Hollywood is littered with sequels that almost were. Some exist as developed screenplays, others survive only as persistent rumors, leaked concepts, or throwaway remarks from directors and actors reflecting on unfinished plans. Yet a collection of these unrealized projects -including Mad Max, Tron, 28 Months Later, Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Mission: Impossible, Jurassic World and Spider-Man- could still happen, given the enduring popularity of their respective franchises. And not just as movies, but possibly also as a television shows or video games.
Plans for a Mad Max sequel exist in the form of George Miller’s The Wasteland script. Set a year before Fury Road, the story would explore what Max' backstory. While there have been plans of reworking the idea into a television series, silence followed the commercial underperformance of both the Mad Max video game and Furiosa. Yet, The Wasteland could still happen. Its story could tie together all the previous stories with an unreliable narrator, framing Max as a mythic figure whose adventures are told as campfire stories. This approach would allow for a new interpretation of Max.
Before Tron: Ares hit the big screen, another concept for Tron 3 existed under the title Ascension. Like Ares, it involved a real-world invasion, but it would have continued the stories of Sam Flynn, Quorra, and Dillinger Jr. A continuation for these characters could still happen in a potential Tron 4. Such a sequel could follow Sam searching for his mother within a new Grid while being hunted by the Dillinger family, with characters like Caius and Ares returning. Moreover, given the Grid’s technology, it could even enable interstellar travel, giving the real world a new setting as well.
Sequels that could now be prequels
Another sequel that was considered, but never produced is 28 Months Later. According to Alex Garland, the story would have followed Chinese special forces entering the UK in search of a cure, with the film being entirely in Mandarin. With the franchise now picking up 28 years later, this concept could still be revisited as a prequel. One possibility would be through a video game, similar in scope to Days Gone and potentially developed by Bend Studio, allowing players to experience the overrun UK themselves. It could even incorporate both the Chinese forces storyline and the language barrier.
Many sequel plans also circulate for Pirates of the Caribbean, including a direct sequel with Jack Sparrow, a spin-off with Margot Robbie, and a reboot with a younger cast. Given that Dead Men Tell No Tales takes place decades after the Golden Age of Piracy, it makes more sense to do a prequel. Both the reboot and spin-off concepts can even be reworked into it. Robbie could portray Redd, a popular character from the Disney park rides who has yet to appear onscreen, while a young Jack Sparrow could make a cameo. Alternatively, a prequel centered on the Pirate Round itself is a possibility too.
Bringin back old characters as new protagonists
Indiana Jones sequel plans have existed since the first movie, with The Monkey King being one of the most famous. It would've taken Indy from Scotland to Africa and China, featuring Marcus Brody, a Nazi sergeant with a mechanical arm, and the Monkey King Sun Wukong himself. The project was abandoned for being too fantastical and for centering on a deity rather than a traditional artifact. The premise was later briefly considered as a video game, but it could still be adapted today, particularly with Short Round as the lead, capitalizing on Ke Huy Quan’s renewed popularity.
There are more franchises that could bring back previous characters as leads. Mission: Impossible even already introduced William Brandt as possible successor. Now, a movie set between Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning could explore a world thrown into chaos after the Entity reveals itself. In Ethan’s absence, Secretary Brandt assembles Nyah, Billy, Declan, and Jane to stop the now-Apostle Zhen Lei and the Sons of the Atom from helping the Entity. Concurrently, a Jurassic World sequel (Jurassic Kingdom?) could bring back Sarah, Nick, Billy, Barry, Zia, Franklin, Kayla and Ramsey.
Finally, several sequel plans for Spider-Man existed prior to his integration into the MCU. Spider-Man 4 would've focused on Spider-Man fighting Vulture, while The Amazing Spider-Man 3 would've focused on his fight with Oscorp. No Way Home showed that both Maguire’s and Garfield’s Spider-Men remain popular, reopening (as of yet unused) doors for sequels. The first one could be reworked into a story centered on Peter’s daughter Mayday, showing the passage of time since Spider-Man 3. Meanwhile, the second could adapt the Clone Saga, with Gwen Stacy returning as Ghost-Spider.