Hollywood hates standalone movies. If a film does well, it wants unlimited franchise sequels and cinematic universes. There was a phenomenon prevalent among 1980s action films, though: The sequels would have nothing to do with the main character or be a continuation of the story.
In fact, these movies recycled the original story with new characters - at a lower budget - in an effort to trick the audience into watching the sequels based on name recognition alone. American Ninja 3: Blood Hunt is a prime example of this deceit because any film without Joe Armstrong is not American Ninja.
Well, the big studios took notice of this approach and decided to try something similar with their movies and franchise sequels. Let's take a look at the sequels that could have easily been their own films since they had little to nothing to do with the original movies.
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Tommy Lee Wallace: I have an idea for a new Halloween movie I want to write and direct.
Universal Pictures: We're listening.
Tommy Lee Wallace: So, it'll be a Halloween movie about a mask maker who uses witchcraft to commit mass murders on Halloween night. Best part? No Michael Myers or Laurie Strode.
Universal Pictures: Love it! You're hired!
And that's the story of Halloween III: Season of the Witch, a weird standalone movie in the middle of a franchise with one of the most beloved movie villains of all time.
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The Home Alone series is all about Kevin McCallister and how his folks are really the worst parents and keep forgetting him - perhaps intentionally. However, the two goofball crooks and foils, Harry and Marv, are equally important to the story.
While the original idea for Home Alone 3 was about a teenage Kevin, that fell through when Macaulay Culkin quit acting. That didn't deter the producers, though. Home Alone 3 recycles the basic premise of the first film with a new kid named Alex Pruitt, who must defend his home from wanted crooks in the movie equivalent of the "Can I Copy Your Homework?" meme. Where's Kevin, Harry, Marv, or even Buzz's spider here? Heresy!
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So, imagine there's this popular film series about a guy named Jason Bourne. Then imagine the studio decided to make a movie called The Bourne Legacy that has nothing to do with him and follows a new protagonist named Aaron Cross. That's like making a James Bond movie without 007 at all.
Even though it can be justified that Jason Bourne is merely an alias, there's no disputing Matt Damon's character is the star of the franchise, and he is whom the audience expects to see. The Bourne Legacy could have been named A Generic Spy Movie, and it would have made zero difference to the story here.
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The first three Leprechaun films maintain the same energy. They are essentially about an evil leprechaun who chases after a group of hapless people and eliminates them. The fourth entry in the series is a masterpiece, though.
Leprechaun 4: In Space sends the mischievous monster into the future and the cosmos. Lubdan the Leprechaun is set to marry an alien princess and take over her planet when a group of space marines foil his plan and pop him. But this leprechaun isn't about to take the defeat lying down, so he returns for revenge on their spaceship - like he's a Xenomorph holding a lightsaber. It's a totally ridiculous story, and nothing makes sense about it, but it deserves all the plaudits simply for existing. It is also the prototype for Jason X - another shining beacon of the horror genre.
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Before Jurassic Park, there was Jaws 3-D. Now, the original shark from 1975's Jaws had long retired due to pay disputes around royalties, so it was always bound to be a new shark actor for the franchise sequels, but this film takes things to a whole new level entirely.
While the previous films focused on the shark chomping down on people in the sea, Jaws 3-D takes the fun to a water-based theme park, which finds the predatory fish nibbling on the employees. It also features a radical plot twist because when the shark is captured, everyone discovers there's another shark on the loose. It's like finding out there are two Ghostface killers!
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Need a good example of replicating the plot of an original film with entirely new characters? That's The Sting II in a nutshell.
Realizing The Sting is an adored crime caper comedy about grifters conning a mob boss, the filmmakers of The Sting II decided to copy and paste the template from before, change the characters up, and add an additional grifter into the mix. And voila! It's The Sting II, but it has nothing to do with the original besides following the same beats and plot.
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