WITH THE EXORCIST GETTING A TRILOGY OF SEQUELS, COULD JAWS POSSESS THE SAME TACTICS?

It's just been announced that three sequels to The Exorcist are set to hit the big screen, with the return of Ellen Burstyn's character from the William Friedkin original.

So, this is more a direct sequel than anything like a reboot. If that tact sounds familiar, then you'd be absolutely right as it is pretty much what happened with Halloween 2018.

That film retained Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and everything else from director John Carpenter's 1978 classic, but did away with everything else - so no more Laurie and Michael being brother and sister.

It's perhaps no surprise then that the same creative forces are involved, Blumhouse and Halloween 2018's guiding light, David Gordon Green.

The Power Of Jaws Compels You!

So, the power of Christ compels us to ask, could a latter day follow up to Jaws work in a similar way?

Prior to Jaws, the most successful film of all time at the US box office was The Exorcist: Jaws: Horror Box Office King

Released in 1973, it was a box office smash and did for the devil what Jaws did for the deep blue sea two years later.

Like Jaws, The Exorcist was based on a best-selling novel, and the films are both classics of their genre to this day.

They also both had a mixed bag of sequels and follow ups, with The Exorcist II: The Heretic considered by many to be one of the most risible sequels ever.

Exorcist III, directed by the original's author William Peter Blatty, is now regarded as something of a classic, but wasn't well received in 1990. Two prequels - one from Taxi Driver's Paul Schrader - and the other from Renny Harlin - did nothing for the series at the turn of the 21st century.

We then had two seasons of The Exorcist the TV series. All of which sound like they will be ignored with the return of Burstyn's character, who played Regan's mum.

So, if Jaws were to make a return with a direct follow up to the original Steven Spielberg film, which character would pass the torch from the classic to a new direct sequel?

The Daily Jaws looks at the characters who could potentially make a return in a Jaws sequel.

Matt Hooper

Quint died in the original film, with Robert Shaw passing away just three years after Jaws was released, in 1978.

Chief Brody died of a heart attack off screen prior to Jaws the Revenge, with actor Roy Scheider dying in 2010.

So, the only main cast member still alive is Richard Dreyfuss. Hooper made an unheard cameo on the phone in Jaws 2 (where Ellen Brody seemed to forget who he was) and he was set to deliver a similar um, phoned in performance after the death of Sean Brody in Jaws the Revenge. Although that didn't happen.

Several years ago a fan-made Jaws Beneath trailer was created, which saw the return of Matt Hooper, and incorporated several clips from Richard Dreyfuss films, such as the Piranha remake.

The return of the oceanographer would make perfect sense, especially with our changing attitudes to sharks.

Ellen Brody

After going all Ellen Ripley in Jaws the Revenge, Lorraine Gary hasn't been back on our screens. It's unlikely her character - who has featured in three Jaws films in total - would make a return. Still, it would be nice to see her make a cameo in any future Jaws project, were it to happen, even if were just to pass on the baton - or should that be Pipit's stick?

Mike Brody

Although he has been played by a different actor in each instalment, Mike Brody has been a mainstay of the Jaws series. After Roy Scheider declined to return to the films - deciding to take flight in Blue Thunder instead - it was Mike who stepped up to be the hero and main focus of Jaws 3D and Jaws the Revenge.

We'd be up for seeing his return to the Jaws fold, especially as he had practically become Matt Hooper in Jaws the Revenge. He was also featured in the video game, Jaws Unleashed.

Deputy Hendricks

Jeffrey Kramer played everyone's favourite deputy in both Jaws and Jaws 2, and that was the last we saw of him in the Jaws franchise (although he is clearly referenced in Jaws the Revenge).

However, Hendricks didn't hang up his hat as he has continued his adventures, albeit in comic book form, where he continued solving crimes in Amity, before moving on to Perfection, the home of Tremors.

That excellent series is by Matt Stapleton, which you can find more about here: Jawsome 'Amity' Comic Needs Your Support.

Lewis took centre stage after Inspector Morse, so why not.

Larry Vaughn Jr

We know he was on the beach, that fateful day in Amity - and features in Jaws 2 - so who is to say that the son of the original Mayor Vaughn wouldn't follow in his father's footsteps in to office? That's certainly the route that Jaws Unleashed the video game took.

Or if anyone wanted to directly continue after Jaws the Revenge, now there's a sentence you don't read every day, how about these options?

Thea Brody

The daughter of Mike Brody had her first encounter with a great white whilst she sat on the back of a banana boat, you could say that it was a close call encounter not unlike her father's.

In any Jaws follow up, one would presume that Thea would now be grown up and she could very well be the central focus of any Jaws series continuation.

Personally, I like to imagine that Blake Lively's character in The Shallows is an older Thea, the 2006 shark thriller would have worked perfectly well as a Jaws universe follow up.

Hoagie

As Michael Caine hasn't seen Jaws the Revenge (insert, you should see the nice house it bought comment here) we can't see him returning to the Jaws series with his plane load of nuns.

By Dean Newman

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