Longest gap between original and sequel and your favorite sequel?

Worztron

Hi.

What is the longest gap between a sequel and the first movie? I was thinking about this the other night while watching Psycho II (1983) ~ it was 23 years after the original. Can anyone top that?

On the subject of sequels. What is your favorite sequel of all time? I'd probably opt for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

Giruilla

Has to be Aliens!

jonnyfingers

I'm not sure but this has to be in with a shout.

The Wizard of Oz - 1939
Return to Oz - 1985

There's also

The Hustler - 1961
The Color of Money - 1986


As for my favourite sequel I love Godfather 2, Spiderman 2, The Dark Knight and Toy Story 2 and 3.

Empire Strikes Back is also worthy.

Worztron

jonnyfingers wrote: »

I'm not sure but this has to be in with a shout.
The Wizard of Oz - 1939
Return to Oz - 1985

Return to Oz (1985) was an unofficial sequel (was there an official one?) to The Wizard of Oz (1939) but surely that wins with 46 years.

bnt

Just as with the Alien(s) films, there was a 7-year gap between Terminator and Terminator 2.

2001: A Space Odyssey is definitely one of my favourite films, and we had to wait 16 years (1968-1984) for the sequel, 2010: Odyssey Two. It's been too many years since I saw 2010, can't even remember whether or not I liked it.

Worztron

I just thought of this. Would Psycho II (1983) ~ it was 23 years after the original -- would it be the longest gap for an official sequel?

mike65

Another long gap was Godfather 2 and 3. - 1974/1990

Frank Black

'The Birds' was released in 1963, the Birds 2 was released (straight to tv) in 1994.

The only reason I remember it is because I watched it at about 2.00am in the morning in a Singapore hotel room when I had jet-lag, and it remains one of the worst movies I have ever had to misfortune to watch.

Sasquatch76

Half Life 3... ooops, wrong forum.

Twenty years or so between Last Crusade and Crystal Skulls, and a longer gap between Wall Street and it's sequel... coincidentally, both starring Shia Lebeouf. Maybe they were put on hold til someone of his talent emerged to fill the roles.

bnt

mike65 wrote: »

Another long gap was Godfather 2 and 3. - 1974/1990

As planned, Part III was not supposed to be a sequel, but rather a coda, a final chapter with the same characters but no story connection. However, you can say the same about many of the "sequels" we list here, such as Aliens, so I guess that would be splitting hairs. I didn't answer part of the original question - about my favourite sequel: I'd put The Godfather Part II up there, with Part III not far behind.

I also have a soft spot for Before Sunset (2004), the sequel to Before Sunrise (1995). Nine years between them, in both real time and movie time.

bnt

PS: to answer the question about the longest gap between original and sequel, there's a Wikipedia page on that. Of course. The first of those sequels I'd actually heard of was National Velvet / International Velvet, which were over 33 years apart. I would not call Fantasia 2000 a sequel to Fantasia, since neither film actually has an overarching story line.

sillo

jonnyfingers wrote: »

Empire Strikes Back is also worthy.

Worthy?!?!

johnny_ultimate

The Scenes from a Marriage and Saraband gap is one of the few that justified a three decade gap. Scenes from a Marriage is a very long (designed as a TV series) but powerful look at two people's marriage in decline over a long period of time. But Saraband - revisiting the same, long estranged couple thirty years later - is electrifying cinema, and Bergman's final masterpiece and gift to cinema.

Also, never knew there was a Belle de Jour sequel. Bizarre stuff.

Technocentral

bnt wrote: »

Just as with the Alien(s) films, there was a 7-year gap between Terminator and Terminator 2.

2001: A Space Odyssey is definitely one of my favourite films, and we had to wait 16 years (1968-1984) for the sequel, 2010: Odyssey Two. It's been too many years since I saw 2010, can't even remember whether or not I liked it.

Got it on blu ray for 7 euro last year, great film not in the same class as 2001 (what is?) but still excellent.

edit: Must stick it on later

Technocentral

black francis wrote: »

'The Birds' was released in 1963, the Birds 2 was released (straight to tv) in 1994.

The only reason I remember it is because I watched it at about 2.00am in the morning in a Singapore hotel room when I had jet-lag, and it remains one of the worst movies I have ever had to misfortune to watch.

Bllody hell! How can anyone make a sequel to a Hitch film!

Eathrin

Toy Story 3 was a good one
About 10 years or so

goose2005

To Sir, With Love II was released 29 years later, with Sidney Poitier reprising his role (as do two of his students) for basically the same plot, set in the 'hood'. No, I'm not making that up.

BlitzKrieg

Worztron wrote: »

I just thought of this. Would Psycho II (1983) ~ it was 23 years after the original -- would it be the longest gap for an official sequel?

Tron (1982)
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Tron Legacy (2010)

28 years.

Also the upcoming blade runner sequel will be even longer (1982 - 2012?)

krudler

Men in Black, original was 97, MIB2 2002 and MIB3 2012, thats a pretty long time for a third instalment

Niles

In terms of long gaps between sequels, there's a 19 year gap between Superman IV and Superman Returns. Although according to the producer Superman Returns bears no continuity to the third or fourth film, in which case there is a 26 year gap between it and Superman II. But I doubt that counts for the purposes of defining the "longest gap".

Meh, never really liked Superman Returns or Superman IV anyway.

Cian A wrote: »

Toy Story 3 was a good one
About 10 years or so

Good point. In my opinion it's a rare example of a franchise that doesn't begin to wane as sequels are added. Toy Story 3 was the first kids movie I bothered to go see since I was a kid myself!

krudler

Niles wrote: »

In terms of long gaps between sequels, there's a 19 year gap between Superman IV and Superman Returns. Although according to the producer Superman Returns bears no continuity to the third or fourth film, in which case there is a 26 year gap between it and Superman II. But I doubt that counts for the purposes of defining the "longest gap".

