History SpiritualSuccessor / Film

* ''Film/The6thDay'' to ''Film/TotalRecall1990''. Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger star vehicles that are high concept sci-fi films. Schwarzenegger even originally wanted Creator/PaulVerhoeven to return to the director's chair.

* Pandorum to ''Film/EventHorizon''. Two tales of cosmic terror, many see Pandorum as this century's Event Horizon.

* Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/AliceInWonderland2010'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/{{Hook}}'', where an iconic literary character returns to a fantastical land after many years away to face old adversaries.

* Bart Layton's second film ''Film/AmericanAnimals'' splits the difference between his first film ''The Imposter'' (a documentary) and a fully dramatic [[TheCaper caper]]. They're both about a real crime, feature talking head interviews from the real people involved, include at least one UnreliableNarrator, and leave lingering questions about what really occurred.

* ''Film/{{Apostle}}'' is a far better modern remake of ''Film/TheWickerMan1973'' than the [[SoBadItsGood infamous]] [[Film/TheWickerMan2006 2006 version.]]

* ''Film/AustinPowers'' is a spiritual successor to all the Film/JamesBond spoofs of TheSixties, particularly ''Film/OurManFlint'' and ''Film/CasinoRoyale1967''.

* ''Film/TheBabadook'' to ''Film/TheExorcist''. Their respective premises and executions are remarkably similar, though ''The Babadook'' largely replaces ''The Exorcist'''s overtly religious themes with an emphasis on the broader theme of storytelling. Both of them feature a single mother struggling to help her child cope with a [[AmbiguousDisorder mysterious mental illness]] that forces them into complete isolation, both of them prominently feature DemonicPossession, and both of them [[ClosedCircle take place almost entirely in the family home]]. Much like ''The Exorcist'', ''The Babadook'' is generally agreed to be all the more effective as a horror film because [[AdultFear it focuses more on the breakdown of the family than on the monster that causes it]].

* Both ''Film/{{Babel}}'' and ''Film/TwentyOneGrams'' which were directed by Creator/AlejandroGonzalezInarritu are considered the spiritual sequels of the Mexican film ''Film/AmoresPerros'' (also directed by him). The three films also share a screenwriter. The director and screenwriter consider the three films a trilogy.

* The fact that child actress Patty [=McCormack=] went from playing an EnfantTerrible to an EvilMatriarch 40 years later is the reason why the low-budget thriller ''Mommy'' is considered the spiritual successor to ''Film/TheBadSeed''.

* ''Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks'' is Disney's spiritual successor to their adaptation of ''Film/MaryPoppins'', right down to sharing a lead actor (Creator/DavidTomlinson).

* ''Film/BestInShow'', ''Film/AMightyWind'', and ''Film/ForYourConsideration'' are all spiritual successors to ''Waiting for Guffman'', which in itself was a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Film/ThisIsSpinalTap''.

* ''Film/BlackSheep1996'' is the spiritual successor of ''Film/TommyBoy'', both starring Chris Farley and David Spade with very similar characteristics and antics.

* Creator/DarrenAronofsky has stated that ''Film/BlackSwan'' was a "companion piece" to his previous film ''Film/TheWrestler''. In a way, the former is the latter's foil: ''The Wrestler'' is about finding beauty in a brutal sport while '' Black Swan'' is all about the brutality of a beautiful artform.

* A sequel was planned for ''Film/BladeRunner'', and after the script was rewritten and handed down through several different creative teams, it eventually reached the screen as ''Film/TotalRecall1990''. The same process led from ''Film/TotalRecall1990'' to ''Film/MinorityReport''. The ''actual'' direct sequel to ''Blade Runner'', ''Film/BladeRunner2049'', would not come out until 2017. All three movies are based on works by ''Creator/PhilipKDick''.

* ''Film/BoneTomahawk'' is remarkably similar to ''Film/TheBurrowers'' - both of them are indie {{GenreMashup}}s of Western and horror and feature similar setups (i.e. a search party goes to rescue missing relatives but encounters a non-human antagonist along the way). Both of them avert PoliticallyCorrectHistory and have an equally cynical outlook on life with themes of HumansAreTheRealMonsters.

* ''Film/TheCannonballRun'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit''. It also has much in common with ''Film/ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld''.

* ''Film/CarlitosWay'' to ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}''. Both are about Latino crime bosses and have the same director (Creator/BrianDePalma) and star (Creator/AlPacino).

* The 2003 live-action film version of ''Film/TheCatInTheHat'' was Imagine Entertainment's attempt to duplicate the success of their popular take on another Creator/DrSeuss book, ''Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'', down to the casting of comic star Creator/MikeMyers as the Cat as its equivalent to Creator/JimCarrey's Grinch.

* ''Film/ChittyChittyBangBang'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/MaryPoppins''. Both films starred Creator/DickVanDyke with music by Music/TheShermanBrothers and set in TheEdwardianEra. Dick Van Dyke even quipped "This will out-Disney Creator/{{Disney}}." on the eve of its release.

* ''WesternAnimation/AChristmasCarol2009'' directed by Creator/RobertZemeckis serves as this to his preceding CGI-animated Christmas film ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress''. Both films are based on a classic book centered around the holiday and are about a person whose perspective on life and attitude towards the holiday are changed as he goes through a supernatural journey started by beings who want to help them "open their eyes" so to speak.. Each also has a leading actor who plays several roles in the film. Ironically enough a marionette puppet of Ebenezer Scrooge appears in the film during the scene where they are in a car filled with abandoned/misfit toys being used by the hobo ghost. The Scrooge played by Jim Carrey in the subsequent film has a strikingly similar appearance/design.

* Anthony Mann's ''Film/ElCid'' starring Creator/CharltonHeston has multiple films that qualify as spiritual successors.
** When it comes to films that involve some of the same players involved in their making you have...
*** ''Film/FiftyFiveDaysAtPeking'' qualifies as it was the immediately following Samuel Bronston epic mega-production also based on a historical event/conflict. And like ''El Cid'' it touts Heston as the leading hero, the film being made when it was because of his interest in its script over the already in production ''The Fall of the Roman Empire'', and it somewhat similarly relays a message about unity and peace. Both featuring a diverse group with tenuous relationships that have to come together to help them stave off a powerful threat in a group of radicals that are in a sense seeking to lash out at the "Western World".
*** ''Film/TheFallOfTheRomanEmpire'' is the one most often considered to be a spiritual successor to ''El Cid'' as both are historical epics produced by Samuel Bronston, directed by Anthony Mann and featuring Creator/SophiaLoren as the leading female. Heston was even originally planned to play the lead role. However because of his tenuous relationship with Loren as well as dissatisfaction with the script, in part because he felt it was too similar to ''Ben-Hur'', he wound up declining the part. And after genre veteran Creator/KirkDouglas turned down the part it wound up going to Heston's ''Ben-Hur'' co-star Stephen Boyd. Both films also deal largely with the themes of tolerance and honor. They both also have a leading character who is a high-ranking warrior that seeks to bridge his people with their long-standing enemies and contends with his stubborn ruler who they try to remain loyal to in spite of their growing tension as he continually refuses to listen to pleas for unity and peace. However, ironically enough, things end up in near opposite manners. It is also notable that the English actor Douglas Wilmer is in both films.
*** ''Film/TheWarLord'' was a subsequent Medieval epic starring Heston as a knight.
*** ''Film/{{Khartoum}}'' like ''El Cid'' is a large-scale historical epic that has Heston play a successful and revered historical figure and military commander as well as a devoted and stalwart Christian. One however who has managed to gain the respect and loyalty of members of both the Christian and Muslim faiths. The conflicts of these films having them square off against a fanatical fundamentalist Muslim leader with an eye for conquest. Along the way he must also contend with the corruption within the system he serves. Each film also prominently features, and comes to end with, the battle for a key city. And both stories ultimately end with [[spoiler:the lead heroes becoming martyrs]]. It is also notable, like for another example listed, the English actor Douglas Wilmer also appears in both movies.
** And when it comes to films that came out a good deal later and don't involve the same cast or crew, but were definitely influenced by it to a sizable degree you have three of the most well known modern Medieval based historical epics...
*** ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'' was influenced by it and was a film Mel Gibson grew up with and admired. Both are historical epics set in the Middle Ages that centers around a European country's national hero. Both films centering around their battle to try and keep their countries free and stable. Having to deal with a corrupt outside force trying to take control over them as well as the corruption in his nation's own hierarchy. Both ultimately manage to inspire unity in their people but [[spoiler:die as martyrs in the process]]. It is also notable that the arcs for the young royals Alfonso VI of León & Castile and Robert the Bruce as well as their relationships to the lead heroes are quite comparable up to a point.
*** ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'' like ''El Cid'' is a Medieval based historical battle epic centering around a conflict between Christians and Muslims, wanting to teach a lesson about tolerance to the audience. And it has been said that Ridley Scott was first inspired to wanting to make a crusader movie after having seen ''El Cid'' in the theater when he was a young man. Both films center around a historical noble who seeks to create stability in his land of residence, and manages to win the admiration and loyalty from people of both faiths. Both because of his honor, as well as displays of mercy.
*** ''Film/RobinHood2010'' is a film to also take into consideration given the previously mentioned affinity the film's director Ridley Scott has for ''El Cid''. Both films are Middle Ages set historical epics that center around a famous hero from a European nation. (though whether or not Robin Hood actually existed is still in question) The main conflict in either film centers around a foreign ruler trying to conquer the lead hero's nation. Both plan on first making it easier by sowing discord among the nobles of that country who already have tenuous relationships with each other before coming in with his invasion force. The assassination of his brother as a part of this plan leads to a younger and more questionable noble to taking the throne as king. The leading hero manages to bring his nation together as the foreign power is starting its invasion on the coast, with of course a grand battle ensuing.

* ''Film/{{Circle}}'' is one to ''Film/{{Cube}}''. An OntologicalMystery of people from different walks of life who were abducted by mysterious forces and placed into a confined DeathTrap where they start dying one by one unless they somehow find a way out. Also, the circle itself can be seen as a different form of SinisterGeometry.

* ''Film/TheDeparted'' to ''Film/GangsofNewYork'' two ''Creator/MartinScorsese'' films which follow two young Irish-American man infiltrators who grows up poor and without a father figure, treating themes as violence, religion and race.

* The Kid 'n Play movie ''Film/ClassAct'' is really just ''Film/HouseParty'' without the house party, with most of the movie taking place in school instead.

