ENTERTAINMENT

‘Batman’ or ‘The Batman’? Why the Names of Reboots and Sequels Barely Change

The latest installments of popular franchises often have the same name, or simply add or subtract a “the.”

By Chris Kornelis
May 2, 2022
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Hollywood is more in love with franchises than ever. That means lots (and lots) of sequels. So many that sometimes filmmakers aren’t even bothering to change the name anymore.

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Some sequels have exactly the same name as the original, as is the case with the latest installment in the horror franchise “Scream," released in January.

Drew Barrymore in "Scream" (1996) and Jenna Ortega in "Scream" (2022).

Dimension Films/Everett Collection, Paramount Pictures

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Other reboots or sequels add or subtract a “the,” like “The Suicide Squad,” (2021), which was released five years after “Suicide Squad."

A clip from a trailer for “The Suicide Squad” (2021).

Warner Bros. Pictures

“Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” released in February, is a sequel to 1974’s “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and shouldn’t be confused with the 2003 remake “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

Photo: Legendary, Netflix

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“It’s kind of a way for me to honor the original and make sure people know that ‘the’ one is the original,” says Fede Álvarez, a producer and co-writer of the story for the latest “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

A clip from a trailer for “Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (2022).

Legendary, Netflix

Álvarez adds that when “the bulk of your audience is young, 18, 20,” they were only 10 or 12 years old the last time a “Chainsaw” movie had a big release. Making “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” he says, is a way to get a new generation of viewers interested in the franchise.

Legendary, Netflix

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James Gunn, writer/director of “The Suicide Squad,” has said he didn’t know what to call the movie, so when he turned in the script, he added a “The” to the original film’s title. “I thought it was kind of funny,” he told Yahoo last year.

A still from "The Suicide Squad" (2021) and "Suicide Squad" (2016).

Warner Bros. Pictures/AP, Warner Bros/Everett Collection

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Jason Blum, founder of Blumhouse Productions, says they called the 2018 movie “Halloween” for the same reason they cast Jamie Lee Curtis, star of the original film. “I wanted the movie to be as close to the original as possible."

A clip from a trailer for "Halloween" (2018).

Universal Pictures

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“Sticking a number after it is less in vogue than it used to be. It feels cheap to me,” says Mr. Blum. “Also, ‘Halloween 13’ doesn’t have a real ring to it. Or, maybe 13 does—‘Halloween 14,’ whatever it was.” (It was the franchise’s 11th installment.)

Jamie Lee Curtis in "Halloween" (1978) and "Halloween" (2018).

Compass International Pictures/Everett Collection, Universal Pictures/AP

Some of these movies, like “Scream” (2022), are called “requels”: films that are technically sequels and include characters and storylines from earlier films, as well as new characters, and are intended to start a new era for the franchise.

Paramount Pictures

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Studios continue to re-boot franchises with titles that stay close to the original. “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson, is a new take on the franchise, not a sequel to "Batman" (1989) or the trilogy of films from Christopher Nolan.

Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz in "The Batman" (2022) and Michael Keaton in "Batman" (1989).

Warner Bros. Pictures, SNAP/Entertainment Pictures/Zuma

J.D. Connor, an associate professor in the School of Cinematic Arts at USC, says longer, more creative titles can be intimidating to some viewers and unnecessary for others. Adding numbers can discourage viewers who haven’t already seen the previous movies.

Ryan Showers, who hosts a podcast dedicated to the Scream franchise, says fans are now debating what the next film should be called. Showers says he’s “confident” it will be called “Screams.” His bigger concern is what the sequel’s sequel would be called.

Paramount Pictures

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Produced by Brian Patrick Byrne

Cover Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

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