History SpiritualSuccessor / LiveACtionTV

*** Although ''TheYoungOnes'' itself was a spiritual successor to The Comic Strip series of movies, in which Rik Mayall and Ade Edmondson both appeared.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. The UNIT stories clearly draw from ''{{Quatermass}}'', with the Third Doctor taking on the Quatermass role of a cantankerous scientific advisor aiding military authorities to repel aliens invading Britain, while hampered by the occasional ObstructiveBureaucrat. In fact we're first introduced to TheBrigadier in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS5E5TheWebOfFear The Web of Fear]]", which, like ''Quatermass and the Pit'', featured an alien menace in the London Underground.

* ''BreakoutKings'' is one to ''PrisonBreak''. The show also falls victim to BetterByADifferentName

** In a similar vein, ''MadTV'' was a spiritual successor to ''In Living Color,'' being Fox's competitor to ''Saturday Night Live'' with there being only a year between the two. In Living Color is known for giving rise to the careers of JimCarrey, JamieFoxx, Jennifer Lopez, and Shawn and Marlon Wayans, while MadTV arguably did the same for Orlando Jones, Phil Lamarr, Nicole Sullivan, Alex Borstein, Bobby Lee, and current SNL featured player Taran Killam.

* ''CougarTown'' to ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''. Both have the same creator and share many of the same writers and actors, and are very similar in tone and humor. They even [[CharacterOverlap share at least one character]]. One episode {{lampshaded}} it in the opening title. "Welcome to Cougartown. No, it's not just Scrubs in Florida with a lot of wine."

* ''OnceUponATime'' to ''LOST''. Despite the former being a bit LighterAndSofter, the shows share many of the same themes of about belief and destiny, as well as a healthy dose of [[GrayAndGreyMorality grey]] [[WhiteAndGreyMorality morality]], two writers, and several actors.

* ''DesperateHousewives'' to ''AmericanBeauty''. Both examine the StepfordSuberbia, and Marc Cherry even annouced the inspiration. Even the music sounds a little similar at times.

* Most of Jack Webb's later series (e.g., ''{{Adam-12}}'', ''{{Emergency}}'', ''ProjectUFO'') can be considered spiritual successors to his own ''{{Dragnet}}''. They all share a basic approach -- following the professional lives of dedicated public servants, filmed in the style of a PoliceProcedural.

** ''{{Community}''} also feels like one. "Mundane" setting, every character is strange at the very least, lots of improbable [[BunnyEarsLawyer Bunny Ears Lawyers]] at anything, LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters all known for a quirk or a gimmick (POP POP!), and a lot of "unique" episodes which do something different.

* "MrSunshine" to "BetterOffTed", and "BetterOffTed" to "Series/AndyRichterControlsTheUniverse".
* The ''Series/ColgateComedyHour'' to {{Vaudeville}}.

** {{Community}} also feels like one. "Mundane" settin, every character is strange at the very least, lots of improbable BunnyEarsLawyers at anything, LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters all known for a quirk or a gimmick (POP POP!), and a lot of "Unique" episodes which do something different.
* TinMan has Spiritual Succesors in the form of Alice and Neverland
* Bunheads to GilmoreGirls both created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, both have a fast-talking, pop culture savvy, cynical (though Michelle is INFINITELY more bitter than Lorelai), thirty0something female lead. Both take place in small towns, both shows share Kelly Bishop, Chris Eigeman, and others, etc.

** The 2009 Easter special, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E15PlanetOfTheDead Planet of the Dead]]", had a direct ShoutOut to Bernard Quatermass by a geeky UNIT scientist.

** The 2009 Easter special, "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E15PlanetOfTheDead Planet of the Dead]]", had a direct reference to Bernard Quatermass by a geeky UNIT scientist.

