List of the longest gaps between film sequels

This is a list of the longest span of time between two consecutive installments of a film franchise. Only sequels, prequels, and other stories in the same franchise released with a gap of over ten years are included. Remakes are not included. In order to be eligible, both the original and the sequel had to be released in theaters, or in exceptional circumstances was filmed with a cinematic release in mind, but was not, due to business reasons.

It can be difficult making a sequel after many years, as the cast has visually aged or died and the crew may be retired or died. Writing a plot that is interesting and can use the same actors can be a challenge. Marketing the sequel can also be difficult as the prime demographic for the new film may be unfamiliar with the old work. The fans of the old movie may have forgotten much about the film or are in a position in life that no longer makes them common moviegoers. These issues have been approached in several ways. Some films recast the characters with younger actors. Some focus on different characters in the same universe. Some include the time gap into the story. These factors are less important to animated films.

Key (release in domestic territory)

  Theatrical release

Predecessor's title	Release date	Sequel's title	Release date	Time lapsed	Notes
Fantasia	November 13, 1940	Fantasia 2000	January 1, 2000	59 years, 49 days	Animated. No through plot in the films or between them.
Peter Pan	February 5, 1953	Return to Never Land	February 15, 2002	49 years, 10 days	Animated
Easy Rider	July 14, 1969	Easy Rider: The Ride Back	February 25, 2012	42 years, 226 days	Prequel. No cast or crew in common.
This Night I'll Possess Your Corpse	March 13, 1967	Embodiment of Evil	August 8, 2008	41 years, 148 days
The X from Outer Space	March 25, 1967	The Monster X Strikes Back/Attack the G8 Summit	July 5, 2008	41 years, 102 days
Belle de Jour	May 24, 1967	Belle Toujours	September 8, 2006	39 years, 107 days	No cast or crew in common. Time gap played in story.
The Girl on the Broomstick	September 8, 1972	Little Witch on a Broomstick	September 15, 2011	39 years, 7 days
Blood Feast	July 6, 1963	Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat	March 31, 2002	38 years, 268 days	Time gap included in plot
The Jungle Book	October 18, 1967	The Jungle Book 2	February 14, 2003	35 years, 119 days	Animated.
Branded to Kill	June 15, 1967	Pistol Opera	October 27, 2001	34 years, 134 days
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh	March 11, 1977	Winnie the Pooh	July 15, 2011	34 years, 126 days	Animated.
The Maltese Falcon	October 3, 1941	The Black Bird	December 25, 1975	34 years, 83 days
The Giant of the Dolomites	January 20, 1927	Maciste nella valle dei re	November 24, 1960	33 years, 309 days
National Velvet	December 14, 1944	International Velvet	July 19, 1978	33 years, 217 days
Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhon Se	March 16, 1978	Jaana Pehchana	August 16, 2011	33 years, 153 days
Chemmeen	August 19, 1965	Thirakalkkappuram	June 12, 1998	32 years, 297 days
The Odd Couple	May 2, 1968	The Odd Couple II	April 10, 1998	29 years, 343 days	Time gap included in plot
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome	July 10, 1985	Mad Max: Fury Road	May 15, 2015	29 years, 309 days
John Carpenter's The Thing	June 25, 1982	The Thing	October 14, 2011	29 years, 111 days	Prequel
Jewel Thief	October 27, 1967	Return of Jewel Thief	October 18, 1996	28 years, 357 days
Tron	July 9, 1982	Tron: Legacy	December 17, 2010	28 years, 162 days	Time gap included in the plot
The Sword and the Sorcerer	April 23, 1982	Tales of an Ancient Empire	July 31, 2010	28 years, 99 days
The Endless Summer	June 15, 1966	The Endless Summer II	June 3, 1994	27 years, 353 days
Inferno	February 7, 1980	The Mother of Tears	October 24, 2007	27 years, 259 days
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse	April 21, 1933	The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse	September 14, 1960	27 years, 146 days
Shaft in Africa	June 14, 1973	Shaft	June 16, 2000	27 years, 2 days
Captain Blood	December 28, 1935	The Son of Captain Blood	July 27, 1962	26 years, 211 days
Les Bronzés font du ski	November 22, 1979	Les Bronzés 3: Amis pour la vie	February 1, 2006	26 years, 71 days
Ghayal	June 22, 1990	Ghayal: Once Again	February 5, 2016	25 years, 228 days
