The credits roll, you’ve eaten all the popcorn and your fingers are covered in butter and salt, but still, you’re sitting in your seat, hoping for a post-credits scene, a sneak peek at what happens next. You are thinking “that can’t be how it ends?! there has to be more! right?”
Sometimes we can’t help but become attached to our favorite film’s characters, invested in their stories – isn’t that the mark of a good movie after all? Well, wonder no longer what happened after the cameras stopped recording, because Hollywood has heard your pleas and is delivering every sequel we’ve been wanting, and even a few we didn’t even know we needed.
1. Top Gun: Maverick
More than 30 years after the first installment, Paramount Pictures is bringing us back aboard the USS Enterprise for more of the high flying fun that made Top Gun such a sensation in 1986. It’s actually a wonder it’s taken this long for the studios to start on a sequel.
Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer are ready to put on those aviators and give us more Maverick and Iceman action. Joining them is Miles Teller as Maverick’s son, along with Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, and Glen Powell. So, who else can’t wait to see Tom Cruise and Jon Hamm try and out-smirk each other onscreen dressed as aviators?
2. Indiana Jones 5
Good thing those rumblings of a reboot were just rumors, because there’s only one man that can take on Indiana Jones, and it’s Harrison Ford. Ready to grab his Fedora and whip for another adventure, Ford has been pretty vocal about his love for everyone’s favorite archaeologist.
While plot details remain elusive, one thing we do know, with Harrison Ford reprising the role, and in his late 70s, audiences will be experiencing an older Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones Jr. Ford thinks it’ll be a fresh way to approach it, saying “It’s interesting to see it in a different light.” Maybe Indy will have gotten over his fear of snakes by now.
3. Space Jam 2
Since its initial release in 1996 Space Jam has gone from film to absolute media franchise gold. Making more than $6 billion from the movie, graphic novel, pinball game, video games, toys, well you get the point, the merchandising opportunities are endless, so a sequel should be a slam dunk.
Mashing up live-action with everyone’s favorite Looney Tunes, Space Jam has long been beloved by both kids and adults alike, so it makes sense to bring it back for a new generation to enjoy. As Michael Jordan was for the first film, Warner Bros. has tapped LeBron James to take the ‘toons across the court to box-office success.
4. Maleficent 2
All of the animated Disney classics we’ve all been enjoying since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released way back in 1937 have been getting a live-action makeover, and audiences everywhere are absolutely enchanted. In a fun twist, Maleficent was a villainess origin story, inspired by Sleeping Beauty and it was wicked good fun.
Angelina Jolie made Maleficent a little less evil, and a whole lot more relatable (for a horned fairy who lives in an enchanted forest), and now she’s back to bring us more magic. Set to take place a few years after the first film, Maleficent 2 is slated to be released on May 29, 2020.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean 6
No one can say there’s been a shortage of Pirate of the Caribbean sequels, with Jack Sparrow taking to the seas four more times since he first plunged into piracy in 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl. Still, this sequel is exciting for a very specific reason.
It’s been announced that the next installment in the series won’t have the swashbuckling Jack Sparrow. That’s right, Johnny Depp is out, as the franchise is going to be helmed by a female pirate. The script is being worked on as you read this, so keep your eyes seaward and you’ll soon see a new pirate captain.
6. Gladiator 2
After scoring big at the box office, and even winning five Academy Awards, Gladiator was easily an enormous success, so why has it taken so long to see a sequel? Roughly 20 years since Gladiator brought us back to ancient Rome, Gladiator 2 is heading into the arena.
No casting news has been announced as of yet, but original director Ridley Scott, together with screenwriter Peter Craig, knows what the script will look like. Gladiator 2 is set to focus on a new character named Lucius, the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s character Commodus, who was killed by Russell Crowe’s Maximus in the first film.
7. Men In Black International
Suit up and grab your sunglasses, because the Men in Black are back! The franchise has been a fan favorite since it was first released in 1997, and with the second and third installments seeing serious box office success, it makes total sense that the studios would be interested in another sequel.
The latest outing into the world of aliens living among us is bringing some fresh faces into the fold, in the form of Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth as Agent M and Agent H respectively. Get ready to get back in black when Men In Black International comes out on June 14, 2019.
8. Bill & Ted Face the Music
The most loveable metalhead slackers to ever have their own movie, Bill and Ted are ready to follow through on the previous films’ prediction that they’d one day save the world. Almost 30 years after their bogus adventure Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are ready to see if those slackers can create the ultimate song.
Despite a whole slew of false starts and shadows of doubt, Alex Winter confirmed via Twitter that Bill & Ted Face the Music is in pre-production, set to film late in 2019. Yeah, dude! The original writers from the first two scripts are back too – the band is back together, and it’s about time.
9. McClane
He saved the Nakatomi Corporation, Washington Dulles International Airport, New York City, the FBI, and even Eastern Europe, and still, we haven’t had enough of John McClane. The Die Hard films make up one of the most successful, and influential action franchises, and another installment is always welcome.
McClane will see Bruce Willis back in his white tank top and ready to save the world yet again. And this time we’re getting the added bonus of a prequel within the sequel, with the script set to flashback to a young John McClane. Another Die Hard and an origin story? Yippee-ki-yay!
10. Beetlejuice 2
Master of kid-friendly macabre movies, Tim Burton is on board to bring Beetlejuice 2 to the big screen – finally! A box-office success when it was released in 1987, Beetlejuice even won an Academy Award for special effects, so more than thirty years later, what’s up with that long whispered sequel?
It’s been more than 30 years since Michael Keaton first brought that bawdy humor as the titular Beetlejuice, and fans have been clamoring for that infamous black and white striped suit to make another appearance on our screens ever since. No release date has been set yet, but Beetlejuice 2 is definitely in the works.
11. Doctor Sleep
Even horror movie averse audiences can agree that The Shining is an important piece of cinematic history – it’s a part of the US National Film Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” after all! Stephen King wrote a sequel, “Doctor Sleep,” in 2013, and now it’s getting made into a movie.
While it’s hard to imagine any moment topping Jack Nicholson’s maniacal smile, Doctor Sleep will feature Ewan McGregor as an adult Danny Torrance. The film will focus on Danny’s psychic gift, otherwise known as “the shining” and his similarities to his father. The film is in post-production, eyeing a November 8, 2019 release date. Here’s Danny!
12. X-Men: Dark Phoenix
There are so many X-Men movies at this point, it can be hard to keep track of them all, but that’s only because they’re so well-received (well, except for X-Men: Days of Future Past). Seems as though moviegoers are always ready for more mutant mayhem, and Marvel is all about giving the people what they want.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix stars Sophie Turner in the lead role of Jean Grey. Grey gets hit by a solar flare, thereby unleashing the Dark Phoenix. Also ready for more X-Men madness are returning cast members James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence. Dark Phoenix will light up movie screens starting on June 7, 2019.
13. Coming to America 2
It’s been more than 30 years since African Prince Akeem came to America in the hit comedy Coming to America, and at long last he’s ready for another trip to the good ole’ US of A. Eddie Murphy will be reprising his role, and probably many other roles within the film, as he’s been known to do.
After Prince Akeem finds out that he has a long lost son living in America, he comes back, to meet the surprise heir of Zamunda. Filming is set to start this year. With most of the original cast on board to come back for Coming to America 2, it will hopefully grace the big-screen in 2020.
14. Sherlock Holmes 3
The game is afoot! After everyone’s favorite eccentric detective Sherlock Holmes successfully saved London not just once, but twice, and to unequivocal box-office buzz, a third film in the franchise seemed like a certainty. Sure, Sherlock Holmes is the most-portrayed literary character, ever, but there’s something special about Guy Ritchie’s iteration.
