The Full Monty: other 1997 movies that deserve a TV show sequel - from The Fifth Element to Good Will Hunting

The Full Monty series joins the 1997 film on Disney+ on Wednesday 14 June - the series sees all of the main cast return as well as new stars who were not even born when the movie first came out.

The eight-part series is a nostalgic but entirely modern project that will capture a new generation of fans as well as those who grew up with the hit comedy film.

But The Full Monty was hardly the only hit film in 1997, there are plenty more that are now classics but have been left to gather dust, with no sequels or spin-offs in the works. So we have gone back 26 years to look at other films released in the same year as The Full Monty that are deserving of a TV series sequel.

Good Will Hunting

Will Hunting, a genius in mathematics, solves all the difficult mathematical problems. When he faces an emotional crisis, he takes help from psychiatrist Dr Sean Maguireto, who helps him recover. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have collaborated on plenty of iconic films since the release of Good Will Hunting so it’s not hard to imagine them reuniting for a series catching up with Will more than a quarter of a century after he left South Boston and headed to California. Will and his love interest Skylar could be living happily ever after, or she may just be a fond memory from his youth.

With Robin William’s passing in 2014, a sequel could not feature the loveable psychologist. Instead, we could see Will coming to terms with the death of his dear friend and mentor. Perhaps the pair had stayed in touch since his leaving - and what of his best friend Chuckie? It’s unlikely that he followed Will to California, but bringing them together again would be a must for any sequel project. 

The Fifth Element

After cab driver Dallas and supreme being LeeLoo prevented the Great Evil from destroying the Earth in the 23rd century, they celebrated by making love as the credits began to roll. It’s well past time we caught up with LeeLoo - as Bruce Willis retired from acting following his dementia diagnosis a follow-up series would have to be a solo operation.

Gary Oldman’s Zorg was killed in the first movie, so we’d need a new menace to threaten the Earth. Imagine some Thanos-type villain, a vengeful space alien who has come to complete Zorg’s evil plan. A return of Chris Tucker as radio personality Ruby Rhod would also be a crucial ingredient for the reboot.

The Game

Nicholas Van Orton, a merchant banker, receives a strange birthday gift, a voucher for a game, from his brother Conrad. When he actually makes use of the present, he finds himself in trouble. The thriller of the year when it came out, The Game still holds up as a tense reality bending flick. The movie starred Michael Douglas as a banker who is given a strange gift by his brother, played by Sean Penn. He finds himself pulled into a terrible conspiracy which could cost him his life.

Spoiler alert for those who haven’t yet seen the film - it was all an elaborate game. With the main twist of the film now out, a series following it up would have a considerably different tone. This time the audience would be in on the game from the outset, and a new unsuspecting character would be caught in the psychological drama of it all. You could cast a David Tennant type as the victim and watch as over several episodes they lose their grip on reality as they become lost in the game. 

Liar Liar

Jim Carrey was at the height of his career when he took on the role of Fletcher Reed, a lawyer and pathological liar whose career takes a turn when he finds himself unable to tell a lie for an entire day. By the film’s end, Fletcher has learned the value of honesty and has become a more caring father to his son Max.

A new series based on film could see Fletcher as a supporting character, whilst his son, now in his 30s, and a grandson or granddaughter take centre stage. Max’s child would make a wish of their own, as no parent is perfect, and Max can seek his father’s advice on how to deal with wish-based enchantments. Like Wim Snape, who plays Nathan in The Full Monty, Max actor Justin Cooper hasn’t appeared in a screen role since he was a child. It would be exciting to bring him back for a sequel, especially as, now 34, he is the same age as Carrey was when he starred in the film.  

George of the Jungle

The Brendan Fraser adventure comedy and Tarzan spoof sees a baby who survives a plane crash in the jungle raised by a wise gorilla, who, as an adult, falls in love with a wealthy American woman. We’ll skip over the 2003 sequel, which is best forgotten about anyway, and retcon it with a six-part series. 

Brendan Fraser swung back into the acting game last year with a much vaunted role in The Whale. He may consider this a step down, but as it’s highly hypothetical let’s imagine that he reprises the role of George. It could make for a nostalgic episodic adventure series where an older and more worldly George returns to his jungle home to help protect the gorillas who raised him from the threat of deforestation and climate change. A fun, camp series with an important message!