I was working on the list of movies I plan to see in 2024 when I noticed that the majority of them were sequels/prequels/reboots/remakes/spinoffs/or “part 2” movies. There is over 30 of them currently scheduled to come out in 2024 and at least 1 movie each month. So, to do something different this year, here’s the list of all of them. Some of them I will see, others I may see, or and some I probably won’t see. They’re listed per month according to the latest release schedule.
January:
Mean Girls (remake) – A movie gets adapted into a stage musical. Then the musical gets made into another movie. It happens occasionally but this is the second recent release. The first was “The Color Purple” musical in December.
February:
Madame Web (spinoff) – Like “Venom” and “Morbius”, Madame Web is a character that first appeared in a Spider-Man comic. Since Sony Pictures deal with Marvel Studios is only for characters related to Spider-Man they’re making movies about every Spider-Man related character they can find. This is the first of 2 characters that will get their own movie this year.
March:
Dune Part 2 (part 2) – The continuing story that started with “Dune Part 1” in Sept 2021. Like other recent movies that are based on books (“The Hobbit”, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, “Twilight: Breaking Dawn”, “Hunger Games Mockingjay”) they made the story into (at least) 2 movies. A lot of times that meant that they expanded the story, but in this case, I believe they didn’t have to. I read “Dune” once a LONG time ago so I don’t remember much but I know that the 1984 movie didn’t have a few parts of the story.
Kung Fu Panda 4 (sequel) – When this movie is released, it will tie “Shrek” for the highest number of sequels of a Dreamworks Animation movie. Although “Shrek” is still in the lead for total follow up movies since the main character in “Puss in Boots” is originally from a “Shrek” sequel.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (sequel) – First there was “Ghostbusters” in 1984 followed by “Ghostbusters 2” in 1989. After that the series paused for a few years – except for an animated TV series – until the reboot movie in 2016. A few years after that there was a reboot/sequel “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”. Now, there’s a sequel to that movie which some may consider the 4th movie in the “Ghostbusters” series.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (sequel/spinoff) – This is a somewhat complicated one. The 2014 “Godzilla” is a reboot or remake or sequel of the original “Godzilla” movie. Then there was a sequel for that movie in 2019 called “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”. Then in 2017 there was “Kong: Skull Island” which is a reboot or remake of the original “King Kong” movie. The next movie to come out was a spinoff or a sequel for BOTH movies called “Godzilla vs Kong”. Now, this upcoming movie is a sequel or a spinoff movie for that movie. Note: NONE of these movies have any relation to the recent “Godzilla Minus One” movie.
Roadhouse (remake) – (according to a recent comment by director Doug Liman – this movie may not be released in movie theaters). Fans of the original 1989 movie have been asking for a sequel to the movie up until star Patrick Swayze passed away in 2009. Years later, they’ve made a remake of the movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal.
April:
The First Omen (prequel/reboot) – “The Omen” movie came out in 1976 and was followed by “Damien: Omen 2”, and “The Final Conflict” (where Damien is an adult). Then there were a couple movies on TV: “Omen IV: The Awakening” (1991) and “The Omen” (1995). In 2006 it went back to the big screen with a remake of “The Omen”. Now, Disney owns the franchise (they got it when the acquired 20th Century Fox) and there’s this movie which appears to be a reboot or a prequel.
May:
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (sequel/reboot) – This is another franchise that Disney got when they acquired 20th Century Fox. It started with “Planet of the Apes” in 1968 which had quite a few sequels in movie theaters and then on television. Then there was the remake of the movie in 2001 followed by the reboot “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” in 2011. The 2011 movie had two sequels. This is either the 3rd sequel to “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” or it might be a spinoff of that movie because I don’t think it stars Caesar, who was the main character in the previous 3 movies.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (prequel/spinoff) – About 30 years after the first “Mad Max” and it’s 2 sequels were released, there was “Mad Max: Fury Road” which could be called either a reboot or another sequel. That movie led to this movie which is a spinoff/prequel of the “Furiosa” character from that movie.
The Garfield Movie (animated reboot) – The Garfield comic strip had a live action movie in 2004 followed by a sequel to that movie. This time, it’s an animated movie about the popular comic strip.
