The last year or so has seen a notable amount of highly-anticipated but seemingly doomed sequels inch their way towards existence. There was the announcement of a Star Wars sequel trilogy, with George Lucas surrendering his creative control. We have definitive proof that Dumb & Dumber 2 is currently in active production. Just yesterday, it was confirmed that the Entourage film is going to happen despite several years of troubled contract negotiations.
There are countless other sequels constantly rumoured to be incoming. The stars are asked about them in every other interview. There's a seemingly endless back-and-forth of confirmations and denials. Fans are confused whether they actually want the sequels to exist or they'd rather leave their memories untarnished.
Here are some of the ones that are seemingly always on the verge of being greenlit, until a schedule problem or different project sends them right back to the drawing boards. It's anyone's guess whether they ever will actually happen - and then the question remains would you actually want them?
Indiana Jones 5
It's probably a bit of an understatement to say Kingdom of the Crystal Skull divided audiences - many viewers genuinely despised it. That hasn't stopped Harrison Ford and others stating their preference to bring Indy back. Ford told Metro recently he'd sign up for a sequel "in a New York minute", while others like producer Frank Marshall have warned it could be a while.
The persistent rumours that Ford will reprise his role as Han Solo in the new Star Wars films could potentially signal a further delay here. That, and the fact that at 71 he's not getting any younger for such a labour intensive role. That said, the man is incredibly sprightly and active, and could easily bring some 'I'm too old for this' intensity to another film. He's game to return, so let's see if Spielberg and co. can get their acts together.
Anyway, there's always Shia LaBeouf. Ahem.
Bill & Ted 3
With a script being drafted (and redrafted) since 2010, this one is more likely than most to actually be made in the forseeable future. The director of RED 2 and Galaxy Quest has been attached, and both Keanau Reeves and Alex Winter are eager to return.
What are the potential roadblocks? According to Winter a script was completed in 2011, so it has seemingly been stuck in limbo since (although Reeves has been busy making his directorial debut). One also has to wonder whether the silly slacker act will work as Reeves and Winter are now well into middle-age. But if Dumb & Dumber can manage it, surely Bill & Ted can too. After all, the once good name of the series needs salvaging after a certain Halloween show...
Beetlejuice 2
A sequel to the supernatural comedy has been suggested since the first film's runaway success way back in 1988. Director Tim Burton helped develop the script for a wacky, subversive sequel called Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian (clearly ludicrous to anyone who has seen the original). Amazingly, the studio seemed to be all for it, and things only got waylaid when Burton ended up preoccupied by his work on the first two Batman films.
Earlier this month, both Burton and star Michael Keaton were reported to be 'in talks' to sign up for a sequel. Whether they'll be Hawaii bound or not... well we'll have to wait and see.
The Girl Who Played With Fire / Kicked the Hornets Nest
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was the safest bet imaginable - a popular franchise with two sequels effectively written and ready to go. But so far there has been little movement on the pair of what once seemed inevitable follow-ups.
There are several possible reasons for this. Despite a box office haul in excess of €170 million, the film was nonetheless perceived as something of a commercial disappointment. At this point, interest in the series has waned, especially since the perfectly serviceable Swedish adaptations have long since been released. Most curiously, the negotiations with Daniel Craig apparently grew so heated that the producers were considering writing the Blomkvist out of the sequel altogether: as anyone who has read the novels will tell you, that's no small ask.
Still, David Fincher has expressed some interest in returning, and it's likely lead actress Rooney Mara would also return. But there seems to be a very real possibility this is one fire that has been kicked out.
(Main image: Wikimedia Commons)
