Sequels

National Treasure: The Book of Secrets

Release Date: December 21, 2007
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Screenwriter: Gregory Poirier, Cormac Wibberley, Marianne Wibberley
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Justin Bartha, Diane Kruger, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel
Genre: Action, Adventure
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Not Available
Plot Summary: Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said that the sequel involves Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth and 18 pages which are actually missing from Booth's library.

Alien vs. Predator: Survival of the Fittest
Release Date: December 25, 2007
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Greg Strause, Colin Strause
Screenwriter: Shane Salerno
Starring: Reiko Aylesworth, Steven Pasquale, John Ortiz, Shareeka Epps, Johnny Lewis, Sam Trammell, David Paetkau
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: R
Official Website: AVP-movie.com
Plot Summary: In this follow-up to the worldwide hit "Alien vs. Predator," the iconic monsters from two of the scariest film franchises ever, wage their most brutal battle yet in an unsuspecting Colorado town.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Release Date: May 22, 2008
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: David Koepp, Jeff Nathanson
Starring: Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent
Genre: Action, Adventure
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: IndianaJones.com
Plot Summary: Steven Spielberg says that the film will feature all of Jones' former babes in various cameo roles. Karen Allen is expected to be back for one soundbite, and other Indy girls who had smaller roles will be coming back. It is still up in the air whether or not Kate Capshaw, Spielberg's wife, will make an appearance. Sean Connery as Indy's father will be back for a few scenes, and the film is set in the early '50s.

Bond 22

Release Date: November 7, 2008
Studio: Columbia Pictures (Sony), MGM
Director: Marc Forster
Screenwriter: Neal Purvis, Paul Haggis, Robert Wade
Starring: Daniel Craig, Giancarlo Giannini
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: JamesBond.com
Plot Summary: The 22nd James Bond adventure will be released by Columbia Pictures on November 7, 2008 with Daniel Craig reprising the role of the legendary British secret agent.

Star Trek XI

Release Date: December 25, 2008
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: J.J. Abrams
Screenwriter: Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
Starring: Anton Yelchin, Leonard Nimoy, Zachary Quinto
Genre: Sci-Fi
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: StarTrek.com
Plot Summary: "Lost" creators-writers-producers J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk are bringing an 11th installment of the popular "Star Trek" franchise to the big screen. Burk, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will executive produce.

Harold & Kumar 2

Release Date: TBA 2008
Studio: New Line Cinema
Director: Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz
Screenwriter: Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz
Starring: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris, Paula Garces, Rob Corddry
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: HaroldandKumar.com
Plot Summary: Follows the cross-country adventures of the pot-smoking duo as they try to outrun authorities who suspect them of being terrorists when they try to sneak a bong on board their flight to Amsterdam.

Fletch Won

Release Date: TBA 2008
Cast: Zach Braff (in talks) (I.M. Fletcher); other cast not announced yet.
Director: Bill Lawrence (feature film debut of the creator of the 'Scrubs' TV show)
Based Upon: This will be the third film based upon a book in Gregory McDonald's Fletch series, following the Chevy Chase films, Fletch and Fletch Lives. Note that this will actually be a prequel to those films; and as such will feature a new actor as Fletch.
Premise: This is the tale of how Irwin "Fletch" Fletcher got the newspaper journalist job for which he would someday become famous as a sleuth with a knack for disguise. Focusing on one of his first cases, this is the story of how Fletch is taken off a case when his subject ends up dead. Fletch continues his investigation regardless, which puts him in conflict with just about everyone, including the police, his boss, other reporters, etc. Along the way, he also hones the art of disguise that will later become his trademark...

The Pink Panther 2

Release Date: February 13, 2009
Studio: Columbia Pictures, MGM
Director: Harald Zwart
Screenwriter: Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel
Starring: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, John Cleese, Alfred Molina, Aishwarya Rai
Genre: Comedy
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Not Available
Plot Summary: Steve Martin will reprise his role as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau in the modern-day farce. John Cleese will play chief inspector Dreyfus in the film. Garcia, Molina and Rai have signed on as detectives and experts who join forces with Clouseau to catch the thief who has been stealing artifacts around the world.

