The 2000s included some great sci-fi movies, with creative, daring, and original films released. However, while many of these movies overflowed with creative ideas and themes, Hollywood mostly ignored them when looking at creating sequels to follow up on their stories. The big thing to note about the 2000s was that Hollywood was still funding mid-budget conceptual films that didn’t involve a pre-existing franchise.
There were several sequels and big-budget franchises throughout the 2000s, from the Transformers sci-fi movies to the more fantastical Pirates of the Caribbean installments. However, when it came to deeper, more thought-provoking stories, Hollywood didn’t seem to see the value in putting money into making franchises based on these genuinely creative sci-fi stories from the decade. This included a variety of diverse releases, from retro pulp adventure movies to dystopian thrillers, prestige sci-fi, and more.
There were always chances for sci-fi sequels, but the biggest drawback for Hollywood was when audiences didn’t make the first films a major box office success. When box office disappointment leads to studios getting cold feet, the main stars often move on, and then it is too late for the smaller movies to get sequels. However, some of these sci-fi releases have grown in reputation over the years, reaching cult status, and still deserve a sequel two decades later.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
Jude Law as Sky Captain with a gun beside Gwyneth Paltrow as Polly Perkins in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow was a movie that seemed destined for a franchise. This was one of the first major Hollywood films to be shot entirely on a digital back lot, where every background was a computer-generated scene. This was something later movies like Sin City and 300 also did, and while Sin City got a sequel, this originator ended up with just one film.
The story takes place in the 1930s with an adventure pilot (Jude Law) and a reporter (Gwyneth Paltrow) investigating worldwide robot attacks. With a fresh outlook on the sci-fi genre, critically acclaimed effects, and an entire world to explore, it seemed destined for a sequel. However, the movie bombed at the box office, and the studio shot down any chance of a sequel. Director Kerry Conran never directed another feature-length movie.
Sunshine (2007)
Cillian Murphy with his mouth agape surrounded by sparks in Sunshine
Sunshine was a movie that didn’t seem to scream for a sequel, but it was such a brilliantly cerebral sci-fi tale that seeing more from this world would have been a treat. Danny Boyle directed the movie about a crew of astronauts on a mission to reignite the dying sun by delivering a bomb the size of Manhattan to reignite it. The entire premise was on the level of 2001: A Space Odyssey as a hard sci-fi story.
It received positive reviews and has developed into a cult classic. However, there was no chance to get a sequel right away, as even Boyle rejected the idea of another movie in the franchise. That said, it is ripe for a sequel, as its universe, with humanity at the mercy of a dying sun, and the psychological effects on anyone approaching it were haunting. Seeing the Earth after this mission could be a fascinating sci-fi follow-up.
The Island (2005)
Ewan McGregor as Tom Lincoln and Scarlett Johansson as Sarah Jordan standing together in The Island
The Island was a flop when it was released in 2005, but it has been reappraised in recent years. The Island actually became a streaming hit thanks to Netflix. Michael Bay had made his name in blockbuster movies, and it was hard to see him as anything more than that. However, while The Island had Bay’s signature car chases and action scenes, there was a lot more under the hood of this sci-fi movie.
Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson star as two clones who escape from a utopian compound when they learn they are being harvested for organs for the wealthy. This shares much in common with movies like THX 1138 and Logan’s Run. However, its commercial failure and early critical reviews doomed the sequel. However, seeing the clones in the outside world could be a great idea for a sequel, and with so many years since the first movie, it might receive a better reception.
Serenity (2005)
Nathan Fillion as Mal standing with Gina Torres as Zoe and behind Alan Tudyk as Wash in Serenity
Firefly is widely considered one of the sci-fi TV shows that was canceled before its time, and a story that deserved more stories. The Joss Whedon sci-fi Western received that opportunity with Serenity. That movie took some chances, some of which didn’t work out as well as hoped, but it succeeded in bringing back what worked so well on the TV series. However, it also marked the end of the franchise.
Serenity was a box office failure, so while the TV show’s audience got the movie they had been demanding, not enough people showed up to allow it to recoup its budget. A sequel could follow several threads left in the movie, and there is a good chance this will happen as the cast has hinted at an animated release, although it remains to be seen when and if this will ever arrive.