Audace colpo dei soliti ignoti	November 30, 1960	Big Deal After 20 Years	December 25, 1985	25 years, 25 days
The Hustler	September 25, 1961	The Color of Money	October 17, 1986	25 years, 22 days
Trinity Is Still My Name	October 21, 1971	Sons of Trinity	June 29, 1995	23 years, 251 days
Zalamort	May 1, 1924	The Opium Den	September 5, 1947	23 years, 127 days
Psycho	June 16, 1960	Psycho II	June 3, 1983	22 years, 352 days
Across the Desert	February 20, 1936	Die Sklavenkarawane	December 11, 1958	22 years, 294 days
Wall Street	December 11, 1987	Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps	September 24, 2010	22 years, 287 days
Carrie	November 3, 1976	The Rage: Carrie 2	March 12, 1999	22 years, 129 days
Armour of God II: Operation Condor	February 7, 1991	Chinese Zodiac	December 12, 2012	21 years, 309 days
Django	April 6, 1966	Django 2: Il Grande Ritorno	December 3, 1987	21 years, 241 days
The Freshman	September 20, 1925	The Sin of Harold Diddlebock	April 4, 1947	21 years, 196 days
Cat City	October 2, 1986	Cat City 2: The Cat of Satan	December 20, 2007	21 years, 79 days
Trainspotting	February 23, 1996	T2 Trainspotting	January 27, 2017	20 years, 339 days	Time gap included in the plot
The Black Stallion Returns	March 25, 1983	The Young Black Stallion	December 25, 2003	20 years, 275 days	Prequel
Judwaa	February 7, 1997	Judwaa 2	September 29, 2017	20 years, 234 days
Hour of the Gun	November 1, 1967	Sunset	April 29, 1988	20 years, 180 days
Independence Day	July 2, 1996	Independence Day: Resurgence	June 24, 2016	19 years, 358 days	Time gap included in the plot
Day of the Dead	July 19, 1985	Land of the Dead	June 24, 2005	19 years, 340 days
Manichitrathazhu	December 25, 1993	Geethaanjali	November 14, 2013	19 years, 336 days
Dumb and Dumber	December 16, 1994	Dumb and Dumber To	November 14, 2014	19 years, 333 days
A Man and a Woman	July 12, 1966	A Man and a Woman: 20 Years Later	May 13, 1986	19 years, 305 days
Amaidhi Padai	January 13, 1994	Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA	May 10, 2013	19 years, 265 days
Rambo III	May 25, 1988	Rambo	January 25, 2008	19 years, 245 days
Predator 2	November 21, 1990	Predators	July 9, 2010	19 years, 230 days	If Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) are included, this is a shorter, but still notable gap of 13 years, 265 days.
Heavy Metal	August 7, 1981	Heavy Metal 2000	October 17, 2000	19 years, 71 days
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade	May 24, 1989	Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull	May 22, 2008	18 years, 364 days	Time gap included in plot
The Last Picture Show	October 22, 1971	Texasville	September 28, 1990	18 years, 341 days
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace	July 24, 1987	Superman Returns	June 28, 2006	18 years, 339 days
The Blood of a Poet	January 20, 1932	Orpheus	September 29, 1950	18 years, 252 days
In Harihar Nagar	Aug 18, 1990	2 Harihar Nagar	April 1, 2009	18 years, 226 days
Class of Nuke 'Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid	October 20, 1994	Return to Nuke 'Em High Vol.1	May 16, 2013	18 years, 208 days
Gregory's Girl	April 23, 1981	Gregory's Two Girls	October 15, 1999	18 years, 175 days
Vegas Vacation	February 14, 1997	Vacation	July 29, 2015	18 years, 165 days
Rosemary	June 28, 1958	Rosemary's Daughter	November 19, 1976	18 years, 144 days
The Three Brothers	December 13, 1995	Les Trois Frères, le retour	February 12, 2014	18 years, 61 days
Pure Country	October 23, 1992	Pure Country 2: The Gift	October 15, 2010	17 years, 357 days
That's Entertainment, Part II	May 16, 1976	That's Entertainment! III	May 6, 1994	17 years, 355 days}
The Blues Brothers	June 20, 1980	Blues Brothers 2000	February 6, 1998	17 years, 231 days
Barfly	September 30, 1987	Factotum	April 29, 2005	17 years, 211 days
The Guns of Navarone	June 22, 1961	Force 10 from Navarone	December 8, 1978	17 years, 169 days
Super Fly T.N.T.	June 15, 1973	The Return of Superfly	November 9, 1990	17 years, 147 days
Three Men and a Cradle	September 18, 1985	18 ans après	February 5, 2003	17 years, 140 days
The Decline of the American Empire	June 19, 1986	The Barbarian Invasions	September 24, 2003	17 years, 97 days
Thirakalkkappuram	June 12, 1998	Uthara Chemmeen	August 14, 2015	17 years, 63 days
The Olsen Gang Long Gone	December 26, 1981	The Olsen Gang's Last Trick	December 18, 1998	16 years, 357 days
Benji the Hunted	June 17, 1987	Benji: Off the Leash!	March 26, 2004	16 years, 283 days