The Fast and the Furious 4

Release Date: June 5, 2009
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Justin Lin
Screenwriter: Chris Morgan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker
Genre: Action
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Not Available
Plot Summary: Diesel and Walker starred together in the first film, which earned more than $144 million in 2001. Only Walker returned for the sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious," and sat out the third installment, 2005's "Tokyo Drift." That movie had relative newcomer Lucas Black in the driver's seat but did feature Diesel in a cameo at the end of the movie.

Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins

Release Date: Summer 2009
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Not Available
Screenwriter: John Brancato, Michael Ferris
Starring: Not Available
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Not Available
Plot Summary: "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins" will reinvent the cyborg saga with a storyline to be told over a three-movie span. The film is set in the future, in a full-scale war between Skynet and humankind.

White Noise: The Light
Release Date: TBA
Studio: Rogue Pictures
Director: Patrick Lussier
Screenwriter: Matt Venne
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Katee Sackhoff
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence and terror, some disturbing images, thematic material and language)
Official Website: Not Available
Plot Summary: "White Noise: The Light" takes EVP, the phenomena that captivated audiences in the original movie, to the next level with Near Death Experience (NDE): eight out of ten people who have had an NDE report seeing the white light. As Abe Dale (Nathan Fillion) will discover, once you have seen the white light, there is no turning back...

The Lost Boys 2: The Tribe

Release Date: TBA
Studio: Warner Bros.
Director: P.J. Pesce
Screenwriter: Hans Rodionoff
Starring: Tad Hilgenbrink, Autumn Reeser, Angus Sutherland, Corey Feldman, Corey Haim, Jamison New Lander
Genre: Horror
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Not Available
Review: Not Available
Plot Summary: Story is set in a surf town where vampires run rampant.

The Thomas Crown Affair 2

Release Date: TBA
Studio: MGM
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Screenwriter: Not Available
Starring: Pierce Brosnan
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
MPAA Rating: Not Available
Official Website: Not Available
Plot Summary: Pierce Brosnan will reprise his role as the world's most debonair thief and corporate raider in the sequel. Rene Russo will not return as Crown's love interest. Instead, the follow-up to the 1999 film, which was a remake of a 1968 Steve McQueen-Faye Dunaway starrer, will feature a character named Nadia Badri as the new female lead. That role is uncast. The latest installment is set in Europe and the Middle East and centers on Crown, who becomes entangled in a centuries-old feud and must decide how much he's truly willing to risk for love.

Gladiator 2
Release Date: Unknown
Cast: None announced yet.
Based Upon: This film will be a continuation of the themes and characters of 2000's Gladiator, which went on to win five Academy Awards, and which ended its U.S. theatrical run with a $188 million gross, after a $34.8 opening weekend, starting on May 5th, 2000. There is currently no firm word about whether it will be a prequel, a sequel, or possibly... both (like The Godfather Part II).
(9/28/03) In a recent interview with Latino Review, Ridley Scott confirmed that this film is a sequel, not a prequel.
Premise: There is currently no firm word about what direction this next film might take, except that it will *not* focus so much on gladiators this time around, and will instead tell a story about the fascinating world of Roman politics, senators, generals and praetorian guards. That, and it will flip ahead to the next generation in Rome's history, focusing on Lucius, Lucilla's son from the first movie, who is now a grown man and a Roman politician.

