10 Best Legacy Movie Sequels

Hollywood's main go-to is always existing IP, whether for a reboot or a legacy sequel. Legacy sequels often have large decades-long gaps between the two installments and feature some returning characters with an all-new storyline. The 2020s have been on a roll with them, with some being far better than others and even beating out the original movie.

10 Best Movie Sequels Of All Time, Ranked

No ifs, ands, or buts. These movie sequels are the absolute best.

Movies like Top Gun Maverick, Mad Max: Fury Road, Gladiator 2, and 2018's Halloween are among the most shining examples of a legacy sequel done justice. Whether it be an iconic horror film, sci-fi, or action-adventure, below are the sequels that were absolutely worth their 20-30+ year wait.

10 Tron: Legacy

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

Joseph Kosinski

Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Michael Sheen, Beau Garrett, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Jeffrey Nordling, Christine Adams, Cillian Murphy, Dale Wolfe, and Daft Punk

2011

51%

6.8

Disney+

Tron: Legacy marked the directorial debut of Joseph Kosinski, who would go on to be well-known for legacy sequels. The original Tron was released in 1982 and explored the digital realm of a computer program. Jeff Bridges' Kevin Flynn and Bruce Boxleitner's Alan Bradley, the creator of Tron, both return in the sequel.

Nearly 30 years later, the sequel now centers on Sam Flynn, Kevin's son, who will also get sucked into the Grid like his father and help rescue him from the simulation. The astounding visuals and Oscar-nominated sound design, especially for the light cycle races and disc battles, and the synth soundtrack from Daft Punk held this movie together from its weaker moments.

9 Halloween (2018)

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

David Gordon Green

Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Nick Castle, James Judge Courtney, Haluk Bilginer, Will Patton, Virginia Gardner, Rhian Rees, Toby Huss, Miles Robbins, Dylan Arnold, and Drew Scheid

2018

79%

6.5

Hulu with Live TV

David Gordon Green and Danny McBride, who collaborated on comedies like The Pineapple Express, Your Highness, HBO's Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, and The Righteous Gemstones, took the reins of the Halloween series for Blumhouse and surprisingly made one of the best new entries in 2018; what felt like the first proper sequel.

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Set exactly 40 years after the original John Carpenter film, and purposely ignoring all past sequels, 2018's Halloween sees Jamie Lee Curtis reprise the role of Laurie Strode, who's now a grandma still living in Haddonfield and protecting her daughter and granddaughter from Michael Myers after he escapes his prison transport and seeks revenge on her family.

8 Candyman (2021)

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

Nia DaCosta

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Michael Hargrove, Kyle Kaminsky, Vanessa Williams, Brian King, Miriam Moss, Rebecca Spence, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Christiana Clark, Heidi Grace Engerman, and Tony Todd

2021

84%

5.9

Peacock

Perhaps one of the most overlooked horror sequels is 2021's Candyman, a direct legacy sequel to the original 1992 film with a story co-written by Jordan Peele. The direction Nia DaCosta and Jordan Peele took only elevated Clive Barker's original story to be an honest and unflinching reflection of racism, police brutality, gentrification, and the murder of Black men in America.

It has a phenomenal cast with stars like Colman Domingo and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and even a cameo from the original Candyman himself, Tony Todd. The story follows Chicago-based artist Anthony McCoy, who encounters a new Candyman by the name of Sherman Fields, a homeless man wrongfully killed by the police. The lore also gets an excellent new twist.

7 Twisters

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

Lee Isaac Chung

Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, David Corenswet, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sasha Lane, Daryl McCormack, David Born, Kiernan Shipka, Nik Dodani, and Katy O'Brian

2024

75%

6.5

Amazon Prime Video

Twisters is a great example of a legacy sequel being done right, even surpassing the original in some regards, almost like Top Gun: Maverick. The movie is directed by Lee Isaac Chung of Minari fame, and the story comes from Joseph Kosinski, who, given his experience with Tron: Legacy and Top Gun: Maverick, knows the key ingredients that make a successful legacy sequel.

Twisters is a good mix of harrowing weather event fiction and true-to-life storylines with tragedy, romance, and a stellar lead cast. It follows Daisy Edgar-Jones' Kate Carter, a meteorologist who develops a system that can disperse tornadoes, who's caught between a hotshot storm chaser and YouTuber Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), and a shady organization profiting off disaster.

6 Gladiator 2

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

Ridley Scott

Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Alexander Karim, Derek Jacobi, Peter Mensah, Matt Lucas, and Yuval Gonen

2024

71%

6.5

Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, MGM+

While Ridley Scott didn't get to direct the legacy sequel to his original IPs Alien and Blade Runner, in 2024, he made Gladiator 2, a sequel that gloriously carries on the legacy of the 2001 Best Picture winner. It upped the gladiatorial combat set pieces and VFX, and its fresh and unpredictable storytelling gave way to one of the finest performances by Denzel Washington and Joseph Quinn.

