Do we really need another Hollywood sequel? Sometimes, all we want is our comfort content; to immerse ourselves in a fictional world we know and love. But instead of championing new voices, instead of returning to those original, familiar stories, Hollywood wants us to consume new takes on old sh*t — in turn, ruining our tried-and-true comfort watches.
Would I rewatch Friends or The O.C. if I knew the story would continue 20+ years later? Do we need to see Remy’s life at his bistro in a potential Ratatouille 2? Probably not. These standalone stories are perfect as they are. Even when franchises end on a perfectly satisfying note with all lingering storylines complete, there’s a high chance some executive will decide on a whim that the story should be prolonged, no matter if it’s been less than a decade since its end. Nostalgia might be at an all-time high, but familiarity breeds contempt, and some things are better left untouched.
In the past 7 days alone, we’ve gotten confirmation of Devil Wears Prada 2, Freaky Friday 2, and Shrek 5. Over the past few months, there’s also been Legally Blonde 2, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a Harry Potter series remake with a whopping seven seasons coming to Max, a new Beverly Hills Cop hitting Netflix… ah, and we can’t forget Gladiator 2 and Inside Out 2.
Everything old — and, as noted, “old” in this case can literally mean just years old — is getting a new spin. But do we really need it?
The Hollywood sequel is not a new phenomenon. We got our first sequel in 1916 with The Fall of a Nation, and the trend has stuck since then, with anything from Frankenstein and Dracula to Fast & Furious and Back to the Future getting part two and sometimes three, four, five, and, in the case of the Halloween franchise, 13. (A fitting number to stop at, if you ask me, but we shall see.)
But in the past few years, something has definitely shifted in the entertainment industry; while multiple sequels used to be reserved for outperforming beloved blockbusters, horror flicks, and ever-expansive superhero universes, current titles seem to be made with the intention of turning them into potential series — and to various degrees of success.