How do you become the highest grossing director of all time? Easy — don't go to film school. These iconic directors didn't need formal training to make movie masterpieces.
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00:00From Arendelle to Pandora to the depths of hell itself, Hollywood sure knows how to take
00:05us places, and we're set to revisit a few fantasy favorites over the next few years,
00:10too.
00:11For all the backlash they get, the live-action remakes of classic animated Disney films do
00:15offer the studio two major advantages. On the one hand, they usually make several hundred
00:20million dollars at the domestic box office alone, making them reliable investments in
00:24an otherwise uncertain period for the company. They also allow new voices to reimagine and
00:29expand upon the worlds we all know and love, breathing new life into some of the most beloved
00:34stories of all time.
00:36You're entirely bonkers, but I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are."
00:44So maybe it's no surprise that the studio has a few sequels up its sleeve, too. For
00:49example, Disney is apparently eager to find ways back into the world of Aladdin after
00:53the 2019 Guy Ritchie remake.
00:55Bradley Magnusson's Prince Anders is seemingly still on track for a Disney Plus spinoff movie,
01:00while the Mothership film had a sequel greenlit in early 2020. Sadly, as the coronavirus delayed
01:06and derailed years' worth of movies coming out of Hollywood, Aladdin 2 was no doubt impacted
01:11in some way as well.
01:12Another factor impeding the movie's development is likely Will Smith's involvement, with the
01:17Academy Award-winning actor's future in question since he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars
01:22in 2022. But given that there's been no official cancellation and that Smith recently blew
01:26everyone away at the box office with Bad Boys Ride or Die, it seems likely that Aladdin
01:312 will take audiences back to Agrabah — at some point or another.
01:36You're probably aware that there are many, many Avatar sequels currently in development
01:40from James Cameron and 20th Century Studios. After all, the writer-director confirmed as
01:44far back as 2010 that he had plans for at least two sequels. The first film's warm reception
01:50and historic financial success gave him and his collaborators all the steam they needed
01:54to forge ahead at full speed. Now, after the roaring success of Avatar the Way of Water,
01:59a third installment is on the way.
02:01I see you.
02:04I see you.
02:07At the 2024 D23 Expo, it was revealed that the third film would be titled Avatar Fire
02:13and Ash, in reference to the new volcanic environment that the film is set to explore.
02:18According to statements from the cast and crew, this environment is home to a new Na'vi
02:21clan known as the Ash People, who will serve as the story's antagonists. Fire and Ash and
02:27The Way of Water were originally intended to be one film, which could mean that Fire
02:31and Ash will serve as the most dramatic and momentous entry in the series to date. It's
02:35currently slated for release in December 2025.
02:38DC Comics fans were both shocked and elated when it was announced that a sequel to the
02:432005 film Constantine was being developed, with Keanu Reeves reprising the title role.
02:49Though the first film departed significantly in its depiction of the character, it has
02:53since become a cult classic among comic book fans and horror movie enthusiasts alike. In
02:58recent years, DC and Warner Bros. have attempted to adapt the character more directly in projects
03:02such as the short-lived NBC procedural starring Matt Ryan and an abandoned Justice League
03:07Dark series from J.J. Abrams. However, interest in a sequel to the Reeves version of the character
03:12has sustained, for the most part with little to no updates from the cast or crew.
03:17When Warner Bros. finally confirmed that a sequel was being developed in 2022, the studio
03:22also confirmed that director Francis Lawrence would return. The script is set to be written
03:26by The Dark Tower and Transformers The Last Knight scribe Akiva Goldsman. Though there
03:31was some concern that the entire project might be jeopardized by James Gunn and Peter Safran's
03:35takeover of Warner Bros.' DC universe in 2023, Reeves has confirmed that Gunn is on board
03:41with the film being made as an Elseworlds story for DC Studios. There's even an argument
03:46to be made that Gunn's plans for a Swamp Thing film might blaze the way for Constantine's
03:50big future in the DC Cinematic Universe.