* ''Film/{{Colombiana}}'' to ''Film/TheProfessional'' to ''Film/{{Nikita}}''.

* ''Film/ComingToAmerica'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/TradingPlaces''. Both films were made by Creator/JohnLandis, feature Creator/EddieMurphy, and both deal with [[SlidingScaleOfShinyVersusGritty issues of wealth and poverty]]. ''Coming to America'' even includes a cameo by [[spoiler:Creator/DonAmeche and Creator/RalphBellamy as the still-poor Duke Brothers.]]

* The films ''The Snapper'' and ''The Van'' were spiritual successors to ''Film/TheCommitments''. They all revolve around a Dublin family with a father played by Colm Meaney and all are based on Roddy Doyle novels. (The novels themselves were actual successors, but due to copyright issues, the name of the family in each of the films was changed).
** In ''Film/TheCommitments'', Outspan ended up as a busker on the streets of Dublin. Twenty years later the same actor, Glen Hansard, starred in ''Film/{{Once}}'' which opened with his character ...busking on the streets of Dublin. Bonus points due to his character in ''Once'' being unnamed.

* ''Film/ConAir'' to ''Film/TheRock''. Both are "''Franchise/DieHard'' [[DieHardOnAnX on an X]]" type films (on a prison transport plane and the prison Alcatraz Island respectively) that were produced by Creator/JerryBruckheimer and star Creator/NicolasCage.

* ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'' was hotly anticipated by fans of ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas''. In fact, with his distinctive style and usual repertory cast, you could consider the entire Creator/TimBurton oeuvre outside the more science fiction stuff one big de facto franchise.
** Henry Selick's ''Film/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'' could also be seen as {{Spiritual Successor}}s to ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'', considering that Selick directed it. In fact, Jack Skellington makes a cameo in ''Peach'' as an undead pirate.

* The 2004 film ''Film/{{Crash}}'' to the 1991 film ''Film/GrandCanyon''. Both movies feature the interconnected lives of and then tensions between people of different races and classes in Los Angeles.

* ''Film/TheCuriousCaseOfBenjaminButton'' has been considered by some by some reviewers as a spiritual successor to ''Film/ForrestGump''. The films share a screenwriter.
** ''Film/BigFish'' is also kinda similar to ''Forrest Gump''. Both are set in Alabama and are about an innocent Everyman telling stories about his life in the past to people in the present; both also have a hint of the supernatural about them; and both have a prominent female character named Jenny!

* ''Date Movie'', ''Epic Movie'', ''Meet the Spartans'', and ''Disaster Movie'' (the only real link being [[Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg their directors]], their inability to actually parody the genre they claim, and their total lack of quality), though this dubious quartet probably couldn't come across as more contrived and crass by being a series of ''actual'' sequels.

* ''Film/DaysOfThunder'' to ''Film/TopGun''. Creator/TomCruise controls (pilots) an extremely fast piece of machinery, deals with a [[HeroicBSOD crisis]] about 2/3's of the way in following a traumatic accident involving a friend, only to come out of it at the end and win the heart of his [[UptownGirl higher-class love interest]]. All with a power ballad soundtrack. Both of them are also directed by the late Creator/TonyScott.

* ''Film/DayOfTheAnimals'' to its director William Girdler's previous film ''Film/{{Grizzly}}'', since it has a similar location, plot, and shares some of the cast.

* Creator/DavidCronenberg's ''Film/TheDeadZone'' and ''Film/TheFly1986'' came one after the other in his filmography, and both are literary adaptations featuring several members of Cronenberg's ProductionPosse (casting director, cinematographer, film editor, and production designer) and a minor role played by Les Carlson. But on top of that, Cronenberg and the latter film's lead actor Creator/JeffGoldblum have pointed out that both films are about a man who gains extraordinary abilities in an accident, but in the process ends up unable to be with the woman they love. And though the route each movie takes to it is ''very'' different, both end on a floor-level shot of [[spoiler: the woman grieving the death-by-gunshot of their beloved]].

* ''Film/{{Defiance}}'' could be considered one to ''Film/{{Glory}}''. Both are war films that were directed by Edward Zwick and, at least somewhat like the last pair of film ironically enough, center around members of an oppressed group striking back as well as fighting for their freedom.

* ''Film/DefinitelyMaybe'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/LoveActually''.

* ''Film/TheDevilsCarnival'' to ''Film/RepoTheGeneticOpera''. The film was made instead of a sequel to Repo! after creators Terrance Zdunich, Darren Smith, and Darren Lynn Bousman lost the rights to it. As well them both being rock-horror musicals, they both star Terrance Zdunich, Alexa Vega, Nivek Ogre, Bill Moseley and Paul Sorvino.

* ''Film/{{The Rookie 1990}}'' is essentially this to ''Film/DirtyHarry''. In both movies, Creator/ClintEastwood plays a veteran cop whose partners are killed. The movie is also directed by Clint Eastwood.

* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'' has been said to be so to ''Film/IngloriousBasterds''. Both films were directed by Creator/QuentinTarantino, and feature members of an oppressed group striking back violently against their oppressors. (Jews against Nazis and a slave against Antebellum South Slave Owners) Both also feature Creator/ChristophWaltz in a major supporting role that garnered him an Oscar win.

* ''Film/DragMeToHell'' could just as easily have been called ''Franchise/EvilDead 4'', and nobody would have batted an eye. Not only was it written and directed by Creator/SamRaimi and billed as his return to horror, it has virtually all the characteristic elements of the prior films: the emphasis on BloodyHilarious carnage, the mix of demonic horror with slapstick comedy, a demon-possessed man acting like a Deadite, and the protagonist Christine coming across as more of a DistaffCounterpart to Ash (at least from [[Film/TheEvilDead1981 the first movie]]) than the actual [[GenderFlip gender-flipped]] version of Ash from [[Film/EvilDead2013 the remake]]. Even the PG-13 rating doesn't take ''that'' much away from the mayhem. It can also be considered this to ''Literature/{{Thinner}}'', [[WholePlotReference which also involves]] an upper class protagonist in a RaceAgainstTime to remove a gypsy curse from them before their time is up. Interestingly enough, the music composer for ''Thinner'' Daniel Licht was a protege of Christopher Young, the music composer for this film. Both Licht's and Young's ensemble orchestras performed for those movies were even the Northwest Sinfonia.

* ''Film/{{Duplex}}'' has been called a spiritual successor to ''Film/ThrowMommaFromTheTrain''. Both are black comedies directed by Creator/DannyDevito that center around a character's (or characters') fixation on murdering an old lady. However the comparison is often used as point of derision, as even the Rotten Tomatoes Critic's Consensus blurb does: "It was funnier when it was called Throw Momma from the Train".

* ''Film/{{Elysium}}'' is the movie ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'' only wishes it could have been.

* ''Film/EnterTheVoid'' definitely comes across as ''some'' sort of successor to ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'', featuring the same kind of exploratory existentialism and drawn-out, trippy sequences. It's even harder to sit through due to the addition of [[WretchedHive general human degeneracy]] and [[FreudWasRight psychosexual issues]], however.

* ''Film/ErikTheViking'', written and directed by Creator/TerryJones and featuring supporting performances by him and John Cleese, succeeds marvellously as a SpiritualSuccessor to the Creator/MontyPython films, even if it wasn't intended to.

* Time to talk a little Creator/ErrolFlynn...
** His breakout film was ''Film/CaptainBlood'', and that is a film with what can be considered two spiritual successors:
*** ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood'' like ''Captain Blood'' is a swashbuckler directed by Creator/MichaelCurtiz and also has Creator/OliviaDeHavilland and Creator/BasilRathbone as co-stars. The former as his upstanding love interest, and the latter as a major supporting villain who clashes blades with Flynn by the end.
*** ''Film/TheSeaHawk'' is again a swashbuckling adventure film starring Flynn as a charismatic pirate captain. And once again Curtiz is in the director's chair.
** Next up is ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRobinHood'' itself, which is possibly his most famous and popular film:
*** ''Film/TheMarkOfZorro1940'' while the only film in this bunch not to star Errol Flynn, the lead here being Tyrone Power, it is also a swashbuckler about a famous classic hero taking on corruption in his homeland. Both Creator/BasilRathbone and Eugene Pallette, actors who played supporting characters from ''Robin Hood'', are also featured in strikingly similar roles. The former again as the main antagonist's chief enforcer and rival to the lead, whilst the latter again plays a tough-as-nails holy man who serves as a close ally to the hero.
*** ''Adventures Of Don Juan'' is once again another swashbuckler starring Flynn. He here is once again playing a classic European hero who fights against a corrupt man of power in his nation who is trying to take over and woos a woman of royalty. Even the title seems to be deliberately trying to harken back to that film.

* To those who have seen both, ''Film/EventHorizon'' (1997) is considered the successor to Disney's ''Film/TheBlackHole'' (1979). Both are about the crew of a space ship investigating a much bigger derelict ship, only to find out that something horrible happened to the crew, and that the ship was designed to travel somewhere outside of normal reality [[spoiler: which both times turns out to be, if not literally Hell, somewhere that easily resembles Hell]].

* ''Film/EXistenZ'' is essentially ''Film/{{Videodrome}}'' for the new millennium.

* The 2015 film ''Get Hard'' is this to ''Trading Places'' (1983), but with the 2008 financial crisis as a backdrop: Both films feature a snooty white financier whose fortunes take a hit after being accused of fraud (or more precisely, being framed by his mentor/father-in-law) and eventually joins forces with a street-smart black character.

* 1997's ''Film/FierceCreatures'' featured the same core cast and much of the same crew as 1988's ''Film/AFishCalledWanda'', and includes at least one explicit ShoutOut to the earlier film, although they are in no way connected to each other.
** The actors also play more-or-less similar characters, with Creator/KevinKline as a dimwitted egomaniac, Creator/JamieLeeCurtis as seductive and manipulative, Creator/JohnCleese as a stuffy square, and Creator/MichaelPalin as a weird guy with a bit of a [[SpeechImpediment talking]] [[Main/MotorMouth problem.]]
** ''Film/{{Jabberwocky}}'' to ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'', both films featuring Monty Python members set in TheDungAges.

* ''Film/FindingForrester'' is often considered to be a spiritual successor to ''Film/GoodWillHunting''. Both are films directed by Gus Van Sant that center around a low-class young man who turns out to be prodigy in a certain field and winds up finding a mentor who helps him explore his potential.