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. The UNIT stories clearly draw from ''{{Quatermass}}'', with the Third Doctor taking on the Quatermass role of a cantankerous scientific advisor aiding military authorities to repel aliens invading Britain, while hampered by the occasional ObstructiveBureaucrat. In fact we're first introduced to TheBrigadier in "The Web of Fear" which, like ''Quatermass and the Pit'', featured an alien menace in the London Underground.
** The 2009 Easter special, "Planet of the Dead", had a direct reference to Bernard Quatermass by a geeky UNIT scientist.

** It could be said that "DrakeAndJosh" was much more a spiritual successor of ''TheAmandaShow'', to the point of being a very indirect spinoff. Drake and Josh were regular cast members on ''The Amanda Show''. ''The Amanda Show'' itself, and the aforementioned ''Kenan and Kel'', were both spiritual successors to ''AllThat''.

** ''Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip'' was a spiritual successor to ''The West Wing.'' In fact, the show's biggest problem was often cited as the fact that the style and tone that worked so well for a show about running the government of the United States felt hilariously out of place on a show about running a ''SaturdayNightLive'' {{Expy}}.
* ''AllThat'' was a spiritual successor to the early 90's Nick sketch show ''Roundhouse'', which was a spiritual successor to the immensely popular ''YouCantDoThatOnTelevision''.

* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'', in a lot of ways, is a combination Spiritual Successor. Take one part ''Jake20'' (everyday geek infused with AppliedPhlebotinum to make him a badass), one part ''SheSpies'' (a borderline AffectionateParody of the spy genre), mix well, top with AdamBaldwin, and serve.

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* Pair of Kings could be considered as Wizard of Waverly Place's as their both fantasy comedy with action elements and some grim world elements there and there.
* ''Series/ThePrisoner'' may be considered a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Series/DangerMan''. Patrick [=McGoohan=] plays the same type of secret agent character in both. Some fans (and George Markstein, one of the co-creators of the series) go farther, arguing that Number Six ''is'' John Drake, which would make it a true sequel series rather than a SpiritualSuccessor. However, [=McGoohan=] (the other co-creator) denies this, and character differences between Number Six and John Drake call it into question as well. For more details, see the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Number_Six_%28The_Prisoner%29#John_Drake.3F "John Drake?" section]] of the Wikipedia article on Number Six.

* The entire {{Fox}} television network has been called the spiritual successor to the DuMont network, and not just because it's the "fourth network" in the American TV lineup. After [=DuMont=] went bankrupt in 1956, many of the remaining now-independent stations formed a company that would later become Metromedia. In TheEighties, RupertMurdoch bought Metromedia's television operations and used them to launch the Fox network.
* Drew Carey's ''Green Screen Show'' and ''Drew Carey's Improv-a-Ganza'' are this to ''WhoseLineIsItAnyway''.

* ''ChoujinkiMetalder'' was produced by {{Toei}} to be an [[TheEighties Eighties]]' version of ''[[{{Kikaider}} Jinzou Ningen Kikaider]]''. Both involved robotic superheroes with a two-tone color scheme on their body (blue on the left side and red on the right), both end their names with "der" ("Kikaider" literally means "Machineder"), their human forms are modeled after the likeness of their creator's dead son (Jiro's likeness came from Taro's, while Ryusei Tsurugi's was from Tatsuo Koga), and they're both assisted by a rival cyborg in black who formerly worked for the enemy (Hakaider and Topgunder).

* ''Series/WizardsVsAliens'' is this to ''TheSarahJaneAdventures''. Both are {{CBBC}} fantasy sci-fi shows aired in two part serials and created by RussellTDavies.

** ''TheMonkees'' itself was, more or less, a spiritual successor to TheBeatles' films ''AHardDaysNight'' and ''{{Help}}!''

* ''WizardsVsAliens'' is this to ''TheSarahJaneAdventures''. Both are {{CBBC}} fantasy sci-fi shows aired in two part serials and created by RussellTDavies.

* ''Battle Dome'' to ''AmericanGladiators''. Michael O'Hearn was in both (as Michael O'Dell in the former and as Titan in the latter's revival). Also, Terry Crews' schtick as the ''Old Spice'' spokesman could be a SpiritualSuccessor to his T-Money character on ''Battle Dome''.