2001: A Space Odyssey	April 6, 1968	2010	December 7, 1984	16 years, 245 days
Dirty Dancing	August 21, 1987	Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights	February 27, 2004	16 years, 190 days	Prequel
An American Werewolf in London	August 21, 1981	An American Werewolf in Paris	December 25, 1997	16 years, 126 days
Ferien auf Immenhof	September 3, 1957	Die Zwillinge vom Immenhof	December 18, 1973	16 years, 106 days
Unbreakable	November 22, 2000	Split	January 20, 2017	16 years, 59 days	Split was not marketed as a sequel, and the connections with Unbreakable are not revealed until the final scene of the film, acting as a twist ending.
Chinatown	June 20, 1974	The Two Jakes	August 10, 1990	16 years, 51 days
Rocky V	November 16, 1990	Rocky Balboa	December 20, 2006	16 years, 34 days
The Godfather Part II	December 12, 1974	The Godfather Part III	December 14, 1990	16 years, 2 days
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi	May 25, 1983	Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace	May 19, 1999	15 years, 359 days	Prequel
Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2	October 27, 2000	Blair Witch	September 16, 2016	15 years, 325 days
Tum Bin	July 13, 2001	Tum Bin II	November 18, 2016	15 years, 128 days
Drunken Master	October 5, 1978	Drunken Master II	February 3, 1994	15 years, 121 days
Zulu	January 22, 1964	Zulu Dawn	May 15, 1979	15 years, 103 days	Prequel
Exit... nur keine Panik	February 28, 1980	Exit II - Verklärte Nacht	April 18, 1995	15 years, 49 days
Escape from New York	July 10, 1981	Escape from L.A.	August 9, 1996	15 years, 30 days
Inspector Balram	April 26, 1991	Balram vs. Tharadas	April 28, 2006	15 years, 2 days
Gamera: Super	March 20, 1980	Gamera: Guardian of the Universe	March 11, 1995	14 years, 356 days
Kilukkam	August 15, 1991	Kilukkam Kilukilukkam	May 3, 2006	14 years, 261 days
Alien: Resurrection	November 26, 1997	Prometheus	May 30, 2012	14 years, 195 days	Prequel. If Alien vs. Predator (2004) and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) are included, this is not a long gap.
Flesh Gordon	July 30, 1974	Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders	January 30, 1989	14 years, 184 days
Powaqqatsi	April 29, 1988	Naqoyqatsi	October 18, 2002	14 years, 172 days
The Four Musketeers	October 31, 1974	The Return of the Musketeers	April 19, 1989	14 years, 170 days
Wend Kuuni	March 27, 1983	Buud Yam	September 10, 1997	14 years, 167 days
All Stars	May 2, 1997	All Stars 2: Old Stars	October 13, 2011	14 years, 164 days
The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery	April 4, 1966	The Wildcats of St Trinian's	August 21, 1980	14 years, 139 days
Jagratha	September 7, 1989	Sethurama Iyer CBI	January 23, 2004	14 years, 138 days
Zoolander	September 28, 2001	Zoolander 2	February 12, 2016	14 years, 137 days
The Best Man	October 22, 1999	The Best Man Holiday	November 15, 2013	14 years, 24 days
Basic Instinct	March 20, 1992	Basic Instinct 2	March 31, 2006	14 years, 11 days
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III	March 17, 1993	TMNT	March 23, 2007	14 years, 6 days
My Big Fat Greek Wedding	April 19, 2002	My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2	March 25, 2016	13 years, 341 days
Jurassic Park III	July 16, 2001	Jurassic World	June 12, 2015	13 years, 331 days
Cyrano de Bergerac	November 16, 1950	Cyrano and d'Artagnan	25 September 1964	13 years, 314 days
The Blob	September 12, 1958	Beware! The Blob	June 21, 1972	13 years, 283 days
'Gator Bait	June 3, 1974	'Gator Bait II: Cajun Justice	March 14, 1988	13 years, 255 days
The Return of Boston Blackie	August 1, 1927	Meet Boston Blackie	February 21, 1941	13 years, 204 days
My Sassy Girl	July 27, 2001	My New Sassy Girl	February 12, 2015	13 years, 200 days
The Rescuers	June 22, 1977	The Rescuers Down Under	November 16, 1990	13 years, 147 days
Exorcist II: The Heretic	June 17, 1977	The Exorcist III	August 17, 1990	13 years, 92 days
Terms of Endearment	November 23, 1983	The Evening Star	December 25, 1996	13 years, 32 days
Finding Nemo	May 30, 2003	Finding Dory	June 17, 2016	13 years, 18 days	Animated.
The Willi Busch Report	October 27, 1979	Deutschfieber	October 29, 1992	13 years, 2 days
Bad Santa	November 21, 2003	Bad Santa 2	November 23, 2016	13 years, 2 days
Crocodile Dundee II	May 25, 1988	Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles	April 18, 2001	12 years, 328 days
