Blade Runner 2049 hits theaters on Friday and, guess what, it’s apparently amazing. That’s a big relief to fans of Ridley Scott’s 1982 original, which is today considered the greatest sci-fi film of all time. All it took was 35 years for a sequel to get made. With the movie arriving tomorrow after such a long wait, it got us thinking: what other sequels do we really want to see?
District 10
District 9 arrived in 2009 from producer Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) and first-time director Neill Blomkamp and despite the former’s involvement, there wasn’t a ton of pre-release hype. In retrospect, that only made District 9 all the more mind blowing when audiences finally laid their eyes on this masterpiece. The film tackles a lot of big ideas under the guise of its “alien invasion” premise: Immigration, xenophobia, racism, human morality (or lack thereof), military force. It’s an incredibly intelligent picture that is concerned more with character and theme than lasers and space ships (though the third act puts both to use in scintillating ways). So after earning north of $210 million worldwide off a $30 million budget and nabbing a Best Picture Oscar nomination, how come we haven’t seen District 10?
Blomkamp understandably wanted to dabble with other project before turning his attention back to District, yet his two follow-up films have been met with mixed reactions. The tepid responses to Elysium and Chappie may have cooled some interest on a sequel. Still, Blomkamp said as recently as July that District 10 is still in the works, though he stopped short of putting a timeline on it.
“Ok, so with District 10 the basic answer is yes. I want to go back to that world and tell rest of the story with Wikus and Christopher”, he told fans in a Reddit AMA. “The issue right now is that I have many other projects and ideas that I also want to work on and complete….. and most importantly, the exact right REASON to make district 10 needs be very clear. The first film was based so explicitly on real themes and topics from South Africa that effected me greatly growing up there, that we need to make sure the next film does not forget that.”
The Incredibles 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZbzbC9285I
Oh, Pixar. How we adore your sweet and family-friendly yet still emotionally complex and relatable movies. Who else can so consistently hit us right in the feels? Your films are like puppy videos crossed with comfortable pajamas mixed with Billy Joel’s sad and sweet “Piano Man.” And The Incredibles is arguably your best work (don’t @ me).
In 2004, Hollywood’s superhero bubble was just beginning to be blown, making The Incredibles a fresh new entry as it follows a superpowered family just trying to blend in with the everyday folk. It’s funny and heartfelt and, most importantly, wildly re-watchable. That “no capes” scene is good for a YouTube search once every few months.
Though it’s been 13 years since The Incredibles first hit theaters, audiences are finally getting the sequel that they’ve been clamoring for. Writer/director Brad Bird (Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, Ratatouille) is working on it right now ahead of its June 15, 2018 release date. Good things actually do happen to those who wait (and wait…and wait…).
Beetlejuice 2
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!
…
Now all of my co-workers are just looking at me like I’m crazy. But that’s okay because 1988’s Beetlejuice is absolutely batshit insane. It’s delightfully weird and one of the more out-there movies you’ve seen and it also may very well be the great Michael Keaton’s best performance. The guy looks like he’s having a blast as a ghost hired to scare a family out of their new home and no one can ever complain he doesn’t commit to the bit. Beetlejuice is relentlessly quote-able and brimming with standout scenes like the Banana Boat Song at dinner and the wedding scene.
A much-clamored for sequel has been talked about for decades and Keaton himself has said repeatedly he’d love to return to the role, yet nothing has ever come of it. However, in 2015 star Winona Ryder said that Beetlejuice 2 is officially happening.
“I think I can confirm it,” Ryder said. “It was very hush-hush top secret … but then (Tim Burton) was doing some press for Big Eyes and and he did an on-camera interview and he said, ‘Oh yeah, we’re doing it, and Winona’s going to be in it.’ … If he said it, I can say it.”
Whether or not Beetlejuice 2 ends up actually happening remains to be seen. We won’t get our hopes up; we’ve been hurt too many times before.