* ''StreetKings'' to ''TrainingDay''. In fact, if you just alter the final 20 minutes of ''Training Day'', it would be a direct sequel.
* ''{{Colombiana}}'' to ''Film/TheProfessional''
* ''ParkerLewisCantLose'' is seen as the SpiritualSuccessor to the movie ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff'', featuring 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.
* ''TheWonderYears'' is reasonably seen as a SpiritualSuccessor to the movie ''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 ''AChristmasStory''.
** And don't forget ''BoyMeetsWorld'' which stars Ben Savage, the younger brother of Fred Savage, who was the main character in ''The Wonder Years''.
** ''EverybodyHatesChris'' could be seen as the African-American version of ''The Wonder Years''.
** Don't forget ''TheSandlot'', either.
* ''HappyDays'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''AmericanGraffiti''.
* ''DeadSet'' can be seen as the spiritual {{prequel}} to ''[[TwentyEightDaysLater 28 Days Later]]'', showing how the disease spread in its first few days, and how society fell to the point that we see it in ''28 Days Later''.
** Actually, this can't be a case. Dead Set is about undead zombies, 28 Days Later is about rage-infected (but still living) victims who do not consume flesh.
* ''TheCuriousCaseOfBenjaminButton'' has been considered by some by some reviewers as a spiritual successor to ''ForrestGump''. The films share a screenwriter.
** ''BigFish'' is also kinda similar to ''ForrestGump''
* The 2007 movie ''KnockedUp'' is considered by many to be a spiritual sequel to ''The40YearOldVirgin''. It was originally intended to be a direct sequel.
** And now a direct sequel to ''Knocked Up'' is in the works for a Christmas 2012 release.
* 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 Kevin Kline as a dimwitted egomaniac, Jamie Lee Curtis as seductive and manipulative, John Cleese as a stuffy square, and Michael Palin as a weird guy.
* ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'' is a spiritual sequel to ''TheDarkCrystal'', in so far as both films feature the puppeteering of the JimHenson corps, scenarios co-authored by Henson himself, and production design by Brian Froud. George Lucas was also reportedly involved in the making of both films, though only credited in ''Labyrinth.''
** ''{{Mirrormask}}'' was designed to be the SpiritualSuccessor to both (but mainly ''Labyrinth''). The original plan was to get 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.
*** All three films have been released as a single DVD set called the "Jim Henson fantasy film collection" (which was, incidentally, a ploy to move unsold copies of the original ''Dark Crystal'' and ''Labyrinth'' [=DVDs=] after the deluxe versions came out).
* The Dee Wallace Stone comedy ''InvisibleMom'' had both a SpiritualSuccessor, ''Invisible Dad'', and an official sequel, ''Invisible Mom 2''.
* ''HotFuzz'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''ShaunOfTheDead''. It stars several of the same actors and making a number of references to the zombie comedy. ''Shaun'' is in turn the successor of Britcom ''{{Spaced}}''; the characters from ''Spaced'' who do not star all appear either in the other group of zombie fighters Shaun and his friends encounter, or in crowd scenes. Also many of the running jokes between HotFuzz and ShaunOfTheDead (e.g. 'We're not gay - thanks babe.' and Cornettos) originally come from ''Spaced''. The so-far unwritten ''The World Ends'' is planned to be the third part of Pegg and Wright's ''Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy''. All three will feature a mention of Cornetto ice cream.
* ''Film/{{Scream}}'' can be considered the spiritual successor of the obscure '80s slasher film ''[[http://www.eatmybrains.com/showreview.php?id=30 Return To Horror High]]''. Not only does the killer in both movies have a black cloak and a white featureless mask, but RTHH 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 happened 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...
* ''TalladegaNights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''{{Anchorman}}: The Legend of Ron Burgundy'' (and indeed was described by Ferrell as the third of his "[[TedBaxter unreasonably confident people]]" series).
* ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'' was hotly anticipated by fans of ''TheNightmareBeforeChristmas''. In fact, with his distinctive style and usual repertory cast, you could consider the entire TimBurton oeuvre outside the more science fiction stuff one big de facto franchise.
** Henry Selick's ''JamesAndTheGiantPeach'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'' could also be seen as {{Spiritual Successor}}s to ''Nightmare Before Christmas'', considering that Selick directed it.
*** In fact, Jack Skellington makes a cameo in ''Peach'' as an undead pirate.
* ''PrideAndPrejudice'', directed by Joe Wright and starring Keira Knightley, was highly touted and received a couple of Oscar nods. The two got together for ''{{Atonement}}'', [[OscarBait a serious attempt at the awards]].
* ''Date Movie'', ''Epic Movie'', ''Meet The Spartans'', and ''Disaster Movie'' (the only real link being [[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.
* DavidLynch's latest and supposedly last movie, ''InlandEmpire'', is very much a SpiritualSuccessor to ''MulhollandDrive'', itself a SpiritualSuccessor to ''LostHighway''.
** Meanwhile, Lynch intended for ''MulhollandDrive'' to be a SpiritualSuccessor to Billy Wilder's ''SunsetBoulevard''.
* ''{{Ishtar}}'' was intended to be a SpiritualSuccessor to the ''RoadTo'' series, but failed.
** The animated ''TheRoadToElDorado'', on the other hand succeeded admirably.
** ''SpiesLikeUs'' was, during production, described as a Road movie, and even features Bob Hope 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}}.
* The western comedies ''SupportYourLocalSheriff'' and ''SupportYourLocalGunfighter'' 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.
* ''FromBeyond'' shares ''{{Re-Animator}}'''s over-the-top approach to [[Creator/HPLovecraft Lovecraftian]] source material, as well as a significant chunk of the cast and crew. Both star JeffreyCombs as a MadScientist (borderline) VillainProtagonist.
* ''BestInShow'', ''AMightyWind'', and ''ForYourConsideration'' are all spiritual successors to ''Waiting for Guffman'', which in itself was a SpiritualSuccessor to ''ThisIsSpinalTap''.
* A lot of 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 Bruce Lee and Jet Li.
* 1997's ''LAConfidential'', despite being made by a totally different cast and crew, is considered by many fans to be the SpiritualSuccessor to 1974's ''{{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 JerryGoldsmith.
* There is some discussion over whether ''Confidence'' is a SpiritualSuccessor or an updated remake of ''The Sting''. 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.
* Similar to the ''Knocked Up'' example, ''PineappleExpress'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to ''{{Superbad}}''. Both being written by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, produced by Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson, and distributed by Columbia pictures. In fact, ''Pineapple Express'' was greenlit based off of the early positive reaction to ''Superbad'' footage.
* ''WarInc'' is the spiritual successor to ''GrossePointeBlank''. They both feature John Cusack as a hitman having doubts about his career choice with Joan Cusack as his assistant and Dan Aykroyd in a supporting role.
** ''GrossePointeBlank'' itself is a spiritual successor to ''Say Anything'' - 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).
* ''Definitely, Maybe'' is the spiritual successor to ''LoveActually''
* Richard Linklater's ''WakingLife'' is at least a visual companion to ''AScannerDarkly''
** Though it is a spiritual successor to Linklater's 1990 film, {{Slacker}}.
* ''StarshipTroopers'' is a spiritual successor to ''RoboCop''. Released ten years apart from each other, both are directed by Paul Verhoeven, share similar themes and are structured around mock broadcasts of news and information.
* The 2003 live action film version of ''TheCatInTheHat'' was Imagine Entertainment's attempt to duplicate the success of their popular take on another Dr. Seuss book, ''Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas'', down to the casting of comic star MikeMyers as the Cat as its equivalent to JimCarrey's Grinch.