* Sunshine to Film/Supernova. Two scifi sun related adventorous movies.

* ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'', ''Film/ForAFewDollarsMore'', and ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'' are all SpaghettiWestern films by Creator/SergioLeone, with Creator/ClintEastwood as one of the stars. They form a ThematicSeries, often called "The Man With No Name," and some promotional material states that they exist in the same world.

* Seeing how the subject matter of an ambitious but flawed man struggling with his inner demons and addiction are similar, ''Film/{{Flight}}'' could very well be a higher-budgeted and more graphic update of ''Film/TheLostWeekend''.

* ''Film/FoxyBrown'' was the successor to ''Film/{{Coffy}}''. It was originally meant to be a sequel titled ''Burn, Coffy, Burn'', but the [[ExecutiveMeddling producers changed it at the last minute]]. As a result, we have two films with similar plots and very similar protagonists, both played by Creator/PamGrier.

* ''Film/FromBeyond'' shares ''Film/ReAnimator'''s over-the-top approach to [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraftian]] source material, as well as a significant chunk of the cast and crew. Both star Creator/JeffreyCombs as a MadScientist (borderline) VillainProtagonist.

* The miniseries ''Series/FromTheEarthToTheMoon'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}'', as an in-depth look at the Apollo program from the late '60s and early '70s. Both were produced by Creator/RonHoward and Brian Grazer, with Creator/TomHanks onboard, only in the capacity of narrator (except in the last episode). ''Film/{{Apollo 13}}'' is itself a spiritual successor to ''Film/TheRightStuff''.

* ''Adventureland'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/GardenState'' than anything, as they feature very similar narratives, characters and settings (Pennsylvania borders New Jersey).

* Multiple academic articles have been written about how Creator/GeorgesMelies's films are the spiritual successors of the ''féerie'', a spectacular theatrical genre popular in 19th-century Paris.
** And hardly any film theorist has been able to talk about the work of the mid-20th-century filmmaker Creator/KarelZeman without either implying, or flat-out stating, that Zeman is the spiritual successor of Méliès.

* The 1995 animated film ''Anime/GhostInTheShell'' is cited by the Wachowskis as a direct influence on ''Film/TheMatrix'' films, so much so that it's practically The Matrix's spiritual predecessor.

* Perhaps it would be better to call both films (''Braveheart'' and ''Gladiator'') the newer carriers of the torch for the genre, as both feel in many ways like tributes to the Hollywood Epics of yesteryear as a whole. The other film that Creator/RidleyScott cited as an influence on ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'', and he as a filmmaker in general, was William Wyler's acclaimed epic ''Literature/BenHur''. Another Roman Era epic, that similarly centers around a well to do and morally upright man who is old "friends" with the film's main antagonist. (Perhaps the biggest difference being that Messala's feelings for Judah were genuine, whilst Commodus only ever put on a happy face as a façade) After the hero refuses the antagonist's request to join up with and help him his life is subsequently torn apart and he is made a slave. Though he eventually manages to "rise from the ashes" so to speak and go for justice and repair his life.

* ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' has a couple of films that serve as spiritual successors to it...
** ''Film/RobinHood2010'' is often considered a spiritual successor to ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' because of how both are historical battle epics starring Creator/RussellCrowe and directed by Creator/RidleyScott. This is the one that is most often talked about in this light.
** ''Film/KingArthur'', ironically enough another film that serves as a more grounded and gritty retelling of a renowned figure in British folklore, also qualifies as a spiritual successor to ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' just as much. Both stories were initially conceived by David Franzoni, Music/HansZimmer provided the scores for both, and the two films are Roman era historical battle epics that center around a great and respected officer in the Roman military who has never been to Rome but holds an idealized image of it in his head as the light in a dark and cruel world. An image that becomes effected as their stories go on.
** ''Film/ExodusGodsAndKings'' is also pretty obviously one as well. Both films are directed by Creator/RidleyScott, the trailers getting a lot of mileage with the "From the Director of ''Gladiator'' tagline", and both are prominently advertised as the story of "One man facing the might of an empire". The parallels are further compounded by how the main antagonist in either film is the lead character's royal surrogate brother (though that comes with the territory given how things go down in the Biblical book of Exodus) but also in how Moses is being portrayed as a military commander before he goes into exile and becomes an agent of God. (Though it was an idea touched upon in ''Film/TheTenCommandments'')
** ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'' also could have a case made for qualifying as one. ''Gladiator'' often coming up in the marketing. Naturally there are the connections concerning them both being directed by Ridley Scott and both being in the same historical epic/swords-and-sandals genre but there are some other things to note. Like how the lead hero in each film is set on his main journey after the deaths of his wife and child which naturally takes a toll on him emotionally, their main mission is tasked to them by a father-figure who planned to pass their power to them and wind up being killed earlier on, the hero in one way or another begins a new life where he becomes a hero to the people, he gets a new love interest in the form of an upstanding princess, the princess has a son that she's devoted to who is in the royal line of succession, the lead villain is a man who holds the woman in some form of bondage to him, connives to ensure he becomes the ruler, and follows up a more idealistic king. Both films in terms of locations feature journeys starting in frosty European woodlands, move into scorching deserts, and end up in sprawling major cities of the ancient world.
** It could be argued that ''Film/RobinHood2010'' is just as much a spiritual successor to Scott's other preceding historical epic ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'' as it is to ''Gladiator''. As both are epics set in the Middle Ages, and touch on the corruption and politics of the time. What makes the connections all the more interesting however is the fact that one of the last scenes in ''Kingdom'' had that film's lead Balian comes across King Richard the Lionheart on his way to go on the crusade to retake the Holy Land from Saladin. In ''Robin Hood'' the film opens up with King Richard and his men on their return journey from his decade long crusade. They even have the lead character Robin Longstride when asked criticize Richard's crusade as well as a massacre of Muslims in the city of Acre. Harkening back to some of the major themes of ''Kingdom of Heaven''.

* Despite being a Godzilla movie, ''Film/{{Godzilla|2014}}'' (2014) comes across as this to the other Reboot of his rival franchise, Film/GameraGuardianOfTheUniverse. The main monster being a hero in a way that it doesn't really care for humanity but merely protecting it without realizing it? Check. The enemy monster having a Flying creature with Batlike wings with it's mate threatening to kill humanity, not be flat out destroying them, but by spawning more monsters? Check. An attempt to reboot the franchise in a way that's somewhat Darker and Grittier then how most people remember the Titular Monster? Check.

* ''Film/GoodMorning'' is this to a previous film named ''Film/IWasBornBut''. They were done by the same director. They both feature similar dressing brothers wearing baseball caps causing mischief in early 20th century Japan (the 1950s and the 1930s respectively).

* ''Film/{{Goosebumps}}'' can be seen as one to ''Jumanji'', at least in the aspect of fictional creatures running amok in the real world, and everything getting sucked back to where they came from in the end.

* In some key respects, ''Film/GranTorino'' is to the ''Film/DirtyHarry'' series what ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'' was to the ''Dollars'' trilogy above.

* ''Film/{{Gravity}} (2013)'' is the SpiritualSequel to ''Film/{{Apollo 13}} (1995)'', as it is a 'serious' space disaster film based on current technology and starring astronauts rather than a straight sci-fi. Ed Harris [[ShoutOut even resumes]] [[CastingGag his role]] as MissionControl.

* ''Film/{{Nightcrawler}} (2014)'' is the SpiritualSequel to ''Film/{{TaxiDriver}} (1976)'', two dramas inspired by the decline of human mental health in the wake of society

* ''Film/TheGreenMile'' is a great film on its own, but it's also an interesting spiritual successor to ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' (made by the same director). Both are period dramas inspired by Stephen King stories, but instead of going the usual route of looking at his horror stories, Frank Darabont instead looked to some of his unusual works- neither of which was part of the horror genre and one of which had no supernatural elements whatsoever. Both are period dramas set in American prisons during the 20th century dealing with themes of injustice (one involves a man being sentenced for a crime he didn't commit, the other involves a man who tries to comfort prisoners on death row... and then having to carry out their executions). It's also interesting to note the point of view changes between them- ''Shawshank'' is told from the point of view of a prisoner, ''Green Mile'' is from the perspective of a guard, both of whom are subjected to injustices and try to make the best of their situations with help from a few friends.

* ''Film/GrossePointeBlank'' itself is a spiritual successor to ''Film/SayAnything'' - although there are some important differences in the backstory, Martin Blank feels in many ways like an alternate history version of Lloyd Dobler 10 years later, with the point of departure being when he joins the army out of high school instead of hooking up with the girl. They're both played by John Cusack (and they both kickbox).

* ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' gained a lot of comparisons to both ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' and ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', due to many similarities in aesthetic, characters, and tone.

* 15 years before ''Film/GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' came along, the ''Film/StreetFighter'' movie was far more GIJoe than it was ''Franchise/StreetFighter''.

* ''Film/TheHangover'' to ''Film/VeryBadThings''. The former features nearly the exact same premise as the latter, but LighterAndSofter (for one, a baby replaces the dead hooker in ''The Hangover'').

* ''Series/HappyDays'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/AmericanGraffiti''.
** ''Film/DazedAndConfused'' is another successor to ''American Graffiti''.
** Likewise, ''Series/That70sShow'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/DazedAndConfused'', perhaps even ''Series/HappyDays'' rebooted for a new generation in a different decade.

* ''Film/HappyGilmore'' and ''Film/TheWaterboy'', even more than the rest of Creator/AdamSandler's mid-[[TheNineties 90s]] "abrasive man-child" ''oeuvre'', are this to ''Film/BillyMadison''. Sandler even named his production company "Happy Madison" after the first two films.

* ''Film/HarbingerDown'' was made by two of the special effects technicians who did the PracticalEffects on ''Film/TheThing2011''. They were disappointed to see their work painted over in post-production with CG, a sentiment shared by people who saw their behind-the-scenes footage of the effects they had worked on, and so they decided to create a ''Thing''-like film of their own.

* ''Film/HarshTimes'' and ''Film/TrainingDay'' are both about a single day in which a dangerous man employed by the government (soldier/cop) drives around town with a less-than-willing partner on the pursuit of a less-than-legal goal. The're both written by David Ayer, and ''Harsh Times'' was Ayer's directorial debut.