June:
Ballerina (spinoff) – It started with “John Wick” and it’s 3 sequels (so far). Now they’re expanding the John Wick franchise with a TV series in 2023 (“The Continental”) and this spinoff movie about the Ballerina first seen in “John Wick 3” (I believe).
Inside Out 2 (sequel) – So far, only 5 of Pixar’s 18 original stories have had 1 or more sequels/prequels/spinoffs – Toy Story, Cars, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles (although a couple others have had a movie or TV series on Disney+). Now, “Inside Out” joins that group with this sequel.
Bad Boys 4 (sequel/reboot) – The sequels for this movie came out very slowly. The first “Bad Boys” was in 1995, the sequel was 8 years later, then the next movie “Bad Boys For Life” – which some might call a reboot – was 17 years later in 2020. Now the 4th movie coming out this year may be another sequel or reboot.
A Quiet Place: Day One (spinoff/prequel) – Paramount had an unexpected success with the first “A Quiet Place” in 2018 so they quickly scheduled a sequel “A Quiet Place Part 2” which came out 2 years later. After that, writer/director John Krasinski wanted to do something else (he wrote and directed the movie “IF” coming this year) so this next movie in the franchise is a spinoff/prequel about the first day the creatures attacked.
July:
Despicable Me 4 (sequel) – I believe the “Despicable Me” franchise is the most successful animated movie franchise that Universal has ever had. It made “Illumination” almost as popular Pixar. Including the two 2 “Minions” spinoff/prequel movies, this will be the 6th movie in the “Despicable Me” franchise.
Twisters (reboot or spinoff) – According to some actors in the movie, this IS NOT a sequel to the 1996 movie “Twister”, although the promotion of the movie so far makes it seem like it is. Michael Crichton is currently listed as one of the writers and he was a writer on “Twister”. So, I’m guessing it’s a reboot or spinoff of that movie.
Deadpool 3 (sequel/spinoff) – The highly anticipated 2nd sequel to the “Deadpool” movie is the first time that the characters will be part of the official Marvel Cinematic Universe since Disney took over the movie when they acquired 20th Century Fox. So, this movie could also be considered a spinoff because – according to rumor – some other Marvel Cinematic Universe characters will appear in it.
August:
Alien: Romulus (spinoff) – (there’s a possibility this will not be in movie theaters – just on Hulu). This franchise has grown so much since the first “Alien” in 1979 that it gets pretty confusing. There were sequels (“Aliens”, “Alien 3”, “Alien Resurrection”), prequel and/or spinoff movies (“Prometheus”, “Alien Covenant”), and some other movies with the creature (“Alien Vs Predator” and its sequels or reboot movies). According to the description, this is a spinoff movie that takes place between the original “Alien” movie and its sequel “Aliens”.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 2 (part 2) – This is a little unusual since this movie is scheduled to be released just two months after the first part (scheduled for release in June of this year). Kevin Costner stars in, directed, and co-wrote both movies.
Kraven the Hunter (spinoff) – Although Sony only has the rights to the Marvel comic book characters from Spider Man comics, they have more superhero movies coming out this year than Disney or Warner Bros. “Madame Web” is the first movie and just like that character this is first movie that shows this character.
Sept:
(some release schedules list Incredibles 3 coming out this month but I sort of doubt it because not much else is known about the movie. It’s not currently listed as a Pixar production. It might just be a Disney+ release)
Beetlejuice 2 (sequel) – This sequel has been wanted ever since the first movie came out in 1988. It had an animated TV series which changed the scary main character into a somewhat loveable character for children. I believe this sequel will bring the character back to the scary version from the first movie since – just like the first movie – it’s directed by Tim Burton and stars Michael Keaton playing the lead character. There are also other actors returning for this sequel.
Transformers One (prequel/spinoff) – The Transformers movie series that first started in 2007 has had 6 sequels/reboots/spinoffs so far. The first movie made around $700 million worldwide, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” made over $800 million, and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” made over $1 billion. The next movie “Transformers: Age of Extinction” may be considered a reboot since Mark Wahlberg replaced Shia LaBeouf as the star of the movie and it also made over $1 billion worldwide. However, the sequel to that movie, “Transformers: The Last Knight”, went down to $600 million worldwide. So, they decided to try to expand the franchise by making the spinoff movie “Bumblebee” and the spinoff/reboot movie “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts”. This animated prequel/spinoff is another attempt at expanding the “Transformers” franchise.