Still, with Ritchie and his two stars, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law’s busy schedules, the mystery of when a third film would be made has long gone unsolved. Until now! Everyone’s back on board and eyeing a December 25, 2020 release date. The only question now is, will Rachel McAdam’s Irene Adler be back to stir up trouble?
15. 23 Jump Street
Everyone loves a buddy cop comedy, and everyone loves an odd couple, so partnering up Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as undercover cops were always going to be a recipe for sweet sweet big-screen box-office success. A critical and commercial hit, 21 Jump Street easily earned a sequel.
We were gifted 22 Jump Street two years later in 2014, and since then an as yet unrealized female spin-off has been rumored to be in the works, but still, no more Jump Street films have appeared in theaters. Thankfully, the film’s writers/producers have confirmed that another entry in the franchise is actively in development. Jenko and Schmidt will ride again!
16. Austin Powers 4
Coming out in quick succession, the outrageous 60s spy starred in three films from 1997-2002, but what happened to Austin Powers 4? Apparently in development since 2005, another entry in the comedic spy-spoof series is finally looking like more than a possibility.
Mike Myers will, of course, be back as the international man of mystery himself, Austin Powers, and as his own nemesis, Doctor Evil. According to Myers, Austin Powers, 4 would take on a slightly different format, and focus on Doctor Evil’s perspective instead. The script is still in the works, but Myers is sure audiences will be seeing a fourth film soon. Groovy baby!
17. Zombieland: Double Tap
They survived the zombie apocalypse in hilarious fashion back in the 2009 comedy film Zombieland, and now Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, and Abigail Breslin are ready to show us how to beat a bunch of undead brain-eaters in a sequel, Zombieland: Double Tap.
The makeshift family of four will be meeting with more zombies and a few fellow apocalypse survivors played by Rosario Dawson, Thomas Middleditch and Zoey Deutch. Once production on Zombieland: Double Tap began, it was a pretty fast turnaround, and so we’ll be seeing these zombie slayers on our screens as soon as October 11, 2019.
18. Triplets
Two icons of the 80s teamed up as twins separated at birth in the 1988 comedy film Twins, and in a long-overdue follow-up Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito are getting another brother – that’s right, turns out the terrific twosome are actually two-thirds of a set of triplets!
If you’re finding yourself wondering who they could possibly cast to compete with living legends Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, worry no more because the third brother will be played by none other than comedy icon Eddie Murphy. The script is completed, and the stage is set for the silliest of sequels, Triplets, to start filming.
19.Bad Boys for Life
Miami has never been safer, thanks to Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, the bad boys of narcotics detectives. Bad Boys, released in 1995 was an action-comedy coup for everyone involved, and so a sequel was as sure as the Miami sunshine.
Bad Boys II came out eight years later, and saw the detectives back at it, working the streets and wisecracking along the way. This latest outing is expected to be ready for release by 2020. As they say, “We ride together, we die together, Bad Boys for life” and indeed, we’re ready to see this thing through, Bad Boys for life!
20. Jumanji 2
Do you hear those drum beats in the distance? You know what that means, it’s time to go back to the jungle with Jumanji 2. It seems as though everything Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson touches turns to gold, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was no exception, becoming one of the top 50 highest-grossing films of all time.
All the major players from the 2017 film are back to traipse through the jungle in this sequel, with the addition of a few new faces, such as Danny Glover, Danny DeVito, and Awkwafina. Jumanji 2 is scheduled to swing into theaters as soon as December 13, 2019.
21. Murder on the Orient Express 2: Death on the Nile
Is there any crime private detective Hercule Poirot can’t solve? He brilliantly deduced the killer aboard the Orient Express, and now he’s back to investigate a murder most foul. Pretty lucky he’s always around when there’s a criminal on the loose.
Kenneth Branagh will reprise his role as the famed detective, and in the director’s chair as well, using the Agatha Christie novel “Death on the Nile” as source material for the script. Floating out along the Nile River with him will be Armie Hammer and Gal Gadot. The sequel will start filming in the spring of 2019 and is scheduled for release sometime in 2020.
