Licence to sequel

1. SCREAM

2. LEGALLY BLONDE 3

‘WHOEVER said orange is the new pink was seriously disturbed’. More than 20 years on, Elle Woods’ most famous philosophies still ring true. Now Reese Witherspoon is set to bend and snap back into the role of everyone’s favourite ‘Gemini vegetarian’ this May. The 45-year-old first solidified her stardom as the sorority queen turned Harvard law graduate back in 2001, with the box office smash sparking a 2003 sequel, 2007 musical and 2009 direct-to-DVD movie. With a screenplay by Mindy Kaling, there will be no ‘objection!’ to this long-awaited third installment, which also teases the return of original stars Luke Wilson, Jennifer Coolidge and Selma Blair.

3. MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU

GUESS Gru’s back? Otherwise known as Minions 2, this sequel to the 2015 computer-animated romp rewinds to the 1970s to chart a certain 12-year-old’s dream to become the world’s greatest supervillain. Despicable Me star Steve Carell is joined in the voice-over booth by Taraji P Henson, Russell Brand and, in an inspired bit of casting, Jean-Claude Van Damme as a giant lobster baddie called Jean Clawed. But, let’s face it, it’s Felonious Gru’s banana-loving sidekicks that will once more be the real draw this July.

4. AVATAR 2

AFTER more than a decade, what’s another 12 months to wait to return to Pandora? The long-delayed sequel to James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster — first mooted for 2015 — is due to hit big screens at last this December, kick-starting a string of sequels every other year until Avatar 5 in 2028. With a combined budget reportedly topping $1bn, it takes a lot of green to create so much blue, most notably including Kate Winslet’s first project with the director since Titanic as tribe leader, Ronal.

5. HOCUS POCUS 2

AND Just Like That… the Sanderson sisters are back. Sarah Jessica Parker’s revival continues as the Sex and the City star reprises her second most famous role as one of the bewitching trio, alongside Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy. The long-overdue follow-up to the 1993 Disney classic sees three high school students accidentally bring the child-hungry witches back to modern-day Salem. So expect Winifred, Sarah and Mary to get up to their usual double, double toil and trouble when it drops on Disney+ this October.