* ''Film/TheHatefulEight'' is, on closer examination, a spiritual successor in many ways to the ''Film/TheThing1982''. Both are paranoid, suspenseful thrillers about an almost entirely male group of shady characters [[note]] ''The Thing'' 's cast is entirely male except for the voice of the computer, while ''Eight'' has one woman in the main cast for TheSmurfettePrinciple, and a couple others in flashbacks [[/note]] trapped in a snowbound location by the blizzard and are totally unable to trust one another or figure out who's dangerous or not. Sam Jackson's character identifies and disposes of the threats in much the same way as [=McCready=], and both movies are also ''extremely'' [[{{Gorn}} gory.]] Music/EnnioMorricone scores both films, and he even got to re-use some of his unused tracks for ''The Thing'' in ''Hateful''. They also both end in almost exactly the same fashion: [[spoiler: the only two survivors, a black guy and a white guy, who previously had an antagonistic relationship, sharing a moment of companionship as they both realize that neither of them is likely to survive.]]

* ''Film/AHauntedHouse'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''Film/ScaryMovie''. Both films were written by the Wayans brothers and spoof various contemporary horror movies.

* ''Film/{{Hereditary}}'' is, in many ways, a very similar story to ''Film/TheWitch'', but set in the 21st century. Both are horror movies that were produced and distributed by Creator/A24 and are centered around a grieving family being haunted by a witch-like supernatural entity, and both of them end with [[spoiler: the eldest child, the only survivor of the family, being possessed by a demon and welcomed into a supernatural cult.]]

* ''Film/{{Highwaymen}}'' is one to director Robert Harmon's earlier film ''Film/TheHitcher''. Both heavily feature car chases, pursuit along the highways, and a serial killer with a fixation on the male protagonist.

* Other Clint Eastwood westerns, including ''Film/HighPlainsDrifter'', ''Film/PaleRider'' and ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'' are considered to be spiritual successors to his earlier films with Leone, with the style and his character drawing obvious inspiration. ''Film/{{Unforgiven}}'' in particular was created as a spiritual sequel and deconstruction of his Man With No Name character.

* ''Film/HorribleBosses'' to ''Film/OfficeSpace''. Both feature three men getting revenge on a boss and have Creator/JenniferAniston in a supporting role.

* From the TimeTravel, to the MisterSandmanSequence, to standing up to the bully and his toadies, to the [[ALittleSomethingWeCallRockAndRoll A Little Something We Call Hip-Hop]] scene, to the search for the AppliedPhlebotinum in order to get back, to the minor part played by Creator/CrispinGlover, ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'' is ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' for a new generation... or more like the same generation, but inverted.

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' (2010) and ''The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep'' (2007) are unintentionally similar. Both are kids' movies about a boy who befriends a large, misunderstood reptilian creature, going against the whims of his family. And the characters have Scottish accents.
** ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' to ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', sharing the same writer-directors (Creator/ChrisSanders and Dean [=DeBlois=]). Toothless the dragon is even partly based on Stitch.

* Creator/DavidLynch's latest and supposedly last movie, ''Film/InlandEmpire'', is very much a spiritual successor to ''Film/MulhollandDrive'', itself a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Film/LostHighway''.
** Meanwhile, Lynch intended for ''Film/MulhollandDrive'' to be a spiritual successor to Creator/BillyWilder's ''Film/SunsetBoulevard''.

* ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'' to ''Film/{{Contact}}''. Both films set out to examine popular sci-fi tropes through a realistic lens, both are based on the writings of RealLife astrophysicists (Creator/CarlSagan for ''Contact'', Kip Thorne for ''Interstellar''), both involve space flights through wormholes and spaceships built in secrecy, both end with [[spoiler: the protagonist journeying to a pocket dimension and revisiting an important incident from his/her past]], and both feature Creator/MatthewMcConaughey in a starring role.

* The Dee Wallace Stone comedy ''Film/InvisibleMom'' had both a spiritual successor, ''Invisible Dad'', and an official sequel, ''Invisible Mom 2''. More confusingly, it had a second spiritual successor, released a year earlier than the sequel, named ''Mom's Outta Sight'', written by the same people (although the director [[AlanSmithee used an assumed name]]), and which can occasionally be found masquerading as ''Invisible Mom 2'', right down to using the other film's title instead of its own.

* ''Film/{{Ishtar}}'' was intended to be a spiritual successor to the ''Film/RoadTo'' series, but failed.
** The animated ''WesternAnimation/TheRoadToElDorado'', on the other hand succeeded admirably.
** ''Film/SpiesLikeUs'' was, during production, described as a Road movie, and even features Creator/BobHope in a cameo ... hitting a golf ball into the same tent as the characters in the middle of Afghanistan.
** And, of course, the "Road to..." episodes of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' take this to the level of straight-up {{Homage}}.

* Creator/StevenSpielberg's ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence'' serves as this to his earlier film ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' [[note]] Note the similar titles.[[/note]]. Both movies revolve around innocent young suburban male protagonists, and both work archetypal science-fiction tropes (aliens in ''E.T.'', robots in ''A.I.'') into {{Coming of Age Stor|y}}ies. Since the movie was originally going to be directed by Spielberg's close friend Creator/StanleyKubrick prior to his death (with Kubrick ultimately handing the project to Spielberg because he felt that it was "closer to his sensibilities") it's possible that Kubrick envisioned it as a partial homage to Spielberg's previous work.

* A lot of Creator/JackieChan movies can be considered spiritual successors of each other, especially his earlier works. You could argue this extends at least some extent to other martial arts movie starts like Creator/BruceLee and Creator/JetLi.

* For ''Film/JohnnyMnemonic'', there's the direct-to-video "Johnny 2.0", which isn't a sequel but seems to intentionally present itself as one.

* ''Film/{{Joker|2019}}'' (2019) to ''Film/TheKingOfComedy'' (1982). Both feature a deranged aspiring comedian obsessed with a popular late-night host. The host in ''Joker'' is played by Creator/RobertDeNiro, who played the LoonyFan role in ''King'', whose director Creator/MartinScorsese gave his blessing.

* While the 2019 ''[[Film/CharliesAngels2019 Charlie's Angels]]'' movie is a continuation of [[Series/CharliesAngels the '70s TV series]] and [[Film/CharliesAngels2000 the 2000 film]], a lot of fans of the ''Film/{{Kingsman}}'' films have also argued for it being an unofficial [[DistaffCounterpart girl-team]] SpinOff. The Townsend Agency is portrayed less as a PrivateDetective agency like on the show and more as a private ''spy'' agency in full TuxedoAndMartini mode (or in this case, Cocktail Dress and Martini), doing the jobs that government intelligence services are portrayed as [[ObstructiveBureaucrat too constrained by bureaucracy to get done]], with a heavy focus on the protagonists' lavish lifestyles -- a description that also just about perfectly applies to the Kingsmen.

* ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'' to ''Film/KickAss''. Both have the same director and are DeconReconSwitch of a specific genre (superheroes stories for ''Kick-Ass'', early Creator/RogerMoore era ''Film/JamesBond'' movies for ''Kingsman''), with generous amounts of BlackComedy.

* The 2007 movie ''Film/KnockedUp'' is considered by many to be a spiritual sequel to ''Film/TheFortyYearOldVirgin''. It was originally intended to be a direct sequel.
** And now a direct sequel of sorts to ''Knocked Up'' is ''Film/ThisIs40''.

* ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' is a spiritual sequel to ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'', in so far as both films feature the puppeteering of the Creator/JimHenson corps, scenarios co-authored by Henson himself, and production design by Brian Froud. Creator/GeorgeLucas was also reportedly involved in the making of both films, though only credited in ''Labyrinth''.

* ''Film/LawrenceOfArabia'' has no less than three films that fit the bill of being spiritual successors...
** ''Film/DoctorZhivago'': The film's producer Carlo Ponti deliberately wanted the film to be as grand as ''Lawrence of Arabia''. And thus he went on to recruit that film's team. Including director Creator/DavidLean, screenwriter Robert Bolt, cinematographer Freddie Young, production designer John Box and composer Maurice Jarre. Creator/PeterOToole was even Lean's initial choice to play the leading role, but he turned it down based upon his gruelling experiences making ''Lawrence of Arabia'' that created a rift between the two. The role would subsequently go to O'Toole's ''Lawrence'' co-star Omar Sharif. Also, Creator/AlecGuinness is featured in both films.
** ''Literature/LordJim'': A film released three years later, the same year that ''Zhivago'' came out ironically enough, that again sees O'Toole play the role of a British officer who winds up "Going Native" and becoming a leader among a group of foreigners, which leads to him coming to blows with the government he had served.
** ''Film/{{Khartoum}}'': A film released four years after that is another historical epic that is centered around another famous British military leader that was, ironically enough, even mentioned by Prince Feisal in ''Lawrence of Arabia'' with the line, “I think you are another of these desert-loving English – Doughty, Stanhope, Gordon of Khartoum.” In this case it is Gen. Charles "Chinese" Gordon who like Lawrence was eccentric, became something of a loose canon who would go beyond his orders, and felt more comfortable in Arab culture. Both films are also critical of imperialism. Reportedly Creator/AlecGuinness, the actor of ''Feisal'', was the original choice to play Muhammad Ahmad. He declined and the role went to Creator/LaurenceOlivier. Which is very ironic, as Olivier had actually been the first choice for the role of ''Feisal'' before Guinness was cast. While the film has been generally well received on its own terms many feel that the comparisons to ''Lawrence'', which came out only a few years earlier, are inevitable.

* ''Film/LegendsOfTheFall'' could be considered such to ''Film/ARiverRunsThroughIt''. The most obvious thing being that both star Creator/BradPitt in strikingly similar roles among other similarities in their stories. Including but not limited to that both movies take place in Montana. Both father figures play/played a predominant role in the community (Respected General & Priest). Pitt's character dates an Indian girl who's strongly discriminated against. His character is also openly the family favorite. Both movies have brotherhood as a central theme. The older brother is the more educated/successful one. Weak mother figure presence and importance in both movies. And Pitt's character is the member of the family who is the most 'wild' and who is most unbound by society's rules and expectations.

* ''Film/LifeIsBeautiful'' is often compared to ''Film/TheDayTheClownCried'', as well as ''Film/JakobTheLiar'', all about an entertainer in a concentration camp.

* ''Film/TheLionInWinter'' is a spiritual successor to the earlier film ''Film/{{Becket}}'' in that they're both historical dramas starring Creator/PeterOToole as Henry II playing him as an old man in ''Lion'' and younger in ''Becket''.

* There is the Creator/PeterBerg and Creator/MarkWahlberg, right now, trio of films about modern-day disasters and the people who rose to the occasion as heroes in the face of them. Whether they be a military mission gone awry that leads to soldiers trapped in enemy territory, a malfunction on an oil-right that leads to a massive inferno, or a terrorist strike and the ensuing manhunt. Those films being ''Film/LoneSurvivor'', ''Film/DeepwaterHorizon'', and ''Film/PatriotsDay'' respectively.

* ''[[Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' from 1923 starring Creator/LonChaney has two films that can be considered spiritual successors. All of these films were made by Universal Studios and produced to some capacity by German born filmmaker Carl Laemmle.
** ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1925'' like ''Hunchback'' stars Lon Chaney with groundbreaking make-up effects in the form of a deformed Parisian who falls in love with a "normal" woman. With conflict ensuing between the multiple parties associated with and desiring her. Both are also based on classic stories from well known French authors.
** ''Film/TheManWhoLaughs'' from 1928 starring Creator/ConradVeidt is like ''Hunchback'' based upon a Creator/VictorHugo novel. Both centering around a malformed but misunderstood man who is mistreated by others and falls in love with, again, a regular woman. Both characters are also known for their iconic make-up effects that brought them to life.

* 1997's ''Film/LAConfidential'', despite being made by a totally different cast and crew, is considered by many fans to be the spiritual successor to 1974's ''Film/{{Chinatown}}'', as both are set in Los Angeles, both were made 40 years after the time period in which they are set, and both feature themes of betrayal, corruption of public institutions and officials, and "neo-noir" values. Oh, and both have scores by Music/JerryGoldsmith.

* ''Film/{{Made}}'' starring Creator/VinceVaughn and Creator/JonFavreau is a spiritual successor to their previous movie playing best friends, ''Film/{{Swingers}}''. Both are written by Favreau.

* ''Film/Mandy2018'' is essentially ''Film/ConanTheBarbarian1982'' set in [[FantasyAmericana 1980s California]]. Both films follow a musclebound BarbarianHero with a ''VERY'' large bladed weapon hunting down and taking [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge violent revenge]] on an insane cult leader and his minions who are responsible for the death(s) of [[spoiler: a woman close to the protagonist.]] Many of the characters have close analogues: Red is Conan, Jeremiah is Thulsa Doom, Carruthers is Subotai, The Chemist is the Wizard of the Mounds, and Mandy is Valeria, and the scene where Red smelts his giant axe in the workshop is shot very similarly to the iconic ForgingScene from ''Conan.''

* ''Film/ManOfSteel'' can be considered a spiritual successor to ''Film/{{Watchmen}}''. Both are superhero films directed by Creator/ZackSnyder that deconstruct their protagonists and alternate between past and present scenes.
** The World Engine (an octopus-like alien construct with the ability to level an entire city and change the world to the villain's designs) could also be seen as an AuthorsSavingThrow for replacing ''Watchmen'''s octopus-monster with a bomb.

* ''Film/MeanGirls'' is a LighterAndSofter spiritual successor to the [[CultClassic cult]] BlackComedy ''Film/{{Heathers}}''. ''Heathers'' screenwriter Dan Waters is the brother of ''Mean Girls'' director Mark Waters.

* ''Film/MeanStreets'', ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'', ''Film/{{Casino}}'' and ''Film/{{The Irishman}}'' are all directed by Creator/MartinScorsese, featuring a number of members from his ProductionPosse, plus the second and third films are both based on nonfiction books by Nicholas Pileggi. Scorsese has said that these films form a ThematicSeries of increasingly elevated steps on the mafia hierarchy adding The Irishman as a final look of this tetralogy.

* Mexican director Luis Estrada has made a series of satirical films depicting the country's ailments, starting with ''La Ley de Herodes'' depicting the political corruption, continuing with ''Un Mundo Maravilloso'' portraying the poverty of the people and finishing the trilogy with the upcoming ''Infierno'' that will deal with the violence of the drug cartels. All of them cast the actor Damián Alcázar (aka:''[[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia Lord Sopespian]])'' as the lead.

* ''Film/{{Mirrormask}}'' was designed to be the spiritual successor to ''Labyrinth'' and, to a lesser extent, ''Film/TheDarkCrystal''. When the Hanson Company hired Creator/NeilGaiman they told him to ”Give us a script in whatever genre ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' was in”. The original plan was to get Music/DavidBowie to play the Prime Minister of the White City, but scheduling conflicts forced them to just have Rob Brydon play the PM ''and'' Helena's father.

* ''Film/MoneyTrain'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/WhiteMenCantJump'', as both films star Creator/WesleySnipes and Creator/WoodyHarrelson in the main roles, and each have a Latina actress as the love interest. The female lead in ''White Men Can't Jump'' was Rosie Perez while ''Money Train'' featured Music/JenniferLopez.

* ''Film/MysteryOfTheWaxMuseum'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/DoctorX''. The two films aren't part of the same continuity, but they overlap in genre (though ''Mystery of the Wax Museum'' lacks most of ''Doctor X'''s comedy elements), share [[ProductionPosse the same director and several cast and crew members]], and are filmed in the same visually-distinctive Technicolor process. In addition, both films include morgue scenes, wax statues (though they only appear briefly in ''Doctor X''), multiple characters portrayed as having disabilities (including [[spoiler:a villain who is more able than he lets on]]), and a plot based on investigative reporting.

* ''Film/MysteryOfTheWaxMuseum'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''Film/DoctorX''; both are horror films shot in two-strip Technicolor, directed by Creator/MichaelCurtiz, and with a number of the same crew members and actors (including Fay Wray). ''Wax Museum'' is actually more like ''Doctor X'' than is the latter's official sequel, which was [[DolledUpInstallment based on an unrelated short story]] and shot only in black and white.

* Notably there is also ''Film/MyFellowAmericans'' which was a buddy comedy political thriller that was originally supposed to star the two of them during that period in the 90s. It still has Creator/JackLemmon as one of the leads and arguably had a pretty similar sense of humor, but due to health complications at the time Creator/WalterMatthau wound up being replaced with James Garner as the co-star.

* In South Korea, the film ''Windstruck'' is considered to be the spiritual successor to the wildly popular romantic comedy ''Film/MySassyGirl''. Both were written and directed by Kwak Jae-Yong and starred Jeon Ji-Hyun. Of course, ''Windstruck'' should almost be considered a spiritual prequel, as [[spoiler:its end is a painfully obvious allusion to its predecessor, with two future lovers meeting at a train station]].

* Film/NineLives2016 is one to the '''''bizarre''''' Creator/ChevyChase movie Film/OhHeavenlyDog in being talking animal comedies suffering from UncertainAudience involving a human dying [[BackFromTheDead and]] [[BalefulPolymorph becoming]] [[KarmicTransformation a]] pet

* ''Film/TheNightComesForUs'' and ''Film/HeadShot'' are both follow-ups to ''Film/TheRaid'' and ''Film/TheRaid2Berandal''.

* ''Film/NonStop'' has one in the form of the 2018 movie ''Film/TheCommuter''. Both of them star Creator/LiamNeeson and are directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and are also DieHardOnAnX movies. The only difference is that ''Non-Stop'' takes place on a plane while ''The Commuter'' takes place on a train.

* Creator/RobReiner made ''Film/{{North}}'' with the intention of it being the spiritual successor to ''Film/TheWizardOfOz''. [[CreatorKiller It wasn't]]. To add insult to injury, many critics pointed out Reiner already had his spiritual successor with ''Film/ThePrincessBride''.

* Creator/WalterMatthau and Creator/JackLemmon made a handful of movies that were all spiritual successors to the original ''Theatre/TheOddCouple'' film. The spiritual successors began with ''Film/GrumpyOldMen'' and included ''Film/GrumpierOldMen'' and ''Out To Sea''...the actual sequel was largely considered a lesser effort than all of the above.

* ''It's Always Fair Weather'' is a spiritual successor to Creator/{{MGM}}'s film version of ''Film/OnTheTown'', both being written by Creator/ComdenAndGreen, co-directed by Stanley Donen and starring Creator/GeneKelly as one of three military buddies.

* The indie film ''Meek's Cutoff'' is an accidental [[TheMovie film adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheOregonTrail'' series.

* Right after directing ''Film/TheOutsiders'' Creator/FrancisFordCoppola made a movie based on another SE Hinton novel, ''Literature/RumbleFish'' with many of the same cast and crew. The movie came out months after ''Film/TheOutsiders''.

* ''Film/{{Paddington}}'' to ''Film/MaryPoppins'' and ''Film/NannyMcPhee''. Instead of a magic nanny bringing harmony to a British family, it's a little bear from Peru looking for a new home, and he stays.

* ''Film/ParanormalActivity'' to ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject''. Just replace the search for a legendary witch with a demon haunting a young couple and they pretty much are the same movie.

* ''Series/ParkerLewisCantLose'' is seen as the SpiritualSuccessor to the movie ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''; aside from the obvious grammatical parallels in the titles, both feature the [[HighSchoolHustler same type of protagonist]]. In fact, it captured the feel and spirit of the movie much better than the mercifully short-lived series which was the official TV follow-up to the movie.

* Creator/MelGibson's ''Film/ThePatriot'' is this to his previous film ''Film/{{Braveheart}}''.
** ''Film/WeWereSoldiers'' is another such historical war film with Gibson as the lead where he was reunited with the writer of ''Braveheart'' Randall Wallace who would also serve as the director that time around.
** ''The Patriot'' is also one to ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan'' from the perspective of being an American-themed war film by Robert Rodat and was also scored by Music/JohnWilliams.

* Moving backwards, ''Film/PhantomOfTheParadise'' is considered by many to be a spiritual predecessor to ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'' and ''Film/ShockTreatment'', both of which it shares quite a large number of similarities with.
** Though "Phantom" came first - just barely - its scene of a muscular, gay Frankenstein monster with a blond pudding-bowl haircut being born inside a tank is so similar to "Rocky Horror" that some screenings of the latter have edited this sequence into the film as a joke.
** A small number of fans feel that ''Film/ShockTreatment'' was intentionally harking back to "Phantom" - in a number of ways, the new Brad and Janet ARE Winslow and Phoenix, complete with Creator/JessicaHarper damn near playing the same role again.