Jumper (2008)
Hayden Christensen as David Rice looking at Rachel Bilson as Millie Harris in Jumper
Released in 2008, Jumper saw The Bourne Identity director Doug Liman teaming up with Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars prequels) for a sci-fi action-adventure movie. The film saw Christensen play a young man who is a Jumper, meaning he can teleport anywhere on Earth instantly. However, a group of hunters known as the Paladins have been hunting and killing Jumpers for centuries, and the young man goes on the run.
The movie was a box office success, but it received terrible critical reviews. There was a trilogy planned out, and Liman even brought up ideas of time travel and more. However, with the war between the Jumpers and Paladins intriguing, the studio ended up passing on the sequel. There was a TV series (Impulse), but seeing this world on the big screen again is something that needs to happen.
Push (2009)
Chris Evans as Nick Gant with Djimon Hounsou as Division Agent Henry Carver in Push
Push is a superhero movie that stars Chris Evans before he took on the role of Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, while Evans appeared in a lot of MCU films as Captain America, he never returned to this world. Push follows young adults with psychic abilities hiding out from a government that wants to weaponize them. It was a small success, but it wasn’t enough to warrant a sequel.
That said, the movie was a solid setup and an introduction to the world. It introduced a large cast of psychics, and even if Evans doesn’t return, he isn’t needed because this offers a shadow government conspiracy and has a lot of promise for what could have come later. The worst part was that Push ended without finishing its actual story, and that ending never arrived.
Moon (2009)
Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell in Moon
Duncan Jones made his directorial debut with the 2009 sci-fi movie Moon. His success with this movie, where he dealt with most of his effects and created a smart sci-fi film on a small budget, got him bigger chances with Source Code and eventually Warcraft. However, this remains his masterpiece, a one-man story with Sam Rockwell playing a lunar miner on a three-year solo contract on the moon, where he realizes something might be wrong.
The twist in the movie, showing that Rockwell’s Sam Bell had been cloned, and he has no idea if the real Sam is even still alive, was a great setup for the conspiracy thriller that could happen next. A sequel could follow the consequences of Sam’s revelation reaching Earth and the argument of a person’s rights, similar to the themes from Blade Runner.
District 9 (2009)
District 9 alien being arrested by people with guns
District 9 was Neill Blomkamp’s breakout movie, based on a previous short film he had made. This film saw a UFO arrive over South Africa with malnourished aliens on board seeking asylum. They received asylum, but the aliens were locked away in an internment camp in South Africa. The movie was a deep look at the treatment of the aliens, and it shared a strong link to apartheid in the country.
The movie ends with a human fully transformed into one of the aliens, and they are marooned on Earth while the alien who caused it leaves Earth and heads back to their planet with the promise to be back in three years. District 9 was a movie set up to be a franchise starter, and Blomkamp wanted to make District 10, but it never came to fruition. Seeing how this changes human-alien relations could make for a great sci-fi sequel.
Minority Report (2002)
Tom Cruise as Chief John Anderton in Minority Report
In 2002, Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report hit theaters. Based on the Philip K. Dick story, Tom Cruise stars as the head of a PreCrime police unit in 2054 that arrests people before they commit crimes. This was a sci-fi movie that predicted several things, including predictive policing, and the ending of the movie, with Cruise’s cop proving that the technology was faulty, could be an interesting take.
The world has come to believe that murder has been eliminated, and this movie showed that it hadn’t really happened, which could throw all society into turmoil. Voted one of the best movies of the 21st century in a New York Times poll, Minority Report has a world that is ripe for exploration.
Children of Men (2006)
Clive Owen in Children of Men
One of the best sci-fi movies of the 2000s was the Alfonso Cuarón drama Children of Men. This film takes place in 2027 in Britain, where no one has had a baby in 18 years, and human infertility has pushed civilization into the realization that it will soon become extinct. However, when one woman ends up pregnant, everyone wants to get their hands on her, and one man has to get her to safety to hopefully figure out how to kick-start humanity again.
The movie has a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score and is a movie that ends with the idea of radical hope. While the man transporting the woman to safety dies, she survives and will be allowed to keep her baby and find a way to move on while the world tries to figure out what it is about her that can help humanity rise from the ashes. This is a 2000s sci-fi movie that not only needs a sequel but deserves one.