Canceled Comedy Movie Sequels That Broke Our Hearts
Picture the scene: A comedy film hits the big screen and does big business both in terms of box office numbers and general audience satisfaction. The studio execs recognize they have a mega-hit on their hands and greenlight a sequel, then — it gets canceled?! It's all too common to hear of writers being hired and paid to work on comedy movie sequel scripts that go nowhere. However, it isn't always the studio's fault, as there are countless reasons for these cancellations. Unfortunately, the biggest losers in these situations end up being the fans.
Somewhere, in an alternate universe, Jim Carrey returned for "The Mask 2" while Jamie Kennedy's "The Son of the Mask" became an Asylum film for the distinguished connoisseurs of trash cinema. Or maybe Macaulay Culkin postponed his retirement to finish the Kevin McCallister trilogy in "Home Alone 3," which would give fans the true origin story for the Jigsaw Killer in "Saw." Both films were genuine possibilities at various points, but they didn't happen for different reasons.
While it's important to appreciate what we have in life, including all the films that do get made, it's also okay to bemoan rotten luck and think about missed opportunities. With that said, let's look at the canceled comedy movie sequels that would have rocked and should have happened.
The Mask 2
In 1994, Jim Carrey starred in the wacky (and totally smokin') superhero film "The Mask," loosely based on the Dark Horse comic book series. The movie made over $350 million worldwide on a $23 million budget and received its own animated series in 1995. Considering the success of the film, Carrey was expected to return for the follow-up. "Nintendo Power" even ran a contest that would allow one of its readers to be an extra on the set of "The Mask 2" — starring Carrey.
Unfortunately, Carrey decided against returning as Stanley Ipkiss after his experience on 1995's "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls," the sequel to "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." In an interview with Barbara Walters, the actor stated he would no longer do sequels, believing them to lack any sort of challenge for him as a performer (via SuperHeroHype). Ultimately, the project was binned and 2005's "Son of the Mask," starring Jamie Kennedy, served as the official sequel.
In 2019, "The Mask" director Chuck Russell revealed to Forbes his plans for the original sequel, stating, "I wanted Cameron [Diaz] to put on the mask and Cameron wanted to put on the mask and there was a number of things we were intending to do. I actually wrote a sequel and in that sequel, was one scene with the baby mask ... I didn't wanna do it, and neither did Jim unless it was as good as the first."
MIB 23
No one predicted Phil Lord and Christopher Miller's "21 Jump Street" would work as a buddy comedy starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. After all, the 1987 television series it is based on developed a cult following for its novel spin on the police procedural format. Despite the apprehension, the film worked and got a sequel, "22 Jump Street," which also received a positive reception. Rumors swirled that a third film was in the works. Most interestingly, the infamous Sony hack revealed plans of a crossover with "Men in Black," tentatively titled "MIB 23."
This project piqued the interest of fans since it had the potential to be the greatest idea — or the worst — of all time. "The Muppets" director James Bobin was also rumored to be in the mix to helm the film.
In 2022, Lord and Miller appeared on Josh Horowitz's "Happy Sad Confused" podcast and divulged more details about what "MIB 23" would have been. "The idea was Jonah and Channing, a thing happened while they were doing their medical school adventure that got them embroiled into the world of 'Men in Black,'" Lord said, "and that got them teaming up to stop an alien takeover type of thing." In a 2023 Rolling Stone interview, Miller admitted the project was more than likely dead in the water.
Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian
The ghost with the most debuted in Tim Burton's 1988 horror comedy classic "Beetlejuice." After a show-stopping story in which Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) tries to take Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) as his bride and gets up to all sorts of mischief, industry insiders predicted a sequel — especially after the $15 million movie made over $74 million at the box office.
In the early '90s, news about a script titled "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian" made the rounds in Hollywood. Written by Jonathan Gems, the sequel would have seen the Deetz family move to Hawaii with the pesky Beetlejuice following suit. Other plot points included the awakening of an ancient entity on the island and Beetlejuice taking part in a surfing contest because why shouldn't he when he's in Hawaii?! However, Warner Bros. was far more interested in Burton and Keaton's other project about some fellow from Gotham City named Batman, so the director and actor decided to focus their energy there instead.
Decades later, Burton, Keaton, and Ryder are reuniting for the much-anticipated "Beetlejuice 2," but does it possess the magic that "Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian" could have had? No one will ever know.
Seriously, Dude, Where's My Car?
In 2000, teen comedy leveled up by combining the powers of "That '70s Show" star Ashton Kutcher and "American Pie" actor Seann William Scott in "Dude, Where's My Car?" The premise centers on two slackers who go on an adventure to find their missing vehicle, which also happens to contain their girlfriends' anniversary gifts. Costing only $13 million to produce, the film made over $73 million at the box office and became a stoner comedy classic.
