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Asequel is a work ofliterature,film,theatre,television,music, orvideo game thatcontinues the story of, orexpands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of anarrative work offiction, a sequel portrays events set in the samefictional universe as an earlier work, usuallychronologically following the events of that work.[1]
In many cases, the sequel continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters and settings. A sequel can lead to aseries, in which key elements appear repeatedly. The difference between more than one sequel and a series is somewhat arbitrary.
Sequels are attractive to creators and publishers because there is less risk involved in returning to a story with known popularity rather than developing new and untested characters and settings. Audiences are sometimes eager for more stories about popular characters or settings, making the production of sequels financially appealing.[2]
In film, sequels are very common. There are many name formats for sequels. Sometimes, they either have unrelated titles or have a letter added to the end. More commonly, they have numbers at the end or have added words at the end.[3] It is also common for a sequel to have a variation of the original title or a subtitle. In the 1930s, many musical sequels had the year included in the title. Sometimes sequels are released with different titles in different countries, because of the perceived brand recognition. There are several ways that subsequent works can be related to thechronology of the original. Variousneologisms have been coined to describe them.
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The most common approach for a sequel[4] is for the events of the second work to directly follow the events of the first one, either continuing the remaining plot threads or introducing a new conflict to drive the events of the second story. Examples includeThe Empire Strikes Back (1980),Aliens (1986),Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), andToy Story 2 (1999).[citation needed] Though most sequels begin some time after the events of the first work ended, some sequels pick up immediately after the first work, with the same story arc spanning over both parts. This is often called adirect sequel. Examples includeThe Matrix Revolutions (2003) andSpider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse (2027).[citation needed]
Aprequel is an installment that is made following the original product which portrays events occurring chronologically before those of the original work.[5] Although its name is based on the wordsequel, not all prequels are true prequels that are part of a main series. Prequels that are not part of a main series are calledspin-off prequels, while prequels that are part of a main series are calledtrue prequels. Examples of true prequels include theStar Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005),Tremors 4: The Legend Begins (2004) which took place chronologically before the events of the previousTremors films,Better Call Saul (2015–2022) taking place mainly beforeBreaking Bad but also having some scenes after and during it,[citation needed] andThe Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008) occurring chronologically before the events ofThe Little Mermaid TV series (1992-1994),the animatedLittle Mermaid film (1989), andThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000). Examples of spin-off prequels includePuss in Boots (2011), which takes place before Puss meets the characters of theShrek films inShrek 2 (2004),Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024), which focuses on the character Furiosa before the events ofMad Max: Fury Road (2015), andA Quiet Place: Day One (2024), which focuses on the character Samira before the events ofA Quiet Place (2018).[citation needed]
Amidquel is a work which takes place between events. Types include interquels and intraquels.[6] Aninterquel is a story that takes place in between two previously published or released stories. For example, if 'movie C' is an interquel of 'movies A' and 'B', the events of 'movie C' take place after the events of 'movie A', but before the events of 'movie B'. Examples includeRogue One (2016) andSolo (2018) ofStar Wars, some films of theFast & Furious franchise, andSaw X. Anintraquel, on the other hand, is a work which focuses on events within a previous work. Examples includeBambi 2 (2005) andBlack Widow (2021).[7][8][9]
Alegacy sequel is a work that follows the continuity of the original works, but takes place much further along the timeline, often focusing on new characters with the elderly original characters still present in the plot.[10][11][12] They are often made many years after the original works were made. Legacy sequels are sometimes also direct sequels that ignore previous installments entirely, effectivelyretconning preceding events. Examples includeRocky Balboa (2006),Halloween (2018),Candyman (2021),Cobra Kai (2018-2025),Blade Runner 2049 (2017), theStar Wars sequel trilogy (2015-2019),Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021),Terminator: Dark Fate (2019),Tron: Legacy (2010),Top Gun: Maverick (2022), theCreed films (2015–present),Bad Boys for Life (2020),The Matrix Resurrections (2021),Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008), and theJurassic Worldtrilogy (2015–2022). Another term for these types of movies isrequel, meaning reboot sequel, a term originally coined byBruce Campbell to describeEvil Dead 2 (1987) in relation toThe Evil Dead (1981).[13] Film journalist Pamela McClintock describes a requel as something that "exploits goodwill toward the past while launching a new generation of actors and stories".[14]