22. Night of the Living Dead Part II
Seven unlucky souls, trapped in a farmhouse in nowheresville Pennsylvania are scared witless by the “living dead” in 1968’s Night of the Living Dead. While there have been a number of sequels and even two remakes, none of them were the official sequel, as written back in 1970. Until now, that is.
Largely regarded as a cult classic, and selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry, Night of the Living Dead is getting the sequel it’s long deserved. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the horror movie sequel of our nightmares is scheduled to be released sometime in 2019.
23. Godzilla vs. Kong
Godzilla, an ancient super-species resembling a giant lizard, was rebooted to terrorize the public in 2014 and was a monster-sized success. A sequel, Godzilla: King of the Monsters slated for release on May 31, 2019, but what monsters is Godzilla king off?
Part of the same “Monsterverse” is King Kong, an enormous gorilla-like creature, who came back to wreak havoc in a reboot of its own in Kong: Skull Island in 2017 to positive reviews and massive box-office success. Now, the two are scheduled to do battle in Godzilla vs. Kong, scheduled for release on May 22, 2020. It’s a match-up not to miss.
24. Avatar 2 (3, 4 & 5)
When it was first released in 2009, Avatar became the highest opening weekend for any film, ever. It went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time, worldwide, within a quick month and a half, and as creator James Cameron stated before its release, should Avatar be a success, there would be sequels.
Cameron’s vision for his sci-fi epic is epically technically complex and has been waiting for new technology to develop in order to, for the first time ever, film performance capture scenes underwater. Since then, Avatar 2–5 have all been filmed at the same time, so they’re set to be released in a steady stream between 2020-2025.
25. Gremlins 3
Shocking everyone, the original Gremlins was a critical and financial success, so it makes sense that the studios would seek a repeat performance when they put out Gremlins 2 and while reviews were mixed, the box-office results weren’t great. But that was back in 1990, and since then, Gremlins has taken on a new life.
Someone must have fed the Gremlins fan base after midnight because they’re hungry for more. Since the first two releases in the franchise, the films have taken on a cult following, and everyone’s feverishly waiting for more comedy-horror hijinks. The script is all set, so production should start soon.
26. Salt 2
After a bit of a hiatus, it’s been confirmed that Angelina Jolie will bring back the adventures of CIA agent, Evelyn Salt. A new screenwriter was hired, as a sequel didn’t interest Philip Noyce, the director of the first film.
Sony commissioned writer Kurt Wimmer to move ahead with Salt 2’s screenplay, and it looks like it’s going to morph into a Bourne-style franchise, which is super good news for all the fans out there. While Jolie hasn’t confirmed her return for the role, she’s definitely shown enough interest to convince Sony to get everything in place for the script. If all goes smoothly, the film should be released in 2020.
27. Rush Hour 4
Since the release of Rush Hour 3, there’s been talks and speculations about a fourth sequel, but it never felt like a sure thing. Luckily, that changed in October 2017 when Jackie Chan announced that he agreed to the script of the movie, and soon after his co-star, Chris Tucker gave his approval too.
Since early 2019, Tucker has been teasing fans about what’s to come, and on April 7, he shared a photo of him and Chan each holding up four fingers. There is no exact release date, but it looks like Rush Hour 4 will be out in August 2020.
28. Legally Blonde 3
It’s been almost two decades since Elle Woods first graced the legal world in 2001, and then she made a quick return in Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde in 2003, but since then we haven’t heard much for the witty and pretty in pink lawyer. Well, you can get ready to practice your ‘bend and snap’ again, because Woods is officially coming back.
In June 2019, Reese Witherspoon told fans that they have a script, but haven’t started shooting yet. She also shared that she’s having a great time working on Elle’s character and her hero journey like in the first film. You can catch Elle Woods on a new adventure on February 14, 2020.
