Mini-Countdown: Longest Waits For A Sequel

2020 has had little cheer so far, but it has brought us some joy in the release of Bill & Ted Face The Music, which has been released nearly three decades after the last instalment in the Bill & Ted story. It's been 29 years since Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey but this is by no means the longest wait between instalments of a franchise (or between a film and its sequel).  

So, inspired by the release of Bill & Ted Face The Music (we will be recording a special Bill & Ted podcast shortly), here are some more of the longest waits for the next part of a story. 

1. 54 Years: Mary Poppins (1964) and Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

A whopping five-and-a-bit decades separates the wonderfully whimsical Mary Poppins from its sequel, which is the longest gap between sequels in cinema history to date. Yes, Emily Blunt has taken the reins from Julie Andrews, but it's the same Mary Poppins who visited the Banks family all those years ago: "Close your mouth, please, Michael, we are *still* not a codfish...Jane Banks, still rather inclined to giggle, I see". 

P.L. Travers (author of the original Mary Poppins novels) notoriously disliked the original film, but authorised the stage version (which debuted in 2004) on the proviso that nobody involved in the movie- particularly composers Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman- were involved, even stipulating it in her will. However, the success of the stage version led to Walt Disney Studios being able to negotiate with Travers' estate to bring Mary Poppins Returns to the screen.

2. 35 Years: Top Gun (1986) and Top Gun: Maverick (2021) and Blade Runner (1982) and Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Many sequels operate under the system of "passing the torch", introducing the next generation (it's what The Force Awakens did, for instance). There are elements to this in both of these sequels, both of which have a gap of 35 years; in Blade Runner 2049, it's down to Ryan Gosling's K to find Deckard and in Maverick, Tom Cruise's Maverick comes against the new generation of recruits: including the son of his former classmate Goose. Obviously, this assumes that Maverick will stick to its 2021 release - however, with everything going on at the moment, that could well change. 

3. 32 Years: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi (1983) and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

Before anyone starts, a little primer. This is from Dictionary.com - Sequel (/ˈsi kwəl/) : noun; a literary work, movie, etc., that is complete in itself but continues the narrative of a preceding work.

Yes, I know there were Star Wars films between 1983 and 2015. They were Episodes 1-3. PREQUELS. Again from Dictionary.com - prequel (/pree-kwuhl/) noun: a literary, dramatic, or filmic work that prefigures a later work, as by portraying the same characters at a younger age

The direct sequel from Return Of The Jedi is The Force Awakens. So there was a 32 year wait to continue the Skywalker saga. Don't @ me. 

4. 29 Years: Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Along with Bill & Ted, it was 29 years between Max's adventures in the Thunderdome with Auntie Entity (Tina Turner) and his time with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) on Fury Road. And in that time, Max underwent a bit of a change- going from Mel Gibson to Tom Hardy.

5. 28 Years: TRON (1982) and TRON: Legacy (2010)

A bit more of the "next generation" torch-passing with TRON: Legacy, with Sam (Garrett Hedlund) entering the virtual world that his father (Jeff Bridges) has been living in for the last 20 years. There will be a third instalment to the TRON franchise, starring Jared Leto, but the gap between Parts 2 and 3 won't be quite as long as between Parts 1 and 2. 

Other long waits:

• 23 years between Psycho (1960) and Psycho II (1983)

• 23 years between Wall Street (1987) and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

• 20 years between Rambo III (1988) and Rambo (2008)

• 20 years between Dumb And Dumber (1994) and Dumb And Dumber To (2014)

• 19 years between Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) and Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

• 17 years between Bad Boys II (2003) and Bad Boys For Life (2020)

• 16 years between Rocky V (1990) and Rocky Balboa (2006)

• 16 years between The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990)

• 15 years between Zoolander (2001) and Zoolander 2 (2016)

• 14 years between My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016)

Are there any other long waits (at least a decade) that you can think of? Let us know in the comments below.