03:54Detective Pikachu was a pleasant surprise when it arrived in theaters in 2019. Starring
03:58Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the titular Pokemon, as well as Justice Smith as his human
04:02partner, the film took a somewhat unconventional approach to adapting the classic world of
04:06the video game series.
04:08You're pouring gasoline on — oh, that went darn fast. I like this, I like this very much."
04:15Legendary Entertainment was so excited about Detective Pikachu's prospects that they announced
04:18the development of a sequel before the first film hit theaters, hiring the Cloverfield
04:23Paradox writer Oren Uziel to pen the screenplay. Sadly, the movie's development since then
04:28hasn't been entirely smooth. Detective Pikachu was generally well-received by both critics
04:33and audiences, but its box office was muted by competition from a little movie called
04:37Avengers Endgame. Against a budget of $150 million, it ended up making about $450 million.
04:44By 2021, Smith was pessimistic about the sequel actually being made, and there was a long
04:48period of time during which there was no public word from Legendary to ease anyone's concerns.
04:53In 2023, however, the studio put out a statement to assure fans that the sequel was indeed
04:58on the way, though it was also announced that Uziel had been replaced by newcomer Chris
05:03Galetta. Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Crizzell was in talks to direct the film, though there's
05:08been no further confirmation as to whether he'd closed a deal with the studio.
05:13Frozen is one of Disney's most successful original stories of the past two decades,
05:17its catchy tunes and winning combination of magic, heart, and humor captivating audiences
05:22of all ages across the globe. Considering the movie grossed a whopping $1.3 billion
05:28at the global box office, it wasn't all that surprising when a sequel was produced. And
05:32when that sequel surpassed its predecessor to a global total of $1.4 billion, it was
05:37inevitable that Frozen would become Disney's next long-running cinematic series.
05:41Sure enough, in 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the studio was developing sequels
05:46to several of its most popular animated films, including a fifth Toy Story and a third Frozen,
05:52with the latter film heading for a 2026 release date. Immediately, the film was notable for
05:57potentially making the Frozen series the first theatrical trilogy released by Walt
06:01Disney Animation Studios. Toy Story and Cars had previously been produced by Pixar.
06:06At 2024's D23 Expo, the studio confirmed the core cast members would return for Frozen
06:113, and shared concept art of Anna and Elsa on horseback. Sadly, it was also announced
06:17that the film had been delayed from 2026 to November 24, 2027.
06:23Legendary Entertainment's MonsterVerse has mostly been a roaring success since it began
06:27with Gareth Edwards' 2014 film Godzilla, and the franchise only seemed to pick up steam
06:31when Godzilla himself began sharing the screen with King Kong.
06:35Let them fight.
06:37After appearing in the period prequel Kong's Skull Island, Kong co-starred in 2021's Godzilla
06:42vs. Kong and 2024's Godzilla Kong The New Empire. Both films were financially successful,
06:48leading to some rumblings that Legendary would produce a third film featuring the pair.
06:52Some of these rumors came from director Adam Wingard himself, who directed both previous
06:57Godzilla Kong films. Ahead of the release of The New Empire, he told Discussing Film,
07:01"...I definitely think there's more story to this, and I think that I have more story
07:05to tell."
07:06In May 2024, Legendary announced that it had begun development on a film to succeed The
07:10New Empire, although the studio didn't reveal much else. It was revealed soon after that
07:15Wingard will not return to direct or write the movie, despite his previous comments.
07:20For screenwriting duties, the studio has tapped Shang-Chi writer Dave Callaham, and
07:24I Am Mother director Grant Sputory will direct.
07:28The original Hocus Pocus remains a delightful treat to revisit each Halloween, especially
07:33since Disney Plus gave subscribers the gift of a wickedly entertaining sequel in 2022.
07:38Now that fans, old and new, are ready to answer the witch's call, Disney is burning the black
07:42flame candle at both ends and trying to get a third movie out as fast as possible.
