Top Gun: Maverick and 17 More Sequels/Reboots That Revived Film Franchises

There’s nothing Hollywood loves more than wringing a franchise for all its worth in terms of sequels, prequels, reboots and spinoff. No Hollywood franchise is ever truly dead, although there may be a decades-long gap in between installments. The latest franchise to be resurrected is “Top Gun,” which no one expected to be a franchise when Tony Scott’s classic action-drama opened in theaters in 1986. It’s taken over three decades for star Tom Cruise to deliver a follow-up, and that’s not the only franchise that’s come back to theaters this year after many years. A new “Scream” opened in January, ending an 11-year franchise hiatus.

What difference do decades make? Not a whole lot. The new “Scream” was faithfully attached to its roots and delivered a smart subversion of contemporary horror and a giant middle finger to today’s toxic fandoms. “Top: Gun Maverick,” meanwhile, is yet another spectacular showcase for the decades-old movie star that is Tom Cruise.

With “Top Gun: Maverick” set to take the summer movie season by storm, Variety takes a look back at 18 sequels and reboots that effectively brought their franchises back to life.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
It took Tom Cruise 36 years to deliver a sequel to “Top Gun,” but the wait was more than worth it. Variety film critic Peter Debruge calls “Top Gun: Maverick” a “stunning” sequel in his review. Cruise returns as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who is tasked with training a new generation of Top Gun pilots. One of Maverick’s students is Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his late friend Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. Debruge writes: “This buckle-up follow-up also demonstrates why we feel the need for movie stars. It goes well beyond Cruise’s rah-rah involvement in what amounts to a glorified U.S. military recruitment commercial (the 1986 film might have been as perfectly calibrated as a Swiss watch, but it wasn’t subtle about its GI Joe agenda). It’s the way we identify with the guy when he’s doing what most of us thought impossible. Turns out we need Maverick now more than ever.”
Scream (2022)
Arriving 11 years after “Scream 4” (itself a great sequel that revived the franchise) and notable for being the first “Scream” movie not directed by horror icon Wes Crave, the fifth “Scream” is perfectly attuned to subvert the genre clichés of contemporary horror. Directed by “Ready or Not” duo Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, this latest installment confronts elevated horror, toxic fandom, and the all-too-safe nature of its own reboot-but-also-a-sequel (“requel”) existence. Variety critic Owen Gleiberman writes in his review that the new “Scream” winks “entertainingly at the badness of sequels,” adding, “The new ‘Scream’ may be the first horror movie that turns the mockery of fan service into its own fan service. Is it fun? Mostly, yes.”
Batman Begins (2005)
The “Batman” movie franchise became a laughing stock with Joel Schumacher’s infamous 1997 disaster “Batman & Robin,” starring George Clooney in a performance even George Clooney hates and featuring that notorious bat-suit-with-nipples. The only place for the franchise to go after “Batman & Robin” was up. Enter Christopher Nolan, whose 2005 reboot “Batman Begins” brought a visceral level of realism to the superhero genre three years before “The Dark Knight” shattered comic book movie conventions even more. Nolan turns Batman’s origin story into a deep dive into his tortured psyche. The Warner Bros. release grossed $371 million worldwide and launched Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, one of the most revered and financially successful trilogies in film history.
Toy Story 3 (2010)
Disney and Pixar’s decision to revive its beloved “Toy Story” franchise 11 years after the brilliant “Toy Story 2” turned out to be one of the best sequels ever made raised a lot of eyebrows. Would a third installment tarnish the franchise’s iconic legacy? As is always the case, never underestimate Pixar. “Toy Story 3” is the best kind of sequel in how it raises the emotional stakes of the franchise (the climactic scene of the toys embracing in the face of death is Pixar at its most heartbreaking and beautiful), introduces memorable new characters (of course Michael Keaton voices the perfect Ken doll) and adopts a more mature perspective through the toys contemplating their own expiration dates. “Toy Story 3” grossed over $1 billion worldwide and won the Oscar for animated feature, proving there was a whole lot more gas in the franchise’s tank. A fourth “Toy Story” was released in 2019.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
It had been three decades since Max Rockatansky graced the big screen when George Miller decided to revive his post-apocalyptic action franchise with 2015’s acclaimed “Mad Max: Fury Road.” Swapping in Tom Hardy for Mel Gibson and only increasing the franchise’s commitment to extravagant practical action effects, Miller introduced an entire new generation to the thrills of the “Mad Max” franchise. The movie earned $374 million worldwide and scored 10 Academy Award nominations along the way. The film earned Oscar noms for picture and director, and won the prizes for costume design, production design, makeup and hairstyling, film editing, sound editing, and sound design. Miller’s most genius move was a bait and switch in the story, as he lured in viewers with Max’s return and left viewers running out of the theater raving more about Charlize Theron’s Furiosa. Miller introduced a new female action icon into the pantheon of cinema. No wonder he’s returning for the “Furiosa” prequel movie in 2023.
Tomb Raider (2018)
Roar Uthaug’s 2018 “Tomb Raider” did not set the world on fire, but it featured enough fun and inventive action set pieces to gross just under $300 million worldwide and get a sequel into development. The first “Tomb Raider” movie since 2003 entry “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life,” this reboot finds Oscar winner Alicia Vikander taking over the eponymous role from Angelina Jolie in an origin story that finds Lara Croft coming into her own as a globe-trotting adventurer while investigating the disappearance of her father. Vikander will return in a follow-up installment that is set to be written and directed by “Lovecraft Country” creator Misha Green.
