The Famous Sequels That Never Happened

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( let’s do it again [The Famous Sequels That Never Happened]( Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian suffered death in development, as did so many other follow-ups that could have been. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Alamy and Getty Images Made in part to satisfy a growing appetite for slasher flicks and B movies, the numbered sequels gained traction in the 1970s with such projects as The Godfather II and Rocky II. Tentpole films with open endings and loose story lines represented chances to turn stand-alone projects into blockbuster franchises (and had been doing so [for decades](). But of course there were the flops, too. Films like Jaws 2, 3, and 4 arguably diluted the strength of the original. The Brody family and their shark adversary remained consistent, yet the thematic complexity waned with each new iteration. Sequels were bankable, except when they weren’t. Many failed to move past the script stage or suffered death from a thousand rewrites. As media companies morphed into conglomerates, legal battles over film rights prevented sequels from coming to fruition. The Casablanca sequels, E.T. 2, and Forrest Gump 2 were never made, dying in development. Here’s a brief history of some of the more famous sequels that never were. [Read The Story »]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now](for unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • [Below Deck Sailing Yacht:]( Good-bye, Gabriela • [Summer House:]( Prom and Proper • [We Own This City:]( Uprising • [Better Call Saul:]( Good Death Stories We Think You’ll Like 1. [The Skin of Our Teeth Is No Dinosaur Sure, some of the humor is dated. But that third act is anything but.]( 2. [After Years of Not Making a Wicked Movie, They Now Want Two Why couldn’t they stay calm for once instead of flying off the handle?]( By Jackson McHenry 3. [Viola Davis Defends Her ‘Bold Choices’ in Portraying Michelle Obama “Not everything is going to be an awards-worthy performance,” says the critically acclaimed actress.]( By Rebecca Alter 4. [How to Give Netflix, Hulu, and Other Streaming Services As Gifts Consider paying for Mom’s log-in instead of borrowing it this year.]( By Savannah Salazar, Emily Palmer Heller and Eric Vilas-Boas [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( 5. [We Own This City Dissolves the Line Between Cop and Criminal David Simon returns to the world of Baltimore police in a limited series that is not a sequel to The Wire, but is not not a sequel to The Wire.]( 6. [‘We Should Hate It, But It Works’ An oral history of the inexplicably star-studded, hallucinogenic ending of Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again.]( By Rachel Handler [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 19-Down, Four Letters: “Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose,” for one. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Getty Images and Studios Vulture Recommends We consume it all so you don’t have to. [(Re)watch Grace & Frankie](. The final episodes of the Netflix series — in which Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin play rivals turned besties when their husbands fall in love with each other — will air April 29. [Read more from Vulture]( Tonight at Union Hall Vulture’s weekly comedy show, Pretty Major, will feature Jay Jurden, Ladies Who Ranch, Sabeen Sadiq, Sami Schwaeber, Ike Ufomadu, and Zach Zimmerman. [Buy tickets here.]( Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY If you enjoyed reading Vulture’s daily newsletter, forward it to a friend. Or dive deeper into the Vulture universe with our other newsletters: • [1.5x Speed](: Podcast recommendations and listening notes from Nick Quah, sent every Wednesday. • [Buffering](: Joe Adalian reports on the streaming industry, sent every Thursday. • [The Housewives Institute Bulletin](: For dedicated students of the Reality TV Arts and Sciences, sent every other Friday. • [Vulture 10x10 Crossword](: A puzzle for pop-culture obsessives, sent every weekday. • [The Critics](: A weekly dispatch on the cultural discourse, sent every Friday. Introducing Dinner Party, a lively new evening newsletter about everything that just happened. [Sign up]( to get it every week night. [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](param=daily) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved