The Best Sci-Fi Movies That Never Got A Prequel, Sequel, Remake Or Reboot

Too expensive, bad scripts, and a legacy nobody wants to touch. In sci-fi, anything is possible…except a sequel to these films. Tom Cruise is no stranger to sci-fi, having starred in films such as Minority Report and Edge of Tomorrow. One that is often overlooked, however, is 2013's Oblivion. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, Oblivion thoughtfully explores ideas of isolation, love, and survival. Not only is the movie visually stunning, but it also includes the supporting talents of Olga Kurylenko, Ni

kolaj Coster-Waldau, and Morgan Freeman, and features a breathtaking soundtrack composed by the French electronic band M83. Cruise plays Jack Harper, a technician who lives on a remote base in a post-apocalyptic world. He and his partner, Victoria, played by Andrea Riseborough, are seemingly the only humans on Earth and are tasked with protecting the ruins of the planet from alien scavengers. Harper believes that he and Victoria will rejoin the remaining human colonists on Saturn's moon once the

y have completed their objective. However, as they go forward with their task, Harper begins to quest ion who and what he is, and if what he and Victoria are doing is right. "I don't know what happened, but you're not who you think you are." Oblivion does leave us with lots of questions that could be expanded upon. It's the kind of story that would really lend itself to a prequel. It would be interesting to see a film explore how the war-ravaged Earth ended up this way, and what Harper's life wa

s like beforehand. With Cruise still in great shape — and the advancements of de-aging technology — a prequel with the same cast wouldn't be out of the question. In the 2018 sci-fi film Upgrade, Grey Trace, played by Logan Marshall-Green, is a mechanic living in a futuristic world run by technology. One day, he and his wife are attacked when their hi-tech car malfunctions. The thugs murder Grey's wife, and he is left as a quadriplegic following damage to his spine. Not helped by the trauma of wh

at happened, the previously anti-tech Grey suddenly becomes completely reliant on it when he signs up to be a test subject for an experimental technology to help him walk again. It works…but with some unintended side effects. "I need your permission to operate independently." "Permission granted." "Thank You." Upgrade shows what someone is capable of doing when they're left with no choice, and the film's ending leaves plenty of room for more exploration. The experiment leaves Grey as an overpowe

red supercomputer with no empathy for humanity, and this offers so much opportunity for a sequel or franchise. The good news is the filmmakers agree, and Deadline announced in 2020 that director Leigh Whannell and producer Jason Blum were turning the movie into a television series. Set a few years after the events of the film, the series will focus on a new host, as well as the ways that the government is using evolved technology to deal with criminals and illegal activity. It might not be an ea

sy road to getting the series made, however. In 2021, Blum told Collider that the first scripts didn't make the grade, saying, "We're working on the scripts again, so that we can get an order." Since then, news has gone quiet about the state of the project, but hopefully, it'll get off the ground soon. Directed by Josh Trank, Chronicle was a surprise critical success and box office hit when it was released in 2012. The found-footage film takes the idea of a superhero's origin story and flips it

on its head to tell us a villain's origin story instead — delivering a film that is heartfelt, suspenseful, and even uncomfortable at times. Andrew Detmer, played by Dane DeHaan, is a high school student who gets bullied by his peers and father. One day he — along with his cousin Matt, played by Alex Russell, and popular jock Steve, played by Michael B. Jordan — stumbles across a meteor that gives them telekinetic powers. At first, they use their abilities to enhance their lives, however, as And

rew's suffering grows, so does his need to take power. Consumed by rage, he begins to see himself as an apex predator and believes everyone else is beneath him and should be destroyed. Chronicle ends with Matt promising Andrew that he'll do good works with his gifts. But now that the world has seen their powers, what will Matt do? And how will Andrew's actions and death haunt Matt into his adult life? Only a sequel can answer that. While screenwriter Max Landis had penned a sequel, Trank didn't

