Sometimes sequels have such vague connections to their previous instalments that they don’t even feel like they are part of the same franchise. Here are some sequels that barely have anything to do with their predecessors.
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Although the filmmakers have eventually managed to tie this entry closer to the rest of the series, when “Tokyo Drift” first came out, it had virtually nothing to do with the other movies in the franchise. It’s about illegal street racing and there is a cameo from Vin Diesel (“The Fast and the Furious”) right at the end but that was about it.
- Hellraiser: Inferno
Pinhead (Doug Bradley “Hellraiser”) is of course the face of the “Hellraiser” franchise so it was a bit odd when some of the later sequels barely featured the character. “Hellraiser: Inferno” was the first movie in the series that was not originally intended to be a “Hellraiser” flick. Pinhead finds himself forced into a film that was never meant for him.
- Speed 2: Cruise Control
Sandra Bullock (“Miss Congeniality”) returns to the “Speed” franchise as Annie. She’s ditched Keanu Reeves (“Johnny Mnemonic”) and is now dating Jason Patric (“The Lost Boys”). After surviving an ordeal on a bus that couldn’t slow down, she’ll find herself on a cruise ship that can’t stop. Aside from Sandra Bullock reprising her role, this just has nothing to do with the first “Speed” film. It was originally intended to be an entry in the “Die Hard” series.
- Halloween III: Season of the Witch
The first and only film in the series that does not focus on Michael Myers. “Season of the Witch” instead has the spotlight on some masks that can kill you when you wear them on Halloween. The only connection to the other films in the franchise as that you see an ad on a television for the first “Halloween” movie. “Halloween” was originally intended to be an anthology series but since the first two films had Michael Myers, audiences were just confused by the decision to ditch him in the third entry.
- Troll 2
The first “Troll” movie was an obscure fantasy film from the 80s where a kid by the name of Harry Potter battles a magic troll. The sequel doesn’t even feature trolls, it features goblins. Besides the title, there is no indication that this film has anything to do with the original movie.
Honourable mentions:
Evan Almighty, Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 and Son of the Mask