9 Movie Sequels in 2026 & 2027 We Don't Need But Are Secretly Dying to Watch
Scanning through the listings of a local multiplex at any point in the last two decades, and you would be forgiven for thinking that ‘Sequelitis’ is a modern phenomenon. In fact, the idea of movie sequels and franchises is really as old as the industry itself—and as long as we keep paying to see them (as I intend to keep doing), Hollywood will continue to dream up ways to bring its most successful movies and characters back.
Outside the big-name instalments and expanded universes, however, it’s always good to take a look at what’s coming up in the world of sequels that nobody asked for. In the list below, which I’ve arranged by order of release date, you’ll find ten of the most unlikely sequels coming to theatres in the next two years—in genres as wide-ranging as horror, spoof comedy, and Christ-core—and my attempts at explaining why we can’t wait to see them.
Read on to discover more and use the guide below to keep track of where and when to see them in theatres and (eventually) on services like AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.
When Ready or Not became a surprise hit for Fox Searchlight in 2019, nobody could have imagined we would have to wait seven years for a follow-up to this darkly comic, manhunt-style horror. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, however, had other plans—namely, taking the reins of the Scream franchise for the fifth and sixth instalments.
They were scheduled to make the seventh but eventually pulled out for various reasons, meaning that they could finally return to the title that helped make their name. If the trailer is anything to go by, Here I Come picks up directly where the first film left off, with Samara Weaving’s bloodied bride being dragged back into another manhunt—this time against what appears to be the Illuminati. Sign us up!
It’s been 13 years since the world last saw a new Scary Movie film, which means that the franchise’s creators, aka the brothers Wayans, have a whole generation of horror movies to poke fun at.
Consider this: A24 released its first-ever feature just a couple of months before Scary Movie 5—this means that 6 will have the entire history of “elevated horror” to dunk on. Can we expect to see the Babadook smoking a blunt as a freaky girl in an orange hoodie hangs her head out of a car door window? I wouldn’t bet against it.
Another upcoming sequel we’re all secretly dying to see is Zoolander writer John Hamburg’s Focker in-Law—the tetralogy-making fourth feature of a series that has so far given us Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers.
This new instalment reunites series originators Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro with newcomers like Beanie Feldstein, of Booksmart fame, and Wicked star Ariana Grande—who, if her SNL appearances are anything to go by, should be a hilarious addition to the cast.
Sequel fans with a taste for ‘90s nostalgia will, perhaps, be delighted to hear that Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are primed to reunite for another round of flirtatious witchcraft when Practical Magic 2 is released later in the year.
Like so many cult classics, the original wasn’t so warmly received at the time of release, but its amber colours and cosy vibes have made it into one of the most rewatchable autumnal movies ever made. If I had to guess, the new film, which is being directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Susanne Bier, will involve Bullock and Kidman’s Sally and Gillian Owens passing their magical gifts onto a new generation—Joey King and Maisie Williams’ characters, perhaps? We shall see.
If you were as thrilled as we were to see the special effects team of the low-budgeted Godzilla Minus One beating out the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy and Mission: Impossible for the 2024 Best Visual Effects Oscar, you have probably also been secretly pining for a sequel ever since—and if so, you’re in good company.
This new instalment, titled Godzilla Minus Zero, which will once again take place in a historical setting and is set for release later this year, is being billed as the 39th film in the Godzilla franchise. If it ain’t broke, etc.
The strangest upcoming sequel, in a lot of ways, is David Fincher’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth, a spinoff sequel to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. This one is tantalising for a lot of reasons—namely, as it’s Fincher’s first time directing a sequel since Alien 3 (his debut feature) and Tarantino’s first time ever writing one—unless you count Kill Bill 2.
The story is set to follow Brad Pitt’s attractively relaxed stuntman into the 1970s, where, if the trailer is anything to go by, he is now working with a very cool-looking woman played by Elizabeth Debicki. Imagine Tarantino’s dialogue with Zodiac’s aesthetic, which kind of sounds like a dream combo.
Of all the Jason Statham movies named after professions (Mechanic, Spy, Working Man, etc.), I must admit I’m most fond of The Beekeeper—in which the Stat-man does as advertised until some goons inevitably come along and ruin his day.
The follow-up to that surprisingly controversial 2024 hit, titled Beekeeper 2, is set for release next year. I fully expect it to contain similar levels of beekeeping (not a lot) and violence (a lot).
I might be in the minority on this one, but I must say I’m morbidly intrigued by the idea of a Mel Gibson-directed follow-up to his phenomenally successful 2004 Christian torture porn hit The Passion of the Christ. Like I said: degenerate.
In the bible, it only took three days between Jesus’ crucifixion and his resurrection, but due to Gibson's rap sheet of off-screen antics, it’s taken the former leading man 23 years to get here. I have no idea if the movie, The Resurrection of the Christ Parts 1 & 2, will in any way be worth the wait, but I can’t say that the guy doesn’t know how to direct a movie. Colour me intrigued.