Meh, never really liked Superman Returns or Superman IV anyway.




Good point. In my opinion it's a rare example of a franchise that doesn't begin to wane as sequels are added. Toy Story 3 was the first kids movie I bothered to go see since I was a kid myself!

Superman IV has a good concept, just terribly executed, its super cheap looking and Golan-Globus cut corners everywhere. even the title sequence looks like something they knocked up in about 10 minutes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78ka2Yt5_6M

compared to the original, iconic opening, which still looks great (and sounds fcuking magnificent, the Superman march has never been bettered as a comic movie theme.

the good stuff starts 1.25 in , still gives me goosebumps :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Yvd9ipv9o8

Niles

krudler wrote: »

Superman IV has a good concept, just terribly executed, its super cheap looking and Golan-Globus cut corners everywhere. even the title sequence looks like something they knocked up in about 10 minutes:

Not to mention the titular hero somehow acquiring the ability to rebuild structures (Great Wall of China) with his eyes...

krudler wrote: »

compared to the original, iconic opening, which still looks great (and sounds fcuking magnificent, the Superman march has never been bettered as a comic movie theme.

Agreed. Though perhaps followed by the Danny Elfman Batman theme.

Technocentral

sugarman wrote: »

Terminator 2 & 3, 23 years is worth a shout.

13 I think you'll find.

Worztron

Hi.

I am trying to find out which film series has had the longest run between the 1st and last (even if it is still continuing) sequel. I reckon it is Psycho (1960) => Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) = 30 years. Can someone beat that?

Edit: Peter Falk wins by 5 years. Prescription: Murder (TV 1968) => Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003) = 35 years.

tony1kenobi

21 years between Lost Boys and Lost Boys 2.

Niles

If DTVs count I'm sure Disney has some candidates, pretty certain there's a Bambi II, which must have been a good 6 decades after the first one.

EDIT looked it up on wikipedia, it was released in 2006 and holds the record for longest gap between two installments of a franchise, 64 years...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambi_II

Worztron

Niles wrote: »

If DTVs count I'm sure Disney has some candidates, pretty certain there's a Bambi II, which must have been a good 6 decades after the first one.

EDIT looked it up on wikipedia, it was released in 2006 and holds the record for longest gap between two installments of a franchise, 64 years...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambi_II

It comes in a 2nd place: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_longest_gaps_between_film_sequels

BlitzKrieg

except oz isnt out yet...

Worztron

BlitzKrieg wrote: »

except oz isnt out yet...

True, so as of now Bambi II (2006) wins!

BlitzKrieg

I'd argue that this upcoming Oz film is still not a true sequel.

Looking at it from a basic rights scenario.

The original film was made by MGM and its rights sit with Warner Bros

this prequel is being made by disney.

Its not a sequel based on the source material as its based from the same material and not on the sequel OZ books (which return to Oz was.)

and it has not shown to have any linking elements so far between the actual material (return to OZ at least paid to use the ruby slippers from the first film.)

So I'm curious why its considered more of a sequel then say the recent Tim Burton Alice In wonderland is a sequel to say the 1933 version of Alice in wonderland? (even though clearly they are not for the very same reason I outlined above, different studios and materials)

goose2005

The longest gap with a 'real' sequel seems to be 41 years - This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse (1967) and Embodiment of Evil (2008). Both have Jose Mojica Marins directing, and starring as Coffin Joe.

Worztron

goose2005 wrote: »

The longest gap with a 'real' sequel seems to be 41 years - This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse (1967) and Embodiment of Evil (2008). Both have Jose Mojica Marins directing, and starring as Coffin Joe.

That beats the other sequels with the original actor(s) (that I know of): Prescription: Murder (TV 1968) => Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003) = 35 years.

Colonel Kurtz

Worztron wrote: »

Hi.

On the subject of sequels. What is your favorite sequel of all time? I'd probably opt for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

I think French Connection II is one of the most under-rated sequels of all time. Its a much different film to the original, though that's not necessarily a bad thing; this film is more character-based than the original, and Hackman turns in a brilliant performance, especially during his "cold turkey" scenes.

johnny_ultimate

I still don't buy that any of these were worthwhile sequels as opposed to a quick and cynical way to make some money. Only a small handful - whether it is Scenes from a Marriage / Saraband, Hustler / Colour of Money (still haven't seen these - for shame) or Before Sunrise / Sunset - have any artistic justification to exist. Heck, I didn't particularly like Tron: Legacy (except for the soundtrack) but at least they tried to make a film that somehow justified the huge gap as well as cashing in on the nostalgia market.

Worztron

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I still don't buy that any of these were worthwhile sequels as opposed to a quick and cynical way to make some money. Only a small handful - whether it is Scenes from a Marriage / Saraband, Hustler / Colour of Money (still haven't seen these - for shame) or Before Sunrise / Sunset - have any artistic justification to exist. Heck, I didn't particularly like Tron: Legacy (except for the soundtrack) but at least they tried to make a film that somehow justified the huge gap as well as cashing in on the nostalgia market.

Agreed.

Colonel Kurtz

I'd agree with you up to a point about the whole cynical cash-cow sequel thing....when you hear that a sequel is already in filming while the previous movie is still on release, it's a really bad sign (yes Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, I mean you!!).
But I think it's a tad unfair to dismiss all sequels. Godfather Part II, Superman II and Lethal Weapon II were all excellent movies in their own right (and also FC II as I mentioned above). You could argue each of those even improved on the originals.
It really depends on the quality of the individuals involved and on their intentions....is there a genuine attempt to progress the story and characters or is it just a cynical money-making exercise? Sadly, the latter tends to be the case in more recent years.:o