The X-Files 2
Release Date: Unknown
Cast: David Duchovny (Agent Fox Mulder), Gillian Anderson (Agent Dana Scully); other cast not announced yet. It's quite possible that some of the TV show's other cast will also make some sort of appearance.
Based Upon: This will be the second movie based upon the popular Fox show, The X-Files, that debuted in 1993, and will be entering its eighth season in 2000-2001. The first movie was released in 1998, and grossed $83.8 million (USA) for a total of over $180 million worldwide. (1/8/01) The TV show may yet have a 9th season, 2001-2002. (1/27/02) Yep, and it's also the last... the series ends this May.
Premise: Not much is currently known about the possible plot of this one. Like much about the show, there are rumors... but not much that's confirmed. Since there will be some time between the finale and the movie, we'll probably get a better idea of what the movie might be once the series is over. That's when you can expect Chris Carter and others to start thinking, planning, and talking about this next film... (11/7/01) Variety reports that the film will indeed focus on Mulder and Scully, even though Mulder (Duchovny) is no longer on the TV show. Also expect it to be a "stand alone" plot not tied in with the show's complex conspiracy theories (like the first film was).

Men in Black III
Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when filming eventually gets started.
Starring: Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones
Based Upon: This will be, of course, the third film in the Men in Black series that was originally based upon the short-lived (and obscure at the time) 1990s Marvel comic book series, "Men in Black."
Premise: Apparently, there is a story idea, which was pitched to Barry Sonnenfeld by Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, but what exactly that idea entails hasn't been hinted at yet.

Lethal Weapon 5

Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when (if) filming actually does get started.

Cast: None announced yet.

Based Upon: This will be the fifth in the series that started with Lethal Weapon in 1987, followed by sequels in 1989, 1992, and 1998. Each movie in this definitive "buddy cop" series is another adventure of the team of Los Angeles police detectives Riggs and Murtagh.
Preview Thoughts: Give a project like this two years to simmer, and sure enough, it gets life again. Richard Donner, as quoted by the "Calgary Sun" (and via ComingSoon.net) is now saying that he has been talking to Mel Gibson about doing one more movie, to "put the franchise to bed properly." I'm betting that producer Joel Silver's attitude about this project might have changed as well, now that those two overhyped "Matrix" sequels are done and out, with The Matrix Revolutions particularly plummetting down the box office charts like a rock and both sequels receiving (at best) mixed reviews from both fans and critics alike. There's nothing like your next big hope disappointing you to make you remember the good old days and those old reliable projects that keep churning out box office dollars.
Premise: There are currently no known details about this next film in the series.
Possible Premises: However, one thing that was firmly established in LW4 is that Lee Butters (Chris Rock) is likely to return. Another likelihood is that either Riggs or Murtaugh (most likely; especially considering Glover's expressed interest in not coming back) will retire in the next film, which might mean Butters would then team up with whichever older detective is still on the force. Another possibility is that both Riggs and Murtaugh could settle into retirement (or desk jobs), and the series would bring in another partner for Butters, though I would guess that option is probably more likely for LW6. Even if that last scenario did happen, I think it's likely that Riggs and Murtaugh would still be around for the fun, perhaps to come in at the end, say they're really getting too old for this, etc.

Godzilla 2

Release Date: Unknown; there's currently no production date, hence no release date

Cast: None officially announced.
Possible Returning Cast: Matthew Broderick (Nick Tatopoulos), Hank Azaria (Animal), Jean Reno (Philippe Roche), Maria Pitillo (Audrey) (These actors had sequel agreements in their contracts for the first film)

Based Upon: If it is produced, this would be the sequel to the 1998 monster movie, Godzilla, which depicted the roamings of an all-CGI giant iguana. Please note the differences between these CGI-lizard movies by Sony, the guy-in-a-rubber-suit movies by Toho, like Godzilla 2000. When this sequel was still at Centropolis, they were thinking of having a trilogy, but that plan may now be out the window. (11/5/00) The next Toho project is Godzilla Vs Megaguiras.
Premise: There is no confirmed premise for this sequel.
Premise Rumors: The two most likely possibilities are that it would either feature the "babies" from the first film in some sort of Godzillas plot (multiple lizards), or that it would feature a more traditional Godzilla motif, something like Godzilla Vs. Anothermonsterilla. There have been some fan rumors about Mothra, Ghidrah, etc., but some of those may be held back by Tojo from being used by Sony's sequels (rights, etc). Another rumored possibility would basically combine those two ideas and be like a remake of Destroy All Monsters, where many monsters would duke it out big time. These are all just rumors though, until Sony announces what they plan to do.

