Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • Big Preview
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
    • View Video
    • Video
    • GR+ Replay - Submit Your Clips
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Loki
Superhero Movies Marvel timeline: The MCU movies and TV shows in chronological order
Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies Every new Star Wars movie and TV show currently in the works
Rey in The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies Disney accused of "sequel erasure" after new Star Wars merchandise only covers the original trilogy and prequels
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune 3
Movies Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
Dune
Movies Movie release dates 2026: Every major film coming to cinemas and streaming
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville in I Am Legend
Action Movies I Am Legend 2 release date speculation, cast, plot, trailer, and everything we know about the upcoming horror sequel
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
Billie Roy in Lee Cronin's The Mummy
Horror Movies Upcoming horror movies coming in 2026 and beyond
A character line-up of the heroes of Stranger Things: Tales From '85
Streaming Services Stranger Things: Tales from '85 and all the other new shows and movies on Netflix in April.
Din Djarin and Grogu in The Mandalorian & Grogu
Sci-Fi Movies The Mandalorian and Grogu: everything we know so far about the next Star Wars movie
A man on a red motorbike during one of the best sci-fi movies ever made, Akira.
Anime Movies As Akira heads back to the big screen, the anime masterpiece hasn't lost any impact almost 40 years later
Sonic
Live Action Movies Sonic 4 release date, cast, trailer and everything we know so far about the sequel
Shadow (Keanu Reeves) in Sonic 3
Movies Every upcoming video game movie you need to know about in 2026 and beyond
Best James Bond movies
Action RPGs Best James Bond movies, ranked! From Dr. No to No Time to Die
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

30 Longest Sequel Gaps

Features
By Joshua Winning published 16 April 2014

Mind the gap...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Psycho (1960) / Psycho II (1983)

How Many Years Between Sequels: 23 long, long years.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap?
Just about - Psycho II is actually set 22 years after the events of Hitchcock's first film, so it's just a single year shy of the actual time period that has elapsed.

The plot sees Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins, looking considerably older) released from a mental institute and returning to his home, where he starts to go a little mad again.

This time in Technicolor.

Carrie (1976) / The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)

How Many Years Between Sequels : 22 years.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap? "I had a traumatic experience in high school. I tried to help someone, and it backfired horribly," says Sue Snell (Amy Irving), the only character to return after (and, seemingly, remember the events of) the first film.

A Gothed-up rinse and repeat of the first film, Carrie 2 follows outcast Rachel (Emily Bergl), who may be able to move things with her mind when she's angry.

Article continues below
You may like
  • Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune 3 Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
  • The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
  • Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather. The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now

Well, it's better than the remake, at least.

Wall Street (1987) / Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)

How Many Years Between Sequels: 23 years.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap? To the year; Oliver Stone's belated follow-up acknowledges every one of the 23 years that have elapsed since Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) first rained terror down on New York.

In the sequel, Shia Labeouf plays the fiancé of Gekko's daughter (Carey Mulligan), repeating the trick he played with other belated sequel Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull.

Weirdly, this time around Gekko's more of an anti-hero than a villain. He's clearly mellowed with age…

The Hustler (1961) / The Color Of Money (1986)

How Many Years Between Sequels: 25 years.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap? Just about. Martin Scorsese's winning drama is actually set 20 years after The Hustler, which is in keeping with the sequel novel (by Richard Price) that the film's based on.

Paul Newman returns as pool extremo Fast Eddie, one of just a handful of actors to reprise a role over two decades after first playing it.

In Money , he trains Tom Cruise's fiery, pool-playing whippersnapper (remember when Cruise was a whippersnapper?) - and Newman landed an Oscar for his troubles.

Tron (1982) / Tron: Legacy (2010)

How Many Years Between Sequels: A gob-smacking 28 years.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap? Ish. The film actually takes place 20 years after the film, though it's been nearer to 28 years since Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) first disappeared into his computer and discovered the Grid.

In Legacy , his son Sam (Garrett Hedlund) goes searching for his father and finds himself similarly pixelated - and discovering Kevin's become a pseudo-Jesus figure on The Grid.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) / Mad Max Fury Road (2015)

How Many Years Between Sequels: A post-apocalyptic 30 years.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap? We imagine the film will acknowledge that SOME time has passed, but definitely not 30 years - anti-hero Max Rockatanasky has been recast with Tom Hardy tagging the role from Mel Gibson.

Set in the Aussie Outback, the film sees Max coming across a band of road warriors led by the fearsome Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron).

Star Wars Episode VI (1983) / Episode VII (2015)

How Many Years Between Sequels: 32 years.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap? Alright, this is sort of a cheat, considering George Lucas actually filmed the first of his Star Wars prequels in 1999, 16 years after he wrapped on Return Of The Jedi.

The first 'sequel proper' to Jedi , though, isn't due until 2015, which means we'll be picking up the plot with (it's assumed) Luke, Leia and Solo (plus a bunch of new characters) over 30 years later. Impressivo.

