Occasionally, an incrediblesci-fifilm comes along, and it is always surprising when a movie of such caliber never receives a sequel. Sometimes, it feels as though there are still stories left to tell. In instances like these, a concept introduced by the science fiction world presented in the film is so fun or groundbreaking that a sequel seems like an obvious next step. Yet some ofthe best science fiction films of all timenever received sequels.
Other sci-fi movies have gone on to become big-budget franchises, spawning film after film in order to satisfy fans or disappoint them when they fizzle out at the end. However, while somemovie franchises got too big for their own good,other singular sci-fi films deserve to have sequels made, if only to further explore the interesting concepts they originally brought to life.
Underwater
Cast
After a massive earthquake damages an oceanic research company’s station, the crew must travel across the ocean floor to the safety of another base. The only catch is that the unknown waters are home to dangerous aquatic monsters. Underwater stars Kristen Stewart in the lead role alongside Vincent Cassel, Mamoudou Athie, and TJ Miller.
Dipping into both science fiction and horror in equal measure,Underwaterstars the iconic Kristen Stewart as mechanical engineer Norah Price. Taking place at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, a dangerous earthquake not only destroys their station but also reveals monsters living at the bottom of the ocean.Frightening in the way it uses both the deep ocean and its monsters to scare the viewer,Underwateris a masterclass in building tension.
AlthoughUnderwateras a film feels like it could be a self-contained story, there are still many places the plot could go after the credits roll. Similar to howAliencould have been a singular story but then blossomed into a franchise,Underwatercould follow the same path. This would allow the story to explore its deep ocean mysteries, potentially finding even more horrifying ways to scare the audience.
Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow features Tom Cruise as Major Bill Cage, an officer unversed in battle, who becomes ensnared in a time loop during an alien invasion. As Cage relives the same day repeatedly, he teams up with a skilled warrior, played by Emily Blunt, to alter the course of the war.
Originally released 10 years ago,Edge of Tomorrowis a science fiction film that satisfyingly plays with the concept of time.Starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt as Major William Cage and Sergeant Rita Vrataski, Cage finds himself reliving the same day over and over again, all in an attempt to fight back against an alien race called the Mimics. Every time he dies, Cage wakes up as if it were just a dream, only to try again with a new plan.
This movie not only had an incredible concept – taking theGroundhog Daystyle of utilizing a time loop – but also incredible execution.Edge of Tomorrowis an incredibly well-made movie that holds up today,with Cruise and Blunt being just as famous and talented. 10 years later. There have been talks of creating apotentialEdge of Tomorrowsequel, but as of now, nothing has been confirmed.
Galaxy Quest
An homage to classic science fiction and its fandom, Galaxy Quest follows a group of actors from a fictional cult classic sci-fi series who are unwittingly embroiled in a real space conflict when aliens who believe the series is real abduct them and ask for their help defeating a tyrant threatening their people. Starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Daryl Mitchell, and Sam Rockwell, the film features many references and parodies of classic sci-fi films and shows, mainly Star Trek.
Science fiction is a genre known for sometimes taking itself a little too seriously. However, this is not the case with the legendaryGalaxy Quest.A satire ofStar Trekand the fandom that surrounds it,Galaxy Questsucceeds as a comedy even for those who might not know much about the material it parodies. So much satire today leans into dark comedy, while Tim Allen’s earnestness, Sigourney Weaver’s sarcasm, and the late Alan Rickman’s deadpan delivery are all lighthearted fun.
Any film that so successfully works not only as an adventure but as a comedy deserves a sequel. So many years after its original release,there is still so much moreGalaxy Quest 2could poke fun at. WhenStar Trekhas seen big-budget films and TV shows and science fiction has grown even more popular,aGalaxy Questsequel feels as though it could be even more relevant than ever.
District 9
Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 combines sci-fi with social commentary in an alternate history in which humans and aliens eke out a tentative coexistence. When a large alien ship appears outside of Johannesburg, humans find it full of sickly and malnourished extraterrestrials they name “Prawns”. After housing the aliens in a slum named District 9, one human finds himself far closer to the Prawn community than he bargained for.
District 9is unique among science fiction films, as it is one of the very few presented in a found footage-style format. It tells the story of a group of sick insect-like aliens that, once landing on Earth, are confined to an internment camp known as District 9. The home designated for the aliens that arrive is dilapidated and falling apart, hitting home with the film’s themes of xenophobia.
District 9can be painful to watch, but it makes an intriguing point through inspiration from real-life events.A sequel toDistrict 9could expand upon this main theme,using even more modern events to take a stance on today’s society. If there was ever a film that deserved a sequel — and a particularly relevant one at that — it isDistrict 9.Additionally,District 9’s endingis ambiguous for at least one character, setting up a potential sequel.
Jumper
Jumper is a science fiction action film directed by Doug Liman, featuring Hayden Christensen as David Rice, a young man with the ability to teleport anywhere instantly. As David uses his powers to escape a troubled home life and explore the world, he becomes entangled in a centuries-old war between those like him, known as Jumpers, and a covert group sworn to destroy them.
Starring post-Star Warsprequels Hayden Christensen,Jumperis a classic science fiction film based on a novel.The movie is about a man who can jump through time, often using this ability for his own gain.Jumperis exciting, featuring bank heists and all sorts of adventures, with Christensen again getting the chance to overcome the unfair criticism aimed at him because ofStar Warswith a better performance.
