It happens so often that a movie becomes a huge hit and a sequel is immediately greenlit. Studios can’t wait to release the next movie, hoping it will turn into a franchise and help them reap the financial benefits. Fans oftentimes can’t get enough of the characters, making these movies a no-brainer in all aspects.Jurassic World: Rebirthwas recently released, marking the fourthJurassic Worldfilm and the seventh overall in the Jurassic Park franchise. While these big-budget sequels aren’t always the most critically successful films, they bring fans out in droves.
Unfortunately for fans, there are plenty of movies that come out, have a sequel greenlit, and then something happens, and things get stalled. It might be achange in writer or director. The cast may want more money and negotiations break down. The script may not be deemed ready by the studio. Whatever the case may be, the movie has been talked about, discussed, and hyped up to fans, but nothing else has really happened.
Here are some of the longest-gestating sequels audiences can’t wait to watch but won’t get to see for some time.
10’I Am Legend 2'
I Am Legend
It took nearly 15 years for Warner Bros. to getI Am Legendout of development and into movie theaters when it premiered in 2007. It stars Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville, the last human alive in New York City as he shares the land with mutants who were changed by a deadly virus. He tries to find a cure for the virus by conducting experiments on the mutant. The film was a huge hit at the box office, earning $585M.
A year after it was released, there were rumors that a prequel would be released highlighting how the virus came to be. In 2011, the prequel was scrapped but in 2012, the studio announced it was negotiating to produce a sequel with Smith reprising his role. It took another 10 years for another update to come, but in 2022, it was announced that a sequel was in development with Michael B. Jordan joining Smith as a star. No official announcements have been made other than Akiva Goldsman, who co-wrote the original,saying the script was finishedfor the sequel in 2024.
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9’The Incredibles 3'
The Incredibles 2
It’s been seven years sinceThe Incredibles 2premiered and the Parr family returned to fight crime and gain the public’s trust in superheroes again. The film, which features Catherine Keener and Bob Odenkirk in the cast alongside the returning Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Brad Bird, Samuel L. Jackson, and Sarah Vowell, was a smash hit for Disney and Pixar, earning $1.2B at the global box office, including $182.7M in its opening weekend, the highest for any animated film at that point. It was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Academy Award.
It took six years for Pixar to announce there would be a sequel, as it revealed in August 2024 thatThe Incredibles 3was in development. There was no release date scheduled, but in June 2025, it was announced thatPete Sohn would be directing, replacing Bird, who helmed the first two films.
8’Hocus Pocus 3'
Hocus Pocus 2
29 years after the original premiered,Hocus Pocus 2was released in 2022 on Disney+.Hocus Pocusbecame a cult classic for many ’90s kids who grew up watching the original around Halloween. The sequel saw its three stars, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy all return as the Sanderson sisters, who were conjured again and brought back to Salem, Massachusetts.
It was the most-viewed streaming film in its first three days of 2022, as people flocked in droves to the platform to watch it. The sequel costars Tony Hale, Hannah Waddingham, Sam Richardson, Doug Jones, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, and Lilia Buckingham. Shortly after its release, executive producer Adam Shankman said there were options for spin-offs and sequels. In June 2023,Disney confirmed a third onewas in the works with Anne Fletcher returning as director and Jen D’Angelo writing the script. However, no release date has been announced yet, and the project hasn’t been filmed.
7’Jumanji 4'
Jumanji: The Next Level
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungleearned $962 million worldwide at the box office in 2017.Jumanji: The Next Levelwas released in 2019, earning $801 million globally. These two sequels came 22 and 24 years after the originalJumanji, which starred Robin Williams and Bonnie Hunt, and earned $262 million in 1995. The sequels feature Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan as player characters in the video gameJumanji.
The Next Levelfeatures Rory McCann as the warlord Jurgen the Brutal, the main antagonist within the game. Awkwafina, Danny DeVito, and Danny Glover also joined the cast for the third film in the franchise. It was announced in 2021 that writer/director Jake Kasdan was supposedly working on a pitch for the studio forJumanji 4. Kevin Hart said in 2023 that it would be the final film of the franchise.Sony confirmed in 2024that the film was greenlit and it is currently on the schedule for July 05, 2025, but it has yet to begin filming. It is unclear whether Johnson or Black will return.
6’Shang Chi 2'
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringswas released in 2021 and earned $432 million at the box office. The film stars Simu Liu as the titular character and was a part of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the first phase in the second saga of the MCU, originally expected to focus on the Kang Dynasty. Shang-Chi was written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, who was supposed to directAvengers: Kang Dynasty,one of the main films of Phase Six.