Astandalone sequel is a work set in the same universe, yet has little or no narrative connection to its predecessor, and can stand on its own without a thorough understanding of the series.A Shot in the Dark (1964),Big Top Pee-wee (1988),Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982),Home Alone 3 (1997),The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006),Species - The Awakening (2007),Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011),[15]Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2011),Mad Max: Fury Road (2015),The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015),A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (2019),Spirit Untamed (2021),Space Jam: A New Legacy (2021),Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022),Twisters (2024), andJurassic World Rebirth (2025) are examples of standalone sequels.[16][17][better source needed]
Aplot reset, orresetquel is a work set in the same universe of its predecessor that resets the plot in a different premise or setting of the work's predecessor with more than one of the same predecessor characters to appease the audience due to extremely negative reception of the predecessor. An example:The Suicide Squad (2021) toSuicide Squad (2016).[citation needed]
Aspiritual sequel, also known as a spiritual successor is a work inspired by its predecessor. It shares the same styles, genres and elements as its predecessor, but has no direct connection to it at all. Most spiritual sequels are also set in different universes from their predecessors, and some spiritual sequels aren't even a part of their predecessor's franchise, making themnon-franchise sequels. Spiritual sequels can sometimes be repurposed from material originally intended to be direct sequels. Examples of this includeSuperman Returns (2006), a spiritual sequel toSuperman (1978) andSuperman II (1980), andMute (2018), a spiritual sequel to the filmMoon (2009).
Aparallel,paraquel, orsidequel is a story that runs at the same point in time as the original story.[18][19] For instance, three different novels byJohn Morressy —Starbrat (1972),Stardrift (1973; also known asNail Down the Stars), andUnder a Calculating Star (1975) — involve different lead characters, mostly in different places, but overlap at one dramatic event to which each novel provides a different perspective.[20] Strict legacy parallels areKirill Eskov's novelThe Last Ringbearer (1999) retelling the events ofJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Lord of the Rings (1955) from the viewpoint of benevolent Mordorians combatting the malevolent West. Likewise,Alice Randall's novelThe Wind Done Gone (2001), contemporary toMargaret Mitchell'sGone with the Wind (1936), tells the life story of a mulatto woman born enslaved on the O'Hara plantation andThe Lion King 1½ (2004), featuring the origins of charactersTimon and Pumbaa occurring simultaneously withinthe original 1994 film.[21]
Alongside sequels, there are also other types of continuation or inspiration of a previous work.[22]
Aspin-off is a work that is not a sequel to any previous works, but is set in the same universe. It is a separate work-on-its-own in the same franchise as the series of other works. Spin-offs are often focused on one or more of the minor characters from the other work or new characters in the same universe as the other work.The Scorpion King,Planes,Minions,Hobbs & Shaw andLightyear are examples of spin-off movies whileStar Trek: The Next Generation,Torchwood andCSI: NY are examples of spin-off television series.[23]
Acrossover is a work where characters or events from two previous works from different franchises are meeting in the same universe.Alien vs. Predator (2004),Freddy vs. Jason (2003), andThe Lego Movie (2014) are examples of a crossover film. Crossovers can also function as sequels if plotlines from the two previous works continue into them, like withDeadpool & Wolverine (2024), andRugrats Go Wild (2003).[24]
Areboot is a start over from a previous work. It could either be a film set in a new universe resembling the old one or it could be a regular spin-off film that starts a new film series. Reboots are usually a part of the same media franchise as the previous works, but not always.Batman Begins (2005),Casino Royale (2006),Star Trek (2009),Børning (2014),Man of Steel (2013), andTerminator: Genisys (2015) are examples of reboot films. Kathleen Loock has written that traditional reboots tended to stray away from depicting direct narrative or stylistic correlations to the previous versions of the franchise. Contemporary reboots lean into the nostalgia factor and create new stories that simultaneously revel in the aspects of the original franchise that made it notable in the first place.[25]
InThe Afterlife of a Character, David Brewer describes a reader's desire to "see more", or to know what happens next in the narrative after it has ended.[26]
