Does Hollywood need more sequels? Only in 2026, we already have them Shout out 7, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come again The Super Mario Galaxy movie control multiplexes around the world, too The Devil Wears Prada 2 again Mortal Kombat II just won the May box office.
There is still room for more tracking, but only if it makes sense.
Watch With Us has curated a list of long-overdue ’80s sequels that will never go out of style.
From the cold horrors of Something in high school antics Ferris Bueller Daythese movies from the early 1980s appealed to many generations and deserve another chapter to add to their already impressive cult following.
“The Thing” (1982)
Kurt Russell in The Thing.
Complete Everett collection/courtesySomething it has one of the most perfect endings in all of cinema, so why ruin it in sequence? Here’s one good reason – the concept of the film is good enough that it would be a crime not to do it. Any tracking John CarpenterThe 1982 sci-fi classic doesn’t have to answer one of the film’s most beloved mysteries — it’s MacReady (Kurt Russell) or Children (Keith David) who they say they are, or is one of them really The Thing from Another World?
Instead, the sequel could focus on a new set of characters that have no ties to the original movie. With both Norwegian and American bases reduced by Somethingit makes sense that the rescue team would be looking for survivors and an explanation for their disappearance. What they find, of course, is a creature that can mimic any form of life, with a vague goal of taking over the world.
Tracking could provide more insight into the creature’s origins, why it chose Earth as its new home and how deadly it is as it continues to evolve. While it’s tempting to use CGI to bring the creature to life, the sequel should stick to what made the original work so good – realistic effects that feel so real, they’ll make you want to throw up. It’s also not a requirement, but it would be nice to have Wyatt RussellKurt’s son, in acting to carry on his father’s legacy of portraying badass heroes.
‘Back to the Future’ (1985)
After Back to the Future III in 1990, Robert Zemeckis‘ The beloved sci-fi franchise is deliberately dormant. I Forrest Gump The director has long rejected promises of a sequel or reboot, but recently suggested that he is open to revisiting the film. The 1985 sci-fi classic hasn’t lost any of its charm, and the medieval time travel conceit is ripe for a 2026 update.
But how? The stars of the original series Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Leah Thompson again Crispin Glover they’re still with us, so there’s a chance for their sequel to include them while adding new characters like them Jack Quaid as Marty McFly Jr. once Bryan Cranston as one of Dr.’s students. Emmett Brown scientists to attract the new generation. Time travel itself is a hot topic right now, thanks to popular movies and shows like Netflix It’s dark and Christopher Nolan The Tenetso tracking may appeal to all four quadrants.
‘The Goonies’ (1985)
Ke Huy Quan, Sean Astin and Corey Feldman in The Goonies.
Warner Bros./courtesy Everett CollectionNo 80s movie has more talking points than the action sequence The Goonswith nothing to show for it. That may soon change, as a press release last year announced a new script was being rewritten Steven Spielberg again Chris Columbus they exist as producers.
A movie is never too old to warrant a sequel. For example, Devil Wears Prada 2 will soon hit theaters 20 years after the first one. The Meryl Streep–Anne Hathaway comedy is already one of the most anticipated movies of the summer. Going back in time, the classic crime of 1995 […]
That is a good sign that we may finally see it The Goonies 2 with the cast of 1985 returning to reprise their roles. Others, like him Josh Brolin (Brand) and So Huy Quan (Data), have received more praise and even an Oscar, while others, like Jeff Cohen (Chunk) once Kerri Green (Andy), left acting to pursue other careers. It would be great to see the OG Goonies reunite, perhaps to help a new generation of treasure-hunting teenagers find the adventure they’re looking for.
Throw it in Joe Pantoliano as the last surviving member of the Fratelli family, returning to the rocky, windswept shores of Astoria, Oregon, the setting that made the first film so memorable and zippy. Michael Giacchino score, and you have a surefire, nostalgia-baiting box office hit.
‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ (1986)
Mia Sara, Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck in ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.’
Essentials/Kobal/ShutterstockIt’s not hyperbole to say that many people have been looking for a sequel to John Hughes’ most popular 1986 comedy since 1986. For whatever reason, it hasn’t happened yet, but if humanity does visit the moon again in 2026, then Hollywood can Ferris Bueller’s Next Day Off.
The obvious route is to focus on a new trio of bored teenagers escaping the cages of high school, but I think it would be fun and sad if we could follow the original trio – Ferris (Matthew Broderick), Sloane (I’m Sarah) and Cameron (Alan Ruck) — as they take a break from growing up and reunite. In my version, Cam made millions as a tech entrepreneur, Sloane became a reporter for Chicago Tribune and Ferris sold up and took a desk job at his father’s company.
Throw in some callbacks to the original (the joy of going down the freeway and another visit to a Cubs game is a must-have), as well as some Chicago hot spots we’ve never visited before, like Millennium Park and walking down Navy Pier, and you have a sequence that’s fun for Millennials and causes many Gen-Xers to cry at the sight of the screen.
“Heathers” (1988)
L-R: Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, Kim Walker and Winona Ryder on the set of the film ‘Heathers’, 1988.
New World Pictures/Getty ImagesYou can argue that Heathers it already has quite a few fans now, and spiritual followers You don’t know, The Jawbreaker and both versions of The girls said running the “high school is brutal” torch. But nothing compares to the original, and it’s long overdue for us to review the best Wisterburg High. (Better forget the awful 2018 TV reruns.)
The biggest difference between the ’80s and the movies coming out now is that there were more than just blockbusters playing in theaters back then. In the ’80s, even untold adult dramas or unexpected genres could go on to become cult classics on cable even if they weren’t connected to theaters. Now, of course […]
At the end of the Heathersonly by Veronica Sawyer (Winona Ryder) and Heather Duke (Doherty) survived the JDs (Christian Slater) trying to punish peers for their empty and spiritually empty lives. Doherty is sadly no longer with us, but Ryder is more famous than ever thanks to Stranger Things, and it would be fun to see where he takes the older version and hopefully the wisdom of his iconic character. Slater could also return, but since JD blew himself up at the climax of the original explosion, the writer of the sequel will have to find a creative way to bring him back. The evil twin, perhaps? AI? Shout out 7 showed that it is possible to bring back fan-favorite characters who have been dead for decades.
