Hollywood seems to have an obsession with sequels and remakes, but even the most cynical business model can’t get some doomed projects off the ground. Every time a new sequel or remake is announced, fans of the original scrutinize its value, questioning whether it’s a necessary continuation of the story or a financial venture that doesn’t care about art. Sadly, many recent movies fit into the latter category.
While there are plenty ofgreat movie remakesand sequels in existence, there are also some which devalue the original movie. Thankfully, some of these terrible ideas have been canceled before getting too far, leaving fans wondering how anyone could have thought these sequels and remakes would be appropriate. A disappointing follow-up can tarnish a good movie in retrospect, so it’s a relief that none of these movies ever saw the light of day.
10Finding Nemo 2
Finding Nemois one ofPixar’s best movies, and it was their first movie to win the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, but Pixar nearly made a sequel that could have ruined it in retrospect. When Disney purchased Pixar, they reassessed each of the studio’s ongoing projects. The now-defunct studioCircle Seven Animations was created to develop sequels to some of Pixar’s big hits. As well as plans forFinding Nemo 2,Circle Seven developed ideas for aMonsters Inc.sequel and a version ofToy Story 3completely different to the one that eventually got released in 2010.
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The story details surrounding the canceled Monsters, Inc. sequel suggests that the planned Pixar movie would have been a tough one to accept.
Finding Nemo 2would have introduced Nemo’s long-lost twin brother Remy, who somehow survived the barracuda attack at the start of the first movie. After Marlin goes missing, it’s up to Nemo, Remy and Dory to find him. This story idea would have meant huge changes to the relationship between Nemo and Marlin, undercutting the emotional impact of the first movie. While it would have been nice to see some kind of sequel long beforeFinding Dory,it’s probably for the best that this idea and Circle Seven’s other Pixar sequels were canceled.
9Taxi Driver 2
Of the countless unrealized Martin Scorsese projects over the years, aTaxi Driversequel is one of the most intriguing. Fans of Scorsese will know that plenty of biopics and book adaptations have stalled in production.Taxi Driver 2is something different, and it would have been a first for the director, since his only other sequel isThe Color of Money,a sequel to Robert Rossen’s 1961 dramaThe Hustler.
Fans of Scorsese will know that plenty of biopics and book adaptations have stalled in production.
Taxi Driveris one ofMartin Scorsese’s best movies, but it isn’t one that seems like it needs a sequel. For decades, it remained untouched, butPaul Schrader and Scorsese started working on new ideas around 2005. Robert De Niro was apparently willing to return as Travis Bickle, but the script was never up to the standards that he and Scorsese wanted it to be. The project dragged on for a few years before being shelved, and the story remains a mystery. It’s probably best that the original was left alone.
8Yellow Submarine
The Beatles' Animated Classic Should Never Be Remade
Yellow Submarineis now seen as a landmark in animation, breaking beyond the boundaries of what the big studios were making and proving the untapped potential of the medium. The story fits the music of The Beatles well, but what’s more important is the psychedelic and endlessly creative visuals. Any remake would be pointless, since the animation is more important to the movie’s appeal than the plot.
Robert Zemeckis started experimenting with motion capture animation in the 2000s, withThe Polar Express, BeowulfandA Christmas Carol.These movies received mixed reviews, with many people unable to look past the creepy near-human animation. This style has its merits, but it would have been a terrible choice for aYellow Submarineremake.Clips from the failed remake can be found online, serving as proof that the original should remain untouched.
7E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 2
Steven Spielberg Thought About Making A Much Darker Sequel
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrialbecame the highest-grossing movie of all timewhen it was first released, a title it held for 11 years before Steven Spielberg beat his own record withJurassic Park.This overwhelming commercial success got Universal Pictures interested in making a sequel, even though the story is perfectly wrapped up. Still, a sequel did enter development, with Spielberg and Melissa Mathison, the writer ofE.T.,developing a script together.
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E.T. II: Nocturnal Fearsseems like it would have been much darker than the original movie, with a group of evil aliens coming to Earth to capture Elliott and his friends. This sounds like a completely different kind of movie, and it goes beyond the moments of darkness inE.T.Fortunately, this horror-inspired sequel was scrapped when Spielberg decided that it would destroy the legacy of his beloved sci-fi movie.
6Casablanca 2
Casablanca’s Classic Status Was Almost Tarnished
Casablancafans might have heard of Michael Walsh’s 1998 novelAs Time Goes By,which serves as both a sequel and a prequel to the movie. However, there was a push to make a big-screen sequel back in the 1940s, although this idea was thankfully scrapped.Casablancamight not enjoy the same status as one of thebest movies everif it had been followed by a disappointing sequel, especially because the ending is so powerful.
The sequel would have revealed that Rick was a spy for the Allied Forces.
