More Movie That Aren't Sequels (But Should Be)

I'm back with a new batch of movies that either should've been sequels or at one point I thought were sequels. I've done a couple of these lists before and I certainly have fun with them. Let's get to it.

Volume 1
Volume 2

Three Amigos (1986) / Three Fugitives (1989)

Made three years apart. Both star Martin Short. The stories rely on a similar level of comic misunderstandings. Similar title structure. You know what, I'm not convinced that these aren't sequels.

The Wedding Singer (1998) / The Wedding Ringer (2015)

This is on me. There's a total different of one letter different in the titles (adjacent letters even) and it screamed "sequel". This easily could've been an American Pie to American Wedding situation. As it turns out, Adam Sandler and co. have nothing to do with this Kevin Hart vehicle. Josh Gad was just in an Sandler movie this year so maybe he'll be in The Wedding Binger, about a man who finds love by doing a Bing search:"How do I find love?". We all know Sandler is up for product placement.

Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) / Drive Angry (2011)

Two movies with Nic Cage, about driving fast, and featuring a super attractive actress. In my mind, Cage didn't even know that Drive Angry wasn't a sequel when he agreed to do it.

Purple Rain (1984) / Black Rain (1989)

How do you replace the overpowering presence that is Prince? Obviously one man isn't up to the task. Bring in Michael Douglas AND Andy Garcia. Then make it a gritty crime movie and you've got a versatile franchise. But really, this confusion. I blame it on the rain.

The Abyss (1989) / The Descent (2005)

James Cameron is no stranger to handing over his franchises to other people (See: Alien). Thematically, there's not a huge different here. The Abyss is about mysterious things deep in the ocean. The Descent is about mysterious things deep in a cave. That's where the connections stop. I guarantee I'll continue to confuse the two titles all the time (because these are two movies that constantly come up in discussion).

Alice (1990) / Still Alice (2014)

Remember that Woody Allen movie with Mia Farrow? You know. Alice? Well, she's back, and this time, with Alzheimers. Say what you will, but both of these were nominated for Oscars and were vehicles for strong female leads.

The Master (2012) / The Grandmaster (2013)

Please ignore the fact that one is a thematically dense indictment on the origin of Scientology and the other is a kung-fu movie about the guy who trained Bruce Lee. I look at those titles and assume that the third movie will be called The Great Grandmaster.

Cloverfield (2008) / Project X (2012) / Project Almanac (2014)

This one I think is interesting. They are all found-footage movies. All are about young people. Most importantly, all are code names. You see, this is a shared universe. The Government is tasked with covering up these incidents and all that remains are these video accounts. The monster destroying a city. The party that turned into a riot. The time-traveling experimentation. The common thread in all of them is the police/military needing to step in to regain order.

Out for Justice (1991) / Out for a Kill (2003)

C'mon. That kind of a naming convention in two Steven Seagal movies and they aren't sequels. This mistake is not my fault.

The Conversation (1974) / Enemy of the State (1998)

I'm absolutely not the first person to make this connection. In fact, Tony Scott embraced the possible connection to The Conversation. Gene Hackman's characters in both could be the same person. The fact that Hackman has a different name and backstory only feeds the idea, given his paranoia in both movies. To further support the connection, at one point in Enemy of the State, and old picture they use of Hackman's character is actually from The Conversation.

The Hunt for Red October (1990) / Crimson Tide (1995) / U-571 (2000)

If you throw submarine movies at me that doesn't star Kelsey Grammar, I'm just going to assume they're the same movie. I suppose that makes these more 'indistinguishable' than 'sequels'. But, then you have to consider the red/crimson comparison of the first two and the...well, I don't know about U-571. When I originally came up with this (before I forgot everything about that movie), I'm sure I had a good tie in for that too. And look at those posters.

Margot at the Wedding (2007) / Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Two movies abut sisters and messed up families. There's weddings to get in the way of. They were released not that far apart from one another.

Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) / Nights of Rodanthe (2008)

Equally forgettable Diane Lane romance movies made about one movie cycle apart from one another (2003 and 2008). Even if I'd seen both of these, I couldn't tell you with certainty which one had shots of horse running on a beach for no reason...or did neither of them? I don't know.

Edward Scissorhands (1990) / Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

This is another easy one. Johnny Depp. Tim Burton. Scissors and cutting hair. They are inviting the confusion.

The Descendants (2011) / Aloha (2015)

This really only goes as far as both being movies set in Hawaii that try to make the setting a character and aren't plot-heavy. They are certainly cousins if not sequels.