Be it in filmmaking or any other form of storytelling in general, the three-fold structure of narration feels "just right." Perhaps, that's the reason why most cinemagoers are so obsessed with movie series that come in threes. Every time a movie gets greenlit for a second part, fans can't help but hopefully dream of a possible trilogy that would bring the whole series in "full circle."
But as the unpredictability of cinema would have it, not every movie franchise goes as planned. What starts off as a potential three-part series, gets dropped somewhere after the sequel mark, often leaving fans disappointed. Below are some of the many films that never came to be the trilogies they should've been.
10 Blade Runner
When it comes to the dense lore behind Ridley Scott's opus, several stones are often purposefully left unturned; perhaps for potential sequels. The Blade Runner franchise treads a similar path. While the 2017 Oscar-winner continues the story first told in the original 1982 Blade Runner, it again leaves viewers with more questions than answers. Due to this, a third film seems inevitable.
Unfortunately, despite being revered as a groundbreaking sci-fi movie series, the possibility of a third film seems less likely because of the rocky journey of both the films at the box office. Nevertheless, since the first movie was given a second chance despite its box office performance, Blade Runner 2049 might meet a similar fate.
9 28 Days Later
As seen in 28 Days Later, what seems like a typical zombie thriller at first, turns out to be an intricate exploration of the inner workings of complex characters. Because of its financial and critical success, not only was it considered being among the best British films ever made, but it was also greenlit for a sequel titled 28 Weeks Later.
Unlike its predecessor, 28 Weeks Later wasn't bereft of criticism but predominantly received optimistic reviews and commercial success. Still, having everything in the favor of a third part, there has been little to no news surrounding its release. The good news, however, is that Alex Garland and Danny Boyle have "a wonderful idea" for its plot, which may or may not come into shape.
8 Gremlins
While a Gremlins animated TV series is definitely underway, there's still a whole lot of ambiguity surrounding its third part. Screenwriter Chris Columbus has confirmed that its script is ready and they're only figuring out the best time to make the film.
He further added that he wrote a “twisted and dark” screenplay, akin to what viewers and critics enjoyed in the first two films. However, since all the other details surrounding it are under the covers, its future seems uncertain. Needless to say, even after all these years, horror hounds would love another addition to the franchise.
7 Kill Bill
“I’m not committing to it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if The Bride made one more appearance before the whole thing is said and done,” said Quentin Tarantino in an interview. However, it is yet to be known if Kill Bill: Vol. 3 will actually happen or will find its way into the director's many unrealized projects.
As rumored and theorized by many, the next film in the franchise could feature a revenge-fueled showdown between Beatrix Kiddo and Vernita Green's young daughter, Nikkia. “When you grow up, if you still feel raw about it, I’ll be waiting,” were the words of Uma Thurman's Kiddo after killing Nikkia's mother. It's this dialogue that has long stayed with Tarantino fans, who still hope for a sequel. But for now, it all seems smoke around the campfire.
6 Jack Reacher
The first Jack Reacher film, despite its differences from its original Lee Child novel, was initially touted as the inception of another promising Tom Cruise starring action franchise. But for many viewers who were well-versed with the source, the shortcomings of the franchise's liberties became jarringly evident after the second film.
Lee Child himself commented on the series' questionable casting choices by claiming: "Cruise, for all his talent, didn't have that physicality." It's for these reasons that the movie series hung its boots before it could end as a trilogy. The Jack Reacher franchise, however, is far from being over and a new Amazon Prime series, starring Alan Ritchson of the Titans fame, is now underway.
5 Tim Burton's Batman
During a time when superhero franchises easily dominate the box office, it's hard not to turn a blind eye towards the works of Tim Burton with the Caped Crusader, Batman. Starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, Batman (1989) proved to be the perfect combination of the superhero's dark lore and Burton's gothic style.
The second film in line, Batman Returns, received a mixed bag of reviews. While some were still impressed by the touch of Burton's artistry in the film, others bashed the film's gratuitous visuals. Eventually, as confirmed by Tim Burton in the documentary Shadows of the Bat documentary, Warner Bros. reportedly dropped him from the franchise and a potential trilogy became a distant dream for his fans.
4 The Raid
Hailed as one of the finest martial arts movies ever made and rightfully so, the first Raid film set high standards with its fast-paced rousing fight scenes. Surprisingly, even after having its runtime stretched to two hours and a half, The Raid 2 proved to be even better than the first in many aspects, rarely wavering the attention of a viewer.
A third film could have made it a perfect well-rounded action trilogy, but its return seems unlikely. As explained by Gareth Evans, he was, at some point, considering the project. However, he couldn't see himself going back to it because his "interests moved on to other projects."
3 Zombieland
The core appeal of the two-fold Zombieland saga comes from its cast and well-written characters. That explains why right after the release of the second installment, fans were already looking forward to the next set of adventures of Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita, and Little Rock in their zombie-infested world.
But since the release of Zombieland 2, there has been no official word about its return, although Emma Stone has expressed her interest in returning to the series every ten years. If it is to return (in 2029), fans will certainly welcome it with open arms. But for now, they will have to wait for what seems like an eternity, even after which the movie's return isn't guaranteed.
2 Finding Nemo
Considering how it took Finding Nemo over a decade to land a second part, Pixar clearly does not jump on the sequel bandwagon solely based on commercial success. Reportedly, it wasn't until 2010 when Andrew Stanton watched Nemo's adventures in 3-D and realized that Dory's forgetfulness could very well play out as a whole new film.
So all things considered, a third film will only be possible if Stanton comes up with another breakthrough idea that could perfectly hatch into another scalable installment to the series. Till then, fans can either wait and keep their hopes up or revisit the existing films and deduce their own fan-fic spin-off theories.
1 Trainspotting
Danny Boyle’s dramedy has stood the test of time and its raw depiction of wayward Scottish youth is still as hilarious and disturbing as ever. Although failing to mimic the impression that the first, Trainspotting 2 runs along the same vein as its predecessor, faring favorable reviews over the years.
When it comes to a third part, Danny Boyle hasn't said much, except for confirming that the Trainspotting films have gone as far they could "at the moment." The director's decision of letting the series age like it should and not turning it into a cash cow is understandable. But then again, cinephiles would like to get another glimpse of Boyle's grittily pragmatic characters.
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