In a world where new ideas are few and far between, the questions rises why some productions remain in isolation

In an era dominated by sequels, trilogies, franchises, reboots and prequels, getting an original idea greenlit is next to impossible. Today, product recognition is everything. If audiences can’t instantly connect to your film’s brand, studios simply won’t bite. The film industry is all about nostalgia pandering, and has been for quite some time, rummaging through everything just to come up with something, anything that a focus group can go ‘Oh yeah, I remember that!’.

Case in point: on Thursday, the legendary Mel Brooks – at 98 years young – announced a sequel to his beloved 1987 Star Wars parody, Spaceballs, set for release in 2027. Fans were thrilled. They’ve been hoping for a sequel for years. But let’s not kid ourselves: this is happening because of nostalgia, not risk-taking.

So today, let’s highlight some films that should have had a sequel by now. These are the rare gems that, shockingly, Hollywood hasn’t revisited—at least not yet.

Serenity

Ah, the one that got away. Firefly was a 2001 space western packed with heart, action and lots and lots of quipping, before quipping became the annoying default. It told the story of a ragtag group of smugglers who, after being on the losing side of a galactic civil war, roamed the universe in search of adventure. Created by Joss Whedon, who later introduced quipping and one-liners to the mainstream by writing the script for The Avengers, Firefly had everything going for it to become a mega-hit franchise. Everything, except timing.

The series premiered after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and Americans weren’t looking for light-hearted sci-fi but something dark, vengeful and gritty. Torture drama 24 Hours took off, and Firefly flopped. Before it did though, Wheddon wrapped up the series with a film called Serenity, named after the spaceship the gang used. The film was a flop, barely making back its budget, but created such a strong and loyal fanbase that even after more than 20 years the actors are still asked about it. Fans would die for a sequel and would show up this time to support their heroes. Sadly though, this will probably never happen. The actors have aged out of their roles and Wheddon has dropped out of the public eye due to numerous allegations of creating a toxic work environment.

District 9

District 9 dropped in 2009 and was a massive sleeper hit. Banking over 200 million at the box office on a 30 million budget, it told the story of an alien refugee spaceship that landed in Johannesburg. The government quarantined the aliens and 20 years later plans to forcibly relocate them. South African director Neil Blomkamp touched upon social issues such as racism and xenophobia in a manner that resonated with both audiences and critics.

District 9 was critically acclaimed and along with its financial success, one would expect a franchise builder. Almost 20 years later, we are still waiting. While the director has stated many times that a sequel was in the works, nothing ever came to fruition. But in 2023 we learned plans for a sequel had been shelved indefinitely.

Master and Commander: Far Side of the World

After the massive success of Harry Potter, studios are always looking for book series to adapt and take advantage of the existing fan base and the fact that the lore is already established.

Master and Commander is part naval adventure set during the Napoleonic Wars and part bromance between the ship’s captain Jack Aubrey and its surgeon Stephen Maturin. It is based on the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian, a 20-book series chronicling the adventure and friendship between the two men.

Russel Crowe and Paul Bettany played the two characters in a bold film adaptation back in 2003. The film was critically acclaimed, loved by fans, and had rave reviews but was only moderately successful, making 210 million on a 150 million budget. While there was room to manoeuvre, the high price tag made it difficult to launch a franchise. Future sequels were scrapped and every party got on with their lives.

Over 20 years later though, Master and Commander still holds and the source material is just sitting there. Fans have been clamouring for a sequel or a reboot for years but everything falls on deaf ears. Maybe with the rise of quality TV, a show spanning several seasons could be the answer but so far everything is quiet.