The sequel toCasablancawas provisionally titledBrazzaville,and it would have revealed that Rick was a spy for the Allied Forces. Ilsa also would have returned following her husband’s death, but her romance with Rick would have been complicated the introduction of a new character, Maria. While this sounds like it could have been an interesting standalone movie, it’s a terrible idea for aCasablancasequel, essentially rendering the original moot.
5Escape From New York
A Remake Has Been In Development Hell For Decades
Escape From New Yorkis a perfect slice of ’80s action, with Kurt Russell playing one of his greatest characters and John Carpenter operating at the peak of his powers. The idea of a big-budget remake has been batted around for about 20 years now, but the project finally seems to have died. While a bigger budget could deliver some more explosive action, it would lose the charm of the original.
There have been enough disappointing remakes of 1980s movies to prove thatEscape From New Yorkshould be left alone.
Many directors and writers have been attached to theEscape From New Yorkremakeover the years, but none have moved beyond developing a script. Joel Silver planned an entire trilogy, Robert Rodriguez teased a radically different idea, and Leigh Whannell tried to get his version off the ground for years. The original is just as enjoyable as ever, so there’s really no need for a remake. There have been enoughdisappointing remakes of 1980s moviesto prove thatEscape From New Yorkshould be left alone.
4Forrest Gump 2
Tom Hanks And Robert Zemeckis Talked About Forrest’s Life In The 1980s
Forrest Gumpwas an immense hit in 1994, and the movie’s success inspired the writer of the original book to pen a sequel, titledGump & Co.Winston Groom’s novel could have formed the basis for a sequel movie, and Paramount Pictures were eager to get Tom Hanks, Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Eric Roth back together. Paramount even promised a “dump-truck” full of money to each of them.
Ultimately, Tom Hanks, Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Eric Roth thought that a sequel was necessary.
The trio behind the success ofForrest Gumptoyed with some ideas about how asequel could look, adaptingGump & Co.,which shows Forrest’s life in the 1980s. Ultimately, none of the men involved thought that a sequel was necessary, sinceForrest Gumpwraps up its story so neatly. Fans of the original can still read Groom’s novel to figure out what a big-screen sequel would have been like.
3Ei8ht
David Fincher’s Se7en Was Almost Ruined With An Unnecessary Sequel
Se7enis one ofDavid Fincher’s best movies, reviving his reputation after his disappointing debut movie,Alien 3.The crime thriller stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as two mismatched detectives working together to track down a serial killer who always seems to be one step ahead. The 1990s produced plenty of gritty crime thrillers, butSe7enstands out from the crowd as one of the very best, and it’s still just as thrilling.
The ending ofSe7enwraps up the story in devastating fashion, meaning that a sequel never looked like a necessity. This didn’t stop New Line Cinema from announcing a sequel, tentatively titledEi8ht.Rather than developing an original idea, the studio retooled a script about a detective with psychic powers. This is a laughable departure from the gritty realism ofSe7en,so it’s no wonder that Morgan Freeman and David Fincher turned it down.The script was eventually made intoSolace,a 2015 thriller with Anthony Hopkins and Colin Farrell that received poor reviews.
2Scarface
The Re-Remake Seems To Have Died
Scarfaceis one of the most successful movie remakes ever, taking inspiration from the 1932 gangster classic by director Howard Hawks. In 2011, Universal announced that they were developing a re-remake, once again updating the story for a modern audience. The project has since passed through the hands of several high-profile directors, but it now seems to be dead once and for all.
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David Ayer and David Yates were two of the first directors mentioned in relation to theScarfaceremake. Years later, Pablo Larraín and Antoine Fuqua were both possible directors, with Diego Luna touted to play the lead role. The most recent attempt at a remake promised a script from the Coen brothers with Luca Guadagnino in the director’s chair, but this has also fizzled out. Guadagnino’s upcomingAmerican Psychoremake suggests he may have moved on to another American crime classic, leavingScarfacebehind.Scarfacedoesn’t need another remake. There are already two great versionsfor fans to enjoy.
1Pocahontas
Pocahontas Is One Disney Classic That Won’t Get A Live-Action Remake
WhileDisney’s live-action remakeshave been reinterpreting many of the studio’s old classics,Pocahontasis one movie that won’t be getting the same treatment. Although it was originally meant to join other 1990s Disney hits as a live-action movie, likeThe Lion King, AladdinandBeauty and the Beast,Pocahontashas been discussed and dismissed by the studio, with fears that its story hasn’t aged well.
Changing social attitudes have castPocahontasin a different light in recent years.
Changing social attitudes have castPocahontasin a different light in recent years, and it’s now seen as one of Disney’s problematic films, glossing over some complicated history to tell a simple love story.A live-action remake would likely come under intense scrutiny, and Disney would have to choose between ignoring the critics and dealing with the backlash or altering the story beyond recognition to ensure it’s more historically accurate. The latter option wouldn’t make it so appropriate for children.