Film directorFrancis Ford Coppola claims to have started the trend of including numbers in film sequel titles withThe Godfather Part II.[27]
The origin of the sequel as it is conceived in the 21st century developed from thenovella andromance traditions in a slow process that culminated towards the end of the 17th century.[28]
The substantial shift toward a rapidly growingprint culture and the rise of the market system by the early 18th-century meant that an author's merit and livelihood became increasingly linked to the number of copies of a work he or she could sell. This shift from a text-based to an author-centered reading culture[29] led to the "professionalization" of the author – that is, the development of a "sense of identity based on a marketable skill and on supplying to a defined public a specialized service it was demanding."[30] In one sense, then, sequels became a means to profit further from previous work that had already obtained some measure of commercial success.[31] As the establishment of a readership became increasingly important to the economic viability of authorship, sequels offered a means to establish a recurring economic outlet.[32]
In addition to serving economic profit, the sequel was also used as a method to strengthen an author's claim to his literary property. With weakcopyright laws and unscrupulous booksellers willing to sell whatever they could, in some cases the only way to prove ownership of a text was to produce another like it. Sequels in this sense are rather limited in scope, as the authors are focused on producing "more of the same" to defend their "literary paternity".[30] As is true throughout history, sequels to novels provided an opportunity for authors to interact with a readership. This became especially important in the economy of the 18th century novel, in which authors often maintained readership by drawing readers back with the promise of more of what they liked from the original. With sequels, therefore, came the implicit division of readers by authors into the categories of "desirable" and "undesirable"—that is, those who interpret the text in a way unsanctioned by the author. Only after having achieved a significant reader base would an author feel free to alienate or ignore the "undesirable" readers.[30]
This concept of "undesirable" readers extends to unofficial sequels with the 18th century novel. While in certain historical contexts unofficial sequels were actually the norm (for an example, seeArthurian literature), with the emphasis on the author function that arises in conjunction with the novel many authors began to see these kinds of unauthorized extensions as being in direct conflict with authorial authority. In the matter ofDon Quixote (an early novel, perhaps better classified as a satirical romance), for example,Cervantes disapproved ofAlonso Fernández de Avellaneda's use of his characters inSecond Volume of the Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, an unauthorized sequel. In response, Cervantes very firmly kills the protagonist at the end of the Second Part to discourage any more such creative liberties.[33] Another example isSamuel Richardson, an 18th-century author who responded particularly strongly against the appropriation of his material by unauthorized third parties. Richardson was extremely vocal in his disapproval of the way the protagonist of his novelPamela was repeatedly incorporated into unauthorized sequels featuring particularly lewd plots. The most famous of these isHenry Fielding's parody, entitledShamela.[34]
InTo Renew Their Former Acquaintance: Print, Gender, and Some Eighteenth Century Sequels, Betty Schellenberg theorizes that whereas for male writers in the 18th century sequels often served as "models of paternity and property", for women writers these models were more likely to be seen as transgressive. Instead, the recurring readership created by sequels let female writers function within the model of "familiar acquaintances reunited to enjoy the mutual pleasures of conversation", and made their writing an "activity within a private, non-economic sphere". Through this created perception women writers were able to break into the economic sphere and "enhance their professional status" through authorship.[30]
Dissociated from the motives of profit and therefore unrestrained by the need for continuity felt by male writers, Schellenberg argues that female-authored sequel fiction tended to have a much broader scope.[29] He says that women writers showed an "innovative freedom" that male writers rejected to "protect their patrimony". For example,Sarah Fielding'sAdventures of David Simple and its sequelsFamiliar Letters between the Principal Characters in David Simple andDavid Simple, Volume the Last are extremely innovative and cover almost the entire range of popular narrative styles of the 18th century.[35]
The cost of developingAAA video games has increased significantly over recent years,[36][37][38] often reaching tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars due to high expectations for detailed graphics, expansive worlds, and advanced gameplay. Video game companies have turned to sequels as a dependable business strategy.[39] Sequels are now a dominant trend in the industry, making up a large proportion of new releases from major publishers.[40]
