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Sequel

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For other uses, see Sequel (disambiguation).

A sequel is a work of fiction in literature, film, and other creative works that is produced after a completed work, and is set in the same "universe" but at a later time. It usually continues elements of the original story, often with the same characters and settings, although this is not always the case. For example, if the main character dies at the end of the first work, a new character (such as a son or daughter) may take up the role in the sequel. A sequel is somewhat different from a series, in which the same character appears in a number of stories, although some media franchises have enough sequels to begin to resemble a series.

The popularity of sequels comes about in large part because it is less risky to build on a known success than to gamble with new and untested characters and settings. And audiences often beg for more stories about a certain character or setting. Sherlock Holmes was so popular that Arthur Conan Doyle was unsuccessful in his attempt to kill off the character and gave in on demands to bring him back.

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[edit] Characteristics of sequels

Often movie sequels are criticized as artistically inferior, and accused of simply repeating the story of the original film. However, a sequel can give an opportunity to address weaknesses in the original. For instance, the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture was panned as overlong, boring and short on character play. In reaction, Paramount Pictures hired Harve Bennett to produce a sequel that addresses the criticisms; he produced Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which is considered not only superior to The Motion Picture but one of the best films of the series.

Other examples of sequels which are widely considered as good as or better than the original include Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Godfather, Part II, X2: X-Men United, Toy Story 2, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Aliens, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Superman II, and Spider-Man 2.

There are some common plot issues regarding sequels. Often when the original movie involves a character resolving a conflict, it is difficult to arrange the plot so that the characters face a similar problem. Other series do not share this problem like the James Bond series which simply has the character assigned to a new mission in each film.

Sometimes the original film deliberately has story developments that a sequel could develop into future stories, such as in the film Spider-Man. In that film, Peter Parker rejects Mary Jane Watson's love without explaining himself to protect her from his enemies while MJ is left with a suspicion that he is Spider-Man. If no sequels were produced, that development could have been treated as simply a tragic ending for the hero. However, with the film's success guaranteeing sequels, this ending provides the basis for a continued story arc in which the troubled relationship between the characters forms an important basis of future film plots.

With the recognition of the long-term profitability of successful film series, most major films where sequels are expected have the major talents like the director and main actors contractually obliged to participate in sequels. This increases the chance of the sequel being produced with at least the equivalent quality of the original film. Even for the Indian Film Industry year 2006 for Indian movies(Bollywood) was phenomenon in the year 2006 as it released Lage Raho Munnabhai,Krish,Hera Feri all sequel to original hits.

In video game media, the trend for sequels seen in other media such as film often seems to work in reverse; as increasingly sophisticated technology allows the story to be portrayed more effectively. However, despite this, there are examples of game sequels that are interpreted as inferior to the original or earlier sequels. This could be because of a change in concept or gameplay, an inability to integrate new technology effectively, or simply poor production values. Master of Orion III is one notable example that seems to suffer from all three. Another not uncommon occurrence is that a low-budget game meets critical acclaim and becomes an underground hit, but is followed up with a sequel that is simplified from the original, rather than expanding on the original's innovative qualities, in an attempt to be more accessible to the mass market. Recent notable examples include Deus Ex: Invisible War and Serious Sam II.

[edit] Other terms

[edit] Prequel

Main article: Prequel

A related word, prequel, is used to describe a work that portrays events which precede those of a previously completed work. Star Wars is the best-known film that has multiple prequels. A prequel can often avoid the plot problems associated with having to deal with the consequences of the original. An example of this involves the Planet of the Apes series of movies, where the entire Earth was destroyed in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. The succeeding movies were technically prequels as they took place before the original two films and explained the events that led up to the original film. Prequels often have the problem of maintaining dramatic interest when the outcome is known, and often gather interest by attempting to show aspects of familiar characters that were not seen in the original.

[edit] Interquel

The word interquel is used to describe a work that portrays events which happen between those of two previously completed works:

The sparkling novel is neither sequel nor prequel but what might be called an "interquel," for it fills some of the chronological gaps between The Godfather (which takes place from 1945 to 1954), and Francis Ford Coppola's movies "The Godfather II" (1958-1959) and "The Godfather III" (1979-1980). There's an unfilled hole between the years 1962 and 1979, suggesting another "interquel." (Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times, November 7, 2004).

