17 Movies That We Wish Had Gotten Sequels

To be blunt, we're never going to get a Keanu Reeves-starring Constantine sequel. The 2005 film is a relic of a bygone era where every major Hollywood studio was scrambling to throw comic book adaptations on-screen in the wake of Spider-Man's unbelievable box-office take. Coupled with the solid performance of Blade and X-Men, the superhero gold rush was on and nothing was too outlandish. This is how we got a big-budget, gothic horror loose adaptation of the Hellblazer comic series. Constantine was only Hellblazer in the broadest strokes, but it didn't matter. 

Fans who were willing to overlook the changes got an interesting, unique thriller that featured serious talent like Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Djimon Hounsou, and Peter Stormare. The adaptation grossed a then-impressive $230 million, but its budget of around $100 million meant it was only a minor hit in the eyes of Warner Bros. Pictures, killing any momentum for a sequel then and there. With a new DCEU-related Constantine show apparently in production for HBO Max set to lead into some kind of Justice League Dark project, it's safe to say we've seen the last of this version of John Constantine. Unless WB surprises everyone and brings Reeves back into the fold. UPDATE, September 16, 2022: Well, turns out WB did exactly that!

The fact that Serenity even exists at all is a minor miracle in itself. And we're not talking about the truly bonkers Matthew McConaughey/Anne Hathaway film where everyone ends up being in a video game, or whatever. No, this is the Serenity that is the continuation of the cult-classic television series Firefly. You know, the one that was unceremoniously axed by Fox after a mere 11 episodes? Thanks to fan fervor, we ended up getting a feature film based on the show a few years later in 2005.

Nowadays, someone like Netflix or Hulu would've come along and given the show a second chance. Back then, though, show revivals were much rarer, and we didn't just get a series continuation - we got a big-screen blockbuster. And who wouldn't want to see more of the rag-tag group of space-farers striving to make some "gorram" scratch while jetting around the cosmos in their lovable skiff? The story has continued in comics, but an actual sequel was rumored for a while there and some hubbub started again recently, as there were whispers that a new series could come to Disney+. All things considered, we're probably never going to get to see Nathan Fillion return as Captain Malcolm Reynolds, so we'll just have to learn how to survive. Besides, what would a Firefly/Serenity sequel be without Alan Tudyk's Wash anyway?

How does one explain The Fifth Element? It's very '90s. It's very manic. It's very... different from the standard Hollywood aesthetic. The Fifth Element is a film you kind of just have to watch for yourself. Will you enjoy it? It's hard to say! Everyone is different, and this 1997 sci-fi epic is the kind of "love-it-or-hate-it" fare that controversial director Luc Besson is known for. Watch whatever is going on here and decide for yourself.

One thing that can easily be said about The Fifth Element is that the world the production team created is wholly unique and deserved another chance to delight audiences. Realistically, there was no need to even bring any of the primary cast back for another go-around. The world was dense enough - and undeniably weird enough - to simply do a spin-off instead. Not having to pay for Bruce Willis, Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm, or Chris Tucker would've brought costs down, and Gary Oldman's Zorg is already dead, so there's another big-name actor not needed! Alas, as long as Besson has his way, a sequel will never happen.

Big Trouble in Little China's opening weekend ruined the chances of a sequel ever getting off the ground. The cult favorite certainly has its fans today thanks to home video and the reappraisal of director John Carpenter's other work, but it landed with a thud at the time. Mixed reviews and lackluster box-office receipts doomed the proposition of more Kurt Russell action-comedies. 

Carpenter still seems a little salty about it to this day if his reaction to the supposed Dwayne Johnson-starring sequel is to be believed. Johnson won't be playing the same role as Russell (if this project even ends up coming to light), which makes its existence as a true "sequel" somewhat difficult to understand. Regardless, Big Trouble in Little China is the kind of campy fun anyone with the right temperament can get into. In a different world, it could've become a series that defined the late 80s/early '90s. In reality, it's just another in a long line of John Carpenter films that didn't get the response they deserved back in the day.

2012's Dredd may lack the satire of the comic books that inspired it, but that doesn't mean it's not a great movie. Because, let's be fair, Dredd really is a great movie. Overly stylish, overly violent action films don't usually garner praise from both critics and audiences, but this adaptation is one of the few that managed the feat. That being said, the box-office draw was lackluster, and that might just be down to one thing: the comically bad Sly Stallone-starring 1995 film, Judge Dredd.

The majority of moviegoers around the world have no idea who Judge Joseph Dredd is or what the 2000 AD comics are. Comic books are a niche medium, and British sci-fi comics are more niche than most. During the lead-up to Dredd, audiences' entire basis of knowledge came from that mid-'90s dud - and, well, do you blame them for not showing up? Rumors of a Dredd sequel come up every couple of months, but the project's fortunes don't seem too high right now. Just suit Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby back up and let them show off their action movie talent again, universe!

Galaxy Quest is a moderately successful 1999 sci-fi farce that became a cult hit and continues to be played in theaters on a yearly basis to this day. How did this happen? It turns out that making fun of Star Trek while also being a loving homage to the entertainment titan will get people in your corner pretty easily. Also, the cast is incredible. There isn't a single weak link throughout the entire movie - everywhere you look, there is an incredible performer. Tim Allen. Sigourney Weaver. Alan Rickman. Tony Shalhoub. Sam Rockwell. Enrico Colantoni. Missi Pyle. Galaxy Quest even houses the film debuts of Justin Long and Rainn Wilson!

The "will-they-or-won't-they" of a possible Galaxy Quest sequel has become the subject of much internet fodder in the past decade. Tim Allen seems to talk about it whenever someone asks about the supposedly completed script. He's not alone, either, as Sigourney Weaver also speaks about the sequel from time to time. For now, fans will have to settle for the apparent television series that has Simon Pegg attached. Pegg's work on Spaced shows the project is in solid, sci-fi-loving hands.