The Return of Sequels: A Look at the Upcoming Franchise Follow-Ups

The Resurgence of Sequels

The 2020s have already seen the return of major franchises like Avatar and Top Gun, and many more long-awaited sequels are still on the way. Given the surge of franchise movies in the 2010s, it became increasingly difficult to get audiences to theaters without a familiar title until 2023, when the success of Barbie and Oppenheimer proved a desire for original stories.

Collage of Delia, Charles, Beetlejuice, Lydia, Barbara, and Adam in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice 1988

While that might spark studios to develop more standalone projects, many sequels, spin-offs, and reboots are already underway. Some upcoming sequels are shocking, given that the original films are decades old. Movies from the 1990s and the 2000s, many of which were long thought to be standalone classics, are finally seeing follow-ups in the next few years. These sequels are in varying stages of production, with some set for release in 2024 and others still developing scripts, assembling casts, or waiting for time to open up on the schedule.

The Long-Awaited Follow-Ups

Beetlejuice 2 will be released 36 years after the beloved original, with Tim Burton returning to direct the sequel and Michael Keaton reprising his role as the titular character. The original is an essential 1980s movie, launching Burton's career as one of the most unique commercial filmmakers ever. Winona Ryder will also return for the 2024 follow-up, with Wednesday star Jenna Ortega starring as her daughter. The Beetlejuice 2 cast will also feature Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Catherine O'Hara.

Collage of Jenna Ortega in Wednesday, Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice, and Tim Burton

A Twister sequel releases in the Summer of 2024. The 1996 Twister film is one of the best disaster movies ever, placing high expectations on the 2024 follow-up. Disaster movies aren't as popular as in the 20th century, making it an interesting time for a reboot, but the film has an intriguing cast and filmmaker. Minari director Lee Isaac Chung is at the helm of Twisters, with Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell headlining the cast. None of the original cast will return for the film, but it's still being considered a sequel to the original cult classic and could be a surprise Summer 2024 hit.

Twisters Two people running from a tornado that is destroying a house

Ridley Scott is finally returning to Gladiator with Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington. A sequel to Gladiator has been discussed for ages, with musician Nick Cave even proposing a Gladiator 2 script years ago. The primary issue in following up Ridley Scott's Roman Coliseum classic is that Maximus' life ended after vanquishing his enemy in the original film. However, Scott finally landed on a sequel idea, with Paul Mescal playing the grown version of Lucius, Lucilla's son. The cast, which also stars Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn, and Pedro Pascal, could make the sequel a massive hit despite arriving 24 years after the original. Hopefully, it will be a return to form for the director, whose latest films have received mixed reviews.

Collage of Denzel Washington as Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth with Russell Crowe as Maximus wearing a mask in Gladiator

The Revival of Classic Franchises

Beverly Hills Cop 4 will release on Netflix in 2024. After Spy Kids in 2023, Netflix will resurrect another movie franchise with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley, releasing in the Summer of 2024. Eddie Murphy has been working with Netflix for years on movies like Dolemite Is My Name and You People, but a Beverly Hills Cop sequel could be his biggest movie in years if it captures some of the original saga's charm. The movie will be released four decades after the original and three decades after the most recent, with stars Judge Reinhold and John Ashton also set to return.

Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in a set photo of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

Michael Mann confirmed he's planning to begin shooting Heat 2. Heat never seemed like the type of film to have a sequel, nor Michael Mann a director who would be interested in making one. The crime epic stuck with Mann, though, as he co-wrote the novel for Heat 2 and is now adapting it into a feature film. The novel is a sequel and prequel, with flashback scenes showing younger versions of the original characters. Adam Driver is rumored to play the young version of Robert De Niro's Neil McCauley, though when discussing the film on the press tour for Ferrari, Mann expressed that they hadn't gotten to casting yet.

Director Michael Mann and actor Adama Driver, both involved with Heat 2, superimposed over a still of Al Pacino in Heat.

Cobra Kai proved that another Karate Kid movie is worth it. After a series of films in the 1980s, the Karate Kid franchise struggled to find success for decades until Netflix's Cobra Kai series brought an original, refreshing flair to the characters. With Ralph Macchio back as Daniel LaRusso, a new movie is set to combine elements of the original Karate Kid films with aspects of Cobra Kai that have made it so popular. Not including the rebooted 2010 version, the upcoming Karate Kid will be the first sequel in thirty years. Jackie Chan has also been excitedly announced as a star in the movie.

Collage of Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso and Jackie Chan's Mr. Han amid a stylized background