The Wicker Man (1973) / The Wicker Tree (2011)

How Many Years Between Sequels: 37 years.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap ? Though it was advertised as a 'companion piece' to The Wicker Man , it's clear that the makers of The Wicker Tree intended it as a sequel - just look at the burning imagery on the film's poster and, of course the title.

Giving nods back to Man (and thereby acknowledging the gap), the film shifts the location to Scotland where gospel singer Beth (Brittania Nicol) and her boyfriend attempt to spread the word of God.

The Wizard Of Oz (1939) / Return To Oz (1985)

How Many Years Between Sequels: A head-spinning 46 years.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap? As if. Instead of portraying Dorothy (Judy Garland) as an old lady, Return To Oz picks up just six months after the first film, with Fairuza Balk playing Dorothy instead.

Despite the massive gap between the films, Return To Oz was considered just as good as the classic original, with Dorothy again ending up in Oz.

New terrors the formidable Wheelers were just as terrifying as the Flying Monkeys.

Bambi (1942) / Bambi II (2006)

How Many Years Between Sequels: A whopping 64 years, the world record for most-belated sequel.

Do They Acknowledge The Gap? Nope - Disney act like not a single year has passed since Bambi lost his mother and was ordered to man up by the Stag.

In fact, the sequel's set during the events of the first Bambi , with the wobbly little doe taken into the care of the Great Prince.

Critics weren't bowled over - the film only holds a 50% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Current page: Page 3

Prev Page Page 2
Joshua Winning
Social Links Navigation

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.  

Read more
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune 3
Movies Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
 
 
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
 
 
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
 
 
Catherine Laga'aia in the live-action Moana movie
Animated Movies New Disney movies 2026 and beyond
 
 
best Pixar movies
Animated Movies The best Pixar movies, ranked! From Toy Story to Hoppers
 
 
Alien movies in order: a xenomorph in the movie Alien Covenant drooling.
Sci-Fi Movies How to watch the Alien movies in order (chronological and release date)
 
 
Latest in Movies
Samara Weaving and Jason Segel in Over Your Dead Body
Action Movies Over Your Dead Body is an ultra-violent, surprisingly heartwarming gorefest
 
 
Rey in The Rise of Skywalker
Star Wars Movies 7 years later, Star Wars fans are still mourning one huge missed opportunity with Rey in the sequels
 
 
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 lead Gustave faces a gommage
Action Movies Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Charlie Cox thinks the money people would prefer Glen Powell play Gustave in the film
 
 
Leon Kennedy in Resident Evil Requiem
Horror Movies Resident Evil Requiem Leon actor has been "let down" by past Resident Evil movies, but he's behind Zach Cregger's take
 
 
Chainsaw Man
Anime Movies Over 7 months after it hit theatres, Chainsaw Man Reze Arc finally sets a streaming release date
 
 
Bloodborne screenshot of The Hunter player-character with their back to us, wielding a bladed in their right hand and an a ranged weapon in their left
Animated Movies Jacksepticeye isn't planning on asking Markiplier for tips on the Bloodborne movie after Iron Lung success
 
 
Latest in Features
Hell Let Loose: Vietnam gameplay showing combat in a jungle
FPS Games If you like Battlefield at its most chaotic, I promise you'll love Hell Let Loose: Vietnam
 
 
Samara Weaving and Jason Segel in Over Your Dead Body
Action Movies Over Your Dead Body is an ultra-violent, surprisingly heartwarming gorefest
 
 
Commisar Yarrick moniature reaching out with a large clawed hand
Tabletop Gaming The current Warhammer 40K edition comes to a glorious end with the Return of Yarrick, and I can't wait for what's next
 
 
Arc Raiders player holding a gun in red light
Third Person Shooters Marathon, Arc Raiders, and Last Flag devs discuss the ongoing evolution of multiplayer shooters
 
 
Vampire Crawlers screenshots taken on Nintendo Switch, showing card-based roguelite gameplay
Roguelike Games Vampire Survivors meets first-person deckbuilding in my new handheld obsession
 
 
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced key art showing protagonist Edward Kenway pointing dual wielding pistols
Assassin's Creed The 5 biggest changes coming to Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Warhammer 40,000 Armageddon Battalion boxes laid out on a wooden table
    1
    I've been hands-on with all the Warhammer 40K Armageddon Battalions, and here's the one I think you should buy
  2. 2
    The current Warhammer 40K edition comes to a glorious end with the Return of Yarrick, and I can't wait for what's next
  3. 3
    Final Fantasy 14's battle system planner got his start at Square Enix when he interviewed producer Yoshi-P as a journalist and "used the opportunity to ask him for a job"
  4. 4
    Yoshi-P won't tell Final Fantasy 14 players what the new tank and ranged physical DPS jobs are, but he will dare you to look at his T-shirt for clues
  5. 5
    Diablo 4 Lord of Hatred is so big that Blizzard decided the new season doesn't need its own theme, but it will include "major system upgrades"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...