Over a decade of film distribution, A24 has become a brand unto itself. After dozens of arthouse hits with some of the most exciting new filmmakers working today, this spring saw the Daniels' instant classic Everything Everywhere All At Once become the distributor's biggest hit to date, and will no doubt be an Oscar contender at next year's awards.
According to IndieWire, there are already discussions in the works for a sequel to the Michelle Yeoh vehicle, but it's not the only A24 film that deserves the sequel treatment. There are plenty of A24 films over the years, both instant classics and cult charmers, that cry out for another entry.
Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
The auteur duo of Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinart (working under the combined name of Daniels) are reportedly already brainstorming a potential sequel for their maximalist action-comedy, and for a good reason. The surprise hit is a success in world-building on a scale rarely seen in indie films, and the type of multi-verse the Daniels have conceived begs for as much exploration as they can muster.
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In the follow-up, Yeoh's Evelyn and her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) should likely have to join forces against a new menace threatening the multi-verse, hopefully one just as mundanely terrifying as Jamie Lee Curtis' tax auditor. Or, it could be a quest to help her ailing father (James Hong) in the twilight of his life. Just like the multi-verse itself, the possibilities are endless.
Eighth Grade (2018)
Bo Burnham has emerged as one of the most interesting comedic talents working today. Most notably, his dark and revealing special Inside, produced during the pandemic, showed the world a man in crisis with the world he sees around him. But A24 fans knew his depths years earlier with his directorial debut, Eighth Grade.
The slice-of-life comedy follows Kayla (played by newcomer Elsie Fisher) as she attempts to navigate life as a typical 14-year-old girl in the modern world. The result is a touching and surprisingly observant film that greatly deserves a follow-up. Kayla would be in her senior year, and life for teens has only gotten more complicated.
Ex Machina (2014)
Alex Garland’s Ex Machina is one of the label's early successes and remains one of the best techno-horrors of all time. The story ends with the android Ava (Alicia Vikander) leaving her creator Nathan (Oscar Isaac) for dead, taking the helicopter meant for hapless programmer Caleb (Domnhall Gleeson), and blending into a crowd in an unknown city.
What Ava does next is left to the imagination, as is what happens within the bunker walls of the remote compound. A24 could ostensibly expand on the film’s original ending, which gave a glimpse into Ava’s consciousness. Or, given that Caleb is still locked inside the compound, he might be able to revive Nathan's previous attempts at A.I. and hunt for Ava as she acclimates to her new world.
Free Fire (2016)
There are very few action movies that have the same indie energy as Ben Wheatley's snappy Free Fire. It is a rare film that is able to replicate the energy of early Quentin Tarantino without seeming like a pale copy. Utilizing a cast of bright, charismatic stars from the U.K. and the U.S., the usually obtuse and pensive Wheatley delivered an action-comedy that plays like a parlor room farce.
By the end of the warehouse shootout that comprises 90% of the film's runtime, the only survivor is Justine (Brie Larson), a government agent with vague allegiances and a large chip on her shoulder. A follow-up would naturally place her at the lead, whether she is incarcerated (as the movie's ending implies) or back out hustling once more.
The Green Knight (2021)
Writer/director David Lowery brought Arthurian poetry to the screen in The Green Knight, embracing the magical imagery of the writing to lead the viewer on a dreamlike journey, and a new batch of Arthurian films would be welcome. One fitting answer to this film would be a version of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini, which tells of Merlin’s fall into madness, Cassandran's prophecies, vindication, and finally refusal of the call to return to ruling his kingdom.
However, A24’s legacy makes Morgan Le Fay a clear choice as a central character. King Arthur’s sister and Merlin’s apprentice, Morgan played a critical role in the original Green Knight poem, as it was she who sent the Green Knight into court to test Gawain. A24 would play well with Morgan’s moral ambiguity, her controversial sexuality, and her journey with Arthur from ally to enemy and back.
Slow West (2015)
Slow West is one of the most underrated Westerns of the modern wave of revisionist films the genre has seen in recent years. The John Maclean fable stars Michael Fassbender as the weary bounty hunter Silas Selleck, who while on a quest for a pair of outlaw lovers teams up with a Scottish teen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who believes the female outlaw to be his true love.
Through much of the film, Selleck is merely a sad observer as inevitable tragedy befalls all involved. But his narration and insight into the human condition give the story extra weight, and it's easy to imagine another if his adventures were told with similarly affecting pathos and irony.
The Souvenir: Part II (2021)
Joanna Hogg's duology of The Souvenir and The Souvenir: Part II are two of the best films of recent memory, depicting the growth of a young artist with equal parts biting humor and powerful grace. In a very roughly autobiographical representation of her own life as a film student in the U.K., Hogg and her star Honor Swinton Byrne paint a portrait of a lost young person both specific and universally relatable, and there's nothing stopping their story from continuing.
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After the premiere of her experimental thesis at the end of Part II and embarking on a career as a commercial director, the director protagonist Julie could navigate the waters of trying to produce her first feature while grappling with the harsh realities of adulthood in a world that still isn't quite ready for her voice.
Under the Silver Lake (2018)
David Robert Mitchell's Under the Silver Lake is one of the most mind-boggling of neo-noirs, a genre that is already known for its labyrinthine plots and beguiling characters. Centered on a sadsack film nerd named Sam (Andrew Garfield) and his search for a mysterious girl who appeared in his apartment block and disappeared without a trace, the film presents a nesting doll of conspiracies and cover-ups that quickly drive the amateur hero to insanity.
Garfield, whose most recent neo-noir experience is on Hulu's Under the Banner of Heaven, has proven adept at playing idealists in over their heads, and the world Mitchell created is too bold and weird to leave alone. While the film's ending leaves Sam largely at peace with the unknown, another dark L.A. mystery is surely not far off.
Under the Skin (2013)
The 2013 sci-fi fantasia is still one of the high watermarks of Scarlett Johansson's career and A24's entire catalog. Even set on the dreary streets of rural Scotland, Jonathan Glazer's masterpiece is sumptuous and enthralling. And though the mysteries of Johansson's character, only referred to as The Female, are vaguely revealed over the course of the story, audiences are still left to wonder what exactly just happened when the credits roll.
In a world where ever-expanding worlds reign supreme, A24 has a rich universe to explore in extra-terrestrial seductresses and motorcycle-riding handlers presented in Under the Skin, and while Johansson's character may be gone, a new crop of beauties out to entice lonely men could shed some light for audiences eager for answers.
Zola (2020)
Though the Zola saga seems to wrap up neatly, there is more to her Twitter-published story than the movie depicts. Four days after her return home, A’Ziah King (the titular Zola) received a call from her frenemy, Jessica, from a jail cell. Arrested soliciting sex in Vegas, she tells Zola that the pimp that orchestrated the wild Florida saga was wanted for kidnapping 15 underage girls and was linked to 6 murders, including the one shown in the film.
He is currently serving a 16-year term in prison, and the real-life Jessica threatened to sue Zola for defamation of character for outing her as a sex worker (per Vanity Fair). Though Zola’s involvement with the story pretty much ends after Florida, there is more than enough drama around Jessica and her pimp for a sequel.