[edit] Midquel

The word midquel is used to describe a work that portrays events which happen in the meantime of those of a previously completed work. For example, the film The Lion King 1½ was a midquel as it takes place during the events of The Lion King.

[edit] Threequel

A threequel is the third part of any series[citation needed], such as Naked Gun 33 1/3, Die Hard: With a Vengeance, or The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King. Etymologically, threequel is a portmanteau of the words "three" and "sequel". A threequel comes after the sequel, but the term "four-quel" for the work after that is not commonly used, since "four" does not rhyme with the "see" sound in "sequel"; further parts of a series are generally only referred to as "the fourth", "the fifth", etc.

However, the term "threequel" is also not commonly used despite its rhyming nature, usually simply being termed "the third" or "the second sequel."

[edit] Distant

The word distant in a chronological sense refers a long chronological interval between entries in a series. The term distant sequel is used to describe a work that portrays events that happen long after those of a previously completed work. The term distant prequel is the opposite of that. The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), each set around their time of release, are distant sequels.

[edit] Quasi-sequel

A quasi-sequel is a direct sequel to an existing franchise on a different medium. Examples of quasi-sequels are the Matrix Online (MMORPG taking place after Matrix Revolutions), John Woo's Stranglehold (taking place after Hard Boiled), and Scarface: The World Is Yours (taking place during the end and after Scarface the movie).

[edit] Sidequel

Main article: Side story

A sidequel is a neologism describing a work of fiction in literature, film, and other creative works that is produced after a completed work, set in the same "universe", with arbitrary chronology and unrelated plots. The word is a portmanteau formed from side-, as in side by side, and sequel, a work which takes place after a previous one. The term may well be synonymous with Spin-off.

The term appears to date from 1998 when it was used by David Webb Peoples, the screenwriter for the film Soldier, which he described as a 'sidequel' to the film Blade Runner (which he co-wrote). It is unclear at this time the degree of plot diversity required for a work to be described as a sidequal as opposed to a prequel, midquel or sequel.

Due to the similarity of the term with Spin-off only works specifically describeds as 'Sidequels' by people associated with the work are listed here.

[edit] Media franchises

Main article: media franchise

In some cases, the characters or setting of an original film or video game become so valuable that they develop into a media franchise. Generally a whole series of sequels is made, along with merchandising and endorsements. Multiple sequels are often planned well in advance and actors and directors often sign multi-film deals to ensure their participation.

Some franchises are accidental, such as the Ma and Pa Kettle series of films (the title characters of which broke out of the 1947 film The Egg and I), and some are pre-planned, such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The most profitable film franchises include Star Wars, James Bond, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings.

Long-running franchises were common in the studio era, when Hollywood studios had actors and directors under long-term contract. Examples include Andy Hardy, Ma and Pa Kettle, Bulldog Drummond, Superman, Tarzan, and Sherlock Holmes. The longest-running modern film franchises are James Bond, Godzilla, Friday the 13th, Halloween (film) and Star Trek. [1] In such cases, even lead actors are often replaced as they age, lose interest, or their characters are killed.

[edit] Media shifting

Sequels (along with prequels, interquels, and the like) are most often produced in the same medium as the previous work (that is, a film sequel is usually a sequel to another film), but this is not always the case. Author K. W. Jeter published several novels that serve as sequels to the film Blade Runner. The film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a sequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII. The novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe are sequels, prequels, and interquels to the films.

Whether these alternate-medium sequels are considered canonical varies. Advent Children was produced by the same company responsible for Final Fantasy VII and is therefore canonical, but other sequel or prequel films based on video games, such as Resident Evil, are not. The novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe are considered canonical by Lucasfilm, the films' production company, though this is often debated amongst fans. Likewise, the Blade Runner sequel novels are authorized and officially considered canonical, but the issue is also a topic of debate amongst fans.

