8 Recently Teased Sequels That Probably Won't Happen

Everyone's well acquainted with the routine by now. A new movie arrives in a blaze of hype, everyone's talking up how great it's going to be - and, inevitably, there will be talk of whether or not it might get a sequel.

In most instances, such immediate franchise plans seem premature. Not only is there the question of whether the first film proved popular enough with audiences, but there's also the matter of where the filmmakers can go next, creatively speaking.

There are times, of course, when such bravado and ambition pays off. How different would the current cinematic landscape be if director Jon Favreau hadn't drafted in Samuel L Jackson for a little post-credits scene on his 2008 movie Iron Man?

At the same time, though, there's no shortage of sequels which leave you questioning who was crying out for more: just how many of us are really holding our breath for the upcoming sequels to Escape Plan and The Equalizer?

Still, with Hollywood being the indestructible machine whose gears are constantly in motion, the past year has seen no shortage of follow-up films announced in the press, and/or hinted at in the final scenes of the films in question; but it's by no means certain all, or indeed any of them will make it to screens in the end.

Director Roar Uthaug's big screen reboot of beloved video game heroine Lara Croft wasn't necessarily one of the most widely anticipated new movies of 2018.

It arrived 15 years after the character's last big screen outing in Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, and given that neither that film nor its predecessor are held up in especially high regard today, it's fair to say audiences weren't frothing at the mouth for more.

Plus, there's that old anxiety about the supposed 'curse' of video game movies, given how many critical and commercial duds to have emerged from that arena, notable examples including Prince of Persia and Warcraft.

Still, all things considered 2018's Tomb Raider was a perfectly decent action adventure with some handsome scenery, exciting set pieces, and above all else a compelling central turn from Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander as Lara.

Even so, many viewers rolled their eyes as the last few minutes of the film did their utmost to set up a sequel, pointing toward a new arch nemesis for Lara to go up against, and even (in a moment featured in the trailers) seeing her don her classic plait, and twin handguns.

However, given Tomb Raider's lukewarm commercial and critical performance (49% Rotten Tomatoes, $272 million worldwide box office off a $94 million budget), the odds of Vikander playing Lara again don't look too great.