Horror High	April 4, 1974	Return to Horror High	January 9, 1987	12 years, 280 days
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark	September 30, 1988	Elvira's Haunted Hills	June 23, 2001	12 years, 266 days
Bride of Re-Animator	September 8, 1990	Beyond Re-Animator	April 4, 2003	12 years, 208 days
The State of Things	October 20, 1982	Lisbon Story	May 12, 1995	12 years, 204 days
Palooka	January 26, 1934	Joe Palooka, Champ	May 28, 1946	12 years, 122 days
Barbershop 2: Back in Business	February 6, 2004	Barbershop: The Next Cut	April 15, 2016	12 years, 69 days
Die Hard with a Vengeance	May 19, 1995	Live Free or Die Hard	June 27, 2007	12 years, 39 days
Terminator 2: Judgment Day	July 1, 1991	Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines	July 2, 2003	12 years, 1 day	Time gap included in story. Mostly recast.
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy	December 25, 1946	Andy Hardy Comes Home	December 22, 1958	11 years, 362 days
Khiladi 420	December 29, 2000	Khiladi 786	December 7, 2012	11 years, 344 days
The Ring Two	March 18, 2005	Rings	February 3, 2017	11 years, 336 days
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre	October 1, 1974	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2	August 22, 1986	11 years, 325 days
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason	November 19, 2004	Bridget Jones's Baby	September 16, 2016	11 years, 302 days
The Lion King 1½	February 10, 2004	The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar	November 22, 2015	11 years, 285 days
Clerks	October 19, 1994	Clerks II	July 21, 2006	11 years, 275 days
XXX: State of the Union	April 29, 2005	XXX: Return of Xander Cage	January 20, 2017	11 years, 266 days
Monsters, Inc.	November 2, 2001	Monsters University	June 21, 2013	11 years, 231 days	Prequel, Animated
Pettersson & Bendel	August 21, 1933	Pettersson & Bendels nya affärer	February 26, 1945	11 years, 189 days
9½ Weeks	February 14, 1986	Love in Paris	June 12, 1997	11 years, 118 days
The Storm Riders	August 31, 1998	The Storm Warriors	December 10, 2009	11 years, 101 days
Scream 3	February 4, 2000	Scream 4	April 15, 2011	11 years, 70 days
The Blue Lagoon	June 20, 1980	Return to the Blue Lagoon	August 2, 1991	11 years, 43 days	New characters
Violent Shit III: Infantry of Doom	March 21, 1999	Karl the Butcher vs. Axe	May 1, 2010	11 years, 41 days
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler	May 26, 1922	The Testament of Dr. Mabuse	April 21, 1933	10 years, 330 days
The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie	November 24, 1989	Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV	October 8, 2000	10 years, 319 days
The Boondock Saints	January 22, 1999	The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day	October 30, 2009	10 years, 281 days
The Saint Meets the Tiger	July 29, 1943	The Saint's Return	April 15, 1954	10 years, 260 days
The Mask	July 29, 1994	Son of the Mask	February 18, 2005	10 years, 232 days
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	May 19, 2005	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	December 18, 2015	10 years, 213 days	The Force Awakens is not a direct sequel to Revenge of the Sith, but to the earlier film, Return of the Jedi, from 1983. The animated film The Clone Wars was released in 2008. If it is included, then this was not a long gap.
Toy Story 2	November 24, 1999	Toy Story 3	June 18, 2010	10 years, 206 days	Animated
Quatermass 2	May 24, 1957	Quatermass and the Pit	November 9, 1967	10 years, 169 days	Only writer in common
Scanners	January 14, 1981	Scanners II: The New Order	June 28, 1991	10 years, 165 days
Attack the Gas Station	October 2, 1999	Attack the Gas Station 2	January 21, 2010	10 years, 111 days
Money No Enough	May 7, 1998	Money No Enough 2	July 31, 2008	10 years, 85 days
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie	November 19, 2004	The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water	February 6, 2015	10 years, 79 days	Animated. This is a long running TV show that has been occasionally supplemented by films.
Universal Soldier: The Return	August 20, 1999	Universal Soldier: Regeneration	October 1, 2009	10 years, 42 days
The X-Files	June 19, 1998	The X-Files: I Want to Believe	July 24, 2008	10 years, 35 days
Curse of the Pink Panther	August 12, 1983	Son of the Pink Panther	August 27, 1993	10 years, 15 days
King Kong	December 17, 1976	King Kong Lives	December 19, 1986	10 years, 2 days

