We’ve been living in a franchise-mad age for what feels like forever, but that doesn’t mean that film fans always get the sequels they want to see. Ironically, we’ve been bombarded with plenty that nobody asked for, wanted, or even knew existed, while some installments that deserved to exist have been left to rot in development hell.
Obviously, it’s nowhere near as simple as saying “we demand this sequel!” and then sitting back, relaxing, and waiting until opening night, with a huge number of factors always in play, even if money is always the biggest and most important.
Rueful Redditors have been in a wistful mood, though, after the conversation was kicked off by a potential fourth entry in Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke, and Julie Delpy’s Before trilogy.
Echoing sentiments that have been held for almost 20 years, the top-voted comment at the time of writing remains furious that Russell Crowe’s Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World remained a one-and-done effort. The seafaring epic won strong reviews and landed 10 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, but the profit margins didn’t justify an investment in further adventures.
Dredd is another regular contributor to the conversation, with Karl Urban having spent a decade keeping that tiniest flicker of a flame alive just in case, although even the staunchest Mega-City One supporters are beginning to lose faith. 28 Months Later has looked like it may have been coming together a couple of times, but Danny Boyle has gone virtually radio silent on a prospective third tale of zombies running amok in modern society.
Excellent points are being made, but in the vast majority of cases, hopes were dashed long ago.