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The story of Gladiator 2 follows the adult son of Russell Crowe's Maximus and Connie Nielsen's Lucilla, who becomes a gladiator under Denzel Washington's Macrinus. Rome is ruled by two brothers, Geta and Caracalla, who have gone mad. Macrinus will mercilessly scheme and betray his way to the throne unless Lucius can stop him.

5 Spider-Man: No Way Home

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

Jon Watts

Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Andrew Garfield, Tobey Maguire, Benedict Cumberbatch, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Angourie Rice, Hannibal Buress, and Martin Starr

2021

93%

8.2

Starz

Yes, Spider-Man: No Way Home is technically a sequel to Far From Home, but it is far from a regular sequel. No Way Home introduces the multiverse and brings back Tobey Maguire's and Andrew Garfield's Spider-Men, along with past villains, like Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, Jamie Foxx's Electro, and more.

The plot of No Way Home sees Tom Holland's desperate Peter Parker turning to Doctor Strange for a spell that would erase everyone's knowledge of him as Spider-Man. Of course, it goes horribly wrong and brings all these iconic villains to MCU Peter's dimension. Holland's Spider-Man will now need to help everyone return to their rightful place, but can all the villains work as a team?

4 Doctor Sleep

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

Mike Flanagan

Ewan McGregor, Kyliegh Curran, Rebecca Ferguson, Zahn McClarnon, Cliff Curtis, Emily Alyn Lind, Selena Anduze, Robert Longstreet, and Carel Struycken

2019

78%

7.3

VOD

After adapting Gerald's Game, Mike Flanagan took on the sequel to The Shining. A brilliant storyteller, Flanagan decided to give fans of the Kubrick film and fans of Stephen King's novel the best of both worlds by having it serve as a direct legacy sequel to Kubrick's 1980 adaptation, along with being an adaptation of Doctor Sleep.

Flanagan impressively connects his sequel to the original Kubrick movie by referencing a lot of footage and camerawork. While Doctor Sleep is a new story led by adult Danny Torrance, you get a nostalgic return to the Overlook Hotel, with an ending that finally does justice to King's original ending for The Shining. The new characters and villains are also equally superb.

3 Blade Runner 2049

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

Denis Villeneuve

Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista, Robin Wright, Sylvia Hoeks, Jared Leto, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Edward James Olmos, David Dastmalchian, Hiam Abbas, Lennie James, and Sean Young

2017

88%

8

VOD

Blade Runner 2049 is a legacy sequel you wouldn't think necessary, yet it is a breathtaking and marvelous feat of sci-fi cinema. Directed by the incredible Denis Villeneuve, it's clear this movie walked so that Dune films could run. The colors are vibrant, the atmosphere is as gritty and noir as the original, and the VFX and cinematography won Oscars.

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Blade Runner 2049 is set 30 years after the original movie, following Ryan Gosling's K. Like Deckard before him, K is embroiled in a new mystery involving replicants and eventually seeks out Harrison Ford's character. It's a great balance of updated yet classic visuals, with a well-crafted twist, and there are a few other familiar faces from the first movie.

2 Mad Max: Fury Road

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

George Miller

Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoë Kravitz, Riley Keough, Courtney Eaton, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Abbey Lee, Nathan Jones, Josh Helman, Angus Sampson, and John Howard

2015

97%

8.1

Hulu with Live TV

On the 30th anniversary of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, George Miller unleashed his masterpiece, Mad Max: Fury Road. It's a newly reimagined entry that surpasses the original movie and comes head-to-head with the beloved Road Warrior installment. The cinematography, explosive non-stop action, soundtrack, and choice of characters and villains made this one a lovely ride.

Fury Road sees the role of Mad Max Rockatansky passed onto Tom Hardy and also introduces a new heroine to the series, Charlize Theron's Furiosa, and they are up against the new warlord enemy, Immortan Joe. Max is captured by Immortan Joe's forces and soon allies with Furiosa to help her rescue the women held against their will by Immortan Joe.

1 Top Gun: Maverick

Director

Main Cast

Released

Rotten Tomatoes Score

IMDb Rating

Where To Stream

Joseph Kosinski

Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Danny Ramirez, Jay Ellis, Lewis Pulman, Jon Hamm, Charles Parnell, Bashir Salahuddin, and Val Kilmer

2022

96%

8.2

Paramount+

Joseph Kosinski soared with his immersive and heartfelt sequel to Top Gun to even surpass the original. The plane sequences were shot with IMAX cameras, which made for some of the most spectacular cinematic moments. Top Gun: Maverick also triumphed as the second film to break over $1 billion at the post-pandemic box office.

Maverick is, of course, titled after the film's main protagonist, played by Tom Cruise, who gets reassigned to train the new recruits of the Top Gun program, including Goose's son, Rooster, as they prepare to bomb a uranium plant. However, this is a movie that really highlights the meaning of "it's not the destination, it's the journey," and includes a special Val Kilmer appearance.

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