In the era of Marvel and DC box office domination, it feels like every movie is a sequel, a spin-off, or an “expanded universe” retelling of an existing superhero. However, these ten movies all deserved sequels that would have made for a more compelling box office landscape of today.
Dredd (2012)
Karl Urban as Judge Dredd is one of those casting decisions that’s so spot-on it makes you question why you’d ever cast anyone else in the role. The bone-shattering 2012 sci-fi film Dredd is a tiny slice of what makes the 2000 AD character such an enduring staple in the world of comic books. If ever a comic book adaptation deserved to spawn an MCU-sized sequel factory, it was Dredd.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
This one stings for fans of steampunk stories. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow takes place in an alternate-reality 1930s where art deco is in style and high-tech gadgets are powered by steam. It’s a one-of-a-kind piece of popcorn-munching pulp awesomeness and it should have spawned five sequels, a TV show spin-off, and a still-running comic book series. Sadly, all we got was one flick.
Hard Boiled (1992)
John Woo’s name is basically synonymous with “really cool action movie stunts,” and that’s on full display in his 1992 opus Hard Boiled. Detective Tequila, played by Chow Yun-fat, is one of the coolest action movie protagonists of the 90s, and yet his only chance to reprise the character was in a 2007 video game called Stranglehold. There should have been as many Hard Boiled sequels as Die Hard sequels!
The Rocketeer (1991)
Steampunk as an overall aesthetic has struggled to make waves at the box office. Before Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow flopped in 2004, The Rocketeer pulled off the same Icarus-style stunt in 1991. This one was meant to launch a huge superhero franchise for Disney in the 90s but just failed to take off with audiences.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Mike Mignola’s acclaimed Hellboy comic series has been adapted to the big screen three times. The most recent, a David Harbor-led farce, tarnished the character’s good name. However, the Guillermo del Toro-directed duology starring Ron Perlman as the big red detective is absolutely phenomenal, and fans would still pay good money to see Perlman and del Toro suit up for the franchise again.
Hancock (2008)
The Will Smith-led Hancock hit theaters just before the Marvel Cinematic Universe took over everything and offered a unique take on a superhero movie. While Hancock goes off the rails in its third act, its central concept of a lazy slacker who doesn’t appreciate his own super-ness remains compelling and should have spawned a franchise.
Real Steel (2011)
Real Steel, based on an electrifying short story by Richard Matheson, stars Hugh Jackman and tells the story of a world where robotic boxers draw huge crowds. Jackman’s character is an underdog and tries to break into the big leagues with an underpowered training dummy. It’s a phenomenal film that should have as many sequels as Rocky got.
Jumper (2008)
Hayden Christensen proved he wasn’t a terrible actor in the genuinely excellent 2008 film Jumper, shaking off the bad reputation that followed him from the Star Wars prequels. Jumper sees Christensen’s character gaining the ability to teleport anywhere in the world and explores what, exactly, a man with such power is capable of. In a better world, Christensen would be best-known for starring roles in a long-running Jumper franchise.
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Wanted (2009)
Wanted is an excellent early outing for James McAvoy and also stars Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. Based on the Mark Millar comic of the same name, it focused on a group of assassins’ supernatural abilities to bend the laws of physics to achieve their goals.
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Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018) and Pacific Rim (2012)
Guillermo del Toro hasn’t had a lot of luck turning his excellent movies into franchises. The first Pacific Rim is beloved as one of the smartest dumb movies ever made (or one of the dumbest smart movies ever made), while its sequel, Uprising, is considered pretty mediocre by comparison. Still, the franchise deserves another blockbuster sequel. Thankfully, fans of the series got to enjoy a Netflix anime adaptation, Pacific Rim: The Black.
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