Candyman (2021)
Nia DiCosta revitalized the “Candyman” horror franchise with her 2021 reboot, which featured an even sharper social critique than the famous 1992 original. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II gives a searing performance as an aspiring artist who grew up in the the Cabrini-Green housing projects of Chicago where the original movie took place. The character attempts to use the Candyman legend to inspire his own new art show, only to find himself in the middle of the legend’s reawakening. As Variety’s Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review, “One reason this ‘Candyman’ never feels like a formula slasher film, even during the murders, is that DaCosta stages them with a spurting operatic dread that evokes the grandiloquent sadism of mid-period De Palma.”
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
The “Planet of the Apes” franchise has seen its fair share of highs (the iconic Charlton Heston-starring 1968 original) and rock bottom lows (the less said about Tim Burton’s 2001 remake with Mark Wahlberg the better), but the franchise has never been more consistent than with the most recent trilogy. Matt Reeves’ “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “War of the Planet of the Apes” are two of the best Hollywood tentpoles in recent memory, but the franchise’s course-correction started with director Rupert Wyatt and his 2011 reboot “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” which grossed $480 million worldwide and gave Andy Serkis another pioneering motion capture role thanks to rebellious ape Caesar. The way “Rise” turns the table on the franchise by giving the apes empathy and subjectivity pushed “Planet of the Apes” into a more emotional new direction.
Spider Man: Homecoming (2017)
Sony struck out big time with “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” a critical and commercial misfire that more or less forced the studio to partner with Disney if it wanted to give the web-slinger any fighting chance of surviving on the big screen. The Sony-Disney partnership allowed Spider-Man to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, first in “Captain America: Civil War” and then in his own standalone movie “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” The Jon Watts-directed tentpole became a fan favorite for casting the lovable Tom Holland in the title role and for bringing the franchise back to its coming-of-age high school roots. “Homecoming” channels John Hughes and the MCU in equal measure, and it set up a new “Spider-Man” trilogy to rake in the big bucks.
Halloween (2018)
David Gordon Green rebooted John Carpenter’s legendary slasher “Halloween” franchise by making a direct sequel to the 1978 original and bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis to reprise her iconic role of Laurie Strode. The decision to refocus the franchise on a later-in-life Laurie opened the door for Green and his co-writers Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride to meditate on the nature of horror violence by tapping into the character’s post-traumatic stress and trauma. “Halloween” grossed $255 million worldwide to become the highest grossing slasher release in history (unadjusted for inflation) and launched a new trilogy that continued with last year’s “Halloween Kills” ($131 million worldwide with a hybrid release on Peacock) and will conclude later this year with “Halloween Ends.”
Godzilla (2014)
Warner Bros. and Legendary’s MonsterVerse has been shaky (see the muted response to “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”), but it started off on strong footing with Gareth Evans’ 2016 “Godzilla” reboot. The filmmaker took a supersized monster movie and gave it extra intensity by keeping the perspective rooted to the human characters on the ground. There are intense sequences in “Godzilla” that feel molded from the DNA of Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” opening scene with their you-are-here immediacy. The movie grossed $529 million worldwide and set the bar so high for the MonsterVerse that no follow-up entry has found a way to match it.
Star Trek (2009)
Rebooting the “Star Trek” movie franchise was no easy task, but J.J. Abrams pulled it off in effortless style with his 2009 entry. Much of the film’s success is in the casting. Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto did William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy’s legacies proud as the new iterations of Captain Kirk and Spock, while supporting players Zoe Saldana, John Cho, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and the late Anton Yelchin all had crackling chemistry and scene-stealing spirit to keep the film’s energy barreling without ever hitting a sagging beat. Throw in a time-looping story that allowed Nimoy to reprise his Spock and fans got a “Star Trek” movie that felt bracingly new and lovingly tied to the original cast all at once.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
J.J. Abrams pulled off another winning reboot of an iconic franchise with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which introduced talented new faces (Daisy Ridley and John Boyega, chief among them) and brought back legendary stars Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher to create a perfect reintroduction to a galaxy far, far away. Abrams didn’t try to break the mold here, instead relying on the expansive visual tone of Lucas’ original to set the tone. The story beats are familiar, but the cast is so winning that just to be back in this galaxy proved to be a treat. The film also gets bonus points for introducing Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, easily one of the most interesting “Star Wars” villains in the franchise’s history.
Casino Royale (2006)
