# 20 Years On, These 2006 Films Still Beg for Sequels
Two decades have passed since 2006 delivered some of cinema's most durable properties, yet Hollywood has largely ignored the sequel potential embedded in that year's standout films. Collider identifies ten movies from that banner year that deserve continuation, headlined by Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning The Departed, which concluded with explosive finality but left room for institutional storytelling around Boston's criminal underworld.
The list spotlights Mike Judge's Idiocracy, the cult-beloved dystopian comedy that predicted social decline with prescient accuracy. The film's satirical edge only sharpens with age, making a sequel that explores how far civilization has actually descended a tantalizing prospect. Judge's darkly comedic vision feels more relevant now than it did in 2006.
Other notable inclusions presumably touch on the year's genre diversity. 2006 delivered Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which became a franchise juggernaut, proving the commercial appetite for sequels from that era. Yet the list likely encompasses films beyond what the studios greenlit for extended universes. Hidden gems and mid-budget successes often possess rich narrative terrain that remains unexplored.
The timing of this list reflects broader industry conversation about legacy IP and untapped source material. Studios currently chase sequels, remakes, and established franchises with obsessive focus, yet they frequently overlook the most artistically rich possibilities from cinema's past. A Scorsese-directed follow-up to The Departed would command immediate attention from prestige audiences. A Judge-helmed Idiocracy sequel could function as social commentary while delivering genre entertainment.
The 2006 vintage represents a sweet spot in Hollywood production. These films balanced artistic ambition with commercial viability in ways today's franchise