That film wassupposed to heavily feature Shang-Chias he fought alongside the Avengers to battle Kang the Conqueror. But after Jonathan Majors was fired from his role as Kang, Marvel reworked its entire Phase Five and Phase Six, shifting towards Victor Von Doom as the big villain and setting upAvengers: DoomsdayandAvengers: Secret Wars. Unfortunately for Shang-Chi, this meant other projects moved in front of a sequel and Cretton is set to direct the next Spider-Man film,Spider-Man: Brand New Day.Liu has been announced to bereprising his role forDoomsday, but there is currently no slot in Marvel’s release schedule forShang-Chi 2.
5’Sherlock Holmes 3'
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Sherlock Holmes; A Game of Shadowswas the secondSherlock Holmesfilm starring Robert Downey Jr. as the famous detective and Jude Law as his sidekick, Dr. Watson. The film was released in 2011 with the original premiering two years prior. It was a massive hit, earning $543M. at the box office. Both of the first films were directed by Guy Ritchie, earning him two of his bigger box office smashes. Right after the sequel premiered, it was announced by Warner Bros. that the first draft of a third film was written.
In 2015, it was confirmed that Downey Jr. and Law would reprise their roles in the third film. In 2018, the film was placed on Warner Bros. release schedule for Christmas Day 2020 with Dexter Fletcher stepping in for Ritchie as director. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the film was delayed indefinitely. In 2023, multiple people involved said the film is stilla priority for Downey and his production company, although no script or announcements have been made since.
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4’Mamma Mia 3'
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
Mamma Mia!has been in the cultural zeitgeist for many years following its smash success as a Broadway musical. The musical based on the songs of ABBA was turned into a feature-length film in 2008.Mamma Mia!made $611 million at the global box office and spawned a sequel,Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. The sequel earned $402 million worldwide and features Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, and Julie Walters all reprising their roles from the original. The big addition to the cast of the sequel was Cher as Meryl Streep’s mother.
Producer Julie Craymer stated in 2020 thata third film was in development, as ABBA was set to release a new album which could offer songs for the next sequel. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, it was unclear if a new sequel would go into production, as Craymer expressed doubt in 2023 that it would happen. But later that year, Craymer said a third film would happen, though nothing has been announced since.
3’Cloverfield 2'
Cloverfield
Matt Reeves’Cloverfieldtook the found footage horror genre in a new direction with its monster movie that made $172 million on a $30 million budget. It stars Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller, Jessica Lucas, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, and Odette Yustman as friends who are at a going-away party for a friend when a massive earthquake hits. Amidst the panic, one of them continues to film on his camcorder what is happening and a monster that has invaded New York City is revealed to be the culprit for the earthquake. The group must try and survive the chaos and flee to safety.
SinceCloverfieldwas released in 2008, there have been two films that are related to it but not direct sequels.10 Cloverfield Lanecame out in 2016 andThe Cloverfield Paradoxpremiered in 2018.10 Cloverfield Lanewas lauded by critics whileThe Cloverfield Paradoxwas panned. In 2018, J.J. Abrams, a producer on all three films, stated that a direct sequel toCloverfieldwas being made and in 2021 Joe Barton was hired as the writer. In 2022, Babak Anvari was attached to direct the film, and this year, Anvari said a script was still being written.
2’Edge of Tomorrow 2'
Edge of Tomorrow
If a sequel toEdge of Tomorrowdoes come out, it would be the “repeat” portion of the original film’s tagline “Live. Die. Repeat.” The sleek sci-fi thriller came out in 2014 and stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt as soldiers stuck in a time loop in a world where most of Europe is inhabited by aliens. The soldiers must battle the alien race in the future to try and reclaim Earth. The movie made $370 million at the box office and earned a 91% Rotten Tomatoes score.
A sequel has been discussed since 2015, as writer Christopher McQuarrie said that Cruise had come up with the idea for one. McQuarrie and Cruise have been busy since, making a number ofMission: Impossiblefilms as well asTop Gun: Maverick. However,following a new partnershipbetween Cruise and Warner Bros. Pictures in 2024, it seems more likely that a sequel could happen as there were discussions right away to bring a follow-up to the film for the studio.
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1’Constantine 2'
Constantine
Constantinehas amassed a huge cult following after it was released in 2005. The film stars Keanu Reeves as John Constantine, an exorcist who can see half-angels and half-demons on Earth. He has to stop evil forces from trying to bring Hell on Earth. The film costars Rachel Weisz, Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare, Shia Labeouf, and Djimon Hounsou. It made $230 million worldwide but received middling reviews from critics.
However, fans have been clamoring for a sequel since it was released. Director Francis Lawrence and Reeves have been working to try and bring the character back, butonly with the right script.For the past five years, it has been in development, with the COVID-19 pandemic and the WGA strike causing delays. This year, Lawrence and Reeves pitched a story idea to DC Studios and were approved to write the script.