* ''Film/PineappleExpress'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Film/{{Superbad}}''. Both being written by Evan Goldberg and Creator/SethRogen, produced by Creator/JuddApatow and Shauna Robertson, and distributed by Columbia pictures. In fact, ''Pineapple Express'' was greenlit based off of the early positive reaction to ''Superbad'' footage.

* The obscure 1966 film ''After the Fox'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/ThePinkPanther1963'': a caper movie with a fast-moving AnimatedCreditsOpening featuring a FunnyAnimal based on the title and starring an outrageously accented Creator/PeterSellers. Only in ''After the Fox'', Sellers is the thief, not the detective.

* ''Film/ThePlaceBeyondThePines'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/{{Drive}}'': Both characters were stuntmen who used vehicles as part of their employment, both were taken in and given a job in a low paying mechanic job where they found them selves doing a crooked sideline to make extra cash, they were also pretty soft spoken but had an air of understated charisma, they both ended up in a precarious predicament due to their criminal activity as well as getting angry with their boss/friend.

* Despite being based on a book series that was previously adapted as ''Film/PointBlank'' and ''Film/{{Payback}}'', ''Film/{{Parker}}'' could be seen as an ultra-violent remake of the Creator/AudreyHepburn film ''Film/HowToStealAMillion'' as the two films share similar elements of a heist of priceless artifacts, the pairing of a gentleman thief with a female accomplice and stylish locales as their backdrops (Paris in ''How To Steal a Million'', West Palm Beach in ''Parker'').

* ''Film/PrideAndPrejudice'', directed by Joe Wright and starring Creator/KeiraKnightley, was highly touted and received a couple of Oscar nods. The two got together for ''Film/{{Atonement}}'', [[OscarBait a serious attempt at the awards]].

* ''Film/TheProphecy'' series can be seen as a spiritual successor to the ''Film/{{Highlander}}'' franchise. As it like its predecessor was created by Gregory Widen and has a mythos that centers around a secret conflict between immortals of mystical power not known to the masses. (Immortals and Angels respectively) Not to mention that there is only one very specific way that any members of these groups can be killed that involves removing a key body part. (heads and hearts respectively)

* ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. Not only does [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Janet Leigh's daughter]] play the FinalGirl, but the hero of the movie, Sam Loomis, has the [[NamesTheSame same name]] [[ShoutOut as Marion's lover]]. Many stylistic choices are clearly influenced by Hitchock, like the simple {{Leitmotif}} theme music, and the camera work in Michael's first kill, where we never see knife penetrate flesh.

* ''Film/{{PCU}}'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/AnimalHouse''.

* ''Film/RatRace'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld''.

* ''Film/RedSonja'' to ''Film/ConanTheDestroyer''.

* The film ''Literature/RevolutionaryRoad'' is an interesting subversion of SpiritualSuccessor status. It's set in America, it starred Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio and Creator/KateWinslet (as husband in wife) in their first film together after they'd co-starred in ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}''. Some people initially thought it therefore as ''Titanic'''s spiritual successor. The storyline, however, is, if anything, entirely the opposite of ''Titanic'' and only gets worse from there. Plus, it's based on a completely unrelated novel.

* ''Film/TheRoad'' can be seen as an unintentional spiritual successor to ''Film/RoadToPerdition'' as they share many similar themes (apart from the title involving "road" that can easily be confused). Both center around the relationship between a father and son who have nothing left but each other (in both cases he had a wife but she's dead) who through events beyond their control are forced to travel down a "road" both literally and metaphorically trying to survive whilst bringing up questions about morality- the father trying to be a good man doing what's best for his son, trying to find a place for themselves and running into problems on the way, including people who want to kill them. [[spoiler: Even the endings are similar, as they both involve them coming to the end of their journey with the father dying but the boy seemingly going off to a better life (although how much better his life becomes in ''Film/TheRoad'' is debatable, given the apocalyptic setting)]].

* Film/JohnWick is a SpiritualSuccessor to Film/PointBlank. Although the former features some plot points similar to ''Film/RoadToPerdition'', it is more about a stoic badass criminal who goes after a powerful crime family in search of a MacGuffin, with hyperstylized direction and action.

* ''Film/RobinHoodPrinceOfThieves'' has two films that are spiritual successors. Ironically enough the two follows-ups are based upon an Creator/AlexandreDumas story, each was produced by Disney, and all three films feature Michael Wincott in the role of a major supporting antagonist...
** ''Film/TheThreeMusketeers1993'' gives off the vibe of deliberately aiming to be a spiritual successor to ''Prince of Thieves'' which came out two years prior. Both were re-iterations of classic stories of swashbuckling heroism, taking several liberties in the process, that center around a rag-tag group of heroes. Both star an awesomely over-the-top antagonist who has received a "Villain Upgrade" of sorts, given how the Sheriff and Richelieu now plot to take over their respective nations with plans that involve them getting with a woman of nobility. Both films also have scores by Music/MichaelKamen and have a pop song attached featuring Music/BryanAdams.
** ''Film/TheCountOfMonteCristo2002'' was a following swashbuckling adventure film based on a classic European tale from the same director of ''Prince of Thieves'', Kevin Reynolds. Both films featuring a few similar plot elements like centering around a lead hero who after a long time imprisoned returns home to find his life in shambles including the death of his father, the hero decides to fight to seek justice/revenge against those responsible, has a sidekick in the form of a man who owes him a life debt, etc.

* ''Film/TheRocketeer'' is the spiritual successor to the ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' series.
** Due to both being superhero period pieces by the same director, ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' could be this to ''Film/TheRocketeer''.

* ''Film/RunawayBride'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/PrettyWoman'' (shared lead couple, same director).

* In Creator/RogerEbert's review of ''Film/TheSandlot'', he proposes that the movie is this to ''Film/AChristmasStory''. A real sequel, ''It Runs In The Family'' came out the next year, and most people don't even know its exists. ''The Sandlot'', on the other hand, is considered a classic.

* The 2015 disaster film ''Film/SanAndreas'' is essentially the first act of ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'' stretched out into a feature film, even containing many of the tropes that Creator/RolandEmmerich used in his disaster flicks.

* ''Film/Scream1996'':
** It can be considered the spiritual successor to the obscure '80s slasher film ''Film/ReturnToHorrorHigh''. Not only does the killer in both movies have a black cloak and a white featureless mask, but ''Return to Horror High'' was very post-modern for a film of its age: it is about a director making a horror movie about a series of unsolved murders happening in a high school, set in that same school, where the actors playing the parts of the students are getting murdered in "real life"; there's the conflict between the scriptwriter of the film and the director who only wants tits & blood, and the actresses that complain of being used only as fanservice...
** It was a more overt successor to ''Film/WesCravensNewNightmare'', a 1994 slasher by ''Scream''[='=]s director Creator/WesCraven that explored similar [[PostModernism metatextual ideas]] about the relationship between horror movies, their fans, and their creators. Both are about a massacre straight out of an '80s SlasherMovie happening in [[ThisIsReality the "real world"]], though ''Scream'' was a more grounded, GenreSavvy take on the concept compared to the supernatural, [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou fourth-wall-breaking]] ''New Nightmare''.

* ''Film/TheSecretOfMySuccess'' can be seen as a sequel to ''Series/FamilyTies'', since Brantley is pretty much the same character as Alex P. Keaton. Brantley's family can be seen as a severely {{Flanderized}} version of the Keatons. (In fact in Family Ties' take on ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' it's revealed that in one possible future the Keatons actually became farmers after a downturn in the economy.) It helps that the last episode of ''Family Ties'' ends where ''The Secret of My Success'' begins (even though the movie was released two years before the last episode aired!)

* ''Film/TheSevenUps'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/TheFrenchConnection'' in that it stars Roy Scheider as a New York detective similar to the one he played in the latter movie and had the same producer and composer and even had a car chase like the one in ''The French Connection''.

* According to director Creator/DannyBoyle there's a sly connection between ''Film/ShallowGrave'' and ''Film/{{Trainspotting}}''. Keith Allen portrays a drug dealer in both films -- with the intention that we think he may be the same character in both, as Trainspotting was suppose to take place in the late 1980s ''before'' the occurrences in ''Shallow Grave''.

* ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'', ''Film/HotFuzz'' and ''Film/TheWorldsEnd'' form a ThematicSeries called the Film/BloodAndIceCreamTrilogy. They're written and directed by the same people, feature similar cast members (drawing from an extended ProductionPosse), and combine violence and "genre" storylines with comedy. Most importantly, they each feature a prominent Cornetto ice cream flavor.

* ''Film/{{Slither}}'' is essentially a CGI-era version of ''Film/NightOfTheCreeps'' in a more rustic setting.

* ''Film/SnowDogs'' could be considered such to ''Film/CoolRunnings''. Both are live-action family films from Disney that are fish out of water tales that involve one or more people going from their warm/comfortable environment to a cold and snowy place where they engage in some sort of winter sport. Both films also share some screenwriters. Those being Tommy Swerdlow and Michael Goldberg.

* Another attempt at a ''Blade Runner'' sequel (written by Creator/DavidWebbPeoples, co-writer of ''Blade Runner'') became the blueprint for the Creator/KurtRussell film ''Film/{{Soldier}}''.

* Some fans have argued that ''Film/{{Solo}}'' is a better successor to ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' than the actual [[Film/IndianaJonesAndTheKingdomOfTheCrystalSkull most recent]] Franchise/IndianaJones film. Both movies open with a Creator/HarrisonFord character in his teenage years and show us how he got to be who he is, and feature him allying with an older father figure (Henry Jones/Beckett), his brave and warm-hearted sidekick (Sallah/Chewie), and his lovely female companion (Elsa/Qi'ra) to retrieve something priceless for a villainous rich guy (Donovan/Dryden), while being pursued by an elite band of brigands who [[spoiler:turn out to be [[GoodAllAlong good guys]]]] (Kazim and the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword/Enfys Nest and the Cloud-Riders.) There's an action sequence on a train at one point, and both films end with [[spoiler:the girl killing the rich guy, who turns grey as he dies, the father figure being shot, and the hero [[DidNotGetTheGirl not getting the girl]] when she ultimately abandons him too]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SongOfTheSea'' is the successor to Creator/CartoonSaloon's previous film, ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfKells''. There's no direct connection between their respective stories, but they're made by the same company, director, have the same art style, and both tell stories about Irish mythology with Creator/BrendanGleeson in a major supporting role. [[spoiler: Aisling, or at least a girl dressed as her, even gets a split-second cameo in ''Song of the Sea'', suggesting they actually '''do''' take place in the same universe.]]

* ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'' was a major influence on what are arguably the two most popular historical epics of the modern era, and has been cited as such by their respective directors. Both coming off as being quite similar in spirit...
** ''Film/{{Braveheart}}'' is structurally quite similar to ''Spartacus'', though many of the details are quite different. Each is the story of a low-standing man within an oppressed group who manages to rise up and become a great leader in battling the foreign group seeking to oppress them. Both doing so after a major loss. The lead villain is an extremely high ranking man who seeks to consolidate and expand his own power. His side however early on does not take the rebellion seriously and thinks lowly of them, which is something that both the Romans and the English pay for. The two leaders manage to find great success and even start up a (new) romance. After a major betrayal at a key moment however, facilitated by the lead villain buying off important allies, things turn south with the hero's losing and eventually being captured. The hero never submits however, and thus winds up being sentenced to a cruel execution. (Both ending up dying on a cross of some sort no-less) However both have managed to succeed in sending their message to the world, and the audience is left knowing that they actually have conceived a child who will get to live on past him.
** ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' in many respects is a lot like ''Spartacus'' in reverse. One character starting out as a slave/gladiator who manages to rise up into a great, powerful, and respected military leader. While the other starts out as a great, powerful, and respected military leader who winds up being torn down into being a slave/gladiator. However the share certain elements, including a lead villain who is seeking to manipulate the people (though through drastically different means) in order to consolidate his power and essentially supplant the Senate with a lot of political subterfuge and intrigue ensuing as a result. Both also having supporting characters in a gladiator school owner who starts out focusing on making a profit but becomes a key player in the main conflict, as ''Gladiator'' having what appears to be a deliberate shout-out to the previous film in the form of having a major character called Senator Gracchus. The Gracchus' in either film being the chief antagonist's main political rival who is fighting for the rights and continued authority of the senate. And again, like ''Braveheart'' as well, the lead heroes of both films ultimately die as martyrs.

* ''Film/SpeedZone'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/TheCannonballRun''.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'' is arguably the spiritual successor to ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheNewAnimatedSeries'', which ran for a single season on Creator/{{MTV}} in the summer of 2003. Like ''Spider-Verse'', it featured stylized cel-shaded computer animation, though the limitations of the time meant the graphics weren't quite as clean as the movie's. Nonetheless, it's fun to think that the middle-aged Spider-Man from the movie is the same one from the tv show.
** It can also be seen as this to ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGOBatmanMovie'', mainly due to being a tongue-in-cheek (but otherwise a very affectionate) love letter to everything great and iconic about Spider-Man to the point of referencing old movies and cartoons along with having the [[Creator/PhilLordAndChrisMiller producers]] involved.
** It's also seen as this to ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy'', especially due to utilising elements of the scrapped fourth instalment for Peter B.'s story arc such as his marriage with Mary Jane being collapsed though the reasoning is different as in the scrapped film, he would've [[YourCheatingHeart had an affair]] and thus [[TookALevelInJerkass becoming a jerk and leaving his wife and child behind]], while in this film, he underwent a mid-life crisis that went FromBadToWorse after Aunt May's death, causing him to act in an impulsive and self-destructive manner that ruined his marriage and [[spoiler: fortunately ends in a more happier tone with him regaining his resolve and trying to patch things up with MJ]].

* ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/RoboCop1987''. Released ten years apart from each other, both are directed by Creator/PaulVerhoeven, share similar themes and are structured around mock broadcasts of news and information.

* As the story goes, Creator/StevenSpielberg once casually mentioned to Creator/GeorgeLucas that he’d always wanted to direct a Film/JamesBond movie. Lucas said “I have a character even better than Bond”, and that's where Franchise/IndianaJones came from. Given that both series have a habit of cavalier wit, action prologues, beautiful women and exotic locations (and [[Creator/SeanConnery the first of the movie Bonds]] plays Indy’s father), you can certainly see the resemblance.

* ''Film/SteveJobs'' to ''Film/TheSocialNetwork'', another {{biopic}} written by Creator/AaronSorkin about an [[InsufferableGenius abrasive]] tech pioneer with a troubled love life, who has a falling-out with a close friend who accuses him of {{stealing the credit}} for his big breakthrough. Funnily enough, the two films were [[WhatCouldHaveBeen almost]] directed by the same person, but Creator/DavidFincher passed on directing ''Steve Jobs''.

* There is some discussion over whether ''Confidence'' is a SpiritualSuccessor or an updated remake of ''Film/TheSting''. Both feature a team of small-time conmen accidentally ripping off an underling of a crime boss and getting out of it by pulling a much larger and more elaborate con on him.

* ''Film/StrangeDays'' is essentially an unofficial sequel to ''Film/{{Brainstorm}}'', showing the effect on society after the thought-recording technology invented in ''Brainstorm'' becomes mass-produced.

* ''Film/StreetsOfFire'' to ''Film/TheWarriors''. Both are directed by Creator/WalterHill and feature heavily stylized versions of street crime at night.

* ''Film/StreetKings'' to ''Film/TrainingDay''. In fact, if you just alter the final 20 minutes of ''Training Day'', it would be a direct sequel.

* A good number of online reviewers, including WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic, have argued that the true spiritual successor to ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' is ''Film/WonderWoman2017''. Both are highly idealistic DC Comics superhero films about a dark-haired, non-human protagonist who is sent to the world of men from "the world of the gods" by a parent or parents to fulfill their destiny as a savior of mankind, and both take steps to emphasize that the hero's true power is their idealism and belief in the goodness of human beings. The main character disguises their identity with [[ClarkKenting a pair of glasses]], has a snarky BadassNormal love interest, and there's even a scene where Diana catches bullets fired at Steve as a [[MythologyGag direct]] [[ShoutOut reference]] to ''Superman: The Movie''. A major theme involves the protagonist learning humility and shedding their naivete while confronting a campy middle-aged man as the villain (with a female sidekick), and the climax has features [[spoiler: the love interest dying]], although unlike Superman, Diana [[spoiler: is unable to turn back time to save Steve Trevor.]]

* The western comedies ''Film/SupportYourLocalSheriff'' and ''Support Your Local Gunfighter'' were made by more-or-less the same production crew and cast, and share much in terms of theme and tone, but the second is not a sequel to the first, and no characters reappear.
** Replace those titles with ''Film/FleshForFrankenstein'' and ''Film/BloodForDracula'', and the statement is still valid.

* Creator/TimBurton's version of ''Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' could be the spiritual successor to ''Film/SleepyHollow1999'' - When Creator/JohnnyDepp's character brings his gorgeous blonde wife back to the city things [[FromBadToWorse go horribly wrong, and then they get worse]].

* Before ''Film/{{Taken}}'' had actual sequels, there was the film ''Film/Unknown2011'' which also starred Creator/LiamNeeson as a badass fighting his way through a European city to try and save a family member and during the marketing phase seemed to actually be often mistaken for a ''Taken'' sequel.

* ''Film/TalesFromTheDarksideTheMovie'' is regarded as the spiritual successor to the ''Film/{{Creepshow}}'' series (while ironically, ''Creepshow 3'' is disavowed by fans as an InNameOnly work). After all, it's a macabre horror anthology with writing by Creator/StephenKing and George Romero, and work by Creator/TomSavini (who in fact went on record as saying that ''Film/TalesFromTheDarksideTheMovie'' is the "real" ''Creepshow 3''), and was originally going to be the third ''Film/{{Creepshow}}'' installment until producers decided to cash in on the ''Series/TalesFromTheDarkside'' name.

* ''Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'' (and indeed was described by Ferrell as the third of his "[[SmallNameBigEgo unreasonably confident people]]" series).

* ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' is an interesting example, in that it's a literal sequel one film, but also a SpiritualSuccessor to another film set in [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse the same universe]]. It's the third in a trilogy with ''Film/{{Thor}}'' and ''Film/ThorTheDarkWorld'', but it has much more in common with ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' in terms of tone and aesthetic. It has the colorful SpaceOpera setting, the RagtagBunchOfMisfits cast, the plot involving space travel to [[UsedFuture the seamier corners of the galaxy]], and the retro soundtrack full of 70s and 80s rock hits (complete with original synth music by Music/MarkMothersbaugh of Music/{{Devo}}).

* Three of the early IMAX space films fit together in a loose sort of way-- ''To Fly!'' (1976) summarizes history of air and space travel up to that point in time, ending with the launch of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. ''Hail Columbia!'' (1982) covers NASA's next human spaceflight after the ASTP-- STS-1, the first launch of the space shuttle, highlights the transition from the Apollo program to the space shuttle era, and features astronaut Robert Crippen taking his first spaceflight as STS-1's pilot. ''The Dream Is Alive'' (1985) shows the shuttle in its first flush of success [[HarsherInHindsight ending just before the Challenger disaster]], as it carries full crews and launches and repairs satellites, with two of the missions followed showing Crippen having advanced to Shuttle Commander, teaching the ropes to new pilots who are where he was in ''Hail Columbia!''

* ''Film/ATimeToKill'' is a spiritual follow-up to the preceding Creator/JoelSchumacher directed film based off of a Creator/JohnGrisham legal thriller novel ''Film/TheClient''.

* The movie ''Film/{{Tomboy}}'' can be seen as a SpiritualSuccessor to the ''Film/MaVieEnRose'' movie released 14 years earlier. They both center around transgender children (one about a [=MtF=] 8 year old and the other around a possibly [=FtM=] 10 year old), are French language, and have the "Just moved to a new town" premise.

* ''Film/TommyBoy'', a disastrous road trip starring a mismatched OddCouple and the gradual destruction of a car, owes a lot to ''Film/PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles''.

* The box office disaster ''{{Film/Torque}}'' was a spiritual successor to ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'', even having the same producer and featuring the crime and racing genres.

* ''Film/ToLiveAndDieInLA'' is this to ''Film/TheFrenchConnection''. Most notably, both films have the same [[Creator/WilliamFriedkin director]], feature lengthy car chases and have protagonists determined to take the villain down no matter the cost.

