The world of cinema is full of sequels. While some are highly anticipated, leaving audiences on a cliffhanger as soon as the credit start rolling, others make a come back due to popular demand.
Across Hollywood, there are many sequel ideas that were planned, but never made it to screen. From complicated creative relationships to underwhelming box office performances, there are a number of reasons why some further instalments remain unmade.
So grab some popcorn and join BBC Bitesize as we explore four famous follow-ups that weren’t meant to be.
Dumbo 2
At 64 minutes long, Dumbo is one of Disney’s shortest animated films and tells the story of Jumbo Jr, an elephant who is teased for his oversized ears, but is able to use them as wings.
When it was first released by Disney in 1941, Dumbo was met with critical acclaim and in 2017 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
But in 2001, an official Dumbo 2 film was set to hit cinemas. The story would have continued the original plot and followed Dumbo and his friends as they navigate life in a big city after being left behind by their travelling circus.
Production on the project was delayed many years and later cancelled when direct-to-video releases were discontinued and a new CEO of Walt Disney Animation Studios was appointed.
However, in 2019 Disney released a retelling of Dumbo directed by Tim Burton.
Elf 2
When Elf was released in 2003, it became an instant hit and is now widely considered a modern Christmas classic.
Grossing just under £175 million at the box office worldwide, the festive favourite follows actor Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf, as he travels from the North Pole to New York City in a bid to find his father.
Shortly after the film’s success, a script for an Elf sequel was written. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Ferrell rejected an offer of $29 million to star in the film.
In 2025, Ferrell told interviewer Josh Horowitz that he rejected the opportunity to put Buddy’s yellow tights back on, nor was he impressed by the script’s premise.
“There was a lot of movement after the film initially came out. I maintained that it would be really hard [to make a sequel] because it’s a classic fish out of water story,” he recalled.
“An attempt was made at a script, which tried its best but I was like ‘I don’t know’, […] if I were to promote that movie, I’d literally be saying I did it for the money.”
The Amazing Spider-Man 3
The Amazing Spider-Man 3 was scheduled for a 2016 release and plans were under way for Andrew Garfield to suit up and reprise his role as the Peter Parker.
But combination of a mixed reception from audiences and a lower-than-expected box office performance from The Amazing Spider-Man 2 meant that the third film, and the rest of its planned universe, was abandoned.
Other factors, like the cyber hack of the film’s distributor, Sony, and talks of a Marvel Studios crossover deal, are also thought to have contributed to the cancellation.
The cancellation meant that several storylines, including the development of the story arc of Spiderman's arch-nemesis the Green Goblin, a love story, and the set-up of a group of supervillains called the Sinister Six, were never concluded.
In 2017, Spider-Man: Homecoming was released in cinemas, marking the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man films.
Hairspray 2: White Lipstick
Adam Shankman’s Hairspray premiered in 2007 and was based on a 2002 Broadway musical - which was itself based on John Waters’ 1988 film of the same name.
The film had a star-studded cast including actors such as John Travolta, Zac Efron, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Queen Latifah.
The following year, New Line Cinema ordered a sequel under the working title Hairspray 2: White Lipstick. The script was written by Waters, and while the plot was never fully revealed, some smaller details have since been divulged.
In a 2013 interview, Waters told Broadway World that the Hairspray sequel would have been set in the 1960s and incorporated events such as the rise of The Beatles and the Vietnam War.
The script also included a storyline where Zac Efron’s character, Link, develops spots along his hair line that start talking - and even singing - to him.
But plans to produce the sequel were later dropped and when asked about reprising his role John Travolta, who played Edna Turnblad, told Australia's Sunday Herald Sun, “I think once is enough. […] I’m not a big sequel guy.”
This article was published in April 2025
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