07:47After the release of Hocus Pocus 2, executive producer Adam Shankman said that he was both
07:51happy with the first sequel's performance and excited by the prospect of continuing
07:56to tell stories within this universe. In the months that followed, most of the film's cast
08:00shared that they would happily return for Hocus Pocus 3 if Disney was to produce the
08:04film, with Bette Midler specifically saying that she was interested in being involved
08:08with the franchise at this point in her career.
08:10A third Hocus Pocus was finally confirmed in June 2023, with director Anne Fletcher
08:15once again leading the project, and screenwriter Jen D'Angelo returning to write the script.
08:20As of July 2024, however, Midler had yet to see a script, and she was seemingly beginning
08:25to get nervous about how delays might affect the cast's ability to reunite.
08:29If they're gonna, they oughta, because time is not just marching. I mean, time is like,
08:34time is backlashing.
08:36Time is barrelassing.
08:38At one point, Disney's wildly popular animated musical Moana was meant to be followed by
08:43an animated Disney Plus show, perhaps unintentionally evoking some nostalgia for a bygone era in
08:48which Disney films would stick at sequels on the Disney Channel. In 2024, however, Bob
08:53Iger announced that they had decided to instead make a sequel titled Moana 2, and that the
08:58movie was headed for a theatrical release date of late 2024.
09:02Auli'i Cravalho is set to return as Moana, and Dwayne Johnson will be back as the demigod
09:07Maui. Both stars represented Moana 2 at the D23 Expo in 2024, where a trailer was screened
09:13for attendees. The sequel will follow Moana as she attempts to reconnect with her ancestors
09:18by venturing back out to sea with a new crew of wayfinders. Before long, of course, this
09:23journey will lead to a reunion with Maui himself. Moana 2 sails into theaters on November 27,
09:292024.
09:30In 2022, Netflix delighted subscribers with the animated fantasy adventure The Sea Beast,
09:35which featured Karl Urban as a swashbuckling sailor dedicated to slaying the titular monster.
09:40The movie was a massive critical success, drawing widespread acclaim and earning an
09:44Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. As of January 2023, The Sea
09:49Beast was the most-watched animated film in Netflix history. So it makes perfect sense
09:54that Netflix would get to work on a second voyage for the cast and crew of The Sea Beast,
09:58announcing in 2023 that writer-director Chris Williams had been given the go-ahead to start
10:03work on The Sea Beast 2.
10:06In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Disney alum shared that while he'd never
10:09expected to make a sequel, there are some themes and ideas from the first film that
10:13he's excited to revisit and explore. He said,
10:16"...suddenly Jacob is a parent, a parent to an especially willful kid, right? And so when
10:20you see them on the dock, you know that's not what parenting looks like. It's far messier,
10:24far more complicated and more trying at times than that. So the idea of the challenges of
10:28this new family became interesting to me."
10:31Williams added that he was also intrigued by the future of other monster hunters and
10:35how they might react to the first film's ending.
10:38DreamWorks announced in July 2024 that it had finally committed to developing Shrek
10:425, which is currently set to be released on July 1, 2026.
10:46"...All right, that's more like it. Shrek and Dunkey on another whirlwind adventure!"
10:51The studio confirmed that the film will be released theatrically and reunite franchise
10:55stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz.
10:58Murphy has reportedly already recorded his lines for the first act, revealing to Collider
11:02ahead of DreamWorks' official announcement that there is also apparently a Donkey spinoff
11:06feature in development as well. Directing Murphy and his co-stars is franchise alum
11:11Walt Dorn, an actor, director, and animator who has spent the last several years helming
11:15the Trolls series of films for DreamWorks.
11:18Illumination founder Chris Maledandri is also returning to the Shrek Cinematic Universe
11:22for Shrek 5, having previously executive produced the critically acclaimed spinoff sequel Puss
11:27in Boots, The Last Wish. Though he has shared his own feelings of nostalgia for the original
11:31series, he also seems to want to take the franchise in a new direction. Speaking to
11:35Variety about the process of making Shrek 5, he said,
11:38"...the challenge for us has been to find something that really does feel like it's not simply
11:42yet another film in a series of sequels."