5 Fantasy Movie Sequels We’re Still Waiting to See After Years

There is no shortage of decent fantasy movies out there. Obviously, The Lord of the Rings trilogy comes to mind when thinking about incredible fantasy. And with everything from Labyrinth to A Monster Calls to The Green Knight, we’re spoiled for choice when it comes to viewing options. But there’s also no shortage of fantasy movies that deserved more time than they were afforded, that had the potential for what could have been incredible prequels or sequels.

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Standalone movies are technically the norm, but some movies absolutely deserve to be a series. And the movies on this list are no exception. Some of them bombed with critics, while others have gone on to become classics. But the thing they all have in common is that there is so much untapped potential, and in the right hands, they could go on to have a new life via a sequel (or a prequel, if you’re feeling nostalgic).

5) Warcraft

Was Warcraft technically a flop? Yes. Did it deserve its flop status? That’s debatable. Despite its dismal 29% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Warcraft was a surprisingly fun movie. Based on the MMO video game World of Warcraft, the film tells the story of the orc shaman Gul’dan, who uses dark magic to open a portal to the human world of Azeroth, having organized his orc clans into a conquering army he calls the Horde. Humans must band together to protect Azeroth, including King Llane, the mighty warrior Anduin Lothar, and the powerful wizard Medivh. As the battle rages on, each side begins to question if war is the only answer. While it might be better served as a TV series, with as expansive an IP as World of Warcraft is, the potential for a follow-up is nearly endless, especially if it chose to focus on characters that weren’t featured in the first film, thus expanding the world and making it more faithful to the original story for game fans.

4) The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride is genuinely one of the best fantasy movies of all time, brought to life by an incredible cast and filled with the kind of whimsical adventure that you can only get with a fairy tale. It centered around a young woman named Buttercup and her love, Westley, a stable boy. The two are separated, only to come together again years later as Buttercup is set to marry the vile Prince Humperdink. Few films actually compare to just how heartfelt and fantastical The Princess Bride is. And the author of the novel the movie was based on, William Goldman, actually had plans for a sequel. Unfortunately, he passed away before he could write it, and the chance for a follow-up to the movie was lost. However, in the right hands, with a team that loved the source material as much as the fans do, a follow-up to The Princess Bride has a ton of potential, whether it goes the prequel route to focus on Westley’s life as the Dread Pirate Roberts, or the sequel route to show the adventures that Buttercup and Westley embark on after they find one another again.

3) Treasure Planet

Is it sci-fi? Is it fantasy? As far as we’re concerned, Treasure Planet is both, and it deserves far more love than it ever got. What else does it deserve? A sequel. The movie debuted back in 2002 with a wildly stacked cast, featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Martin Short, and Emma Thompson. It centers around a young man named Jim Hawkins who stumbles upon a map rumored to lead to untold treasure. The following adventure is a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story, filled with growth and angst. The animation style was wholly unique and blended fantasy and sci-fi in a way that felt totally natural and like something that hadn’t been done before, and Disney actually had a sequel in the works. However, Treasure Planet never quite made enough money at the box office to make producing it worth it to the studio, which is nothing short of a tragedy, considering all of the potential that there was to continue the story in a way that didn’t feel forced or like a cash grab.

2) Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant

We’ll take it a step further and say that not only does Cirque du Freak deserve a sequel, but it deserves a remake as well. The movie, which came out in 2009, combines elements from the first three books in the 11-book series of The Saga of Darren Shan, in which teenage Darren takes on the life of a half-vampire, as well as becoming the assistant to the vampire Larten Crepsley, whom he encounters after having visited a circus unlike any other. The series is a YA fever dream, to be sure, but it’s also darkly whimsical in a way not much YA-geared material is. And with 11 books full of ideas, there is plenty to play with, not only for a continuation of the story, but an entirely revamped version that will actually do the series justice.

1) Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

There is no way this list would be complete without a heartfelt plea that we might finally get the sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The ultimate nerd movie, it perfectly pays homage to the TTRPG that most of us have come to know and love. Honor Among Thieves debuted in 2023 and pulled in an impressive 91% on Rotten Tomatoes thanks to fantastic acting from Chris Pine and the rest of the cast, as well as the fact that it’s just plain fun. The movie centers around a smooth-talking bard and the band of unlikely adventurers that he puts together in an attempt to undertake the most epic of heists to retrieve a lost relic. Of course, because it’s D&D, everything goes insanely wrong. And with the Forgotten Realms being as expansive as they are, there is so much opportunity for a sequel; all you have to do is throw a dart at the map and roll stats (but please, give us a tiefling that doesn’t just look like a human with horns this time).

What do you think? Would sequels for any of these movies excite you? Let us know in the comments. And don’t forget to check out the ComicBook forum to see what other fantasy fans are saying!