16 Franchise Sequels That Have Almost Nothing To Do With The Other Movies

Tommy Lee Wallace: I have an idea for a new Halloween movie I want to write and direct. Universal Pictures: We're listening. Tommy Lee Wallace: So, it'll be a Halloween movie about a mask maker who uses witchcraft to commit mass murders on Halloween night. Best part? No Michael Myers or Laurie Strode. Universal Pictures: Love it! You're hired! And that's the story of Halloween III: Season of the Witch, a weird standalone movie in the middle of a franchise with one of the most beloved movie villains of all time.

The Home Alone series is all about Kevin McCallister and how his folks are really the worst parents and keep forgetting him - perhaps intentionally. However, the two goofball crooks and foils, Harry and Marv, are equally important to the story. While the original idea for Home Alone 3 was about a teenage Kevin, that fell through when Macaulay Culkin quit acting. That didn't deter the producers, though. Home Alone 3 recycles the basic premise of the first film with a new kid named Alex Pruitt, who must defend his home from wanted crooks in the movie equivalent of the "Can I Copy Your Homework?" meme. Where's Kevin, Harry, Marv, or even Buzz's spider here? Heresy!

Need a good example of replicating the plot of an original film with entirely new characters? That's The Sting II in a nutshell. Realizing The Sting is an adored crime caper comedy about grifters conning a mob boss, the filmmakers of The Sting II decided to copy and paste the template from before, change the characters up, and add an additional grifter into the mix. And voila! It's The Sting II, but it has nothing to do with the original besides following the same beats and plot.

So, imagine there's this popular film series about a guy named Jason Bourne. Then imagine the studio decided to make a movie called The Bourne Legacy that has nothing to do with him and follows a new protagonist named Aaron Cross. That's like making a James Bond movie without 007 at all. Even though it can be justified that Jason Bourne is merely an alias, there's no disputing Matt Damon's character is the star of the franchise, and he is whom the audience expects to see. The Bourne Legacy could have been named A Generic Spy Movie, and it would have made zero difference to the story here.

Look, The Fast and the Furious is all about fast cars and the furious family. That's a plot that's thinner than the cheese slices during an economic recession. Yet, the family always revolves around Dom Toretto's peeps. Mostly. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift spins off in a different direction. This franchise sequel takes the high-octane action to Tokyo, where the rebellious Sean Boswell *checks notes* drifts and wrecks cars - he's basically Dom but in another country. Along the way, he meets the universally beloved Han, and Dom pops up in a Nick Fury-esque cameo at the film's end. This is literally just another movie about racing cars and getting into trouble. That being said, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift's characters have since been integrated into the wider Fast Universe.

The first three Leprechaun films maintain the same energy. They are essentially about an evil leprechaun who chases after a group of hapless people and eliminates them. The fourth entry in the series is a masterpiece, though. Leprechaun 4: In Space sends the mischievous monster into the future and the cosmos. Lubdan the Leprechaun is set to marry an alien princess and take over her planet when a group of space marines foil his plan and pop him. But this leprechaun isn't about to take the defeat lying down, so he returns for revenge on their spaceship - like he's a Xenomorph holding a lightsaber. It's a totally ridiculous story, and nothing makes sense about it, but it deserves all the plaudits simply for existing. It is also the prototype for Jason X - another shining beacon of the horror genre.

Grease is all about summer loving - and it happening so fast - while the audience can't get enough of Danny and Sandy. The two get together and ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after. Story over, right? Not for Paramount Pictures, who wanted to capitalize on the movie's success, so Grease 2 received the green light. Well, this isn't 2 Grease 2 Lightning, as it's not about Danny or Sandy's relationship a few years later, but about a new couple who look similar to the OGs and also fall in love. In other words, it's just another musical rom-com in the same setting with a few returning supporting characters but with entirely different leads. These studio execs are truly master marketers - and tricksters!