One reason they are prevalent is their ability to provide a stable revenue stream in a volatile market. Building on an existing brand with an established fan base, sequels are perceived as safer investments than newintellectual properties (IP). They allow companies to capitalize on previous successes, ensuring a built-in audience and reducing the financial risk associated with launching a new and unproven concept. Additionally, sequels of a formula that players already enjoy, balancing familiarity with new features or improvements, which can increase player retention and positive reception.[40]
In some cases, the characters or the settings of an original film or video game become so valuable that they develop into a series, lately referred to as amedia franchise. Generally, a whole series of sequels is made, along withmerchandising. Multiple sequels are often planned well in advance, and actors and directors may sign extended contracts to ensure their participation. This can extend into a series/franchise's initial production's plot to provide story material to develop for sequels called sequel hooks. Examples of major media franchises include theMarvel Cinematic Universe,Pokemon,Harry Potter, andDisney Princess.[41]
Movie sequels do not always do as well at the box office as the original, but they tend to do better than non-sequels, according to a study in the July 2008 issue of theJournal of Business Research. The shorter the period between releases, the better the sequel does at the box office. Sequels also show a faster drop in weekly revenues relative to non-sequels.[42] A quantitative mega-analysis of box office earnings from all the major movie studios revealed that franchise movies dominate the highest grossing films lists, establishing sequels as reliable kinds of movies to make. All studios have come to rely on releasing sequels as they increase the studios' profitability, yield to the consumer demand for simultaneous novelty and familiarity, and help manage risk and uncertainty within studio production and release.[43]
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Sequels are most often produced in the same medium as the previous work (e.g. a film sequel is usually a sequel to another film). Producing sequels to a work in another medium has also become common, especially when the new medium is less costly or time-consuming to produce.[44]
A sequel to a popular but discontinued television series may be produced in another medium, thereby bypassing whatever factors led to the series' cancellation such asSerenity (sequel toFirefly (TV series)),Downton Abbey: A New Era (sequel toDownton Abbey), andVeronica Mars (sequel toVeronica Mars).[44]
Some highly popular movies and television series have inspired the production of multiple novel sequels, sometimes rivaling or even dwarfing the volume of works in the original medium.[45]
For example, the 1956 novelThe Hundred and One Dalmatians, its1961 animated adaptation and that film's1996 live-action remake each have a sequel unrelated to the other sequels: respectivelyThe Starlight Barking (1967),101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003, direct to video) and102 Dalmatians (2000).[46]
Sometimes sequels are produced without the consent of the creator of the original work. These may be dubbed unofficial, informal, unauthorized, or illegitimate sequels. In some cases, the work is in thepublic domain, and there is no legal obstacle to producing sequels. An example would be books and films serving as sequels to the bookThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which is in the public domain (as opposed toits 1939 film adaptation). In other cases, the original creator or their heirs may assertcopyrights, and challenge the creators of the sequels.[47]
Prequels focus on the action that took placebefore the original narrative. For instance, inStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith the audience learns about how Darth Vader originally became a villain. A prequel assumes that the audience is familiar with the original—the audience must rework the narrative so that they can understand how the prequel leads up to the beginning of the original.
[T]he Del Whitby trilogy... intriguingly tells the same noisy tale of interstellar intrigue and revolution from three partial points of view; none of the protagonists (orphans or impostors all) knows the whole story.
[Coppola] told [Paramount Pictures] he wanted to name it 'The Godfather Part II,' an idea he'd gotten from the Russians who'd done 'Ivan the Terrible' in two parts, at a time when no one had done a numbered sequel in Hollywood. The studio thought he was nuts, that people would think it was the same movie they'd already seen. But Coppola threatened to walk off the project if he didn't get his way. 'So I'm the jerk that started numbers on movies,' he says. 'I'm embarrassed, and I apologize to everyone.'
Of particular interest to me in this essay is the shift from a text-based to an author-based culture, accompanied by a developing elevation of the original author over the imitative one.
The trajectory line for triple-A games ... goes up tenfold every 10 years and has since at least 1995 or so ...