Speak No Evil (remake) – An American remake of the Danish 2022 horror/thriller with the same name.
Sax XI (sequel) – The first “Saw” movie was a cult favorite in 2004 so they made several sequels. The sequels also did well making over $100 million worldwide each – “Saw III” doing the best with $164 million worldwide – until “Saw VI” which dipped down to $68 million worldwide. So, the next movie was sort of a reboot named “Saw 3D”. That movie and the next movie “Jigsaw” – which could also be considered sort of reboot – brought the box office back up to over $100 million worldwide. However, the next spinoff movie “Spiral” didn’t do so well at the box office. Last year they went back to the original sequel names with “Saw X”. This years “Saw XI” follows that format.
Oct:
Smile 2 (sequel) – Somewhat like what is happening right now with the “Mean Girls” musical, in 2022 Paramount decided to release the horror/thriller “Smile” in theaters instead of on Paramount+. The movie became a success making over $200 million worldwide. So, they quickly started the production of this sequel.
Joker: Folie à Deux (sequel) – There have been a lot of different actors playing the Joker in Batman movies and TV shows including Cesar Romero (in the 70s TV show), Jack Nicholson, Mark Hamill (the voice of the Joker in “Batman: The Animated Series”) and Heath Ledger. Then “The Joker” got his own feature film in 2019. This sequel adds Harley Quinn, who is sometimes a henchman/girlfriend of the Joker in the comic books although the character has previously appeared in other movies such as “Birds of Prey”.
Nov:
Untitled Venom Sequel (sequel) – The 3rd superhero movie from Sony Pictures this year. Just like Joker, “Venom” has appeared in a Spider-Man movie and TV shows and then in 2018 he got his own feature film. This is the second sequel to this movie (not counting the brief scene he’s in during the end credits of “Spider-Man: No Way Home”).
Gladiator 2 (sequel) – The sequel movie to the 2000 Academy Award winner. According to news, the movie is about Lucius who is the son of Maximus’ love Lucilla from the first movie.
Dec:
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (spinoff) – Like the Harry Potter movies and the Transformer movies, they’re looking to expand the “Lord of the Rings” movies by creating the recent spinoff/prequel TV series and this animated movie. According to news, this animated movie is the story Helm’s Deep found Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan.
Untitled Karate Kid Movie (reboot???) – Not much is known about the movie yet except that it will star Ralph Macchio (who starred in the original 1984 movie, it’s 2 sequels, and the recent “Cobra Kai” spinoff TV series) and Jackie Chan (who starred in the 2010 reboot movie).
Mufasa: The Lion King (prequel/sequel) – The sequel/prequel of the 2019 “The Lion King” live action remake. According to the news, this movie is about Simba learning more about the life of his father Mufasa.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (sequel) – The first “Sonic the Hedgehog” movie was a moderate hit in 2020 making over $300 million worldwide and its sequel was an even bigger hit making over $400 million worldwide. The story of this 2nd sequel is still under wraps but seems to have the same actors in the movie and the same actors voicing the animated characters in the movie.
Nosferatu (remake) – I believe this will be another remake of the movie made in 1922 (silent film) and again in 1979. The original 1922 movie acknowledged that the story is based on Bram Stokers novel “Dracula” but they changed the name of the main character to “Count Orlok” or “Nosferatu” because they didn’t have permission to make a movie based on the book.
If the pandemic and the 2023 actors and writers strikes didn’t happen, there could have been even more sequels/prequels/reboots/remakes/spinoffs/part 2 movies including “Captain America: Brave New World” sequel/spinoff, a live action “Snow White” remake, an untitled “Avatar” sequel, a “Fast X” sequel/part 2, and the “Mission Impossible” sequel/part 2. However, there is still room for some ORIGINAL movies this year including “Borderlands” and “Wolfs” – two movies on my list in 2023 that are scheduled to be released this year. So, there will be at least a few movies that don’t seem so familiar in 2024.
LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW 