Is The Last Sharknado Really The Last Movie?

Syfy's The Last Sharknado: It's About Time is being called the final installment in the Sharknado movie franchise, but does it set up future films following Sharknado 6? The first Sharknado debuted on Syfy in July 2013 and took the world by storm (pun intended) with its made-for-TV tale of a shark-infested tornado. The premise was just wild enough to attract the attention of Shark Week-loving TV fans - both celebs and non-celebs alike - while Sharknado's B-movie status ensured it was a fun and campy experience. Between attention from high-profile viewers like Wil Wheaton, Damon Lindelof and Olivia Wilde live-tweeting the movie and a ratings bump on its second and third broadcasts, Sharknado became a surprising hit for Syfy.

The success of Sharknado inspired a series of films, which changed locations with each adventure and managed to up the stakes. Sharknado 2: The Second One headed to New York City, Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! saw the characters travel down the east coast of the United States, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens spread out the titular storms across the country, and Sharknado 5: Global Swarming finally encompassed the whole world. Now, Sharknado 6 is said to be the final installment in the B-movie sci-fi franchise, taking Fin (Ian Ziering) on a time-traveling adventure with April (Tara Reid) and Nova (Cassie Scerbo), but is it really the last Sharknado movie?

Unfortunately for fans hoping another Sharknado movie might arrive following this latest installment, it looks like The Last Sharknado will really be the final Sharknado movie. That means Sharknado 6 will completely wrap up Fin, April and Nova's storylines and hopefully give this chainsaw-wielding franchise a final goodbye. Though, of course, nothing is truly final in Hollywood.

Horror franchises are notorious for releasing "final" entries only for the series to be revived years later. Friday the 13th had two such ending installments - Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) and Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) - only to be followed by additional movies in the years following. The Nightmare on Elm Street series attempted to conclude with Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare in 1991, but the franchise continued on with new stories in the universe and a reboot. As for the Halloween franchise, John Carpenter attempted to kill off Michael Myers in the second film, but when a third movie didn't feature the iconic slasher and failed to perform, he was brought back for Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. And, Michael Myers will return again later this year in Halloween, a revival that picks up following the original movie. All this is to say that if Hollywood wants to continue a movie series, they'll find a way to do it.

Of course, Sharknado falls more into science fiction than horror, and even fans of the Syfy series may agree it has worn out the premise of sharks combined with tornados. Though the premiere ratings for each subsequent movie have been higher than those of the original's first airing, they've decreased ever since Sharknado 2 - indicating interest in the series is waning. So, it makes sense for Syfy and production company The Asylum to quit while they're still (slightly) ahead.

Still, if a good idea comes along having to do with sharknadoes, one that may not necessarily include the cast of the current franchise, perhaps they'll look into reviving or rebooting this quirky, campy series. After all, at the time of Sharknado 4, screenwriter Thunder Levin said he had an idea for Sharknado movies 5-7. Though that may have been condensed into two movies, it seems likely those behind the B-movie series - or even other screenwriters - may be able to come up with a way to revive the Sharknado franchise at some point in the future.