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Over 500 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of Hollywood Has Been Desperately Trying To Make Sequels To Your Favorite '80s Movies For Decades
Voting Rules
Vote up the '80s sequels that would be totally excellent, not bogus!
There are so many incredible '80s movies that deserve sequels, and many of them have indeed been the subjects of potential continuation for decades. Some have mercifully gotten those additional films, but there are still more sequels we want to see made that are in varying states of limbo. While there are certainly instances in which such sequels were disastrous, people lament sequels to '80s movies that were never made. That said, there is hope.
In this era of reboots and remakes, classic movies from the '80s have their best chance yet at making a comeback - it's already happened quite successfully for some. While there are certainly cases ahead describing the final nail in the coffin for potential sequels, more still are very real possibilities, and some are even officially in the works already.
Here are popular movies form the '80s that people have been trying to bring back ever since.
Deadline Hollywood reports that, as of October 2017, Beetlejuice 2 is still in the works at Warner Bros., but will be rewritten by Mike Vukadinovich, an extremely popular up-and-coming screenwriter. Tim Burton and Michael Keaton are both in talks to return, with no deal made as of yet. Beetlejuice is a 1988 cult classic, hence the undying drive to put a sequel together for 30 years. Though nothing's set in stone, this one feels like it's a sure thing, as Keaton and Burton are said to be excited about it.
Keanu Reeves has made a number of public statements suggesting that Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure will indeed get another sequel, despite nearly 30 years passing since the duo's first sequel. However, with each statement, it sounds more and more like the real thing, with him describing the story in detail on The Graham Norton Show as relayed by EW:
“There’s a cool story. Basically, they’re supposed to write a song to save the world and they haven’t done that yet. So the pressure of having to save the world - their marriages are falling apart, their kids are kind of mad at them. But then someone comes from the future and tells them if they don’t write the song it’s just not the world, it’s the universe. So they have to save the universe because time is breaking apart.”
Supporting Reeves is his costar Alex Winter, who said in a 2014 Yahoo interview, “The thing we had going against us is that word got out. That was kind of a bummer. It just takes a long time to put a movie together. Now we’re having to build this thing in public, which is fine. I just feel bad [the fans] have to get dragged through this long, boring, protracted process.”
215 votes
3
234 VOTES
Spaceballs Could Get A Sequel Thanks To The New Star Wars Films
In May 2017, while hosting a screening for Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks was asked by the crowd if a Spaceballs sequel would ever happen. Surprisingly, Brooks revealed that he was in talks with MGM to potentially bring back the Star Wars parody, largely due to the triumphant return of the latter starting with The Force Awakens. There is no further reporting to support whether or not this will happen, and Brooks did describe MGM as "slightly interested," so it's still far from a sure thing.
234 votes
4
237 VOTES
Gremlins 3 Has Been Written And Is Reportedly In Production
Chris Columbus wrote the two strange but wildly popular Gremlins movies 30 years ago, and now he's written a sequel. In an interview with Slash Film, Columbus said of his sequel, "It is as twisted and dark as anything."
The first two were actually quite dark in their own right. Despite ostensibly being children's movies, the first was more mature than anticipated, garnering a PG-13 rating for the sequel. Slash Film reports the movie is in production at Warner Bros. and Columbus assures fans that they'll still use puppets in this CGI era to bring the little monsters back to the big screen.
237 votes
5
203 VOTES
Richard Donner's Advanced Age May Stop A Goonies Sequel From Ever Happening
The Goonies is a cult classic that launched the career of many big named actors who starred in the 1985 adventure as youths of varying ages. One of those stars was Corey Feldman, and in 2014, Movie Web reported on numerous public statements made by Feldman, explaining why the actor believed a sequel to The Goonies would never happen.
"[The Goonies Director] Richard Donner is 87 years old," said Feldman. "And it's like, no one really wants to make it without him. He's the driving force behind it. He says it's still alive. But as we all know... when you get to that age, things slow down quite a bit. There is a big possibility that he might not want to keep driving it. So, I think without him, it doesn't happen. And every day that passes, that he doesn't do it, there is less and less chance that it is ever going to happen at all."
203 votes
6
222 VOTES
Jim Henson's Daughter Is Producing A New Labyrinth Movie
Muppets creator Jim Henson was the beautiful mind behind Labyrinth, a 1986 fantasy adventure about a teen named Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) who has to save her little brother when he is kidnapped by the Goblin King Jareth, famously played by David Bowie. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a sequel is in the early stages, which will be written and directed by Fede Alvarez. Alvarez is responsible for 2016's surprise hit suspense film, Don't Breathe. The new Labyrinth is believed to be a true sequel - a continuation of the story, as opposed to a remake - and will be produced by Lisa Henson, Jim Henson's daughter.
