While many filmgoers complain that there are just too many sequels and franchises these days, there are still some incredible action heroes who’ve been left behind in recent years and deserve to make a comeback. Legacy sequels like Top Gun: Maverick and Blade Runner 2049 prove that it’s possible to revive dormant series in a way that connects with audiences and critics alike. With this in mind, some truly iconic names from bygone eras have the potential to make a major comeback.
Some of the best action heroes in film history have disappeared after just one or two films, leaving audiences craving more ever since. While stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger have reprised many of their most famous roles, even these stars have characters whose full potential was never realized, making them perfect candidates for a long-awaited revival. Although legacy sequels gone wrong can harm the franchise’s reputation, with the right script and enough talent behind them, they can be deeply nostalgic and satisfying film-viewing experiences.
10
Pierce Brosnan As James Bond
James Bond (1962 – Present)
Everyone will have a different opinion on who the best James Bond was, but it’s impossible to deny that Pierce Brosnan didn’t look the part, have the charisma, or make an incredible impact during his tenure as 007. With GoldenEye standing out as among the franchise’s most enjoyable releases, it was a real shame that Brosnan bowed out on such a down note with the lackluster Die Another Day. However, there is a chance to make up for this by having Brosnan return for a legacy sequel before pᴀssing the franchise on to a much younger star for the next era.
James Bond
- Created by
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Ian Fleming, Albert R. Broccoli
- First Film
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Dr. No
Summary
The James Bond franchise centers on the fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond, also known by his code number 007. Created by writer Ian Fleming in 1953, Bond has been featured in novels, films, television, radio, comics, and video games. The film series, produced by Eon Productions, is one of the longest-running and highest-grossing franchises in history, known for its blend of espionage, action, and sophisticated style.
While it’s not usual for old Bond iterations to return, it has happened once before, when Sean Connery reprised his role for the non-Eon movie Never Say Never Again in 1983. This precedent opens the door for the Irish actor to come back, and Brosnan has even expressed a desire to return, stating, “How could I not be interested?” With the future of the franchise heading in a new direction following Amazon’s gaining full creative control of Bond, a legacy sequel with Brosnan could be a good way to bridge the gap before the next star is cast.
9
Clint Eastwood As Harry Callaghan
Dirty Harry (1971 – 1988)
Clint Eastwood is one of the most iconic figures in Hollywood, whose roles like The Man with No Name in Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy made him a Western movie legend. This status extended to action movies with the release of Dirty Harry in 1971, a five-movie series based around the San Francisco Police Department’s Homicide Division Inspector Harry Callaghan. As a tough-as-nails police officer who plays by his own rules, the characterization of Dirty Harry had a major influence on the crime genre.
Following the release of The ᴅᴇᴀᴅ Pool in 1988, Eastwood closed the door on the franchise and has never returned since, even joking about the ridiculousness of a movie where Harry is “retired and he chases bad guys with his walker.” While this might sound absurd, there’s a world where a sixth Dirty Harry showcasing the aged officer in the 90s could work. Eastwood is one of the few Hollywood legends who has reached such an advanced age yet remains alert and capable of starring in an action movie, as proven by Cry Macho in 2021.
8
Liam Neeson As Bryan Mills
Taken (2008 – 2014)
While Liam Neeson is expected to retire from action movie roles in 2025, it would be great if he went back to where it all started for a final legacy sequel in the Taken franchise. As a defining action movie of the 2000s, Taken kick-started Neeson’s career as a major Hollywood action star after previously being known for more dramatic roles. With iconic dialogue and an incredible premise, Taken helped spearhead the 21st-century phenomenon of older actors reinventing themselves as action heroes, such as Michael Caine in Harry Brown, Bob Odenkirk’s Nobody, and Denzel Washington in The Equalizer.
