Prequels the Next Big Cinematic Trend?
You can always tell when a movie has a sequel planned as it leaves you with exciting questions. When a loose end is left obviously untied, or when the final scenes of the movie remind you of or introduce you to something left untouched by the plot, it’s grounds for a follow-up film. An example of this is the “post-credits scene”, or an extra clip following the credits hinting at something in the future, made popular by the various Marvel Universe movies. There are times, though, when the audience must learn what happened in the past before something new can be introduced.
When you think of a second installment in a movie franchise, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the word, “sequel”. That being said, sometimes the best move for a franchise to make is to produce a prequel. While this concept is not new, it has been gaining a lot of ground in Hollywood recently.
When looking in to the past, there have been many famous prequels. Star Wars arguably claims the most notoriety among all prequels (despite your feelings toward them), while the second and third Paranormal Activity installments work in a reverse timeline, completely contrasting the norm. Topping that, the X-Men universe has spent the last decade producing a long running prequel series to their original movie from 2000.
While late 2016 began to focus on prequels with Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, cashing in on two of the largest franchises of all time, the year of 2018 is where you can begin to see the main focus on prequels arising. Throughout the year, highly anticipated prequels such as Solo: A Han Solo Story, The Nun, The First Purge, and Bumblebee: The Movie (No, it probably won’t have knights or dinosaurs) will be released offering backstories on some of the most popular modern franchises. While not in the cinematic world, George R.R. Martin has announced a prequel novel to his massively famous A Song of Ice and Fire series, titled Fire & Blood, to be released later this year. It’s a pretty safe bet that HBO will put this new installment in priority production, possibly making a television debut in late 2019.
There are also many movies and franchises that could easily incorporate a prequel. John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place (2018) introduces audiences to a post-apocalyptic world without much backstory on how things became post-apocalyptic. Franchises as simple as The Strangers and Pacific Rim could produce prequels explaining the origins of the mysterious villains or alien threats that define their worlds, respectively.
Before you go considering 2018 the year of the prequel, or assuming that 2019 or 2020 will continue to expand on this trend, one must remember that to have a prequel you must have an original story. While there is no shortage on films being released, the issue is that there are few story-rich franchises being born. While Jake Kasdan’s, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) did well with critics and unbelievably well in the box office, there isn’t much to go on for a prequel. Also, don’t forget how Cloverfield Paradox (2018) went over. While the trend is beginning, properly written, shot, and produced prequels may take a couple years to see the big screen.
While some franchises are unable to produce prequels, such as Jurassic Park, which began with the creation of the setting, or Toy Story, which began with the toys being relatively new for Andy, other franchises could very well begin writing some backstory. Call me crazy, but a true prequel (not some short film) to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise could be very promising. A fan can only hope…