* The films ''The Snapper'' and ''The Van'' were spiritual successors to ''The Commitments''. 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 TheCommitments Outspan ended up as a busker on the streets of Dublin. Twenty years later the same actor, Glen Hansard, starred in ''{{Once}}'' which opened with his character ...busking on the streets of Dublin. Bonus points due to his character in ''{{Once}}'' being unnamed.
* ''Film/{{Casino}}'' is a spiritual successor to ''Film/{{Goodfellas}}''. Both are gangster movies directed by MartinScorsese that span several decades, both are based on nonfiction books by Nicholas Pileggi, both star RobertDeNiro with JoePesci as a sociopathic madman, both rely heavily on narration (occasionally not from the main protagonist), and both chart the rise and fall of eras in the criminal underworld.
** ''Goodfellas'' is itself a spiritual successor to Scorsese's earlier film ''Mean Streets.'' According to the director, each film represents a step up in the mob hierarchy, starting with neighborhood punks and ending with the true power brokers at the top as in ''Casino.''
* In South Korea, the film ''{{Windstruck}}'' is considered to be the spiritual successor to the wildly popular romantic comedy ''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.]]
* ''You've Got Mail'' is the spiritual successor to ''SleeplessInSeattle''.
* ''Film/AFistfulOfDollars'', ''Film/ForAFewDollarsMore'', and ''Film/TheGoodTheBadAndTheUgly'' are all considered a part of the same trilogy because they are made by the same guy and star the same actor in the same costume. However, it's never explicitly stated that they take place in the same universe.
** Similarly, because they all feature a protagonist who is nameless, are all Westerns, and all star Clint Eastwood, ''HighPlainsDrifter'' and ''PaleRider'' are sometimes seen as ... somehow ... part of the same Weird West world as the spaghetti Westerns. ''HighPlainsDrifter'' in particular was directed by Eastwood in a direct homage to Leone's work.
** Clint Eastwood has stated that ''Unforgiven'' is a spiritual sequel to the Fistful of Dollars trilogy, as it was deliberately written to deconstruct his earlier works. Some accounts say that he's gone so far as to say its direct sequel.
* ''RunawayBride'' is the spiritual successor to ''PrettyWoman'' (shared lead couple).
* ''FoxyBrown'' was the successor to ''{{Coffy}}''. It was originally meant to be a sequel titled ''Burn, Coffy, Burn,'' but the [[ExecutiveMeddling producers changed it at the last minute.]]
* TimBurton's version of ''Film/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'' could be the spiritual successor to ''SleepyHollow'' - When Johnny Depp's character brings his gorgeous blonde wife back to the city things [[ItGotWorse go horribly wrong, and then they get worse]].
* ''EXistenZ'' is essentially ''{{Videodrome}}'' for the new millennium.
* It could be said that ''[[TwentyTwelve 2012]]'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''TheDayAfterTomorrow''.
* Both ''Film/{{Babel}}'' and ''Film/TwentyOneGrams'' which were directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu are considered the spiritual sequels of the Mexican film ''AmoresPerros'' (also directed by him).
** The three films also share a screenwriter. The director and screenwriter consider the three films a trilogy.
* 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 ([[HeyItsThatGuy aka:]]''[[TheChroniclesOfNarnia Lord Sopespian]])'' as the lead.
* 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 ''MinorityReport''.
** Not surprising since all three movies are based on works by ''PhilipKDick''.
** Another attempt at a ''Blade Runner'' sequel (written by DavidPeoples, co-writer of ''Blade Runner'') became the blueprint for the Kurt Russell film ''{{Soldier}}''.
* The ''Series/TalesFromTheDarkside'' movie 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 Tom Savini (who in fact went on record as saying that ''Series/TalesFromTheDarkside'' is the "real" 'Creepshow 3'), and was originally going to be the third {{Creepshow}} installment until producers decided to cash in on the ''Series/TalesFromTheDarkside'' name.