A lot of people had their doubts when it was announced that Daniel Craig would be taking over the role of James Bond from Pierce Brosnan, but any fear about the casting was demolished when “Casino Royale” opened. Craig is as suave as the best Bonds, but he’s also got an unpredictable edge playing a younger Bond in “Casino Royale” that makes this movie one of the most exciting entries in the franchise. This Bond feels dangerous and like an emotional firecracker. Throw in Eva Green as the Bond girl that steals 007’s heart and Mads Mikkelsen as the sly and sadistic villain Le Chiffre, and what you get is a Bond reboot that made fans fall in love with the franchise all over again. Even more important, it got moviegoers invested in the next decade-plus of the super spy on the big screen.
X-Men: First Class (2011)
The “X-Men” movie franchise needed some rehabilitation after “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” turned the whole series into a goofy CGI mess. Enter Matthew Vaughn, the “Layer Cake” and “Kick-Ass” director who made the “X-Men” cool again on the big screen by allowing his first rate cast to shine over any CGI set piece (although there’s plenty of good ones here, too). Getting James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence together was a bit of casting genius — especially Fassbender, whose devilish grin and seductive eyes made him the perfect Magneto.
Evil Dead (2013)
Sam Raimi’s original “Evil Dead” is one the best cult horror classics ever made, so it’s only fitting that Fede Álvarez’s 2013 franchise reboot earned its own passionate cult following. Jane Levy gives a freaked-out lead performance as Mia, a heroin addict brought to an intervention in the woods by her friends. It’s here where malevolent forces begin to surface and a gory bloodbath erupts. In pure “Evil Dead” fashion, the violence is so over-the-top and disgusting that you aren’t sure whether to laugh or cover your eyes. It’s taken awhile, but the “Evil Dead” franchise will continue in the future with the Raimi-produced “Evil Dead Rises.”
Bumblebee (2018)
It turns out all the “Transformers” franchise needed to get back on track was a whole lot less Michael Bay. The director sat spinoff movie “Bumblebee” out and was replaced in the director’s share by Laika animation boss Travis Knight, who made a seamless transition to live-action filmmaking. Gone is Bay’s machismo and in its place is a winning buddy comedy about the eponymous robot and its new owner, a moody teenager grieving the death of her father. That this teenager is played by Hailee Steinfield (channeling the relatable angst of her “The Edge of Seventeen” performance) only adds to the movie’s strengths. “Bumblebee” grossed $468 million worldwide. The “Transformers” franchise will continue without Bay in the director’s chair as Stephen Cable Jr. helms the 2023 tentpole “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.”
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
Picking the best “Mission: Impossible” movie is difficult, but there’s no question Brad Bird’s fourth installment “Ghost Protocol” injected heart-pounding new life into the franchise. Credit the iconic and exhilarating Burj Khalifa action sequence, in which Tom Cruise dangled from the side of the world’s tallest building all for the sake of delivering high octane entertainment. That sequence alone set a new standard for the “Mission: Impossible” franchise and encouraged the series to go bigger and better with every subsequent installment. If Tom Cruise isn’t risking his life, it’s not “Mission: Impossible.”
Honorary Mention: Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049” was a financial bust, grossing only $92 million at the domestic box office and losing Alcon Entertainment around $80 million. It may not have revived the franchise enough to give it lasting legs in terms of more sequels and spinoffs, but it did creatively revive Ridley Scott’s world in the most daring and eye-popping of ways. “Blade Runner 2049” is an action tentpole filtered through the atmospheric slow-burn energy of an art film. Nothing about Villeneuve’s pacing plays by the rules of today’s over-edited, action-stuffed Hollywood tentpole. The director stretches a relatively simple plot across 163 minutes so that the viewer is forced to marinate in the film’s imagery. “Blade Runner 2049” is one of the riskiest Hollywood tentpoles of the 21st century, and that alone makes it a worthy revival.
Honorary Mention: The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
It’s hard to tell how well “The Matrix Resurrections” revived the franchise given that Warner Bros. decided to open the film in theaters at the same time it became available to stream in the U.S. on HBO Max. The movie tanked at the U.S. box office with $34 million, and it only earned $101 million from international markets. Regardless of the film’s financial success, there’s no denying Lana Wachowski delivered a risky wild card of a sequel 18 years after the original “Matrix” trilogy wrapped up. “Resurrections” confronts the legacy of the original trilogy by standing in direction opposition to it. This entry feels nothing like the first three films, and that’s partly because Wachowski is critical of what Hollywood and moviegoers took away from her original trilogy. Everyone was obsessed with action beats, when in reality Wachowski set out to make a grand love story. That’s what she does in “The Matrix Resurrections,” and the chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss is its own kind of movie magic far more spectacular than any action sequence.

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Top Gun: Maverick and 17 More Sequels/Reboots That Revived Film Franchises

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Scream (2022)

Batman Begins (2005)

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Tomb Raider (2018)

Candyman (2021)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Spider Man: Homecoming (2017)

Halloween (2018)

Godzilla (2014)

Star Trek (2009)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Casino Royale (2006)

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Evil Dead (2013)

Bumblebee (2018)

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Honorary Mention: Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Honorary Mention: The Matrix Resurrections (2021)

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