10 Blockbuster Movies Way Too Desperate For A Sequel

9. The Last Airbender

It's unclear quite who the live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender was aimed at. There was a lot to put fans off; losing its title thanks to the Na'vi, The Last Airbender switched the show's ethnic diversity with the usual white-guy-good, everyone-else-bad ethos and diluted the action. But newcomers would still be affronted by a vast mythology that takes entire seasons to fully explain. What is clear is that the film, for some reason directed by dud-magnet M. Night Shyamalan, wasn't meant to be a standalone affair. Bringing only the first season of Nickelodeon's series to life, there was always going to be scope for sequels. And you really could tell in the movie. The plot moves ponderously despite the vast story up for reimagining, but the real clincher is the finale; while large in scale it feels pretty inconsequential in terms of the story. Obviously this is just one 'book' out of three, but if you really want to engage audiences creating something that's complete in of itself is never a bad thing. Did it work? Upon release M. Night Shyamalan was keen to make further instalments. He's still waiting for Paramount to call back.