Some of the greatest genre movies of all time are sequels. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; The Godfather Part II; The Dark Knight; Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow. OK, maybe not that last one, but you get the idea. There is absolutely no reason that lightning can’t strike twice, or even three, four, five, six times, if the will and creative verve are in place.
And yet there is also a law of diminishing returns. This week Planet of the Apes writer-producer team Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver revealed that they are planning another five films in the dystopian sci-fi series, after the barnstorming box office and critical success of latest instalment Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Last week we discovered that Lord of the Rings legend Peter Jackson is overseeing a new movie about Gollum that will retread territory skipped over in the Oscar-winning trilogy from the turn of the century. The Mandalorian and Grogu, which this week announced that sci-fi scream queen Sigourney Weaver is joining its cast in an undisclosed role, will be the 12th full-length live action Star Wars film to hit the big screen. The Marvel Cinematic Universe currently stands 33 movies strong. And these are the big budget, tent-pole franchises, the ones with the bucks to hire the top talent. Can any of us honestly say they are all getting better?