want to move ahead with it. The director told Polygon, "I really didn't ever want to see Chronicle 2 happen. That was my worst nightmare." Unless he has a change of heart, a follow-up seems very unlikely. Sci-fi series Firefly was something of a cult hit when it was released, with Rotten Tomatoes even naming it as the 12th best sci-fi series of all time. But the western themed space opera was unceremoniously canceled after just one season in 2002. Fortunately, the story picks up with the 2005 fi

lm Serenity. The movie follows the same ragtag group of outcasts on the Serenity spaceship, whose lives get upended when River Tam, played by Summer Glau — a woman with psychic powers and a strange past — hides on board. Unfortunately, not enough people watched it, so the studio vetoed any more talk of sequels. While diehard Firefly fans have been calling out for more big-screen adventures for years, they are yet to materialize. Star Nathan Fillion told Entertainment Weekly, "If I got $300 milli

on from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to 'Firefly,' make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet." "So no more running. I aim to misbehave." In a later interview with Esquire, Fillion said that this comment "accidentally rallied the troops," as fans started raising money for him to get the rights. Going forward, he intends to be more careful giving voice to his pipe dreams. Audiences are used to seeing Tom Cruise play the dashing hero, but 2014's Ed

ge of Tomorrow offers something new: The character he plays is a bit of a coward. Cruise plays PR officer, Major William Cage, a man reluctantly thrust into a raging war between humans and a seemingly unbeatable race of aliens. "Says here you're a deserter. Says here you were caught impersonating an officer." At one point in a battle, Cage gets infected with alien blood just before dying. He miraculously wakes up 24 hours prior, seemingly the only person with memories of his time on the battlefi

eld. It's Groundhog Day meets an alien invasion story, as Cage dies repeatedly in combat. Forced to relive the same battle, he eventually becomes a better fighter under the tutelage of Emily Blunt's Sergeant Rita Vrataski, who had previously held the same ability. Talk of the next chapter of Edge of Tomorrow began almost immediately and in 2016, director Doug Liman told Collider that he had plans to do a prequel. In 2019, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that an Edge of Tomorrow prequel was in dev

elopment at Warner Brothers but just two years later, it ironically seemed to be stuck in a loop. Emily Blunt told Entertainment Weekly in 2021 that she had read the treatment for Edge of Tomorrow 2, saying, "It was an amazing script, but I just don't know what the future holds for it." "Honestly, I think the movie's too expensive." Robert Zemeckis' 1997 feature Contact, based on Carl Sagan's novel of the same name, follows Dr. Ellie Arroway, played by Jodie Foster, a communications specialist w

ho finds proof of alien life. Tasked with going to space in order to make first contact with them, the journey challenges her in ways she never anticipated. Contact is a layered, philosophical story that just happens to be sci-fi, as well. It's not a big blockbuster action flick like Independence Day. Instead, it offers a slow build that leaves you questioning the nature of life and what it means to make true connections. "They should have sent a poet. So beautiful." Jodie Foster is not an actor

who likes to do sequels — she famously passed on reprising her role as Clarice in the sequel to Silence of the Lambs — unless the plot is exactly what she wants. Since Contact is a movie she holds very close to her heart, a sequel is unlikely. Carl Sagan died while the film was in production. Speaking to Vulture about him, Foster said that, "To be responsible in a way for the legacy of Carl Sagan is really amazing to me. That feels just like a really big deal in my life." "Until I sat down with

Carl, I don't think I really thought much about the vastness of the universe." A sequel to Contact isn't totally out of the question. Co-screenwriter Michael Goldenberg told Vulture that he has a pitch for a limited series, but so far, nothing has come from that. Christopher Nolan likes to take audiences on unexpected journeys, and his 2010 sci-fi film Inception does just that. The film plays around with dreams and how they can be powerful motivators. Although much of Inception feels like a hei

st film, the story is ultimately about the lengths a father will go to in order to be with his family. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a man wrongly accused of murdering his wife. "Do the children miss me?" "I can't imagine." To avoid arrest, he fled the country and hasn't seen his children since. Cobb works as an "extractor," using experimental dream technology to infiltrate a person's subconscious to extract information for his clients. When businessman Mr. Saito asks him to commit to an imp