In rare cases, alternate-medium sequels are considered canonical while the originals are discarded as non-canonical or only partially canonical. An example of this can be found in Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series and its spin-off Angel, which have their roots in the 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer film, but of which the film is considered non-canonical and with which Whedon has expressed strong dissatisfaction. [2]

Sometimes sequels are produced without the consent of the author or studio of the original creation. These are often dubbed informal sequels, unauthorized sequels, or illegimate sequels. One example might be the film Return to Oz, which was designed to be a sequel to the MGM film The Wizard of Oz despite being produced with no connection to MGM studios. (In this case, however, it should be noted that Return to Oz is not specifically intended as a sequel to MGM's The Wizard of Oz but rather an adaptation of two later books in the series of original Oz stories by L. Frank Baum. That said, it does make one direct reference to the MGM film by using Ruby Slippers, used in the earlier film to show off their early use of Technicolor, rather than the diamond slippers of the stories.)

[edit] Titling of sequels

Titling sequels has always been something of a problem. For marketing purposes, it is important to make it clear to potential audiences that the sequel is related to the original. But for creative purposes, it is important to make clear that the sequel is a new story that explores new territory.

In the early years of film, sequels were generally given titles similar to the original and usually made use of the main character's name. When the William Powell-Myrna Loy mystery film The Thin Man (1934) turned out to be a hit, the studio produced several more films featuring the characters, such as The Thin Man Returns and The Thin Man Goes Home, even though the original "thin man" was the subject of the mystery and not the detective. After the success of A Family Affair (1937), there came a whole series of films starring Mickey Rooney reprising the Andy Hardy character in titles such as Love Finds Andy Hardy and Andy Hardy Meets Debutante. The James Bond franchise, however, stuck to the titles of Ian Fleming's novels until they ran out, then fashioned new titles with similar forms, none of which use the name "James Bond" or a number.

While numbered sequels are extremely rare in literature, they became very popular in films and video games in the 1970s and 80s. The Godfather, Part II (1974) was the first major motion picture to use Part II in the title. Paramount Pictures was initially opposed to Francis Ford Coppola's decision to name the movie The Godfather, Part II. According to Coppola, the studio's objection stemmed from the belief that audiences would be reluctant to see a film with such a title, as they would supposedly believe that, having already seen The Godfather, there was little reason to see an addition to the original story. The success of The Godfather, Part II began the Hollywood tradition of numbered sequels- the first sequel to designate itself as such simply by using a number in the title was French Connection II, and the trend continued with films like Rocky II, Jaws 2, Halloween II, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and many others. The habit of numbering sequels later carried over into video games.

Numbers in the titles of sequels usually indicate the order in which the sequel was produced, regardless of the chronological events in the story. For example, the video game Devil May Cry 3 was the third title in the Devil May Cry series to be produced, though it is a prequel that takes place before the events of Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2 and Devil May Cry 4 (Note that Devil may Cry 4 happens before Devil May Cry 2. making it an Interquel.)

A different example of this is the Metal Gear series. The first game released in 1987 was titled Metal Gear, the first sequel released in 1990 was called Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. 8 years later a third game was released, however this was simply titled Metal Gear Solid. The sequel to Metal Gear Solid was called Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty with the third game titled Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (which was a prequel set in 1964). A soon to be released interquel set between Metal Gear Solid 3 and Metal Gear is called Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops with the final game in the series called Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.

However, as sequels came to be perceived as routinely inferior to the originals, the numbering of sequels became the butt of numerous jokes. Back to the Future Part II (1989) featured a movie theater in the future showing Jaws 19. Even actual movie titles began to use numbering playfully. The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994) is simply the third in the Naked Gun comedy series. Leonard Part 6 had no predecessors, while History of the World, Part I was made with no intention for a sequel. And X-Men 1.5 is a special edition DVD of the film X-Men.

Throughout this period of numbered sequels, like-named sequels remained somewhat popular, and sometimes the original film was renamed when it was released on home video to match the naming of the sequels. What was once known as Star Wars (1977), is now known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, a title that would likely have doomed it on its original theatrical release. Similarly Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is known in its current video release as Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark to better align it with its prequel and sequel.

With the rise of pre-planned film franchises such as The Lord of the Rings (2001), filmmakers turned more to long titles that include the franchise name and the title of the film separated by a colon. Examples of these include Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

There are a couple of satirical phrases used to create ridiculous sequel premises. The most notable is "Electric Boogaloo" (after Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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