failed to become the box office hit it deserved to be. (It opened on the same weekend as Neighbours 2 and also suffered from dawdlers still watching Captain America: Civil War).
Perhaps it was ahead of its time. Buddy comedies have made a comeback recently, and a sequel might be better appreciated now.
‘Soul’ (2020)
Pixar’s Soul took audiences on a metaphysical journey, exploring life, death and the pursuit of passion. Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx) is a jazz musician who, after a near-death experience, finds himself in the Great Before, a place where souls discover their purpose before being born. The film ends on an open note, with Joe returning to life, presumably with a newfound perspective. But what happens next? Pixar has revisited many of its biggest hits (including Inside Out 2 and Moana), so why not Soul? With so much more to explore about the human experience, a sequel feels not just possible but essential.
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