Sequel

For the hydrogen fuel car, see General Motors Sequel. For the database query language, see SQL

A sequel is a work of fiction in literature, film, and other creative works that is produced after a completed work, and is set in the same "universe" but at a later time. It usually continues elements of the first story, often with the same characters, although this is not always the case - for example, if the main character dies at the end of the first work, a new character (e.g. their son or daughter) may take up their role in the sequel. A sequel is somewhat different from a series in which there is a long series of stories involving the same character, although some sequels have enough episodes to begin to resemble a series.

An example of a sequel is the novel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling. Since it is the second book in the series, and follows Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it is that novel's sequel.

Successful movies also have sequels, particularly horror, action and science fiction movies, as well as various comedies and westerns. The frequency of sequels of successful movies comes about in large part because it is seen as much less risky to reproduce a known success than to gamble with a new and untested story.

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Characteristics of Sequels

Often movie sequels are criticized as artistically inferior, and accused of simply repeating the story of the original film. However, sometimes a sequel gives an opportunity to address weaknesses in the original. For instance, the film Star Trek: The Motion Picture was panned as overlong, boring and short on character play. In reaction, Paramount Pictures hired Harve Bennett to produce a sequel that addresses the criticisms; he produced Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which is considered one of the best films of the series.

Other examples of sequels which are widely considered as good as or better than the original include Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back The Godfather, Part II, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, X2: X-Men United, Toy Story 2, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Spider-Man 2 and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

Main article: List of the best movie sequels

The Godfather, Part II was the first major motion picture to use Part II as the title. Previously, sequels would be given more descriptive titles (such as Bride of Frankenstein). Paramount Pictures was initially opposed to Francis Ford Coppola's decision to name the movie The Godfather Part II. According to Coppola, the studio's objection stemmed from the belief that audiences would be reluctant to see a film with such a title, as the audience would supposedly believe that, having already seen The Godfather, there was little reason to see an addition to the original story. The success of The Godfather, Part II began the Hollywood tradition of numbered sequels, as with Rocky II, Halloween II, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and many others.

There are some common plot issues regarding sequels. Often when the original movie involves a character resolving a conflict, it is difficult to arrange the plot so that the characters face a similar problem. Other series do not share this problem like the James Bond series which simply has the character assigned to a new mission in each film.

Sometimes, the original film deliberately has story developments that a sequel could develop into future stories, such as in the film, Spider-Man. In that film, Peter Parker rejects Mary Jane Watson's love without explaining himself to protect her from his enemies while MJ is left with a suspicion that he is Spider-Man. If no sequels were produced, that development could have been treated as simply a tragic ending for the hero. However, with the film's success guaranteeing sequels, this ending provides the basis for a continued story arc in which the troubled relationship between the characters forms an important basis of future film plots.

With the recognition of the long term profitability of successful film series, most major films where sequels are expected have the major talents like the director and main actors contractorally obliged to participate in sequels. This increases the chance of the sequel being produced with at least the equivalent quality of the original film.

A related word, prequel, is used to describe a work that portrays events which precede those of a previously completed work. Star Wars is the best-known film that has multiple prequels. A prequel can often avoid the plot problems associated with having to deal with the consequences of the original. An example of this involves the Planet of the Apes series of movies, where the entire earth was destroyed in Beneath the Planet of the Apes. The succeeding movies were technically prequels as they took place before the original two films and explained the events that led up to the original film. Prequels often have the problem of maintaining dramatic interest when the outcome is known, and often gather interest by attempting to show aspects of familiar characters that were not seen in the original.

In video game media, the trend for sequels seen in other media such as film often seems to work in reverse; as increasingly sophisticated technology allows the story to be portrayed more effectively. However despite this, there are examples of game sequels that are intepreted as inferior to the original or earlier sequels. This could be because of a change in concept or gameplay, an inability to integrate new technology effectively, or simply poor production values. Master of Orion III is one notable example that seems to suffer from all three.

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Other types of Sequels

The story that comes between two previously published works is called an interquel. This latter variation is less used than the other two. A story that is neither a sequel nor a prequel nor an interquel, but which describes previously-undescribed events taking place during the chronology of the original story, is known as a midquel.

Sequels (along with prequels, interquels, and the like) are most often produced in the same medium as the previous work (i.e., a film sequel is usually a sequel to another film), but this is not always the case. Author K. W. Jeter has published several novels that serve as sequels to the film Blade Runner. The film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is a sequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII. The novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe are sequels, prequels, and interquels to the films.

Whether these alternate-medium sequels are considered canonical varies. Advent Children was produced by the same company responsible for Final Fantasy VII and is therefore canonical, but other sequel or prequel films based on video games, such as Resident Evil, are not. The novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe are considered canonical by Lucasfilm, the films' production company, though this is often debated amongst fans. Likewise, the Blade Runner sequel novels are authorized and officially considered canonical, but the issue is also a topic of debate amongst fans.

Sometimes sequels are produced without the consent of the author or studio of the original creation. These are often dubbed informal sequels, unauthorized sequels, or illegimate sequels. An example would be the film Return to Oz, which was designed to be a sequel to the MGM film The Wizard of Oz despite being produced with no connection to MGM studios.

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Sequel

Characteristics of Sequels

Other types of Sequels

See also