True Lies 2

Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when filming actually does get started

Cast: None officially announced yet.

Based Upon: This is the sequel to the 1994's True Lies, the story of a spy who hides his real job from his wife.
Premise: Officially, no details about this film's plot have been announced yet. However...
Rumored Premise: Back in August of 1999, Harry Knowles of AICN posted what he says is the premise of this film, based on a look at the treatment. If Knowles is correct, the story would deal with marital problems (surprise) between Harry and Helen that arise when the two spies (she signed on after the first film) are split by the suspicion that one of them might be... a double agent. Anyway, there's also the usual plan by the bad guys to take over the world with chemical weapons, etc.

Scooby-Doo 3

Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when/if filming eventually gets started

Cast: Matthew Lillard (in talks) (Norville "Shaggy" Rogers), Neil Fanning (in talks) (voice of Scooby-Doo), Linda Cardellini (in talks) (Velma Dinkley), Sarah Michelle Gellar (in talks) (Daphne Blake), Freddie Prinze Jr. (in talks) (Fred); other cast not announced yet.

Based Upon: (6/29/03) This movie will be the third in a series of live-action (with a CGI Scooby-Doo) movies based upon the 1970s Hanna-Barbera/ABC Saturday morning cartoon show, "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" (and its spinoffs). The first Scooby-Doo was released in June, 2002 and grossed $153.3 million in the U.S. on a budget of $84 million. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is scheduled for release on March 26th, 2004.
Premise: (6/29/03) Since the second movie is still another 8+ months away from release as I write this, and no details have been leaked out about what this third movie might entail, there's really nothing known at all about this movie, except that it will follow the continued adventures of the Mystery Inc. gang of young detectives, who are accompanied by a big brown Great Dane named Scooby-Doo. One could speculate that the gang might be joined this time around by one of the many different sidekick characters that appeared in the original cartoons (Scooby-Dum, Scooby-Dee, Shaggy's Uncle Shagworthy, etc.), or possibly even another Hanna-Barbera character from another show (Dyno-Mutt and the Blue Falcon, for example), but at this point, there's nothing to really confirm or deny such speculation.

The Goonies 2: Goonies Never Say Die

Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when (if) filming actually does get started.

Cast: None announced as confirmed yet.

Cast Notes: (7/26/01) If all of the (former) kids from the original movie returns, the cast would be: Sean Astin (Michael "Mikey" Walsh), Josh Brolin (Brandon "Brand" Walsh), Jeff Cohen (Lawrence "Chunk" Cohen), Corey Feldman (Clark "Mouth" Devereaux), Kerri Green (Andrea "Andy" Carmichael), Martha Plimpton (Stefanie "Stef" Steinbrenner) and Jonathan Ke Quan (Richard "Data" Wang). It's likely Joe Pantoliano and Robert Davi would return as Francis and Jake Fratelli. The performers who played Mama Fratelli (Anne Ramsey) and "Sloth" Fratelli (John Matuszak) are both dead. Out of Corey Feldman's last 18 feature-length projects, only Bordello of Blood in 1996 made it to theaters in the USA, with the other 17 going direct to video or cable. So, if this project gets a theatrical release, it will have a distinction.