Before Jurassic Park, there was Jaws 3-D. Now, the original shark from 1975's Jaws had long retired due to pay disputes around royalties, so it was always bound to be a new shark actor for the franchise sequels, but this film takes things to a whole new level entirely. While the previous films focused on the shark chomping down on people in the sea, Jaws 3-D takes the fun to a water-based theme park, which finds the predatory fish nibbling on the employees. It also features a radical plot twist because when the shark is captured, everyone discovers there's another shark on the loose. It's like finding out there are two Ghostface killers!

The first Cloverfield film is a found footage creature feature that gives most audiences vertigo from all the camera shakes. It's like if a Godzilla strike is captured on camera by the people running away from the kaiju. The sequels are entirely different. 10 Cloverfield Lane is set during the events of the first film, but it's a psychological thriller about a young woman named Michelle who is kept hostage by a man named Howard - and she needs to escape while keeping in mind the outside world isn't exactly safe. The follow-up, The Cloverfield Paradox, is even wackier as it follows a crew in space who try to solve the energy crisis, then at the end, they see a monster. This whole franchise is the embodiment of "huh?"

The Wizard of Oz is a beloved fantasy classic. It's about friendship, courage, and doing what's right in the face of adversity. It also ends on a conclusive note, though most fans wouldn't say no to going back to Oz with Dorothy and having more fun with these fantastic characters. Return to Oz does this - in the most harrowing way. This film is dark, as all the fun makes way for Dorothy and her chicken (yes, her chicken) returning to a nightmarish land controlled by the Nome King. It also features a host of newer characters that didn't appear in the original film. Looking at this film now, it seems like the archetype for The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Interview with the Vampire is the story of the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac. It's about their history and spending eternity together - even though this doesn't happen because Louis rejects Lestat in the end. Queen of the Damned is about Lestat, who is now a rock star, but he has awoken a deadly vampire queen because reasons. Effectively, this sequel forgets all about the themes of love and eternity from the previous film - especially between Lestat and Louis - and is nothing more than a generic vampire movie with excellent music.

Prometheus tries to fill the gap of how the Xenomorphs are created when it isn't necessary to know. While the film gets a lot of flack for not being exactly like Alien, it is a good sci-fi action that questions how the universe and the various beings came to be. For the casual viewer, the only link between Prometheus and Alien would be visible at the end when the Xenomorph bursts out of the Engineer's chest. Even so, it could have easily stood as a standalone movie with no ties to Alien whatsoever.

Jack Sparrow might be the most recognizable character from the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but without Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, his adventures are simply about a pirate who drinks too much rum and makes funny gestures on screen. On Stranger Tides proves this with aplomb. Without Will and Elizabeth, the story becomes about Jack and his former flame, Angelica, as they search for the Fountain of Youth and fight back against the infamous Blackbeard. While there are returning characters from the previous movies, and Jack is still his strange self-sabotaging self, this is a sequel that doesn't feel connected to the overall Pirates series.

The first Gremlins functions as a horror comedy, as the pesky critters wreak havoc in Billy's home and town. However, it closes off on a satisfactory note as Billy gives back the mogwai, Gizmo, to his original owner and prevents chaos from happening again. Gremlins 2: The New Batch sees Gizmo and his resulting spawn become the subject of lab tests and experimentation due to corporate greed. It devolves into a parody of the genre and popular movies of the time, as the gremlins become bat-hybrids, Rambo, and everything in between. In essence, this sequel feels like the Scary Movie to the original's Scream.

To be fair, Glass Onion was always set to be different from Knives Out. Since it follows the whodunit formula, changing everything about the plot and characters for the next film is necessary, considering the previous mystery has been solved. The only constant in Glass Onion and Knives Out is Detective Benoit Blanc, who serves as the main anchor for the franchise. That being said, expect each sequel to be an entirely new story and not link back to the previous case at all.

The Griswolds always have the best time when they head out for vacation. Of course, it's never a smooth-sailing trip where the worst challenge is hotel-related issues. No, the Griswolds always end up getting into all kinds of trouble along the way. For the third film, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, the script flips. The Griswolds are staying put for their vacation. While the shenanigans from before are still there, and the characters are hilarious as ever, the road trip element from the previous movies is scrubbed for this sequel. Also, the kids are younger and played by different actors. You do not have to even know the other Vacation films exist to enjoy this one.