Although the Taken franchise continued with the Bryan Mills origin story in the NBC TV series of the same name, it would be incredible to see Neeson bookend his time as an action star with one final movie in the franchise. It’s now been more than a decade since we last saw Neeson as Mills, and a potential Taken 4 could certainly be an exciting proposition before he bows out for good.
7
Mel Gibson As Max Rockatansky
The Mad Max Trilogy (1979 – 1985)
The original Mad Max trilogy was one of the most influential action movie series of all time, with George Miller envisioning a unique dystopian cinematic world that viewers remain fascinated with to this day. While Mel Gibson originated the role of the reluctant antihero Max Rockatansky, behind-the-scenes controversies and a delayed production meant Tom Hardy was recast in the long-awaited fourth installment, Mad Max: Fury Road, in 2015. This incredible sequel reignited interest in the franchise, but some viewers were still disappointed that they never got to see Gibson back as an older Max.
Mad Max
- Movie(s)
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Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Mad Max: The Wasteland
- First Film
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Mad Max
- Cast
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Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Steve Bisley, Tim Burns, Roger Ward, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton, Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne
Now that Gibson has somewhat revived his controversial career and even returned to action roles like in The Continental: From the World of John Wick, it’s not impossible to imagine him coming back as Max one last time. With Miller’s plans for another movie in the franchise тιтled Mad Max: The Wasteland stalled following the underperformance of his prequel Furiosa, this opens the door for the series to go into a new direction and bring back Gibson as a grey and grizzled Max who is forced to face off against the depraved inhabitants of this world one more time.
6
Arnold Schwarzenegger As Dutch Schaefer
Predator (1987)
Predator was one of the best action movies of the 1980s, and its success meant it has continued as a franchise ever since. However, unlike other series that began with Arnold Schwarzenegger in a leading role, the Terminator star was left behind, and we only ever met Major Dutch Schaefer in the very first movie. While Dutch has returned in video games and books relating to the Predator franchise, despite several plans to have Schwarzenegger reprise the role, he never appeared again.
The absence of Dutch throughout the Predator film franchise feels like a wasted opportunity, and to bring him back now after all these decades would be a major cinematic event that could help bring back lapsed viewers who bowed out of keeping up with the series after so many lackluster releases. While the recent prequel, Prey, has sparked renewed interest in the franchise, bringing back Schwarzenegger for yet another showdown with a Yautja would be legendary.
5
Sigourney Weaver As Ellen Ripley
Alien (1979 – Present)
Unlike the way Dutch was excluded from sequels in the Predator franchise, audiences actually saw their fair share of Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley across the Alien series. However, as one of the most iconic heroines across action, horror, and sci-fi, it’s not surprising that viewers still hold out hope for her return in upcoming installments. Ripley and the Xenomorph species have become intrinsically linked over the series, as Alien 3 saw her impregnated with a queen embryo gestating inside her, and Alien Resurrection featured her cloned to extract the alien DNA.
Alien
- Movie(s)
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Alien, Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Prometheus (2012), Alien: Covenant (2017), Alien: Romulus (2024)
- Created by
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Ridley Scott
- First Film
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Alien
Summary
The Alien franchise, which began with Ridley Scott’s 1979 film, is a Sci-Fi series comprised of several horror films, games, and comic books centered on humanity’s encounters with a hostile extraterrestrial species known as Xenomorphs. Characterized by their lethal prowess and capability to reproduce at an alarming rate, these creatures pose a profound threat to human existence. The primary series protagonist, Ellen Ripley, acts as the voice of reason as she seeks to keep the creatures out of the hands of greed-driven corporate scientists.
While Ridley Scott’s prequels and Fede Álvarez’s spin-off installment Alien: Romulus showcased that the franchise could excel without Ripley, it’s impossible not to ponder ways that Weaver could return for a legacy sequel. Although it would feel hacky to bring back Ripley as yet another clone, anything is possible in a sci-fi movie, and there are lots of clever ways to continue her story following the character’s brave sacrifice in Alien 3. There’s merit to the argument that it might be better to leave Ripley’s legacy alone, but with the right story, her return could be something special.
