The Golden Compass is coming out on Friday, the first part of a planned trilogy. Initial reviews aren’t exactly glowing, though. This, combined with the backlash by Christian groups might derail plans to create the sequel. **Please do not hijack this into a The Golden Compass vs Chronicles of Narnia or atheist vs Christian debate. **
Have there been movies where a **planned **sequel was never released to theater? I am purposely excluding direct to video/DVD sequels because they are just attempts to cash in on a name. For example, at the end of Buckaroo Bonzai they mention a sequel called Buckaroo Banzai vs. The World Crime League which was never made.
In books, The Last Dangerous Visions is notorious. It was announced as being ready in 1974, but still hasn’t appeared despite the fact that plenty of stories have been purchased for it.
Samuel R. Delaney long ago announced a sequel to Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand, called The Splendor and Misery of Bodies, of Cities but has not finished it.
Dean Koontz was supposed to do a three part trilogy based on Frankenstein. He finished parts one and two, and I have read them. But part three was supposed to be out in the summer of 2005. Still no part three. I am not pleased.
Heinlein outlined several stories for his Future History that were never written, including one he said he wouldn’t write because it was too depressing.
C.S. Forester outlined a Hornblower story (in The Hornblower Companion ) that he never wrote. He also never finished Hornblower During the Crisis, but only because he died (like Dickens with the Mystery of Edwin Drood). He didm, however, write three other Hornblower stories that weren’t included as part of the “Canon” (although they have recently been reprinted)
There are lots of comic books that promised undelivered sequels. IIRC, an old 1940s one called Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang ended its first issue on a cliffhanger, but the sequel never appeared. The eighteenth issue of the very first run of Silver Surfer (the only one in the sereies drawn by Jack Kirby) promised an explosive next issue that never happened (I think Kirby may have left at that time)
One might presume that the Unfortunate Series of Events movie was planned, originally, to continue on, since the film only covered elements of the first three books. Maybe they didn’t make enough money on the original, but enough time has passed that’s it’s doubtful they could now use the children in sequels.
They had intended to make more Hitchhiker’s Guide books into movies, but it appears that the lackluster response to the (B- grade IMHO) movie has put the kaibosh on them.
Let us not forget the massive delays that surround George R. R. Martins “Fire and Ice” series. The latest book is facing huge push backs, as well as the last book in Eragon.
As far as movies go, Indiana Jones 4. Though I believe production photos have been leaked featureing the kid that was in Transformers.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show had a sequel of sorts released, Shock Treatment, but several additional sequels died in various stages of creation.
John Waters wrote a sequel to Pink Flamngos entitled Flamingos Forever but following the death of Edith Massey it was shelved and the death of Divine cemented its fate. The script was published along with two other Waters scripts (for Flamingos and Desperate Living) in a book called “Trash Trio.”
Darkseid, as part of of Kirby’s Fourth World, was supposed to be part of a story arc that ended with his prophesied destruction at the hands of Orion. The series was cancelled and the characters were assimilated into the rest of DC continuity. Everything Kirby set up was just kind of left hanging. Maybe they’ve done something with it since I quit reading regular publication comic books, though.
Back when I worked in a movie theater, we would periodically get pamphlets letting us know what movies to expect in the coming months/year. One listed a planned sequel to Spaceballs called Spaceballs 3: In Search of 2.
Mel Brooks just has no luck with sequels, I guess.