This 80-Year-Old Movie Is The Closest We’ll Ever Get To Casablanca 2

The iconic World War II film Casablanca never received a proper sequel, but another movie already filled that void, 80 years ago. Casablanca is often cited as one of the greatest films of all time, for good reason. Casablanca is filled with iconic quotes, and it features one of the best love stories ever put to film. Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart had a truly incredible on-screen chemistry together that made them one of the most iconic couples in the history of film. That relationship dynamic, and the story of Casablanca, was never continued, though.

There have been attempts to create a Casablanca sequel or remake in the past, but they never came to fruition. As Casablanca‘s legacy has continued to endure for the better part of a century, many viewers have hoped for some continuation of the story. However, another movie, made just two years after Casablanca, could be the perfect replacement for an official sequel. It may not be a perfect continuation, but this spiritual successor shares many similarities that work in several ways.

The Conspirators Is A Perfect Spiritual Successor To Casablanca

The movies are very similar, which helps them feel like parts of the same story

The closest thing to a sequel of Casablanca is The Conspirators, a 1944 film starring Paul Henreid and Hedy Lamarr. Both The Conspirators and Casablanca share several similarities. In both films, Henreid plays a resistance fighter during World War II who is on the run from the Nazis. They also share several actors, as Henreid played essentially the same character, Laszlo, in Casablanca, and other actors from the film, like Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, also appeared in The Conspirators. They also both take place in Nazi-occupied cities, as The Conspirators is set in Lisbon, which makes the similarities even more apparent.

While it doesn’t necessarily continue the story of Casablanca, The Conspirators gives audiences more of the best parts of the classic film, which makes it well worth consideration. Both movies feature scenes showing the characters fighting back against the Nazis, a leading pair of star-crossed lovers, and an ending that separates those lovers indefinitely. Those factors help The Conspirators serve quite nicely as the spiritual successor and sequel Casablanca never got.

The Conspirators Fixes Paul Henreid’s Biggest Complaint About Casablanca

Henreid wanted to be the star, not Bergman’s second choice

Paul Henreid wasn’t entirely sold on Casablanca, but landing the role of Vincent in The Conspirators fixed many of the problems he had with his earlier work. Henreid nearly turned down his role in Casablanca, as he objected to being a side character after having several leading roles. He thought that playing second fiddle to Bogart would relegate him to being a side character for the rest of his career. The Conspirators solved that problem by giving him the lead role in a very similar movie.

Why The Conspirators Never Matched Casablanca’s Success

It’s difficult to compete with one of the greatest movies ever made

The biggest reason The Conspirators couldn’t match Casablanca‘s popularity is simply that Casablanca is a timeless classic. Very few of the movies that have ever been made can rival Casablanca, so The Conspirators had a very difficult time measuring up to it. Casablanca had everything going for it, from Bogart and Bergman’s star-power to some truly incredible writing. The Conspirators, on the other hand, had quite a few advantages, but they just couldn’t come together as expertly as Casablanca‘s strengths did.

The Conspirators was also lacking in several areas that Casablanca excelled in. The leading actors, Lamarr and Henreid, just didn’t have as much chemistry as Bergman and Bogart did, which made The Conspirators‘ romance fall flat in comparison. It also suffered from some writing mistakes, as it had a more predictable plot and lacked an iconic ending like Casablanca provided. The Conspirators is far from a replacement for Casablanca, but it is likely the closest the movie will ever have to a sequel.