Major Movies That Need Sequels

Director Christopher Nolan continues to make some of the greatest films of the 21st century, but Inception may be his masterpiece. This mind-bending movie about a team of thieves who execute mind heists by accessing people’s dreams is a science fiction triumph that boasts a concept begging for a sequel.

The film provides a cliffhanger for its protagonist, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, and there are a host of characters played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, and Elliot Page whose stories deserve expansion in a movie sequel.

Inception takes place in a fleshed-out world of corporate espionage that is brimming with potential. Armed with the trippy concept of the dream heist, Nolan could tell stories in the world of Inception for years.

Nearly 15 years after its release, District 9 is still the greatest film by South African director Neill Blomkamp. The filmmaker has explored several intriguing science fiction and horror concepts through his features and short films, but District 9 brings about a fully realized world that makes this movie fit for a sequel.

The film tells the story of aliens stranded in the South African city of Johannesburg. They are sequestered in a refugee camp turned slum called District 9. By utilizing documentary-style segments, Blomkamp grounds his story in a convincing reality and makes blistering socio-political commentary on his home country and humanity at large.

A sequel could follow characters from the original, or find a new story to tell in the rich world of District 9. Either way, this is one movie that could easily deliver a riveting sequel laced with meaning in the modern world.

Edge of Tomorrow is a science fiction blockbuster that shocked audiences and critics on its release, earning more than $370 million and cementing itself as a cult classic. It is a movie primed for a sequel.

This time loop story follows Tom Cruise as a man who resets the day each time he dies. That day just happens to be the one on which humanity mounts a counter-assault on an invading alien species. A soldier, played by Emily Blunt, trains Cruise over the course of hundreds of repeated days to become the savior of humanity.

With smart direction from Doug Liman and a surprising screenplay co-written by Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning director Chris McQuarrie and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, Edge of Tomorrow is one of the best action films in recent memory. 

The movie has a much-deserved sequel reportedly in the works and has been for nearly a decade. As with any Tom Cruise project, the film looks to push the limits once again and expand its premise with more complex concepts.

David Fincher’s story of the origin of Facebook becomes more poignant as time goes on. Starring Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, The Social Network only scratches the surface of what social media would become.

Zuckerberg’s story has continued to unravel in the years since the release of The Social Network, and a movie chronicling his evolution since Facebook’s humble beginnings could make for a fascinating and timely sequel.

Zuckerberg has been involved in controversy, taken up martial arts, testified before congress, acquired Instagram, launched his Metaverse, and his now preparing to fight Elon Musk in a ring.

There is no shortage of Mark Zuckerberg and social media history to justify a movie sequel to The Social Network.

Of all the titles on this list, The Nice Guys may be the movie most deserving of a sequel. This 2016 neo-noir mystery comedy represents some of the finest comedic work of actors Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe, and it is a gem among gems in the filmography of writer/director Shane Black.

Set in the 1970s, The Nice Guys follows Gosling, an unsuccessful private detective, and Crowe, a lowlife enforcer, who team up to solve the mystery of a missing teenage girl. The film leads its brilliant cast on a zany plot full of laughs.

The movie ends with the pair preparing to work together in an official capacity as the Nice Guys, teeing the team up for more misadventures in a sequel.

The film struggled at the box office, but has become a cult classic. A spin-off series was reportedly in the works, and we recently broke the news that Gosling and Black are attached to return for a follow up. Hopefully the world will get this movie sequel sooner than later.

Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway were blowing up in 2008, and they struck comedy gold in Get Smart. This reboot of the 1960s spy satire saw its star-studded cast shine as agents of Control, a spy organization dedicated to maintaining order in a world of terrorists and super criminals.

Though the movie saw mixed reception from critics, it was a box office success with enough crowd pleasing moments and performances to warrant a sequel. The success of the film’s stars turned out to be the sequel’s downfall, as Carell and Hathaway took on busy slates that eventually left Get Smart 2 in the dust.

Director Peter Segal said the time for a Get Smart sequel has passed, but a reboot or spin-off could be more likely. But anything is possible, and this is one movie worthy of beating the odds to get a sequel.

Based on the book series by author Patrick O’Brian, Master and Commander is a movie begging for a sequel. It follows Russell Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey, a British naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He and his crew are tasked with chasing down a French vessel far more powerful than their own.

The swashbuckling film was a passion project of Tom Rothman, who is now the CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. Directed by Peter Weir, the film earned 10 Oscar nominations, winning two.

The adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey are made to continue – there are 20 novels about his career. This captivating, charismatic character deserves another movie, and though a sequel is not known to be in development, a prequel is reportedly in the works at 20th Century Studios.

Quentin Tarantino doesn’t do sequels. The only time he has come close was with Kill Bill: Vol. 2, but as he sees it, the Kill Bill films are one piece that the studio split in two. Even so, a third volume in the blood-splattered story of the Bride is something fans have been chomping at the bit for years.

Inspired by classic martial arts films, Kill Bill is a movie about vengeance that has the opportunity to bleed through generations – talks of Uma Thurman’s daughter, Stranger Things star Maya Hawke, appearing in a sequel have circled the internet for some time.

Quentin Tarantino has downplayed the idea of Kill Bill: Vol. 3; he is preparing to retire from filmmaking after his next film, The Movie Critic.

But Tarantino is an artist, and he will likely never stop telling stories. Even if it isn’t a movie, there is always a chance a Kill Bill sequel could manifest in some other form.