For years, rumors circulated that a sequel was in development, but Kutcher had no interest in it because his star was on the rise in the industry. In 2016, Kutcher told The Independent that a script does exist for the film, and he had read it. "You know, there's a script for a film called 'Seriously Dude, Where's My Car?' The script isn't there yet. If it got there, you know, I could go looking for a car again."
A year later, Scott confirmed he had never received a script for the movie and only found out about it through Conan O'Brien. He also discussed how the original idea for "Dude, Where's My Car?" was meant to be much darker before it was changed at the last second, and his hope for any sequel would be for it to be closer to the initial vision for the first movie.
Wedding Crashers 2
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson made quite the tag team, playing off each other beautifully in the 2005 R-rated comedy "Wedding Crashers." The $40 million production made over $288 million at the global box office and became a rewatchable classic. With the fanfare and financial success behind it, plus Vaughn and Wilson's undeniable on-screen chemistry, a sequel seemed inevitable, but it never came to fruition.
Director David Dobkin revealed why on Quora. He explained how "Wedding Crashers" was released in a period when producers and studios weren't interested in sequels. However, Dobkin and the stars came up with a solid idea. Dobkin wrote, "Vince, Owen, and myself sat around at Owen's house one day and broke the story. It was really, really funny. We wanted Daniel Craig to be the ultimate wedding crasher, with his sexy body and his speedo, and the two guys would be incredibly threatened by him. He was like the next generation terminator of wedding crashing."
In 2016, news broke that "Fist Fight" writers Evan Susser and Van Robichaux would write "Wedding Crashers 2," which would see Dobkin, Vaughn, Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Isla Fisher all returning for the production. However, the project all but fell apart in September 2021 after Wilson decided to do another movie instead.
License to Fly
The two Coreys — Corey Haim and Corey Feldman — ruled the late 1980s and early 1990s. The young actors had their own starring vehicles but would also combine their talents for memorable films such as 1987's "The Lost Boys" and 1988's "License to Drive." The latter movie makes for the perfect double-feature with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." as Les Anderson (Haim) fails his driver's test but refuses to cancel his date with Mercedes (Heather Graham). So, he sneaks out of his house and takes his grandfather's Cadillac for a wild and wacky night on the town, even dragging his pal Dean (Feldman) along for the ride.
"License to Drive" became a comfort watch for many people who enjoyed the never-ending chaos that Les and his friends wreak in a single evening. The film made $22 million domestically to boot. Unfortunately, the Coreys never returned for a sequel. However, Feldman revealed to Larry King that there were plans to complete a trilogy before Haim's death in 2010. Feldman said Haim was set to pitch "License to Fly" and "License to Dive" as potential sequels, which, judging by the titles, sound like they would have taken the characters' shenanigans to both the skies and the watery depths.
Old School Dos
Complementing raunchy teen comedies of the era, such as "Road Trip" and "American Pie," Todd Phillips' "Old School" brought the frat boy laughs and gross-out humor in 2003. Starring Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, and Vince Vaughn, the story sees a group of adult men relive their college years by starting a fraternity and partying like it's 1999. The comedy smashed its way to over $86 million worldwide on a $24 million budget and became a highly quotable film for fans.
Scot Armstrong, who co-wrote the movie with Phillips, revealed there were tentative plans for a sequel titled "Old School Dos" in 2006, which would have seen Mitch (Wilson), Bernard (Vaughn), and Frank (Ferrell) go on spring break. "Sequels are always hard because the audience wants to see the characters do the same thing again, but they also want a totally new story," Armstrong told Yahoo. "The thought of putting them on the road for spring break seemed like it would have a good balance of both because you're back in the same world while also in a fresh environment."
Armstrong explained how he and Phillips put together the story and pitched it to the cast to get their buy-in, but they turned down the chance to return. Ferrell told Ain't It Cool News that there were funny moments in the script he read, but he felt they would be retreading the same ground as before, so he passed on the opportunity to be Frank the Tank again.
School of Rock 2
"You're not hardcore unless you live hardcore." Ah, who could ever forget the iconic song "Legend of the Rent" from 2003's "School of Rock"? The beloved Richard Linklater comedy stars Jack Black as Dewey Finn, a wannabe rock star who impersonates his substitute teacher friend and ends up forming a band with his fourth-grade class. The movie became a bona fide hit for Paramount Pictures, making over $130 million at the box office. More importantly, it captured the hearts of audiences and fans by being a genuinely fun film for the whole family.
