10 Times Movies Teased A Sequel That Never Happened

For one reason or another, there are a lot of movies sitting in the development graveyard of Hollywood, having been set up in another movie, but ultimately never making it to the screen. It’s popular for a movie to be made with plans for a sequel or franchise early on. Whether the story is adapted from a series of books, or just introduces a world that can’t be adequately explored over the course of one movie, lots of filmmakers make a movie with sequels in mind.

However, when the creators and the studio go so far as to include things that directly point to a sequel, from a cliffhanger to a “to be continued,” it puts pressure on the creatives to make the sequel. Often, this can be a good thing and get sequels made sooner, but for the movies that end up dropping off, it just leaves the story hanging midair with no real resolution. Lots of movies strongly hinted at a sequel but never got as far as actually making one.

10
Eragon

Ending Directly Points To Sequel

Eragon is a film based on the series of books by Christopher Paolini, which received a film adaptation in 2006. While the film spends the best part of two hours introducing the titular hero and developing a relationship between him and his dragon Saphira, just as the action is about to kick off, they prepare to battle the evil king Galbatorix, who reveals he has a dragon of his own, and the screen cuts to black. Had the story continued in a sequel, this would not have been a huge issue, but it left the story incomplete.

9
Flash Gordon

Ming’s Revenge

Flash Gordon was a wild and wacky sci-fi action film from 1980, but it went on to achieve cult status. With a footballer being transported to an alien world where he helps the resistance fight against their corrupt king, the story is non-stop action, but the movie ends with the heroes trying to find a way home, and the powerful ring of Ming being picked up by a mysterious cackling stranger. This is a pretty overt reference to a sequel being planned, but nothing ever materialized and the fate of Flash and his friends remains unknown.

8
Freddy Vs. Jason

Who Actually Won?

Freddy vs. Jason was an epic horror crossover movie with two icons of horror caught in the middle of a heated battle for the ages. As the nightmarish monsters struggled to overpower each other, the movie ended with Jason seemingly having won, holding Freddy’s head as a trophy, but when Freddy winks and laughs, it’s unclear who actually came out on top. And despite plans for a sequel which would also include the Evil Dead franchise, the story only ever appeared in comics and no movie ever came out to see the epic showdown continue.

7
Green Lantern

A False Start For The DCEU

When Ryan Reynolds appeared in the $200 million Green Lantern project in 2011, it was meant to be the beginning of their DCEU. However, due to lower-than-expected box office performance, and negative reviews, the story was sidelined and Man of Steel was chosen to be the new starting point for the franchise. However, that did leave some loose ends for Hal Jordan and the story that was introduced in 2011. Most notably, the film featured a mid-credits scene with Sinestro finding and adorning himself with a yellow power ring, which then turns his suit yellow just like his comic counterpart.

6
The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Another Failed Trilogy

Spider-Man may have been the most popular Marvel character of all time, but when Sony tried to create a live-action trilogy around the character, both attempts had significant shortcomings. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 was crammed with villains and felt less fluid than the first two entries, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 killed the franchise despite some incredibly emotional moments. The series promised a much darker Spider-Man story, and things appeared to be going well, but Sony instead moved to work in partnership with Marvel Studios to create something new, and left The Amazing Spider-Man and his future stuck.

5
Godzilla

What Happened To All The Eggs?

In 1998, one of the first-ever versions of Godzilla created and produced in the English language was released and earned $376 million at the global box office (via The Numbers). Despite this placing the film in the top 10 for highest earners that year (via Box Office Mojo), it was considered a financial failure, and all plans for future projects tied to the film were scrapped. However, this meant that the cliffhanger ending where one of the eggs actually hatches was never further explored or resolved.

4
28 Days Later

28 Years Later

Danny Boyle, Cillian Murphy, and Alex Garland have all long been in talks about a potential sequel to the original 28 Days Later, and the standalone sequel 28 Weeks Later. The original film came out in 2002 and the sequel has taken decades to even be confirmed, but it does appear that Cillian Murphy and the gang will be back in 28 Years Later. The first movie left the fate of Jim (Murphy) and his traveling companions open, with all three surviving, but no clear idea that they would continue to be safe.

3
The Goonies

Getting The Gang Back Together

The talents of the cast and crew behind The Goonies cannot be overstated, with many of the main characters involved going on to much greater heights of fame since the movie was released in 1985. With that, Richard Donner, Chris Columbus, and Steven Spielberg had many talks about ideas for a sequel over the decades right up until Donner’s death, but nothing ever materialized. Over the decades, the cast and crew repeatedly gave contradicting reports of plans for a sequel, but ultimately, with Donner having passed, it appears the story will never go beyond 1985.

2
Hulk

The Hulk On The Run

In 2003, Ang Lee released Hulk in collaboration with Universal Studios, starring Eric Bana as the titular hero and his alter ego, Bruce Banner. The film turned a solid profit at the box office, and plans were in motion for a sequel, but after the due date to start filming came and went with no update, the rights for the character returned to Marvel. Ultimately, Bana’s portrayal was excellent, and the movie ended with a cliffhanger that could have taken his story to incredible new places, but the story was laid to rest to make way for the MCU instead.

1
District 9

Wikus’ Transformation Complete

District 9 was a viral success when it was released in 2009. The movie was an incredibly innovative sci-fi story framed as a documentary, where a South African government employee becomes infected with an alien virus. Throughout the film, Wikus appears to deteriorate and mutate to slowly take on the form of the aliens that have settled on Earth and been relegated to slums to live apart from humans. The sequel has long been teased, but nothing has yet to materialize, leaving Wikus’ fate hanging in the balance with his transformation fully complete.