* The film ''RevolutionaryRoad'' is an interesting subversion of SpiritualSuccessor status. It's set in America, it starred Leonardo diCaprio and Kate Winslet (as husband in wife) in their first film together after they'd co-starred in ''{{Titanic}}''. Some people initially thought it therefore as Titanic's spiritual successor. The storyline, however, is, if anything, entirely the opposite of ''Titanic'' and [[ItGotWorse only gets worse from there.]]
* ''Film/ErikTheViking'' succeeds marvelously as a SpiritualSuccessor to the Creator/MontyPython films, even if it wasn't intended to.
* Many elements that make up the movie ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'' are evocative of many [[TheEighties 80s movies]]; particularly the themes of ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' (which also starred Crispin Glover) and the ski resort setting from ''BetterOffDead'' (which also starred John Cusack).
* ''MysteryOfTheWaxMuseum'' is the SpiritualSuccessor to ''Film/DoctorX''; both are horror films shot in two-strip Technicolor, directed by Michael Curtiz, 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.
* ''Adventureland'' carries all the hallmarks you'd expect if they made a ''FreaksAndGeeks'' movie.
** This one is more of a spiritual successor to ''GardenState'' than anything, as they feature very similar narratives, characters and settings (Pennsylvania borders New Jersey).
* 15 years before ''GIJoeTheRiseOfCobra'' came along, the Van Damme ''Film/StreetFighter'' movie was far more GIJoe than it was ''StreetFighter''.
* ''TheLionInWinter'' is a spiritual successor to the earlier film ''Becket'' in that they're both historical dramas starring Peter O'Toole as Henry II playing him as an old man in ''Lion'' and younger in ''Becket''.
* ''TheSevenUps'' is a spiritual successor to ''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''.
* ''TheCannonballRun'' is a spiritual successor to ''SmokeyAndTheBandit''.
** It also has much in common with ItsAMadMadMadMadWorld.
** ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_Zone! SpeedZone]]'' is a spiritual successor to ''TheCannonballRun''.
* Right after directing ''TheOutsiders'' Francis Ford Coppola made a movie based on another SE Hinton novel, ''RumbleFish'' with many of the same cast and crew. The movie came out months after ''TheOutsiders''.
* ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' can be seen as a Spiritual Successor of sorts to ''Film/BladeRunner'' as its production designer, David Snyder, was one of Blade Runner's driving art directors. While the exact tone and story of the movie isn't the same the parallel world's appearance was still heavily driven under a "Blade Runner-sensibility".
** Really, just about every movie made in the decade or so after ''Blade Runner'' combining science fiction and CityNoir sensibilities has been invariably compared to that film.
* ''{{Zathura}}'' to ''Film/{{Jumanji}}'', while the book was simply a sequel.
* ''CarlitosWay'' to ''{{Scarface}}''. Both are about Latino crime bosses and have the same director (BrianDePalma) and star (AlPacino).
* ''{{Made}}'' starring Vince Vaughnn and Jon Favreau is a spiritual successor to their previous movie playing best friends, ''{{Swingers}}''
* ''Where the Sidewalk Ends'' is very much this to ''{{Laura}}''. Both directed by OttoPreminger and starring Dana Andrews as a disillusioned New York cop named Mark who falls in love with characters played by 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 ''Whirlpool'' was described by Jose Ferrer as "like a sequel to ''Laura'' -- it had the same star, the same mood and atmosphere."
* Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon made a handful of movies that were all spiritual successors to the original ''TheOddCouple'' film. The spiritual successors began with ''GrumpyOldMen'' and included ''GrumpierOldMen'' and ''OutToSea''...the actual sequel was largely considered a lesser effort than all of the above.
* The box office disaster ''{{Torque}}'' was a spiritual successor to ''Film/TheFastAndTheFurious'', even having the same producer and featuring the crime and racing genres.
* ''Film/{{Zookeeper}}'' to ''PaulBlartMallCop''.
* ''Film/RedSonja'' to ''ConanTheDestroyer''.
* ''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.
* Darren Aronofsky has stated that ''Film/BlackSwan'' was a "companion piece" to his previous 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.