* The Music/TupacShakur biopic ''All Eyez on Me'' is considered to be this to the Music/TheNotoriousBIG biopic ''Notorious''. This is helped by the fact that Jamal Woodward played Biggie in both films.

* ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'' is this to ''Film/IndependenceDay'' and ''Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow''.

* It could be said that ''Film/TwoThousandTwelve'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow''.

* ''Where Hands Touch'' is this to ''Film/AUnitedKingdom'', which is this to ''Film/{{Belle}}''. All are directed by Amma Asante and all focus on a little-known, but significant race story--the plight of the so-called "[[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhineland_Bastard Rhineland Bastards]]" (mixed race children born to German women and French/African soldiers who are among the lesser-known victims of the Holocaust), the love story of [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seretse_Khama Seretse Khana and his wife Ruth]], and the story of [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dido_Elizabeth_Belle Dido Elizabeth Belle]], respectively.

* Creator/RichardLinklater's ''WesternAnimation/WakingLife'' is at least a visual companion to ''Literature/AScannerDarkly''.
** Though it is a spiritual successor to Linklater's 1990 film, ''Film/{{Slacker}}''.

* ''Film/WarInc'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/GrossePointeBlank''. They both feature Creator/JohnCusack as a hitman having doubts about his career choice with Creator/JoanCusack as his assistant and Creator/DanAykroyd in a supporting role.

* ''Film/WhatWeDidOnOurHoliday'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/OutNumbered''. It was created by the same people - Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin - and features three adorable and unwittingly wisecracking children (with a generous helping of HarpoDoesSomethingFunny and ThrowItIn to their dialogue), put-upon parents, and comedy from unexpected situations.

* When it comes to Disney...
** Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen|2013}}'' to ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'', from title to character design to setting. This led many to believe it was just going to be [[RecycledInSpace ''Tangled'' IN SNOW]] before the film proved them very wrong.
** ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'' could be considered one to ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''
** Disney's ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' would qualify as such to their preceding animated film ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast''. Both films are based on classic pieces of literature based in France. The main players being a misunderstood/tortured man thought of as a monster by the outside world that lives in a monolithic building (Quasimodo and The Beast), his sidekicks in the form of legless anthropomorphic objects (the castle's denizens turned into household objects like Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts from ''Beast'' and the Notre Dame gargoyles Victor, Hugo, and Laverne from ''Hunchback''), the strong and compassionate woman that defends him who he falls for (Esermelda and Belle), a villainous man with influence in his hometown that is deeply arrogant and lusts after the female lead who ultimately dies in a final confrontation when he besieges the aforementioned monolithic building where he falls to his death (Frollo and Gaston). Both films had the same pair of directors with Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. And both, naturally, were animated Disney musicals with music by Music/AlanMenken.
** Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' would qualify as such to their preceding animated film ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}''. Both films are based on classic myths/folk-tales set in the ancient world. The main players include a well meaning frowned-upon outsider with confidence issues that wants to feel acceptance/respect who come to embrace themselves for who they are by the end (Hercules and Aladdin), a conniving and snarky man of power (Hades and Jafar) within the inner circles of a jovial king he seeks to supplant (Zeus and the Sultan) with the aid of sealed away ancient beings of immense power (the Genie and the Titans) who ultimately is punished by being trapped in a dark place without the use of his power when beaten by the hero, the feisty woman the hero loves who is trapped in a life position she seeks to break free from (Meg and Jasmine), among others such as in the various comedic sidekicks. (Such as the heroes' anthropomorphized modes of transportation, the villains' comedic sidekicks who are regularly abused by their masters and do a lot of the grunt work) Both films had the same pair of directors with Ron Clements and John Musker. And both, naturally, were animated Disney musicals with music by Music/AlanMenken.
** ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}'' is one to ''WesternAnimation/RobinHood''. In fact, ''Zootopia'' director Byron Howard's love for ''Robin Hood'' was the reason why the idea for ''Zootopia'' was pitched in the first place, [[http://variety.com/2013/film/news/d23-expo-disney-reveals-animated-zootopia-for-2016-1200576434/ since he wanted to do a film similar to one of his favorite toons]].

* ''Film/WhereTheSidewalkEnds'' is very much this to ''Film/{{Laura}}''. Both directed by Creator/OttoPreminger and starring Creator/DanaAndrews as a disillusioned New York cop named Mark who falls in love with characters played by Creator/GeneTierney. Mark Dixon in ''Where the Sidewalk Ends'' could easily be Mark [=McPherson=] from ''Laura'', ten years later and now more jaded, cynical, and violent.

* Preminger's ''Film/{{Whirlpool}}'' was described by Jose Ferrer as "like a sequel to ''Laura'' -- it had the same star, the same mood and atmosphere."

* ''Film/WhiteChristmas'' serves as this to ''Film/HolidayInn''. Both are classic holiday centric musicals that star Bing Crosby as an established musical performer who finds love. And both films have an inn serve as a primary location, as well as music by Irving Berlin. Both prominently feature the song ''White Christmas''. The connections were fully intentional, and Crosby's ''Holiday Inn'' co-star Fred Astaire was actually offered the part as the other male lead but declined. Leading to the role going to Danny Kaye. And it would even turn out that the two films use the same set for their respective inns.

* Screenwriter Terence Winter and director Creator/MartinScorsese have essentially noted that ''Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet'' does with white-collar crime what ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'' and ''Film/{{Casino}}'' do with organized crime. ''Wolf of Wall Street'' has also been compared with ''Film/WallStreet'' and ''Film/WallStreetMoneyNeverSleeps'' , with many calling Jordan Belfort a modern day Gordon Gekko, this being a ThematicSeries trilogy called by fans as The Wall Street Trilogy.

* ''Series/TheWonderYears'' is reasonably seen as a SpiritualSuccessor to the movie ''Film/StandByMe'', both coming-of-age tales about boys on the cusp of adolescence, with voice-overs by the adult versions of the protagonists.
** It's also seen as a successor to ''Film/AChristmasStory''.
** And don't forget ''Series/BoyMeetsWorld'' which stars Ben Savage, the younger brother of Fred Savage, who was the main character in ''The Wonder Years'', though without the voice-overs but similar concept.
** ''Series/EverybodyHatesChris'' could be seen as the African-American version of ''The Wonder Years''.
** Don't forget ''Film/TheSandlot'', either.

* The 1980 musical film ''Film/{{Xanadu}}'' is a spiritual successor to the 1944 movie ''Film/CoverGirl''. In ''Xanadu'', Creator/GeneKelly plays an older version of Danny Mcguire (his character in ''Cover Girl''). His character doesn't make any direct references to the story or characters in the older movie except for the mention of once owning a nightclub. Danny also remembers meeting Kira before somehow. Creator/RitaHayworth's role in the older film doesn't really suggest any connections to Kira or the muses. But In the 1947 film ''Down to Earth'' (the direct inspiration for Xanadu), Hayworth actually does play the muse "Terpsichore". And ''Down to Earth'' does make references to ''Cover Girl'', however.

* ''Film/YouveGotMail'' is the spiritual successor to ''Film/SleeplessInSeattle'', both featuring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan moving toward a romance in spite of a physical separation.

* ''Film/{{Zathura}}'' to ''Film/{{Jumanji}}''--both feature a differently-themed board game (space and the jungle, respectively) that brings those elements to life, often to the danger of the players, who are aided by a grown up player who was trapped inside the game for years. Incidentally, the original ''Literature/{{Zathura}}'' book was a direct sequel to ''Literature/{{Jumanji}}''.

* ''Film/{{Zookeeper}}'' to ''Film/PaulBlartMallCop''.
* ''Film/{{Boar}}'' to ''Film/{{Razorback}}'', both being Australian-made films about [[FullBoarAction giant boar]] rampaging around the outback
----

** ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' to ''Disney/LiloAndStitch'', sharing the same writer-directors (Creator/ChrisSanders and Dean [=DeBlois=]). Toothless the dragon is even partly based on Stitch.

** Disney's ''Disney/{{Frozen}}'' to ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'', from title to character design to setting. This led many to believe it was just going to be [[RecycledInSpace ''Tangled'' IN SNOW]] before the film proved them very wrong.
** ''Disney/WreckItRalph'' could be considered one to ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''
** Disney's ''Disney/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' would qualify as such to their preceding animated film ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast''. Both films are based on classic pieces of literature based in France. The main players being a misunderstood/tortured man thought of as a monster by the outside world that lives in a monolithic building (Quasimodo and The Beast), his sidekicks in the form of legless anthropomorphic objects (the castle's denizens turned into household objects like Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts from ''Beast'' and the Notre Dame gargoyles Victor, Hugo, and Laverne from ''Hunchback''), the strong and compassionate woman that defends him who he falls for (Esermelda and Belle), a villainous man with influence in his hometown that is deeply arrogant and lusts after the female lead who ultimately dies in a final confrontation when he besieges the aforementioned monolithic building where he falls to his death (Frollo and Gaston). Both films had the same pair of directors with Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. And both, naturally, were animated Disney musicals with music by Music/AlanMenken.

** ''Disney/{{Zootopia}}'' is one to ''Disney/RobinHood''. In fact, ''Zootopia'' director Byron Howard's love for ''Robin Hood'' was the reason why the idea for ''Zootopia'' was pitched in the first place, [[http://variety.com/2013/film/news/d23-expo-disney-reveals-animated-zootopia-for-2016-1200576434/ since he wanted to do a film similar to one of his favorite toons]].

* ''Film/Sunshine'' to ''Film/Supernova''. Two scifi sun related adventorous movies.

* ''Film/Pandorum'' to ''Film/EventHorizon''. Two tales of cosmic terror, many see Pandorum as this century's Event Horizon.

* ''Film/{{Nightcrawler}} (2014)'' is the SpiritualSequel to ''Film/{{TaxiDriver}} (1976)'',two dramas inspired by the decline of human mental health in the wake of society

* Screenwriter Terence Winter and director Creator/MartinScorsese have essentially noted that ''Film/TheWolfOfWallStreet'' does with white-collar crime what ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}'' and ''Film/{{Casino}}'' do with organized crime. ''Wolf of Wall Street'' has also been compared with ''Film/WallStreet'' and ''Film/WallStreetMoneyNeverSleeps'' , with many calling Jordan Belfort a modern day Gordon Gekko, this being a trilogy called by fans as The Wall Street Trilogy