From ‘Enola Holmes’ to ‘Extraction,’ Netflix bets on sequels

New York, Nov. 6:  It’s easy to forget that the Netflix original film department is still rather young. Five years ago, the streaming service didn’t even really have one. But things move quickly in the competitive streaming world, especially when starting from scratch.

Now with a robust library of proprietary and commercially minded films and characters, Netflix is leaning into another important pillar of the movie business: Sequels.

They’ve dabbled before, with romantic comedies and teen-focused fare like “The Kissing Booth” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” but with a breakneck annual output, Netflix has now amassed enough of their own intellectual property to develop franchises in more genres, including adventure, mystery, comedy, action and thrillers, created by and starring some of the industry’s biggest names.

Kicking off with “Enola Holmes 2,” which is newly available to stream and sees Millie Bobby Brown back as the spirited young detective, Netflix has a slew of starry, high-profile follow-ups to some of their most successful films on the way. Later this year, “ Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery ” will bring Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc back to solve a new murder case on a private Greek island. In 2023 and beyond, Chris Hemsworth will reprise his role as black ops mercenary Tyler Rake in “ Extraction 2,” Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler will reunite for “Murder Mystery 2” and Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne will be back as immortals in “ The Old Guard 2.”

“Our goal was always to build stories and films and characters that we can return to,” said Netflix executive Kira Goldberg. “We’re finally at that moment, we’re feeling really good about it.”

Goldberg and Ori Marmur co-head the studio film team at Netflix under global film chief Scott Stuber. Both were veterans of traditional studio filmmaking, with Goldberg having come to Netflix from Fox, where she oversaw the likes of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “The Greatest Showman,” while Marmur came from producing films like “Escape Room” and “The Green Hornet.”

“It’s pretty impressive that sequels are a conversation and a reality,” said Mary Parent, who produced both “Enola Holmes” movies. The sequel was put into motion soon after it hit Netflix in September 2020, with Brown, Henry Cavill, writer Jack Thorne and director Harry Bradbeer all on board. (AP)