Whether or not a movie can land a sequel often comes down to commercial success, source material, and the creator's wishes. Sometimes, movies will be so popular that they almost demand a follow-up entry. The thriller genre particularly has a hit-or-miss record with sequels, with plenty of even the best thriller movies being standalone stories. However, some of these are ripe with potential for more.
Thrillers typically focus on mysteries and crime stories, with heroes investigating strange happenings or incidents to find a criminal. Typically, the main characters – often detectives – gain strong recognition from fans, especially when played by a great actor. Many fans are left wanting further cases of these heroic figures and more of the world in which their stories take place.
10 From Paris With Love Was High Octane Action-Thriller
From Paris With Love was a 2009 action/thriller movie that paired an eccentric, heavy-handed government operative with a younger agent. The two traveled through Paris, with the older agent (John Travolta) raising red flags with his behavior – only to be proven correct.
The film matched shows like 24 in tone and pacing, with great intensity to its action scenes. The movie may have been controversial in some aspects, but there's good potential to see how the characters handle new threats in different settings.
9 Drive Has Great Sequel Potential
Drive – starring Ryan Gosling – was a movie that followed a stunt driver when he was roped into a crime by the husband of a woman he loved. When a heist went wrong, he was then pursued by local criminals who wanted to get their money back – and take revenge.
Drive was an incredibly stylistic movie, and its main character, known simply as "Driver," really carried the film. It's unlikely to get a sequel, but the idea of a heroic stunt driver finding himself at the center of various crimes and saving people makes for a good idea.
8 Darkman Deserves A Reboot Sequel With Liam Neeson
Darkman is one of Sam Raimi's best movies and one of the few comic book movies not actually based on a comic book. It follows a scientist, Peyton Westlake, who can synthesize human skin, when he is attacked by criminal goons and left horribly burned.
Darkman has received lackluster sequels; however, a revival would be ideal for the character, especially in the era of reboots that erase poor sequels. Having Sam Raimi and Liam Neeson return to the world of the bandaged hero could reinvent the franchise and even the superhero genre itself.
7 Se7en Should Continue The Story Of Detective Somerset
Se7en is one of the most infamous detective movies of the thriller genre, primarily due to its enigmatic villain, John Doe. The film focuses on two detectives, Somerset and Mills, investigating a slew of murders inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins.
Interestingly, there was at one time a plan for a sequel, Eight, which was subsequently scrapped. Morgan Freeman's detective Somerset was a great aspect of the film, and his ending decision to stay on as a detective could have set up another case.
6 8MM Is One Of The Darkest Detective Movies Ever Made
8MM is one of Nicolas Cage's darkest films – as well as a relatively dark thriller overall – due to its difficult subject matter. The film follows a young private investigator charged with verifying whether a video of a murder owned by a dead businessman was real or fake.
When his investigation takes him to Los Angeles, the detective descends into the city's dark underbelly of violent and graphic material. The film had a revenge tone similar to Taken, which itself has proven suited to sequels. There's no reason Cage's detective can't take on more cases.
5 The Bone Collector Paired A Disabled Detective With A Rookie
The Bone Collector, based on the novel of the same name, follows a disabled detective, Lincoln Rhyme, as he solves cases from his bed. When the city experiences a series of murders, Rhyme works with a rookie cop to solve them and prevent others, eventually revealing a killer.
Much like any thriller based on a novel, there's always room for more stories and adaptations of subsequent novels in the series. Seeing the Holmesian mind of Rhyme solve further murders would be great, especially as Denzel Washington is still actively starring in films.
4 The World Of Unbreakable Deserves More Exploration
M. Night Shyamalan is best known for his subversive twist endings. Unbreakable was no different. The grounded take on the superhero genre starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson has gone down as one of the director's best films, the only one to make it to a trilogy.
The "Eastrail 177" trilogy also includes Split and Glass, the latter of which gave a conclusion to the main story. However, the idea set up by Shyamalan was too intriguing not to be pursued any further. Mr. Glass ultimately claims that his story serves as a "prequel," and that his master plan was to reveal superheroes to the entire world. Sadly, Glass ends just as the news gets out.
3 There Can Always Be More Alex Cross
The Alex Cross movies – Kiss the Girls, Along Came A Spider, and Alex Cross – brought to life the novels of the same name. Starring Morgan Freeman and later Tyler Perry as the detective protagonist, it took viewers through a series of unique cases, from serial killers to a kidnapping.
The Alex Cross novels cover a series of unique crimes, any of which could see either Tyler Perry or Morgan Freeman return to the role. A television series would also be an excellent fit for the novel crime series format, with several great candidates for the role.
2 Deja Vu Combined Time Travel With Murder Investigations
Tony Scott's Deja Vu is one of the more unique thriller movies of the genre. With Denzel Washington in the leading role, it follows an ATF agent in the aftermath of a bomb attack on a Louisiana barge. As his investigation progresses, a specialized anti-terrorism task force shows up.
Initially suggesting they have advanced satellite technology, it's later revealed the task force has access to time-traveling technology. When they send the agent back in time, he tries to prevent the attack. The idea has great potential for more stories or even a TV series.
1 A Walk Among The Tombstones Is One Of Liam Neeson's Best Performances
Liam Neeson's role in A Walk Among the Tombstones is one of the actor's best performances and one of the greatest modern detective movies. It follows a private detective Matt Scudder when he's recruited by a drug dealer to investigate the murder of his wife.
A Walk Among the Tombstones is a great dark detective movie based on the novel of the same name. Liam Neeson as Scudder earned the film more exploration, and seeing the detective return for a trilogy would be a great step, with more similar scandalous crimes.