Because the ending of the film leaves the door open for more adventures, there is always a possibility of a sequel. Similarly to howother major franchises expanded beyond the original book’s source material,Jumpercould do the same. However,Steven Gould provides more source material withReflex, which picks up 10 years after the original — the perfect opportunity for Christensen to reprise the role of David in a legacy sequel. It would certainly be an interesting time-bending experience, with plenty of grand sights to see, just like in the original.
Event Horizon
Paul W. S. Anderson steps further into the world of sci-fi horror with Event Horizon, a movie set in the future following a crew of Astronauts attempting to locate a missing ship known as the Event Horizon. When the crew finds the ship floating near Neptune, the distress signal relayed is haunting, followed by the discovery what awaits the rescue team isn’t the crew of the missing ship but something far more sinister.
Laurence Fisher was a sci-fi star beforeThe Matrix, and it would be a thrilling experience to see him and Sam Neill reprise their classic roles today. Taking place on the titular starshipEvent Horizon,the film quickly develops from a hopeful rescue mission into a hellish nightmare. The crew of the ship has somehow been slaughtered, and the ship’s drive has opened up a gateway to an unknown dimension. The main characters quickly begin to turn on each other, with some hallucinating and even dying.
Event Horizonis on the same level as other shocking horror films such asHellraiser,showing a different side of sci-fi horror than monster movies fans are familiar with. There are so few of these movies, and anEvent Horizonsequel could help to change that. Despite its negative reviews, fans would get more of what they love if another film were added to this beloved cult classic and, hopefully, the subgenre could be revived.
Alien: Covenant
Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott, follows the crew of the colony ship Covenant as they discover an uncharted planet. Initially seeming like a paradise, the planet soon reveals dark secrets. Katherine Waterston, Michael Fassbender, and Billy Crudup lead the cast in this science fiction horror film, which serves as a direct sequel to Prometheus and continues to explore the origins of the Alien species.
WhenPrometheusand its sequelAlien: Covenantwere first conceived, theseAlienfranchise prequels were a planned trilogy. However, somewhere along the way, development for the third movie in the trilogy fell through. This eventually led to the creation ofAlien: Romulus,but instead of being a sequel toAlien: Covenant,the two films are not related. While the most recentAlieninstallments have struggled to live up to monumental fan expectations, they have all been met with generally good reviews.
This has not stopped fans from wanting to see the final installment of the new trilogy. Despite the years that have passed and the plans that nothing came from,there are still questions to be answered thatAlien: Covenantleft hanging.A sequel toAlien: Covenantwould finish this set of prequels, hopefully bringing closure to this section of the franchise — and even more ambitiously, nodding toAlien: Romulus.
Cloverfield
Directed by Matt Reeves, Cloverfield is a found-footage disaster movie that follows a group of people seeking safety during a state of emergency. When New York City is attacked by an unknown monstrous entity, chaos ensues. A group of friends document their attempts to flee the city and find sanctuary from an onslaught of monsters on a handheld camcorder - footage which is designated as an account of the “Cloverfield” incident.
One of the most interesting monster movies of the modern era,Cloverfieldfollows a group of people who live in New York. What seems to be an ordinary day quickly turns sour, as a strange monster attacks the city. The film catalogs their struggle to escape, all caught on video from the point of view of a camcorder. IfCloverfieldis afound-footage horror that should be a regular film, a direct sequel has the potential to strengthen the story with a new, juxtaposed format.
Even thoughCloverfieldis the first film in the franchise, it has yet to have a direct sequel. Every film in the series has covered different people and even different universes, with what happened in the wake of the film’s monster left in the air. ACloverfieldsequel could not only explain more of what happened but also tie it in with the rest of the franchise.
The Creator
The Creator is a sci-fi action film from Rogue One director Gareth Edwards. Edwards wrote and directed the movie, which centers on the human race’s war against AI. In the post-apocalyptic world, Joshua (John David Washington) is tasked with finding and killing the architect of the dangerous AI and the mysterious weapon they are developing.
One of the more recent impactful sci-fi films to hit theaters,The Creatordetails a soldier’s journey of love and acceptance.Sergeant Joshua Taylor initially despises the artificial intelligence that has been created by humanity, but things begin to change when he meets a little girl. Though she is a robot like those he has grown to despise, it is through her that he begins to see that artificial intelligence is a little more human than he initially thought.
Intense and emotional from start to finish,The Creatoris an incredible example of how science fiction can be used to tell stories that matter. At its core, it emulates the love and hatred that is so often seen in the world today. A sequel could help expand upon this impressive world-building and the people in it, showing the repercussions ofThe Creator’s ending.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a sci-fi comedy film directed by Garth Jennings. It follows Arthur Dent, played by Martin Freeman, who is unwittingly swept into an intergalactic adventure after Earth is destroyed. Arthur, along with Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, and Trillian, explores space while consulting the titular guidebook. Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, and Mos Def co-star in this adaptation of Douglas Adams' beloved novel.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyis one of the most famous science fiction films of all time. This film follows the misadventures of Arthur Dent, the last man alive, as he hitchhikes his way through the galaxy. Known for its quick wit and over-the-top moments,The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxybrings a little love and a little comedy to sci-fiin a way that has never been repeated.
Perhaps the most shocking part about this film’s lack of a sequel is that there is so much material to work with. The book series that the film is based on has plenty of installments to draw from, meaning that there are plenty of reasons to make anothersci-fifilm. Not only would a sequel be welcome, but it would also bring back the charm that the 2005 iteration is so well known for.