Based Upon: This is the sequel to the 1985 kids movie that grossed $61.4 million in the U.S. (that was enough to land it at the #9 spot for the year, between The Jewel of the Nile at #8 and Spies Like Us at #10). The DVD special edition will be released in the fall of 2001.
Premise: A new mystery arises, so Mikey (Astin) rounds up the old crew again, who are all now in their 20's, and they're off for another Goonies adventure... (11/25/01) The script is apparently being rewritten to focus on a new group of kids, with some of the aforementioned original Goonies also joining in.

Caddyshack III

Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when/if filming eventually gets started.
Cast: None announced as confirmed yet.
Based Upon: (7/1/03) This movie will be (if it's really made) a sequel to the extremely popular 1980 golf comedy hit, Caddyshack (starring Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield and Ted Knight), which was followed in 1988 by the critical and box office flop, Caddyshack II (starring Jackie Mason).
Premise: (7/1/03) Nothing is currently known about this movie's premise, except that it will be a direct sequel to Caddyshack, and will not incorporate much from Caddyshack 2. We can count on it being a comedy about the sort of well-to-do men who spend most of their time playing golf, making wagers, and generally carousing and merrymaking at the club's bar, most likely to the chagrin of a tight-shirt upper-crust type.

Alien 5

Release Date: Unknown; there are currently no firm plans (ie, a script, director, production start date, cast besides Sigourney weaver, etc.) to make another film. That doesn't mean the possiblity isn't there... it just hasn't gotten started yet.

Cast: None announced yet; however, Sigourney Weaver told SCI FI Wire while promoting Galaxy Quest that she might be interested in coming back if a 5th film was ever planned.

Based Upon: If this film is ever made, it would of course be a sequel to Alien, the 1979 film about, well, aliens. The last film was Alien: Resurrection, the 4th, released in late 1997.

Premise: Officially, there is no script, so there is no premise.

Premise Rumors: (6/7/00) The ending of Alien: Resurrection suggested that the next film could be about the aliens on Earth, but when she talked to SCI FI Wire in December, 1999, Sigourney Weaver mentioned that she'd like to do one that took place not on humanity's homeworld, but on the homeworld of the aliens... (4/23/03) Three years later, and Sigourney Weaver is still basically saying the same thing.

King Conan: King of Iron
Release Date: Unknown; that will depend upon when/if filming eventually gets started.
Cast: None announced yet.
Based Upon: (7/31/03) This movie will be the third film in the series that began with Conan the Barbarian in 1982 and Conan the Destroyer. Those movies were loosely based upon the character of Conan of Cimmeria as he originally appeared in early 20th century pulp magazine stories and novellas by Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), which were later collected as twelve paperback books, and starting in the 1970s, (partly) adapted in comic book form in two different titles published by Marvel Comics (which also featured new stories not written by Howard). Curiously, none of those original eleven books were called 'Conan the Barbarian,' 'Conan the Destroyer,' or 'King Conan' (though he was a king in the last few books). Of course, those twelve books were only partly written by Robert E. Howard, with L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter filling in gaps from Howard's original stories, outlines or notes. Besides the movies his work has inspired, Robert E. Howard himself was the focus of the 1996 Renee Zellweger/Vincent D'Onofrio romantic drama, The Whole Wide World.
Premise: Cimmerian barbarian Conan has risen through the ranks of the nation of Aquilonia during its wars with the Picts and the Hyrkanians, earning Emperor Fortuna's trust enough to be named king of the land of Zingara, though Fortuna keeps Conan's adopted son Kon in his custody as collateral so that Conan will remain faithful to him. As twenty years pass, and Kon becomes a man educated and trained in the ways of Aquilonia. When Conan invokes the anger of Aquilonia by making peace with the Picts whom he had once helped Aquilonia conquer, an assassination attempt is made against him. Conan, however, escapes, finding the warrior spirit that 20 years on the throne had dulled. Taken in by the Picts, can Conan exact revenge against the Aquilonians and reunite with his son, who has now taken his father's place as the king of Zingara (and after twenty years, does Kon *want* to reunite with a father he hardly remembers?).