ossible job and promises he can finally return home to his children if he pulls it off, Cobb agrees. The ending of Inception is deliberately ambiguous. Audiences never find out if Cobb is in the real world with his kids or still in the dream world. While it is an audacious way to end a film, we'd love to learn more. What about the rest of the characters? If Cobb is trapped in a dream, how will it affect them? What happens if he wakes up? Based on the book by Andy Weir, Ridley Scott's 2015 film T

he Martian stars Matt Damon as botanist Dr. Mark Watney. After finding himself stranded on Mars, Watney is tasked with trying to survive while NASA works on a rescue mission to bring him back home. Set in the year 2035, this sci-fi film offers a fresh take on the genre, with a focus on pure survival rather than the discovery of alien creatures. "In the face of overwhelming odds I'm left with only one option: I'm gonna have to science the s— out of this." The biggest challenges Watney faces are f

inding and rationing basic necessities like food and water and trying to maintain his sanity. The Martian was loved by audiences and critics alike and it was nominated for a total of seven Oscars, but it's unlikely that a sequel will materialize. However, the rights to Andy Weir's follow-up novel Artemis, described as "an adrenaline-charged crime caper," have been acquired by 20th Century Fox and New Regency. Akira imagines a post-apocalyptic world in which Tokyo has become Neo-Tokyo, a dark pla

ce filled with violence and corruption. Shotaro Kaneda is the leader of a motorcycle gang who discovers a group of people with telekinetic powers living in Neo-Tokyo as well as others who want to use that power for their own means. Akira introduces a bleak and violent world, but one that is also thought-provoking and challenging. Since its release, it's been the subject of hyperbolic praise, with Dazed declaring it, "The most important animation of all time." While there have been numerous attem

pts to turn Akira into a live-action movie — with Warner Bros. first acquiring the rights in 2002 — so far, nothing has emerged. The story presents a number of challenges, but that's not to say people aren't trying to bring it back. Taika Waititi was the most recent director tipped to do the live-action remake, but his plans got pushed so he could do the Thor movies. In 2021, Waititi told Wired he still wants to do the film, saying: "I'm still trying. [...] I don't wanna give up on that." Steven

Spielberg's Ready Player One, adapted from the Ernest Cline novel, brings together nostalgia, pop culture, and a hugely enjoyable adventure story. In a dystopian future, people find solace in the virtual reality game called "OASIS." In the game, you can be whoever and whatever you want. Wade Watts is a lonely teenager who goes by the name of "Parzival" in OASIS. When the founder of the game dies, it's announced that whoever can solve a puzzle and find the golden key will become the new owner of

the game. "If you're watching this, I'm dead." Wade is determined to win and embarks on a treasure hunt that takes him to places he never dreamed of. By the film's end, Wade makes a decision regarding OASIS that changes the course of every single person's life on the planet. It's such a huge moment, and we'd love to see what the repercussions of his decision have on humanity. Fortunately, a sequel to the novel, Ready Player Two, was released in 2020, although it was universally panned by critic

s. Cline told Inverse that the feature film adaptation of Ready Player Two is in the early stages of development but time will tell whether it will make it to the big screen given the novel's poor reception. As the debut feature from writer and director Andrew Niccol, Gattaca is a pretty impressive first offering. The movie stars Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude Law, and is a thoughtful exploration of the meaning of life in an advanced society that uses genetics to determine a person's place i

n the world. In the not-so-distant future, parents are able to splice together the best part of their genes to make a genetically superior child. Anyone that's born the old-fashioned way is considered to be inferior and given a lower standing in society because of it. Hawke portrays Vincent Freeman, one of those unlucky children. He meets the genetically superior Jerome Eugene Morrow, played by Jude Law, a former Olympic athlete who's become paralyzed. The two decide to cheat the system, and Vin

cent pretends to be Jerome. "They won't believe that one of their elite could have suckered them all this time." With his now superior standing, Vincent gets a job working at Gattaca as a navigator for a space project to Saturn's moon. The film ends with Vincent being allowed to keep Jerome's life, and he leaves for his mission. What happens to him and the world that's been introduced is anyone's guess, but a sequel — or even a prequel — could explore the moral implications of genetic advances a