In 2008, the news dropped that the film's screenwriter, Mike White, had penned a sequel titled "School of Rock 2: America Rocks." The story would have seen Black's Dewey return and take a group of summer school kids on a road trip to discover the history of rock 'n' roll. Unfortunately, the film never progressed. According to Black, the reason for this is because he, White, and Linklater couldn't agree on the direction of the sequel.
More of a reboot than a sequel, a television series based on "School of Rock" aired in 2016. In terms of another film, in January 2023, Black hinted that a sequel could still be possible.
Home Alone 3
In 1997, "Home Alone 3" arrived in theaters — sans director Chris Columbus and star Macaulay Culkin. The film switches focus to a new protagonist, eight-year-old Alex Pruitt (Alex D. Linz), as he attempts to save his home and neighborhood from an international criminal organization. "Home Alone 3" follows the formula of the previous movies in most of its gags and pranks, with Alex coming out on top in the end and defeating the baddies.
Originally, the plan for "Home Alone 3" featured the Incredible Culk returning as Kevin McCallister. The film would have been shot back-to-back with "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" to kill two birds with one stone. However, this never materialized. Another potential storyline featured a teenage Kevin, but this became impossible when Culkin retired from acting in 1994. Consequently, "Home Alone 3" had to go in a different direction.
"Home Alone 4" returns to Kevin's story, with Mike Weinberg in the lead role, not Culkin. It's also a strange film since it retcons many events that happen in "Home Alone 2," so it's best to consider it an out-of-canon continuity chapter. Unfortunately, the real Kevin McCallister never concluded his trilogy of terror.
Blue Streak 2
"Blue Streak" might not be "Bad Boys," but it is one of Martin Lawrence's better films. The crime comedy follows thief Miles Logan (Lawrence), who hides a diamond at a police station and then impersonates a detective to try and retrieve it. Eventually, Miles teams up with Detective Carlson (Luke Wilson) to stop real crimes.
The film turned out to be a sleeper hit in 1999, bringing in over $117 million on a $36 million budget. Of course, the studio wanted "Blue Streak" to turn into a hot streak of sequels. In 2001, reports stated the original film's co-screenwriter Steve Carpenter had submitted a script for "Blue Streak 2," with the expectation that director Les Mayfield and Lawrence would return for the project. Producer Toby Jaffe commented on the film to Entertainment Weekly, saying, ”If the first one was 'cop for a day,' this is 'spy for a day,' with Martin getting drafted by the CIA. "In the end, "Blue Streak 2" didn't happen.
The Rocker 2
Not all movies explode out of the blocks. Films like 2008's "The Rocker" only pick up an audience years after release. Regrettably, in a numbers-driven business like Hollywood, this often means sequels are thrown out the moment the movie belly flops at the box office. It's a shame since "The Rocker" had sequel or prequel potential, but it never had the chance to fulfill its full potential.
In an interview with MLive, Rainn Wilson, who plays Fish in the movie, explained the two directions a sequel could have gone in. He said the story could have followed Fish after his success with his nephew's high school band or examined Fish's previous band, Vesuvius. "We were talking about that. [It's] a movie that really could've gone two ways," he said. "There's Fish's story, and the sequel wouldn't have Fish in it. The sequel would just be Vesuvius' rise to fame. That's all there is to it. It could be brilliant."
Wilson acknowledged any sequel would be contingent on the success of the first film. However, "The Rocker" only managed to make $8.8 million against its $15 million budget. All plans for "The Rocker 2" were scrapped soon after.
Bridesmaids 2
Paul Feig's 2011 comedy "Bridesmaids" delivers a rollicking good time as maid of honor Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) has a side-splitting and chaotic conflict with bridesmaid Helen Harris III (Rose Byrne) over their friend Lillian Donovan's (Maya Rudolph) wedding. Wiig co-wrote the hilarious screenplay with Annie Mumolo, and the duo was recognized for their efforts with an Academy Award nomination.
After raking in a mind-blowing $306.4 million worldwide, Universal Pictures was ready to divorce these characters multiple times to orchestrate more bridesmaid tomfoolery and bring in the cash. However, in 2012, Wiig told The Hollywood Reporter that she and Mumolo were working on other projects, not "Bridesmaids 2." According to the publication's sources, there was dissatisfaction among the principal cast regarding the bonuses they received for the film. This could have been a factor in Wiig's decision.
Nonetheless, Universal Pictures seemed willing to move on without Wiig, as sources mentioned the studio's desire to shift the story to Melissa McCarthy's character, Megan Price. However, McCarthy said she wouldn't want to return without Wiig's involvement. Despite all the talks and rumors, interest in the sequel cooled.