Planned Movie Sequels That Should Be Canceled

Nobody asked for 2013's We're the Millers in the first place, least of all the critics, which is why it's sad that there are plans in place for a sequel. While the original made $150 million at the box office, does anyone actually remember what happened in that movie? To refresh you: A group of strangers pretends to be a family to smuggle some drugs. It's a high-concept movie (meaning, it's simple and has broad appeal), so you'd think making a sequel'd be easy. However, there hasn't been much talk of the sequel since it was first announced in 2014, meaning Warner Bros. may have finally fixed the gas leak in the building that prompted the sequel to be greenlighted in the first place.

There are times when Nicolas Cage's unique brand of insanity can be a lot of fun on the big screen. (Or on the small screen, since the average Redbox kiosk seems to only offer obscure Nicolas Cage action movies.) But it's been a long time since we were able to take him seriously as an action hero, and the National Treasure movies haven't exactly improved with age. Disney has roughly 800 million reasons to press Cage back into duty for a third Treasure outing – chances are good that a decent story isn't one of them.

The Beverly Hills Cop franchise is a study in diminishing returns, both in terms of box office as well as general enjoyment. Yet the original was so great — because it starred the hilarious and charismatic Eddie Murphy when he was at the peak of his powers — that people just can't let go of the idea that a good sequel might actually happen someday. Bad movie director Brett Ratner was attached to Beverly Hills Cop IV at one point, and it even got far enough that Paramount Pictures had it on its 2016 release schedule. It was eventually delayed, in part because of script problems, but now it's back in the hopper with new directors. As of fall 2017, it's still moving forward — slowly moving forward, but moving forward nevertheless.

The first Now You See Me takes place in a world much like our own, except that magicians are as famous and anti-establishment as British rock bands in the '70s. A ridiculous thriller that overdosed on twists, turns, and secret identities, it made a mint and spawned Now You See Me 2, which tried to up the ante with the villains from the first movie attempting to exact revenge — except with little mystery left to explore, many plot points were explained away with "we did it with magic!" It was also filmed and set almost entirely in the Chinese territory of Macau, which sets up a third installment. In Now You See Me 2, Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou played a magician and magic shop owner named Li, and he's set to be the star of a third film in the Now You See Me series. The spinoff, a co-production of Lionsgate and Chinese film company Leomus Pictures, will be shot entirely in Chinese — and it appears likely to be made alongside yet another English-language Now You See Me sequel, which entered development even before Now You See Me 2 arrived in theaters.

The first Die Hard is a stone-cold classic. Die Hard 2: Die Harder is pretty good. The rest of the movies in the series, in which Bruce Willis's John McClane gets increasingly older and finds himself in increasingly implausible situations are, well, not so great. That means it's time for a reboot. (Talk about dying hard.) Director Len Wiseman (he also helmed 2007's Live Free or Die Hard) says that Die Hard: Year One reportedly flash backes between the present-day — because no one is so foolish that they'd make a Die Hard movie without Willis — and the late '70s, when McClane was just a beat cop in New York City learning the ropes. He also promises to explore the "love story" between McClane and his wife. Yeah, because that's what people want out of a Die Hard movie.

Mamma Mia! is the most famous and longest-running of the odd, 2000s-era theatrical fad of "jukebox musicals." Writers would take pre-existing songs, usually from a major musical act, and build a stage production around them. Mamma Mia!, the story of a young woman trying to figure out which of her ABBA-loving mother's old boyfriends is her biological father, used up more than 20 ABBA classics, like "Dancing Queen," "Fernando," and, of course, "Mamma Mia." A film adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried was a smash hit, so filmmakers are going back to the ABBA well with the surprisingly cynically titled, Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again! It's not based on a pre-existing stage show, so there's that. Also, the first musical and movie used up all the ABBA songs, which means this one has no choice but to be a rehash through and through.

Avatar wasn't just the biggest box office hit released in 2009, it went on to become the highest-grossing movie ever, bringing in an astounding $2.7 billion worldwide. That's in part because it was a film-going experience the likes of which had never been seen. Set on the the beautifully rendered jungle planet of Pandora, Avatar transported viewers with its immersive CGI, viewed in 3-D by some audiences. However, Avatar's time has passed. People just aren't as dazzled by 3-D now. Nor does it seem that audiences are as into Avatar as they are other huge blockbusters — things like Titanic or even Back to the Future, which, without recent sequels, are still very much a part of the culture and the conversation. Who talks about Avatar anymore? Aside from James Cameron that is. A visionary filmmaker, he is determined to bring us not one but four Avatar sequels. Avatar 2 will hit theaters in 2020, a very long decade (and then some) since the release of the original.

Those made-for-the-Disney Channel High School Musical movies are a now-dated time capsules of mid-2000s youth culture, but they sure were popular. The soundtrack to the first one was the second-best-selling album of 2006. The 2007 sequel set a record for the most-watched broadcast in the history of basic cable. The third entry was released theatrically, and stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens moved on to successful careers. Its tween audience grew up and now has kids of their own now, and they apparently need another squeaky-clean High School Musical. The script is about Erin, the only girl on East High's boys soccer team, who falls for Derek, a soccer player who is also, get this, an amazing dancer. Other characters include the high school theater star, Campbell, who is the cousin of Sharpay and Ryan from the original movies. So it's basically the original movie, with some tweaks and new actors. With a movie famous for songs with titles like "Start of Something New" and "Breaking Free," it's sad to hear that they'll just be ... "sticking to the status quo."