How To Make A Belated Sequel

It has become common practice for filmmakers to strip-mine the past for pre-existing IP with a ready made fan base. This has resulted in a slew of new 'first' sequels to movies from the 80s and 90s – movies that we never thought required a second outing. In 2020, sequels that may or may not be coming your way include:

• Top Gun: Maverick (Top Gun 2)
• Beetlejuice 2
• The Rocketeers (The Rocketeer 2)
• Coming 2 America (Coming to America 2)
• Triplets (Twins 2)
• Space Jam 2

I love a good dot-point list, so here's another one of belated releases from the past few years:

• Split (Unbreakable 2)
• Doctor Sleep (The Shining 2)
• T2 Trainspotting (Trainspotting 2)
• Blade Runner 2049 (Blade Runner 2)

The fear of alienating those who are unfamiliar with the original has also precipitated the rise of the ‘soft reboot’ - films that are more remake than sequel. These films rarely adhere to a numbering system (for example, Rocky II, Rocky III, Rocky IV) but instead try to hide their numerical position in a larger franchise (Rocky Balboa, Creed). Every so often, though, a belated sequel will appear that proudly flaunts its sequelness. But does that always make for compelling viewing? Let's compare two recent examples...

T2 Trainspotting and Doctor Sleep have a number of things in common: both are sequels of cult favourites, both are adaptations of novels, both are rated R and both feature the lead actor from 1999's rarely seen and hugely underrated Eye of the Beholder, Ewan McGregor. Both T2 Trainspotting and Doctor Sleep are enjoyable in their own right, yet only one of these movies succeeds in expanding upon the story, themes and characters of the original in an intriguing and memorable fashion.

Released in 2019, Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep is the sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 masterpiece, The Shining. Both were based on novels by Stephen King, with almost forty years separating their publication and filmic counterparts. Although not a household name, Flanagan had proven himself to be a competent filmmaker prior to its release, with a couple of critically acclaimed Netflix productions under his belt (Gerald’s Game - another Stephen King adaptation, and The Haunting of Hill House). Despite these successes, Flanagan had an uphill battle from the start with Doctor Sleep. Not only was he working with source material that was unquestionably weaker than its predecessor, he was inevitably inviting comparisons to one of the greatest movies of all time (by arguably the greatest filmmaker of all time). Like Kubrick before him, Flanagan retained his singular vision of the film by adapting, directing and editing Doctor Sleep himself. Consequently, the film’s success or failure landed squarely on Flanagan’s shoulders. And if money is a measure of success, it’s safe to say that Doctor Sleep was not particularly successful.

In Doctor Sleep, a grown up Danny Torrance attempts to distance himself from a past he’d prefer to forget. However, the plot refuses to let the past die and Danny is eventually forced into (literally) confronting his childhood demons. For no discernible reason, he revisits the Overlook Hotel, where we are subjected to a number of unnecessary callbacks to The Shining. Rather than serving the story in an organic manner, these moments are more reminiscent of Universal Studios’ The Shining Halloween Horror Nights experience. 

Certain scenes, such as young Danny riding his tricycle towards Room 237, were remade shot for shot to emulate the original, while other iconic moments (the blood spewing elevator) were lifted directly from The Shining. We are also treated to some borderline farcical parodies of Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. The only saving grace of these performances is that they weren’t CGI cartoon characters like Sean Young in Blade Runner 2049.

Doctor Sleep is well made and stars some likeable actors. However, it’s impossible to watch the film and not compare Flanagan’s craft to Kubrick’s - a competition that Flanagan was never going to win. Its premise is not particularly interesting either, and it’s connections to The Shining are tenuous at best - like The Shining brand was slapped onto a fairly mediocre vampire movie. As far as sequels go, it fails to stand on its own and adds little of value to the original.

T2 Trainspotting also had to deal with the pressure of following up a much loved and iconic film, yet it had two things working in its favour:

1. Both the original and sequel were scripted by John Hodge.
2. Both were directed by Danny Boyle, a filmmaker with 30 years of film making experience behind him.

Trainspotting was released in 1996, three years after Irvine Welsh’s novel (on which it was based) was published. Welsh’s sequel, Porno, was published in 2002. In the years following Porno’s publication, there was much talk about it being adapted for the screen. By the time it was finally adapted in 2017, the anticipation had diminished substantially - and this is reflected in its relatively poor box office take. Nevertheless, T2 Trainspotting is a masterclass in how to make a belated sequel.

T2 Trainspotting picks up where Trainspotting left off, despite there being a twenty year gap between the events in both. Via deft editing, inter-splicing of footage and audio cues from the original film, and young stand-ins recreating iconic moments from Trainspotting, Boyle has created a sequel that embraces the cultural significance of the original yet still tells an interesting story with engaging characters. He doesn’t try to outdo the original. Instead, he acknowledges that the audience has seen Trainspotting countless times, and uses this to his advantage.

In T2 Trainspotting, the callbacks to Trainspotting are relevant and purposeful. We experience a Scotland on the brink of rejuvenation, through the eyes of Renton, Spud, Simon and Begbie - middle aged men who, likewise, are in a process of metamorphosis. They romanticise the past, so it makes perfect sense that people, places and events would call to mind the character defining moments from their youth. It just so happens that most of those moments occurred in a previous film. Consider the scene in which they return to the Scottish highlands, arriving by train just as they did in Trainspotting. Visually, there is no mistaking that this is the same location. We even see the long-dead Tommy hiking amidst the heather. When Simon fails to appreciate the significance of revisiting this moment from their past, they share the following dialogue:

RENTON

Look, we're here as an act of memorial.

SIMON

Nostalgia. That's why you're here. You're a tourist in your own youth.

Here, Boyle (through Simon) speaks directly to the audience. We are also tourists, bound by nostalgia. It's this understanding that makes T2 Trainspotting an exemplary sequel, and an excellent movie in its own right.