7 Major Movie Sequels That Took Over 20 Years To Finally Happen
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Hollywood usually moves fast when a movie hits. If audiences show up, a sequel is often announced before the first film has even finished its theatrical run. But some follow-ups take a very different route, disappearing for decades before anyone finally decides to bring them back.
Enter Practical Magic. Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman first played Sally and Gillian Owens in 1998, when the movie received mixed reviews and modest box-office attention. Its slow transformation into one of cinema's most beloved witch movies eventually helped make Practical Magic 2 possible nearly 28 years later.
It is hardly the longest Hollywood has made audiences wait. Studios continue finding reasons for viewers to rewatch beloved movies before their sequels, but some characters disappeared for 30, 40, or even 50-plus years before finally returning. These seven sequels all took more than two decades to happen.
Tron: Legacy — 28 Years Later
Disney's original Tron was one of the most visually ambitious science-fiction movies of the early 1980s, but it hardly looked destined to become a major franchise. The 1982 film earned admiration for its pioneering computer-generated imagery while generating relatively modest box-office returns.
Nearly three decades later, Disney returned to the Grid with Tron: Legacy, one of the era's most visually distinctive sci-fi adventure movies. Jeff Bridges reprised his role as Kevin Flynn, while Garrett Hedlund and Olivia Wilde led a new generation through the digital world. Daft Punk's unforgettable score only added to the sequel's identity.
Coming 2 America — 33 Years Later
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Eddie Murphy's Coming to America became one of the defining comedies of the 1980s, but Prince Akeem's story appeared to have ended when he found love in Queens. For more than three decades, audiences had little reason to expect another trip to Zamunda.
Then Murphy and Arsenio Hall returned for Coming 2 America in 2021, 33 years after the original. The sequel reunited numerous original cast members while introducing Akeem's previously unknown son, Lavelle. Originally intended for theaters, the long-delayed follow-up ultimately arrived on Prime Video during the pandemic.
Blade Runner 2049 — 35 Years Later
Few movies seemed less likely to receive an expensive sequel than Blade Runner. Ridley Scott's 1982 science-fiction classic was initially a box-office disappointment before decades of critical reassessment turned its rain-soaked future into one of cinema's most influential visions.
Thirty-five years later, Denis Villeneuve continued Rick Deckard's story with Blade Runner 2049. Harrison Ford returned alongside Ryan Gosling as K, expanding the original's complicated world of humans and different types of replicants. Like its predecessor, the sequel disappointed commercially but earned enormous critical respect and grew in stature afterward.
Top Gun: Maverick — 36 Years Later
Top Gun was the highest-grossing domestic movie of 1986, turning Tom Cruise into an even bigger star and making Maverick one of his signature roles. A sequel seems obvious in retrospect, but Cruise resisted returning simply for nostalgia's sake.
The wait ultimately lasted 36 years. Top Gun: Maverick reunited Cruise with Val Kilmer while introducing Miles Teller, Glen Powell, and a younger generation of naval aviators. The sequel became a box-office phenomenon rather than merely a nostalgic reunion, and now Top Gun 3 is officially moving forward, making that first 36-year gap even more remarkable.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice — 36 Years Later
Tim Burton's Beetlejuice became one of the most distinctive comedies of the 1980s, and plans for a follow-up began almost immediately. Yet various attempts to reunite Michael Keaton's chaotic bio-exorcist with the Deetz family spent decades stuck in development.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice finally arrived 36 years after the original, with Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara all returning. Jenna Ortega joined the cast as Lydia's daughter, allowing the sequel to use the enormous real-world passage of time rather than pretending its characters had barely aged.
Doctor Sleep — 39 Years Later
Stanley Kubrick's The Shining did not exactly leave audiences expecting a sequel. Jack Torrance's nightmare at the Overlook Hotel appeared self-contained, while Kubrick's complicated relationship with Stephen King's original novel made the idea of continuing that specific movie even more unlikely.
King eventually wrote Doctor Sleep, following an adult Danny Torrance still traumatized by his childhood. Mike Flanagan's 2019 adaptation faced the difficult task of serving as a sequel to King's story while also continuing Kubrick's iconic film. Ewan McGregor's Danny ultimately returned to the Overlook an astonishing 39 years after audiences first saw him there.
Mary Poppins Returns — 54 Years Later
No movie on this list made audiences wait longer than Mary Poppins Returns. Julie Andrews first played the magical nanny in Disney's 1964 classic, and for more than half a century, the Oscar-winning musical stood alone.
Emily Blunt finally picked up Mary Poppins' umbrella in 2018, 54 years after the original. Rather than remaking the story, the sequel returned to Jane and Michael Banks as adults and brought Mary back to help another generation. Dick Van Dyke even returned, creating a remarkable connection between movies released more than five decades apart.
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