More and more studios are announcing plans to extend their popular franchises with reboots and remakes. These days, it almost seems like a movie (even a bad one) can't exist in a standalone format. If it makes money, someone will create a franchise out of it.
The result, of course, is an almost epidemic number of different types of entertainment content, many of which are created simply to cash in on nostalgia. At the same time, there are some sequels that fans have been demanding for years, but never got.
The Girl Who Played with Fire
2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one of David Fincher's most underrated films. Based on Stieg Larsson's fan-adored novel, the story is a cinematic masterpiece with perfect casting (Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara together? Yes, please), a twisty, well-paced mystery, and all the touches and quirks that have made Fincher a genius auteur.
Stieg Larsson wrote two more books about Mikael Blomkvist and Lisbeth Salander before his death in 2004, and fans were eager for Fincher to adapt them as well. But problems with the script and the studio led to the projects being dropped.
Well, 12 years later we are still here and still waiting.
Sherlock Holmes 3
Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes series starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law stole the hearts of millions of viewers. But the second installment, 2011's A Game of Shadows, was sadly the last time we saw the famous Downey-Law bromance on screen.
Since then, the threequel has changed directors (Dexter Fletcher took over), been pushed back a few times by global and Hollywood events, and slowly faded into oblivion.
Dredd 2
2012's Dredd, directed by Pete Travis, written and produced by Alex Garland and starring Karl Urban, was a sleeper hit. It gained popularity and a cult following months only after its theatrical release, resulting in disappointing box office numbers.
This became the main reason why studios were reluctant to greenlight the sequels originally planned by Garland. Over the years, the cast and crew have repeatedly discussed the possibility of new projects, and in 2017, a television series called Judge Dredd: Mega-City was finally announced. But work on the project seems to have stopped there.
The Adventures of Tintin 2
Steven Spielberg's 2011 action-adventure film based on Hergé's graphic novel became a hit with critics, audiences and award nominating committees. So it was natural to expect that the film would spawn a franchise. After all, there is plenty of source material waiting to be adapted.
But Spielberg and other big names involved in the project (Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and others) seem to have been too busy with other work, resulting in the long-awaited sequel falling into development hell.
Man of Steel 2
Zack Snyder's 2013 superhero film starring Henry Cavill's Superman remains a favorite DC project for many fans. And while Warner Bros. did announce the sequel in 2014, the studio has since decided to go in a new direction that no longer fits Snyder's vision.
The introduction of James Gunn and Peter Safran's DC Universe killed any chance of Man of Steel 2 ever seeing the light of day. Instead, Gunn's Superman: Legacy, starring David Corenswet as the legendary superhero, is expected to hit theaters in 2025.