When Is a Sequel Exciting?

Hollywood has discovered an incredible new technology.

It’s called remembering things we liked 20 years ago.

And lately? They are really putting it to work.

Harry Potter is heading back to Hogwarts. Romy and Michele are reuniting. Mia Thermopolis is returning to Genovia. And Avengers: Doomsday has apparently decided that if you have ever played a Marvel character at any point in your natural-born life, Kevin Feige may still have your phone number.

Which raises a question:

When does revisiting something we love feel exciting—and when does it start feeling like Hollywood is shaking our childhood upside down to see if any more money falls out?

This one might be the most controversial because technically, we already got this story.

Eight movies. An entire generation grew up with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. The final movie only came out in 2011.

So do we really need another adaptation?

I’m going to say it: I’m excited.

Because this isn’t Harry Potter 9: Harry’s Back and His Knees Hurt Now. It’s another adaptation of the books in an entirely different format.

HBO’s new series is giving each book significantly more room to breathe, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone this Christmas. And the trailers have already shown moments from the books that never made it into the movies. (Harry Potter⁠)

That’s the key.

A remake earns its existence when the new format gives us something the old one couldn’t.

Give me Peeves. Give me the ridiculous Hogwarts minutiae. Give Ginny Weasley her personality back.

I’m listening.

Meanwhile, Romy and Michele 2 feels like exactly the kind of sequel that can work after a nearly 30-year gap.

Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino are back. Several members of the original cast are returning. Even original screenwriter Robin Schiff is involved. And instead of trying to recreate two women preparing for their high-school reunion, the new story finds Romy and Michele attending a former classmate’s wedding and apparently wondering whether they forgot to fall in love along the way. (People.com⁠)

That’s a sequel.

We aren’t pretending no time has passed. The passage of time is the point.

Romy and Michele navigating life in their 50s has the potential to be just as funny—and probably even more relatable—than watching them try to impress everyone at their 10-year reunion.

Also, frankly, I just want to know what they’re wearing.

Then we have The Princess Diaries 3.

Anne Hathaway is returning as Mia Thermopolis, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say an entire generation of women immediately heard “SHUT. UP.” somewhere deep inside their souls.

Unfortunately, Julie Andrews recently confirmed that she will not return as Queen Clarisse. Andrews, now 90, said the story needs to continue with Mia because, as she put it, “It’s her story.” (EW.com⁠)

Am I devastated?

Obviously.

But weirdly, that may also demonstrate why this sequel could work.

At the end of The Princess Diaries 2, Mia became Queen of Genovia. We don’t need another movie about teenage Mia learning how to be a princess.

We need to see who Mia became.

That’s the difference between continuing a story and simply recreating it.

Let Mia be the mentor now. Let her be the woman trying to fill Clarisse’s impossible shoes.

And if somebody wants to casually mention that Nicholas Devereaux is still around, I wouldn’t complain.

And then there’s Marvel.

Robert Downey Jr. is back—but this time as Doctor Doom. Chris Evans is returning as Steve Rogers. Patrick Stewart is Professor X. Ian McKellen is Magneto. James Marsden is Cyclops. Rebecca Romijn is Mystique. Alan Cumming is Nightcrawler.

Marvel’s official cast list for Avengers: Doomsday genuinely reads like somebody dumped several decades of Marvel movies into a blender. (Disney Movies⁠)

And you know what?

I want to see it.

But Doomsday also demonstrates the danger of nostalgia better than almost anything else on this list.

Bringing back a beloved character can create an incredible emotional moment.

But if characters can always come back, those moments eventually stop meaning anything.

Tony Stark’s death mattered.

Steve Rogers’ ending mattered.

Logan’s ending mattered.

At some point, nostalgia stops being exciting if audiences start assuming no goodbye is actually goodbye.

Marvel has to make these returns matter to the story—not just the trailer.

Maybe the rule is actually pretty simple:

Don’t bring something back just because people miss it. Bring it back because there’s something left to do with it.

A sequel should show us how characters have changed.

A remake should give us something the previous version couldn’t.

A revival should understand why people loved the original instead of simply recreating its most recognizable moments.

And returning characters should add something meaningful—not just generate a viral reaction video.

Because nostalgia is powerful.

Seeing Mia Thermopolis again is going to do something to those of us who grew up with her. Watching Romy and Michele walk into a room together again is going to feel like seeing old friends. Hearing familiar names in Avengers: Doomsday is going to make theaters lose their minds.

And yes, millions of us are absolutely going back to Hogwarts.

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to go home again.

Just make sure there’s still a story waiting for us when we get there.