29. Bond 25
Right, so it’s no secret that Daniel Craig is returning as James Bond for his final installment as the MI6 agent. To go out with all guns blazing, the plot will center on Bond leaving active service to help his friend Felix Leiter find a missing scientist. When they discover that he’s been abducted, Bond must overcome many dangers and obstacles like the world has never seen before.
Bond 25 was initially supposed to be released on November 8, 2018, but after director Danny Boyle’s departure, the release date was pushed back twice. Looks like it’ll be out on April 8, 2020, with Rami Malek starring as the primary antagonist. This should be fun!
30. Fast and the Furious 9
If anyone thought Fast and the Furious 7 was the end of the full-throttle pedaling and racing, then think again. Fast and the Furious 9 and 10 are in the works! The ninth installment was due for release in April of 2019, but it was pushed back a year and will be released worldwide on May 22, 2020.
Filming started in London in February 2019, and the 10th and final movie, Fast X, is set to follow soon after, but with no official published release date yet. No one knows who will be returning to play in the franchise, but it is safe to assume that Dom, Letty, and Tej will be back for more action.
31. Wonder Woman 1984
Director Patty Jenkins has insisted that Wonder Woman 1984 isn’t a sequel to the 2017 superhero movie, but it definitely ticks all the boxes of one and is the second installment in the franchise. In order to set it apart from the first movie, Jenkins has set the film in a completely different time frame with a completely different storyline.
However, sequel or not, Gal Gadot is reprising her role as Wonder Woman, or Diana Prince, while Chris Pine is returning as Steve Taylor, despite the fact that he died in the first film. This time we won’t be transported back to WWI, but rather to the not-so-distant past of 1984. So buckle up and get ready for the film to hit theaters on June 4, 2020.
32. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 3
We get to join Newt Scamander on some more of his globetrotting escapades in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The catch is that the film has yet to be named, but it seems like the Wizarding World of Harry Potter still has a lot of surprises in store for us with the planned five-movie installment series.
Producer David Heyman has divulged that each film will have its own flavor and unique touch, with JK Rowling letting slip that the movie will be set in Rio de Janeiro in the 1930s. The third movie is set to be released on November 21, 2021, while the fourth and fifth movies are yet to still receive release dates.
33. A Quiet Place 2
It’s official! A Quiet Place is coming back with a bang with a sequel on May 15, 2020. So if you weren’t sure who was lighting the first in the distance in the first movie, the sequel might just answer all our open-ended questions. Co-writer Scott Beck has confirmed that the sequel will pick up all the discarded pieces of the first film.
Director John Krasinski did admit that it won’t be the traditional sequel and didn’t make it clear whether we’ll be following the original characters or entirely new characters. All we know is that it’s going to be exciting! Emily Blunt was against the idea of a sequel until she heard Krasinsk’s idea and proceeded to say, “So you’re definitely doing that.”
34. Peter Rabbit 2
Beatrix Potter’s stories of Peter Rabbit sure make for good films, which is why director Will Gluck has decided to hop on for another round and release the second installment of the cheeky rabbit on February 7, 2020, in the United States and on March 27, 2020, in the United Kingdom.
The plot will follow Peter and his family on a trip to London. While there they must work together with their friends Bea and Thomas to stop a poacher. Filming started in 2019 in Parramatta, Australia. Sounds very fun and pastoral to us! We don’t think there’ll be a need for any blackberries!
35. District 10
District 9 took worldwide theaters by storm in 2009, so it makes perfect sense to release a sequel, right? It’s been 10 years, but District 10 is in the works with slight delays in production. While the delays made it seem otherwise, writer and director Neill Blomkamp has confirmed that it’s definitely happening.
He’s currently working on Alien 5 with Sigourney Weaver, which explains the delay, but Blomkamp has said he has a really cool idea for the plot. He also admitted that when he finished District 9, it was his producer Peter Jackson who pointed out that the ending of the film calls for a sequel. Unfortunately, there still isn’t a release date.