Directors who returned to direct sequels to their hit films

There have been over 20 James Bond movies made, so if one person had directed them all, they would have been quite successful. Also, quite old, given that the Bond franchise has been ongoing since 1962. Several directors have jumped into the series, but the same director actually helmed the first two. That would be Young, who directed “Dr. No” and “From Russia with Love.” He skipped “Goldfinger” but returned for “Thunderball.”

Sure, Spielberg didn’t return to the world of “Jaws,” but that doesn’t mean he’s been afraid to go back to a well or two. Working alongside his buddy George Lucas as the main producer, Spielberg directed the first four Indiana Jones movies. He also followed up “Jurassic Park” with “The Lost World,” though he did not direct any other films down that path.

Scott’s recent addition to this list is a surprising one. “Gladiator” was a huge hit in 2000, and won Best Picture. However, it did not necessarily scream “sequel.” Perhaps that’s why it took so long. In time, though, Scott did indeed bring “Gladiator II” into the world in 2024. We aren’t counting “Blade Runner 2049,” though, because “Blade Runner” was famously not a hit at the time.

You can’t call Cameron hubristic because he delivers. “Avatar” was set in this over-the-top world filled with blue aliens and was super expensive. “Big Jim” threaded the needle on the 3-D renaissance perfectly and ended up with the highest-grossing movie of all time. So, he decided to make multiple sequels, even film them back-to-back. Once again, skepticism abounded. It would have to make over a billion dollars to be profitable! Well, “Avatar: The Way of Water” made $2.320 billion. Betting against “Big Jim” rarely pans out.

Emmerich didn’t get to make a sequel to his dumb “Godzilla” movie. However, he did get to make a sequel to his dumb movie “Independence Day.” That one is the fun kind of dumb, though! “Independence Day: Resurgence” arrived twenty years later, but sans Will Smith. Maybe that’s why it landed with a thud.

Superhero franchises are well-worn territory now. That wasn’t the case in the 1980s. Burton was not an expected choice for “Batman,” and Michael Keaton was not a popular choice for the titular hero. Then, “Batman” turned out to be a hit, and it was really good too. That allowed “Batman Returns” to be made, and it allowed Burton to make a sequel that was very up his alley. It’s more polarizing but still enjoyable. Oh, and he also finally got to follow up "Beetlejuice" and ended up with one of the biggest movies of 2024.

Zemeckis deserves credit for getting his defining franchise off the ground. He had an idea floating around for a dream project, but his career started off slow, and his mentor Spielberg suggested he take a for-hire gig to show he could direct a hit. “Romancing the Stone” was that movie, and so Zemeckis got to make his dream film: “Back to the Future.” He also returned for the sequels, even getting to make the last one a Western because, well, he felt like it, and nobody was arguing with Zemeckis at that point.

Yes, shout out to “Home Alone” and “Lost in New York,” both of which Columbus directed thanks to the help of John Hughes. Well, Hughes shepherded him into the first gig, and then that movie was such a hit that naturally Columbus returned for the sequel. However, Columbus’ earned reputation for being good with child actors and being a go-along-to-get-along kind of guy likely helped him get another role. The director helmed the first two “Harry Potter” movies. Yes, many considered those the silliest and the worst of the franchise, and, well, Columbus’ sensibilities played a part in that. Still, he helped get that whole behemoth off the ground. Credit where it is due.

Coppola did not merely direct multiple films in a popular franchise. His popular franchise is also critically adored. Well, two-thirds of it is. We speak, of course, of “The Godfather” and its two sequels. The first two won Best Picture. The first two are considered among the best American films ever made. A third movie…also exists.

Horror franchises are often rife with directors for hire and changes of the guard. John Carpenter didn’t return for “Halloween II.” James Wan dipped out on “Saw II.” Hell, even Craven didn’t direct the second “A Nightmare on Elm Street” movie. No, Craven is here for his other acclaimed franchise. He directed the first four “Scream” movies, the last of those being the last film he made in his lifetime. Meanwhile, he only did two “Elm Street” movies. Perhaps, in the end, “Scream” was his favored franchise.

