Pre-production is revving up for the new Star Wars movies, with new hints about actors and plots leaked onto the Internet every day. I bet we’ll know the new stars within the next few weeks, and maybe even get a picture of Chewbacca on set before my next birthday. There’s no stopping the movie train now. We’re going to get new Star Wars sequels!

Wrong, what could go?

That got me thinking: what other movies need sequels? Hollywood loves sequels (and threequels and prequels). They’re surefire moneymakers most of the time. But somehow, in some way, a lot of classic, popular movies have gone without any sequels. Or if they had some, the franchise has been dried up for far too long. Hollywood wants money, and I want good movies!

Here are my six suggestions for movies and franchises that need a sequel!

6. Ghostbusters

I’m a Winston man myself

Consider me on the list of people looking forward to Ghostbusters 3. I’ve stopped following the news, because it changes every day, but I still want to see the movie come out. It would be nice to get all four original Ghostbusters back in the saddle, but I’m not going to hold my breath. Maybe just one or two could fill a ‘wise mentor’ role. Dan Aykroyd would be good for that. Beyond him, I would love to see a new squad with new actors carrying on the fine tradition of busting ghosts and feeling good! There have been so many technological improvements to the world since the 1980s, the filmmakers could have a ton of fun updating the Ghostbuster equipment and adding some new stuff. The franchise is ripe for a comeback and has been for nearly 30 years.

5. Flight of the Navigator

Child endangerment is fun!

Maybe I’m thinking remake instead of sequel with this one, but it’s been so long, they’d pretty much be identical anyway. Flight of the Navigator was one of my favorite movies as a kid. It combined the awesomeness of spaceships with the gee-whiz excitement of childhood in the 80s. A sequel (or remake) wouldn’t necessarily have to have anything to do with the characters from the first film. Just bring back Paul Reubens as the voice of Max the super spaceship, and tell a whole new story about child abductions and the theory of relativity! We need a good family-friendly sci-fi movie, and Flight of the Navigator is just too good a film to only have that one, lonely release.

4. The Usual Suspects

Aren’t they all dead?

The hunt for Keyser Soze! This one is a bit of a stretch, but I’m going for it. There’s no way to recreate the mind-blowing awesomeness of The Usual Suspects, so don’t bother. Just take Keyser Soze, a ready made pop culture mega-villain, and make him the bad guy in the next mindless action film! Well, maybe not so mindless. But Keyser Soze is out there, and it would take a team of Expendables-level badasses (or usual suspects) to team up and take him down. Now I’m actually kind of wondering why The Usual Suspects 2: The Hunt for Keyser Soze didn’t immediately get a straight-to-DVD sequel? That title is too perfect to ignore.

3. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Needs more Benny the Cab

Is there any more beautiful fictional world than that of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? And I’m not just talking about Toontown, but the whole inter-mixed human/cartoon Hollywood. Sure it had its fair share of back alley dive bars, and corrupt studio officials, but it also had Jessica Rabbit! And some other cartoon characters, I suppose…It’s such a rich, fun world, I’m very disappointed that only one movie was ever made. Granted, it’s one of the best movies ever made, but so what? That’s never stopped anybody from making a sequel before. The Godfather had two sequels. The possibilities for a Roger Rabbit sequel are endless. Maybe we follow up directly with Roger and Eddie Valiant. Or maybe we move on to a new decade and a new type of film. Maybe a 70s beach party movie. Or maybe we check in with Toontown in the 50s or 90s. I doubt toons age, right? So why not a visit during the 80s, when the classic cartoons of my youth can join in. Maybe a war movie set during the G.I. Joe/Transformers War of 1986.

2. The Incredibles

What teenager wants to dress like their parents?

The very existence of Cars 2 is proof positive that Pixar has sold out, so there are no moral or ethical lines left to cross to bring us The Incredibles 2. Pixar just needs to realize that the first film was one of the best superhero movies ever made, especially for families, and a sequel is a logical course of action. Since when has a superhero movie only had one entry? Heck, even Ghost Rider got a sequel! The first film left off with so much potential for a sequel. The return of the supers! The rise of Jack-Jack! A whole movie about the Underminer! The Incredibles is one of Pixar’s best films, and it’s also one of its richest worlds. You’ve already sold out, Pixar, so just give us what we want.

1. Harry Potter

It’s not as if the child actors have new careers

I realize there are already 8 Harry Potter movies in existence, but here’s the thing: all 8 of those movies were fantastic! There wasn’t a stinker in the whole bunch! Not to mention the fact that the filmmakers were able to keep almost all of the same actors (poor Dumbledore) for the whole thing; that’s quite the achievement. The Harry Potter saga is a modern movie marvel! So why not make some more? Why not make a whole new sequel saga?

Hear me out. J.K. Rowling is a billionaire at this point, and that’s all well and good. I’m happy for her. And I’d be thrilled if she wrote some more Harry Potter novels. But why not just skip the middle man? Why not have Rowling team up with some Hollywood producers and make a whole new series of Harry Potter movies from scratch? You know she’s got ideas. The world of magic and muggles is just too rich for there to be only one story that ever mattered.

Tell us the story of Harry’s life after Voldemoort is dead. How about when Harry and his friends return to Hogwarts to complete their seventh year and get their degrees? Surely they had to do that, right? How about a whole new series starring a whole new character from that world? What about an American magic school? The possibilities are endless. And as much as I’d love to have new Harry Potter books, you know the studio would probably much rather just make the movies themselves instead of waiting for Rowling to get in the mood to write another whole novel.

Creative integrity be damned, I want some new magic movies!

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