4
Jean-Claude Van Damme As Agent Max Walker
Timecop (1994)
Jean-Claude Van Damme never really broke through as a mainstream action star in the way others from the same era like Bruce Willis, Keanu Reeves, or Will Smith did. However, Van Damme’s filmography is packed with cult favorites, and it’s a shame his characters are rarely in the running for legacy sequels. While Van Damme did return to the Universal Soldier franchise for Day of Reckoning in 2012 and reprised his role as Master Durand in the Kickboxer series several times, I would love to see him take on the role of Agent Max Walker from Timecop once again.
As one of Van Damme’s greatest movies, the sci-fi premise of Timecop, which saw Max Walker investigating crimes through time, feels like it could have supported endless sequels. Instead, Timecop got one lackluster direct-to-video sequel without Van Damme and had to settle for merely influencing lots of later sci-fi films like Looper. While Van Damme’s career has had plenty of ups and downs, a proper legacy sequel for Timecop has the potential to lean in on the audience’s nostalgia for the original and do very well.
3
Nicolas Cage As Cameron Poe
Con Air (1997)
Nicolas Cage followed up his Oscar-winning success in the devastating drama Leaving Las Vegas by showcasing a new side to himself as a major action hero with the release of The Rock, Con Air, and Face/Off one after the other. While plans for a legacy sequel to Face/Off have been in the works for several years, the fact that Cage never reprised his role as Cameron Poe from Con Air feels like a total waste of one of the most compelling heroes of the 1990s.
As a recently paroled criminal convicted for involuntary manslaughter after protecting his pregnant wife from violent gangsters, Cameron Poe had a compelling backstory and the stylish looks to lead his own action franchise. Sadly, we never got to see Cage return with Cameron’s luscious locks and iconic white tank top. One person who agrees that Cameron should return is Con Air director Simon West, who has spoken about his desire for a Con Air 2 (via CBR) and has even floated the idea that it could be set in space.
2
Sylvester Stallone As John Spartan
Demolition Man (1993)
While Rocky Balboa, John Rambo, and Barney Ross have been brought back numerous times, it’s a travesty that there was only one cinematic outing from Sylvester Stallone as John Spartan in Demolition Man. This futuristic sci-fi film set in a utopian world without crime saw Stallone and his evil archenemy, Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes), awaken from their cryogenically frozen states to face off once again. With a clever premise that was oddly accurate in its prediction for its far-flung future of 2032, Demolition Man stands out as one of the most enjoyable sci-fi action movies of the 1990s.
Demolition Man was a fun-filled adventure featuring an early performance from Sandra Bullock and some on-the-nose predictions about non-contact social greetings that made the movie feel oddly prophetic in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As one of Stallone’s most enjoyable and campy films that was far ahead of its time, now feels like an appropriate moment to once again revive John Spartan and turn Demolition Man into yet another great Stallone movie franchise.
1
Kurt Russell As Jack Burton
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Actor Kurt Russell and director John Carpenter have collaborated on several amazing projects, including the iconic classic The Thing and the cult favorite Escape from New York. While those movies have been the target for remakes and sequels, one character that deserves to return for a legacy sequel is Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China. This incredible, stylish action movie was a flop at the time of its release, but its reputation has only grown over the years, and it’s now recognized as one of Carpenter’s most enjoyable films.
With a well-developed world that pokes fun at B-movie clichés and kung fu cinema, the enjoyable homages in Big Trouble in Little China may be more palpable to audiences today, who will already be familiar with martial arts pastiches like Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill. Jack Burton was a great action hero whose potential was never fully explored following the financial failure of this movie. With this in mind, I can’t think of anything more exciting than seeing Carpenter and Russell reunite one more time for a long-awaited legacy sequel.
Source: CBR