nd what it means for the people who get left behind because of it. Unfortunately, Niccol seems to have closed the door on a sequel project. In an interview with Fandom, he said, "I don't know that there needs to be a sequel. Once you've said it, do you need to say it again? We'll leave it to your imagination. Better that you write the sequel in your mind than I write it." Starring Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Tim Allen, Galaxy Quest is a sci-fi cult classic that everyone needs to experien

ce. While on the surface it looks to be a film that just pokes fun at Star Trek, it really is so much more than that. It's a fun story about how fame and fortune can ruin relationships, and sometimes you just need a quick trip around the universe to make things right again. The film follows a group of actors from the canceled sci-fi show, Galaxy Quest. For the most part, the cast can't stand the show's original lead — Jason Nesmith, played by Tim Allen. However, when a group of aliens abducts th

e cast — believing what they've watched to be fact rather than fiction — the actors face the biggest challenge of their careers: Being actual heroes. "This is great. You know, usually it's just cardboard walls in a garage." Star Trek is a franchise that seems to run and run, so it is only right that Galaxy Quest should receive the same treatment, especially as the film ends with the cast getting their show renewed. Collider reports that Amazon Prime is poised to revive Galaxy Quest as a televisi

on series, however, following the tragic passing of Alan Rickman, they paused their plans. Weaver shares that if the revival series does move forward, it will focus on a younger Galaxy Quest cast joining forces with the remaining original cast members for another adventure in space. When you talk about cult-classic sci-fi films, no list is complete without 1997's The Fifth Element. The film stars Milla Jovovich's as Leeloo — the embodiment of the titular fifth element — who must combine herself

with the other elements to stop "The Great Evil" from destroying everything. Luckily, she falls into the cab of New Yorker Korben Dallas, and he helps her on her journey to save the world. In many ways, The Fifth Element could be considered as hugely ahead of its time, a sentiment with which director Luc Besson agrees. Besson points out that not only was the movie more comedy than action, but it also had a woman as the primary action star. This combined with the outlandish costumes designed by J

ean-Paul Gaultier, and the decision to have one of the main characters unable to speak English, made the film a hard sell. Audiences didn't quite know what to make of it, and this was reflected in its disappointing initial box office figures, which put a stop to any talk of a sequel. However, given audiences' receptiveness to the weird and wonderful, and the subsequent cult status of The Fifth Element, a sequel would likely be welcome. Just because Leeloo and Dallas saved the planet once, doesn'

t mean that they can't do it again. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Directed by Christopher Nolan, 2014's Interstellar explores the possibilities of wormholes, time displacement, and above all else, family. It's an emotional tale of a father who leaves his children in the hopes of giving them a better life. With food running out and the planet growing closer to mass-level extinction, Earth can no longer sustain humanity and so an alternative place to live must be found. "Find us a ne

w home, and by the time you return, I will have solved the problem of gravity." Matthew McConaughey plays single dad, Cooper, who is tasked with leading a team to find a new habitable planet. While Interstellar tells a beautifully poignant story, it ultimately has a sad ending for Cooper. When he eventually gets back home after many years have passed, his young daughter is on her deathbed. "Nobody believed me, but I knew you'd come back." Interstellar ends with Cooper leaving once more to find h

is mission partner, Dr. Amelia Brand, who is still traveling alone in space somewhere with no idea about what happened to Earth and humanity. A story about their adventures would be an intriguing tale, especially after the success that Interstellar enjoyed upon its release. While doing the press tour for Interstellar in 2014, McConaughey told Sky News that a sequel was possible, but nothing has come of it yet. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is one of pop culture's defining sci-fi films, from the dir

ector who has made a number of such films in his career, Steven Spielberg. With the perfect blend of nostalgia, whimsy, and effective storytelling, E.T is the blueprint of how to make a successful family-friendly sci-fi movie. The film tells an emotional tale about a young boy, Elliott, and his new alien friend, E.T., who finds himself stranded on Earth. The two form a beautiful bond that transcends species. They connect over their shared experience of feeling separate from their families. Most

