Upcoming Comedy Sequels You Didn't Know Were In The Works

When a movie does well at the box office or on streaming, there's a good chance a sequel will eventually follow. This is a near certainty with horror movies due to their low production cost. The same could be said of comedies in terms of budget, but, for one reason or another, comedy sequels don't tend to come around quite as often. However, that's not to say they never happen — in fact, there are a number of upcoming comedy sequels in the pipeline.

While you may already be aware of some of the bigger upcoming comedy sequels currently in development, there's a lot that you probably didn't know were happening. After all, not everyone can keep track of every project that's in development, and when it's a sequel to a film that came out many years ago, there's a chance that you simply forgot the original even existed. The following comedy sequels are in various stages of development in Hollywood.

The original "Freaky Friday" came out in 1976, and there have been several remakes over the years. The most popular one came out in 2003, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan as a mother and daughter who switch bodies via a magical fortune cookie. The film updated the theme for the period and was successful as a result. A sequel was always possible, but the likelihood of that happening eroded as Lohan's legal troubles and work problems worsened.

Fortunately, Lohan overcame her problematic period and returned to acting as an adult. Even then, a sequel to "Freaky Friday" seemed unlikely, but fans of the original got some welcome news in May 2023 when Disney confirmed that a sequel was in the works. Lohan and Curtis are both set to reprise their roles, with Nisha Ganatra (known for her work on shows like "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "And Just Like That," and "Dollface") tapped to direct.

Some possible plot points for "Freaky Friday" 2 have surfaced via Entertainment Weekly's. The report states that Anna (Lohan) has a 14-year-old daughter, as does her fiancé, and the kids aren't happy about the families coming together. Anna and Tess (Curtis) swap bodies with the teenage girls, with hijinks undoubtedly ensuing. The as-yet-untitled sequel has no set release date at the time of this writing.

1996's "Happy Gilmore" was an early success for Adam Sandler, helping him cement his place as a Hollywood star after breaking through on "Saturday Night Live." The titular character is a failed ice hockey player who decides to take up tournament golf in an effort to make some money so he can save his grandmother's house. He managed to do just that, so there's really no reason for a sequel. However, Adam Sandler movies continue to dominate Netflix, so it's not really surprising that the streamer has decided to capitalize on one of his most famous characters.

Sandler is expected to both star in and write "Happy Gilmore 2," though no plot details have surfaced since the film's announcement. While Carl Weathers (who played Happy's mentor Derick "Chubbs" Peterson in the original) has sadly passed away since the first film's release, much of the original cast is still around and could potentially return for the sequel. This means potential appearances from Happy's uptight rival Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) and his love interest Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen). Netflix announced the movie in May 2024 but gave no indication of its release date.

"Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" was a huge success in 2004, making $168M at the global box office from a $20M budget. News of a sequel to "Dodgeball" broke in early 2023, with Vince Vaughn returning to play gym owner Peter LaFleur. Jordan VanDina (best known for the Hulu original comedy film "The Binge") is writing the script based on a premise proposed by Vaughn, though it's unclear if the original film's writer and director, Rawson Marshall Thurber, will be involved.

The rest of the cast of "Dodgeball" may well return, but nothing has been confirmed. Fans would no doubt love to see the major players — Christine Taylor, Ben Stiller, Justin Long, Stephen Root, and Alan Tudyk — reprise their roles. As of this writing, there's little concrete information in terms of plot and release date, though the film isn't expected to come out anytime soon. Because it's in development at 20th Century Fox, "Dodgeball 2" will likely stream on Hulu or Disney+ when it's made available online.

"Kingpin" was a box office bomb that quickly became a cult classic. It's a beloved movie these days, so it's no wonder a sequel has been greenlit. News of a second "Kingpin" film broke in 2021 with director duo Peter and Bobby Farrelly set to return to the world of bowling. Peter Farrelly told /Film in 2024 that they were still working on the script, so it remains in active development. "It's a work in progress. We're not quite there yet," he said. "Writing is hard. I want to get it right, so we're still bouncing around ideas. We're not sure, but we are developing it, yes."

Like most movies in the early stages of development, there's not much that is known regarding its potential release date, plot, or stars. "Kingpin" featured a large cast of talented actors, including Woody Harrelson, Bill Murray, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, and many others. Hopefully, Harrelson and Murray will return as Roy Munson (a former State Amateur Bowling Champion who became a coach after losing his right hand) and Ernie "Big Ern" McCracken (Munson's sneaky rival), respectively. It's anyone's guess when "Kingpin 2" will arrive, but odds are it won't be until 2026 at the earliest.

2020 saw the release of a surprisingly clever sequel in "Bill & Ted Face the Music," which reunited Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves as Bill S. Preston Esq. and Ted "Theodore" Logan 29 years after the last film in the franchise. It appears that the journey of the Wyld Stallyns may not be finished: During an appearance on "The Sarah O'Connell Show," Winter revealed that a fourth film was in the early stages of development.

"We're tinkering with a fourth movie idea that all of us like, and the guys [Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon] are going to write, so we'll see," Winter said. "It takes us time to get these things going, and we never want to do them unless they're great."

Winter made it clear that things are very much up in the air right now, but the fact that a script is being worked on will be music to the ears of "Bill & Ted" fans. One thing's for sure: You can't have a movie about Bill and Ted without Winter and Keanu Reeves, so expect them to return. Winters revealed that the concept for the fourth film was "obvious," but it's anyone's guess where the franchise will take their story.

The Kevin Smith cult hit "Mallrats" has a sequel on the way. Smith dropped the bomb that he was creating a follow-up (which will be titled "Twilight of the Mallrats") in 2020. The first film starred Jason Lee, Jeremy London, Shannen Doherty, Claire Forlani, Joey Lauren Adams, Ethan Suplee, and Ben Affleck. While it's far from Smith's most acclaimed film (that would be 1994's "Clerks") it has a loyal fan base and news of a sequel has people excited.

Smith isn't the kind of director who reveals too many details about a film he's working on, so not much is known about the plot or a potential release date. Smith attempted to create a "Mallrats" TV series about Brodie (Lee) and his daughter at one stage (he told Digital Spy that it was going to be "like a very long John Hughes movie"), so there's a good chance he'll dig up that concept and dust it off for "Twilight of the Mallrats."

1987's "Spaceballs" follows four heroes fighting the good fight against the eponymous villains in a spoof of the Star Wars trilogy and several other movies, including "Alien," "2001: A Space Odyssey," and "Planet of the Apes." One of the movie's greatest jokes was the meta-commentary about merchandising, and in one scene, Yogurt (writer-director Mel Brooks) teases "Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money." It's a throwaway joke that didn't mean much, as there wasn't much of a chance the film would see a sequel. Still, fans called for "The Search for More Money" for decades, and in 2024, news dropped that they were finally getting their wish.

While it probably won't use the title teased in the first film, a sequel is coming from Brooks and co-writer Josh Gad, who will also star. Sadly, several notable "Spaceballs" actors have died since the first film's release, and it's unknown how the sequel will handle the passing of John Candy (Barf) and Joan Rivers (Dot Matrix), among others. Whatever Brooks and Gad come up with, fans of the original will no doubt flock to see it. The sequel is being made by Amazon, who declined to comment on plot details or a potential release date when approached by Variety.