* The movie ''Film/{{Tomboy}}'' can be seen as a SpiritualSuccessor to the ''MyLifeInPink'' movie released 14 years earlier. They both center around transgendered children (one about a transgirl and the other about a gender-queer or potentially transboy girl), are French language, and have the "Just moved to a new town" premise.
* ''HorribleBosses'' to ''OfficeSpace''. Both feature three men getting revenge on a boss and have JenniferAniston in a supporting role.
* ''TheHangover'' to ''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'').
* ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' is a SpiritualSuccessor to Creator/AlfredHitchcock's ''Film/{{Psycho}}''. Not only does [[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.
* JerryLewis's comic style has been so influential in movies that many latter-day comedy film stars have been dubbed his successors. Pee-wee Herman, JimCarrey, and AdamSandler have all been explicitly compared to Lewis.
* The plot points don't match up exactly, but 1999 Best Picture Academy Award winner ''AmericanBeauty'' feels uncannily like a DarkerAndEdgier retelling of the 1955 Creator/BillyWilder comedy ''TheSevenYearItch''. Both feature as their protagonists disillusioned, frustrated middle-aged men, [[HenpeckedHusband harassed by their wives]] and sick of their jobs, who develop a sexual fixation on a much younger woman (in the case of ''American Beauty'', ''[[{{Lolicon}} much]]'', [[{{Lolicon}} much younger]]); both men are prone to [[ImagineSpot Imagine Spots]], as well. What makes this theory tricky to refute is that one of the producers of ''American Beauty'', while accepting his award, actually acknowledged Wilder as an influence; ostensibly he was probably referring to the [[spoiler: "dead man" narration]] from Wilder's ''SunsetBoulevard'' that he recycled for his own film, but he just might have been thinking of ''The Seven Year Itch'' too.
** Debatable, as the wife in ''The Seven Year Itch'' isn't portrayed as much of a harasser.
* ''Black Sheep'' can be considered the spiritual successor of ''Tommy Boy'', both starring Chris Farley and David Spade with very similar characteristics and antics.
* The indie film ''Meek's Cutoff'' is an accidental [[TheMovie film adaptation]] of the ''OregonTrail'' series.
* ''StrangeDays'' is essentially an unofficial sequel to ''{{Brainstorm}}''.
* The 1980 musical film ''{{Xanadu}}'' is a spiritual successor to the 1944 movie ''Cover Girl''. In Xanadu Gene Kelly 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. Rita Hayworth's role in the older film doesn't really suggest any connectios 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.
* ''BedknobsAndBroomsticks'' is Disney's spiritual successor to their adaptation of ''Film/MaryPoppins'', right down to sharing a lead actor (David Tomlinson).
* ''StreetsOfFire'' to ''Film/TheWarriors''. Both are directed by WalterHill, and while there's no other link between them, they definitely seem like they could take place in the same universe.
* ''ComingToAmerica'' is a spiritual successor to ''TradingPlaces''. Both films were made by JohnLandis, feature EddieMurphy, and both deal with [[SlidingScaleOfShinyVersusGritty issues of wealth and poverty]]. ''Coming to America'' even includes a cameo by [[spoiler:Don Ameche and Ralph Bellamy as the still-poor Duke Brothers.]]
* According to director DannyBoyle there's a sly connection between ShallowGrave and Literature/{{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''.
* ''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 ''LiloAndStitch'', sharing the same director. Toothless the dragon is even partly based on Stitch.
* ''{{Looper}}'' is basically a remake of the 1994 sci-fi film ''{{Timecop}}'', but with the camp replaced with being as ultra-stylish as possible.
* 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 ''TheBadSeed''.
* TheRoad can be seen as an unintentional spiritual successor to 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 TheRoad is debatable, given the apocalyptic setting)]].
* TheGreenMile is a great film on its own, but it's also an interesting spiritual successor to 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.
* 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 RonHoward and Brian Grazer, with TomHanks onboard, only in the capacity of narrator (except in the last episode).