Let Jackson make movies about short dudes with hairy feet in his native New Zealand and he’s happy. The dude made three “Lord of the Rings” movies, and those went so well he was able to say, “Actually, I want to take the slim tome ‘The Hobbit’ and turn it into three movies as well.” And he did!

Verbinski didn’t return for “The Ring” sequel, and the less said about “The Lone Ranger” the better, but Verbinski played a crucial role in low-key one of the most successful film franchises ever. That would be “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Did you know it was the first franchise to generate two billion-dollar movies? One of them was his movie “Dead Man’s Chest.” All in all, Verbinski directed three of the five “Pirates” movies (including the two people generally like).

Reitman was the Bill Murray wrangler. The mercurial actor has never enjoyed a reputation for being easy to work with, or even to find to offer him a job. He and Harold Ramis had a grudge that lasted from “Groundhog Day” until Ramis was on his deathbed. Reitman, though, made it work. Because of that, we got “Ghostbusters” and “Ghostbusters II.” Also “Stripes,” but that movie didn’t get a sequel. Hell, nobody has ever watched more than three-fourths of it.

Michael Bay is a crazy person, but sometimes that means you get a bunch of fun nonsense like “Ambulance.” Sometimes, you get five “Transformers” movies that range from “tolerable” to “a crime against cinema.” On the other hand, he gave us “Bad Boys” and “Bad Boys II,” and the latter is perhaps the most functional dysfunctional movie ever made.

This list has limited female presence. We landed at that place because, well, Hollywood has a lengthy track record of not doing a great job vis-à-vis women behind the camera. Even successful female directors have rarely gotten to make sequels (though Greta Gerwig is about to make multiple “Chronicles of Narnia” movies). Jenkins did get that chance, though. She directed “Wonder Woman,” and then got to direct “Wonder Woman 1984.” That was such a COVID-19 pandemic mess, though, the whole thing ended there.

Following up a female director with Phillips almost feels like an affront, but here we are. He’s under the radar turned into a bit of a self-destructive director. “The Hangover” was a huge, unexpected hit, but the third movie in that franchise is basically, “You suck for liking these movies.” Then, he made “Joker,” and in the process directed the movie that finally won Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar. His sequel to that polarizing film has the vibe of, “You suck if you liked ‘Joker,’ but also you suck if ‘Joker’ made you mad.” If you’re wondering why it was such a flop…

In the 1970s, Miller said to the world, “Hi, I’m a doctor from Australia and I decided to make a low-budget post-apocalyptic movie.” So, we got “Mad Max,” and it became a hit that turned Mel Gibson into a movie star. That was followed by a couple of higher-budget sequels that are a mixed bag. Then, though, we got Miller’s magnum opus “Fury Road,” which was a fitting coda to his franchise. What do you mean there’s a movie called “Furiosa?” Sounds made up to us.

“The Matrix” was a cultural moment. It’s style over substance and the plot is Swiss-style in terms of holes, but that style was codified in film language and, like, two percent of movies can say that. The Wachowskis then returned for two sequels that frustrated all but the diehard “Matrix” partisans. After a lengthy break, and with Lilly retired, Lana returned for 2021’s “The Matrix Resurrections.” (The Wachowskis are a little camera shy, so enjoy this photo of everybody's favorite characters, those weird twins with the white dreadlocks.)

Heckerling directed a seminal ‘80s movie in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and a seminal ‘90s movie in “Clueless.” She also made a quintessential 2000s movie in “Loser” what with the Jason Biggs and Wheatus of it all, but that movie is far from seminal. However, Heckerling also directed two movies in one of the most inexplicable huge franchises. Those films? “Look Who’s Talking” and “Look Who’s Talking Now.”

We end with Bird because he represents the rare animation director to do this sort of thing. In animation, directors are often seen as more fungible, or movies have two-or-three directors and maybe one returns for a sequel. Bird, though, is a director with a vision for his idea and a desire for a high level of control that can be exacting. That can pay off, though. Bird both wrote and directed “The Incredibles” and “The Incredibles” too. In the world of Pixar films are often collaborative efforts. Bird’s movies? They’re Bird movies that other people work on.