of the adult characters in the film react to E.T. with fear and suspicion, but Elliott recognizes the gentleness and good in him. The film ends with E.T. going home — which is his mission from the beginning — but there is heartbreak on both sides when he has to say goodbye to Elliot. While the idea of seeing these beloved characters in another feature would be welcome, it feels like, if a sequel were going to come to light, it would've happened already. Following the success of E.T., the studio

did push the idea of a follow-up, but nothing came of it. Speaking to Slash Film about the possibility of a sequel, actor Henry Thomas said: "I think it should be left alone." A reunion of sorts took place in 2019 featuring some of the original cast — including Thomas — reuniting with the lovable alien for a holiday commercial. The former child star went on to say, "I think the commercial was as close as we're going to get to a sequel and that's why Spielberg okayed it." What Galaxy Quest does f

or Star Trek, Spaceballs does for Star Wars, offering an exceptionally goofy take on the familiar tropes of the iconic franchise. While occasionally brutal in the way it pokes fun at some of the more ridiculous plot points in Star Wars, Spaceballs is a film that doesn't take itself too seriously. Its loving, carefree approach to its pastiche is irresistibly charming. The film follows the kidnapping of Princess Vespa, who is being held hostage by Dark Helmet. The Darth Vader-esque baddie holds he

r for ransom in the hope of obtaining air, as his planet has depleted its air supply. Fortunately, she is rescued by bad boy space pilot Lone Starr and his half-man, half-dog partner, Barf. Many fans of the film assumed that another story was in the works, especially after Spaceballs teased various titles for sequel films. However, nothing has come out yet. At a Q&A event in 2017, Mel Brooks talked about the possibility of doing another film, especially since the first movie became a cult classi

c. Unfortunately, as many of the original cast members have now passed away, any new stories would need to feature a new cast and be told in a way that would honor those who came before. While technically, Dredd is a reboot of the 1995 film Judge Dredd starring Sylvester Stallone, the 2012 film bears very little resemblance to the previous movie and they appear to be connected in name and title character only. As the only film in its particular universe, 2012's Dredd earns a place on this list.

In a dystopian city called Mega-City One, the judges have the power to act as judge, jury, and executioner. Dredd, played by Karl Urban, takes rookie Cassandra Anderson, played by Olivia Thirlby, with him to a 200-story apartment to investigate a murder. The building is controlled by a violent drug lord named Ma-Ma, played by Lena Headey. She's a formidable foe, but she meets her match in Judge Dredd. "But as for you, Ma-Ma, judgment time." Critics praised Dredd and fans have turned it into a cu

lt classic, but the movie failed to recoup its $50 million budget with a meager worldwide haul of $41 million. While the 2018 comic Dredd: Final Judgment is an official sequel to the film, we have yet to see anything new on-screen. Olivia Thirlby expressed her enthusiasm for a Dredd sequel, telling Collider in 2021, "I was always the number one advocate of getting a sequel for Dredd. [...] If there is still talk of there being a sequel 10 years later, I am all for it." 2002's Minority Report has

an incredible amount of talent both in front of and behind the camera, with Tom Cruise in the leading role and Steven Spielberg in the director's chair. Cruise plays Chief John Anderton, the commanding officer of the Precrime Unit, an experimental prototype program designed to stop murders before they happen. Initially, John wholeheartedly believes in Precrime, until he witnesses a murder that he's about to commit in the future. Once John starts investigating, he uncovers damaging evidence rega

rding the supposedly fool-proof unit. The premise for Minority Report is instantly engaging, and it feels like a story that could expand into a franchise or multiple installments. "I'm sorry John, but you're going to have to run again." The Precrime unit uses the special abilities of three humans called "precogs," who have the ability to see the future and witness crimes before they happen. With their skills proven to be fallible, it opens up a number of questions about them that a sequel could

address. One of the rare exceptions on this list, Minority Report was brought back as a television show, airing in 2015. The story takes place a little over 10 years after the film and follows one of the precogs who still retains their ability. Unfortunately, the series was canceled by Fox after just one season, but there's still room for the story to continue on the big screen.