'I Am Legend' is getting a sequel - here are 5 more 2000s sci-fi films that deserve a follow-up

This week, writer and producer Akiva Goldsman and his production company, Weed Road, signed a new deal over at Warner Bros. Pictures for upcoming projects, including a couple of big sequels that fans have had their eyes on for quite some time. Goldsman reaffirmed that he's still at work on a sequel to Constantine with star Keanu Reeves and director Francis Lawrence, and he also confirmed that the long-awaited sequel to I Am Legend is still on at the studio, with original star Will Smith joined by Michael B. Jordan.

It's the first movement we've heard on the I Am Legend front in a while, and confirms that the sequel news which broke last year remains solid. 

RELATED: I Am Legend sequel in the works with Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan starring

The impending return of that film's world is exciting for fans of the 2007 hit, but it also got us thinking: If you could bring back other sci-fi films of the 2000s for sequels, which ones would you choose to revive? The decade wasn't quite as franchise-heavy as the 2010s or the 2020s (so far), which means quite a few concepts were stopped at one film, with a sequel either never materializing or never planned, but that doesn't mean sequels couldn't work. So, from family-friendly adventures to horror-comedies, here are five sci-fi films from the I Am Legend decade that we think deserve a sequel all these years later.

District 9

Writer/director Neill Blomkamp's breakthrough film remains one of the most acclaimed sci-fi efforts of the 2000s, and though there's been talking of a District 10 movie pretty much since the first film came out, it has yet to make it to the screen. In some ways, that's a shame, but maybe all that time since the first film has been good for the second. Given everything that's happened in the last 15 years, there are plenty of other issues for Blomkamp and his alien refugees to chew over in a sequel. We just have to wait and see if the timeline, and the budget, ever fully come together.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

It's been almost 18 years since the feature film adaptation of Douglas Adams' beloved sci-fi comedy arrived in theaters, and while it didn't do quite as well as studio executives were hoping upon its release, the Hitchhiker's Guide movie retains loads of charm all these years later. While it certainly seems unlikely that a sequel to the film would happen, rather than say a full-on reboot of the story for a new generation, it would still be very fun to see members of this original cast return to tackle more of the stories in Adams' vast, hilarious, and profound world. 

I, Robot

Speaking of 2000s sci-fi action movies starring Will Smith, there's I, Robot, another Goldsman effort (he co-wrote the script) based on the works of a legendary genre novelist that did well at the box office but didn't produce a sequel. At least, not yet. Inspired by the works of Isaac Asimov, I, Robot works very well as a single narrative with a great premise and lots of sci-fi spectacle, but that doesn't have to be the end. If Smith, Goldsman, and other key players were interested in returning to Asimov's world, we're sure they could dream up another thriller to satisfy audiences. Stream I, Robot now on Peacock.

Slither

Before he was making superhero movies and taking the helm of whole fictional universes, James Gunn was proving his skills as a genre storyteller on smaller efforts like Universal's Slither, one of the best horror-comedies of the 2000s. The story of an alien parasite ravaging a small town and its residents, the film has continued to win over fans in the years since its 2006 release, and the little sequel stinger at the end is still sitting out there, waiting for someone to pick it up and run with it. Obviously, Gunn is a little busy these days, but if he ever wanted to team up with the right collaborators to tell more of this wild, gruesome story, we'd be there on opening day, ready to watch. Watch or buy the film here.

Zathura: A Space Adventure

The hook of Jon Favreau's pre-Iron Man sci-fi adventure film is simple: It's Space Jumanji. It hailed from same author, worked with the same basic concept, and stuck to a very similar formula. Sadly, the film never had the same cultural impact as Jumanji, and that's a shame, because looking back at Zathura, now, there's quite a bit of charm and inventiveness there. It's a fun movie, and since the Jumanji franchise has blown up again in the last decade, it's natural to look at its sci-fi sister film and imagine more possibilities. Whether you want to put The Rock in the middle of a space adventure or dream up all new characters to head into the game, Zathura 2 seems like it could work with the right players in place. 

In the mood for 2000s-era sci-fi films? Try Doom, now streaming on Peacock.