Upcoming sequels

This section lists sequels that have yet to be released; the actual time gap may vary if release dates are changed. Some of these maybe remakes and not sequels, but can be impossible to tell until released, as marketing material maybe deceptive.

Predecessor's title	Release date	Sequel's title	Projected release date	Time lapsed
Mary Poppins	August 27, 1964	Mary Poppins Returns	December 25, 2018	54 years, 120 days
Blade Runner	June 25, 1982	Blade Runner 2049	October 6, 2017	35 years, 103 days
Top Gun	May 16, 1986	Top Gun: Maverick	July 12, 2019	33 years, 57 days
Jumanji	December 15, 1995	Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle	December 20, 2017	22 years, 66 days
Super Troopers	February 15, 2002	Super Troopers 2	April 20, 2018	16 years, 64 days
The Incredibles	November 5, 2004	The Incredibles 2	June 15, 2018	13 years, 222 days
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull	May 22, 2008	Indiana Jones 5	July 10, 2020	12 years, 49 days
Avatar	December 18, 2009	Avatar 2	December 18, 2020	11 years, 0 days
Ocean's Thirteen	June 8, 2007	Ocean's Eight	June 8, 2018	11 years, 0 days
Mamma Mia!	July 18, 2008	Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!	July 20, 2018	10 years, 2 days

References

This article "List of the longest gaps between film sequels" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

📰 Article(s) of the same category(ies)

• List of video games by player count
• List of National Film Registry films (I–L)
• Puppet Master: Axis Termination
• List of National Film Registry films (M–P)
• Fast & Furious 10
• List of films with associated hip hop songs
• List of novels considered the greatest

---