12 Movie Sequels That Luckily Didn't Happen

Some films are such great successes that a follow up is instantly considered. Some of these sequels work wonders; others even surpass their originals (The Dark Knight, for example, or Friday the 13th Part 2) whilst many fail hard (Terminator: Rise of the Machines and Batman and Robin). Looking at the more unfortunate follow ups to our favourite movies, it's a sigh of relief that some proposed sequels never got the go ahead.

Family favourites, comedy icons, classics and action flicks - no one genre is safe from the possibility of a bad or completely redundant sequel. Though none of the following films were ever released or even filmed, the fact that they were even humoured at one time is quite baffling. Some even venture into the realm of insulting their predecessors.

Many films on this list simply didn't warrant a follow up, but producers thought their popularity demanded one. Others were planned but fell through because the original ended up being a failure. Whatever the reasons, here are 12 movie sequels that thankfully never happened.

Some spoilers for the original films follow.

The '90s really was a wonderful time for insane but deeply entertaining action flicks, wasn't it? If you're ever wondering how brilliantly over the top that decade could get with its cinema, look no further than Simon West's 1997 flick Con Air, a film complete with an awful Nic Cage accent, a typically nuts John Malkovich, and Steve Buscemi as the world's most insane and terrifying serial killer.

Oh, and an airplane filled with violent convicts.

Con Air is brilliant, simply put. It's fun, crazy, violent, extravagant and awesomely silly. Because of the success of the film (making a hefty $225 million at the box office) director Simon West wrote a 15 page treatment for what he wanted from the sequel.

The film would have followed John Cusack's US Marshal Vince Larkin as he is put in charge of an entire airport for convict transport planes. And, yes, it would be overrun by some angry and wildly confident villains intent on tasting freedom.

Luckily, the treatment was ditched and nothing came of it. In recent years, West has said that he wants to do a sequel in space, and like the aptly named Con Airport, we're glad this hasn't come to anything yet either. When a film is as ridiculous as Con Air, one is enough.