What's going to be the next sequel? Who's going to score it? Will the original theme be used? These are questions that are easy to ask in today's sequel hungry realm of Hollywood. 1997 has become "The Year of the Sequel," and some thought should be given to the growing speculation over sequel scores. First there was Fierce Creatures; then there was the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition. Now there's The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Alien: Resurrection, and Batman and Robin --just to name a few! With all the talk about sequels (and prequels) floating about, one must ultimately ask the question:

Browse the Filmtracks Sequel Listings below. These listings include release dates, composers, cover art, and details about the corellation between the sequels and their original. Some have links to their offical reviews at Filmtracks. In the notes, special consideration is given to the use of themes and their impact on the score. Some will also feature info about composer and studio battles.

Multiple Sequels by Title: More than one noteworthy sequel for one film. Includes: The Star Wars Trilogy, Batman, Indiana Jones, Aliens, Back to the Future, and Star Trek.


Single Sequels by Title One sequel from a film, as of May, 1997. Some listings include films that have multiple sequels, but only a single notable one. Includes: The Lost World, Home Alone 2, Gremlins 2, Fierce Creatures, Hellraiser 2, Poltergeist II, Terminator 2, and Conan the Destroyer.

The Sequels Frequently Asked Questions:

We often receive mail asking "Why did so-and-so score the first and third installments, but not the second?" or "Why is the original's score always so much better than one for the sequel?" There are many issues surrounding these questions. Although some of the answers provided below are either speculation or the opinion of Filmtracks, facts and examples are given as much as possible.

• Why did so-and-so score the first and third installments, but not the second?
  

  This is "the big mystery" question. There are several possible reasons for this. Usually, the production and direction of the sequel fall into different hands. Take, for instance, the massive switchover that occured when Michael Keaton and Tim Burton abandoned Batman Forever. Danny Elfman followed either because he did not wish to work with the new team or vice versa. Sometimes the studio executives demand a change in the way a series of films is presented. In the case of the Star Trek series, different films called for different moods. Whereas Leonard Nimoy wanted a classical composer like Leonard Rosenman for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Nicholas Meyer was interested in a dark, methodical score for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and was confident that he could do the job better.
  Money is also a major issue. Sometimes a studio runs runs low on money before the composer is considered. There are tons of examples of this, especially when the original composer has a high price: John Williams after Jaws 2, Dennis McCarthy for Star Trek: Generations, John Barry for the newest Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies, etc.
  Every once in a while, a compsoer gets sick of doing variations on the same theme. This was supposedly the main reason John Barry did not score Goldeneye. Superman is an instance when Williams chose to pass on the main theme to the sequels, but declined to score the film himself.
  

• Why is the original's score always so much better than one for the sequel?
  

  It is always difficult to "one-up" a great score for the original film. John Williams is arguably the best at doing that, though. His score for The Empire Strikes Back is considered equal if not better than the original. Usually, though, the sequel score lacks the magical ingenuity of the original. The sequels are sometimes thrown together with multiple indentical cues from the first score. Take Home Alone 2, for example. Not only is an exact replica of "Somewhere in my Memory" used again, but the entire track from "Setting the Trap" in Home Alone is used --and the tragedy about that is the fact that Williams had to make s few awkward changes in key signature just so the original cue could be re-used.
  Even if the sequel is scored by the same composer, it's not necesarily good. A recent example of this is The Lost World. When purchasing it, I wondered how it could possibly surpass Jurassic Park in quality. Jurassic Park is a classic! Although Williams is usually very good with sequels, he composed a score that lacked the magic of the original (now, I'm not knocking Lost World completely here --you have to realize that Jurassic Park was a hard act to follow). Also: Danny Elfman's Batman is quickly rising to the status of a classic. Why, then, was Batman Returns so disappointing? This I cannot answer; it resides in the mood and external factors for Elfman at the time.
  

• Who determines if the theme from the original is used in the sequel(s)?
  
  Composers don't always retain the rights to their themes. The agencies that control their music (such as ASCAP and BMI) can deny use of an original theme to a different composer of a sequel, even if the original one consents. Occasionally, the original composer can refuse to allow his theme to be used again (out of fear perhaps of how someone else will mutilate it, or in a bitter decision against a studio that did not hire him for the sequel). If the original composer returns to score the sequel, then it is his decision (with the director/producers) whether the theme should reappear.
  This is related, in distance, to the re-use fees that people have to pay when they wish to perform someone else's copyrighted music at a concert or even play it over the loudspeakers at a restaurant.
  

• Should the original themes even be used?
  
  Personally, I am of the opinion that the original theme should always be incorporated into the sequel whenever possible. I was very disappointed when Danny Elfman's theme did not return to Batman Forever. Give Elliot Goldenthal credit, though, for writing a theme that sounds remarkably similar to Elfman's in style. John Williams always inserts original themes in his sequels, and I am thankful for this. It is no doubt that some form of the Star Wars fanfare will be used in the upcoming prequels.
  I believe that an interesting example of one theme being twisted through many scores is Alexander Courage's opening to the original Star Trek series. It has appeared through the Star Trek scores consistently with little quarks and variations --and this I like. A very good use of previous material is heard in Jerry Goldsmith's Star Trek: First Contact, in which he mixes Courages theme with his original Klingon theme from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the "Busy Man" theme from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
  Overall, I believe that variations of the original theme should be used in the sequel --just repeating it again (like in The Lost World or Poltergeist II) is tedious. A second time around for a theme entitles the composer to have some fun with variations of it.
  

• If the score for the original was horrible, why did the same composer return for the sequel?
  Often there is loyalty between composers and directors or producers. This can sometimes make soundtrack fans pull their hair out in frustration, but it eases the production process of the film. James Cameron worked with composer Brad Fiedel on both Terminator 2 and True Lies even though the quality of Fiedel's previous work was in question. These friendships can sometimes be subject to difficulties --take, for instance, Danny Elfman and Tim Burton... or James Horner and James Cameron. Horner is good friends with Ron Howard. And, of course, John Williams is a regular for Steven Spielberg.
  

• I heard the theme from an original score in a movie that wasn't a sequel of the original film. What gives with that?
  After a certain amount of time, a theme becomes public domain and can appear as a parody in, for instance, comedy films. The ominous theme for Jaws has appeared recently in many "B" movie comedies.
  Other times, composers will take themes from old films of their own and insert into a new context just for fun. Jerry Goldsmith used the first few bars of his score for Patton in The 'Burbs to portray battling neighbors. John Barry revitalized his theme from Zulu in the 1995 score for Cry, The Beloved Country; in this case, he turned a swift and loud brassy theme into a slow and melodic one ---and only the trained ear would catch it, even though it was intentional. Perhaps the most thoroughly documented instance of this can be heard in E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial when Yoda's theme from The Empire Strikes Back briefly pops into the score when E.T. happens upon Yoda on Halloween night.
  

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Page created 5/21/97, updated 3/5/00. Version 2.0 (Filmtracks Publishing). Copyright © 1997-2000, Christian Clemmensen. All rights reserved. "Real Audio" logo and .ra are Copyright © 1997, Real Audio (www.realaudio.com). "Academy Awards" and the Oscar statue are ® AMPAS, 1996.