Why Sandra Bullock Is Reversing Her Long-Held 'No Sequels' Rule

Sandra Bullock looking attentively
(Image credit: Paramount Pictures)

It’s not a huge surprise that Miss Congeniality’s Sandra Bullock formerly said she wanted no more part in sequels. After all, a sequel can go either way and the movie is bigger and better than the previous film or it can completely tank. Unfortunately, Sandra Bullock had two different sequel films that did not do well financially or critically: Speed 2 and Miss Congeniality 2. While at the SXSW Film Festival premiere of her show-stealing role in The Lost City, Sandra Bullock revealed that she is willing to be more open to appearing in sequels.

According to Variety, the Academy Award-winning actress explained that at the time she did sequels, she was in no position to have a say in the roles she wanted. At her age and with many memorable movies under her belt, Sandra Bullock believes that she now can freely choose what roles she wants to tackle without any remorse. 

I had a ‘no sequel’ rule when I didn’t have the benefit of fighting for what I really wanted. I feel like, in my old age, I’m learning to fight for the things that I think would be best on screen — and I don’t care who comes away from the meeting angry.

In fact, Sandra Bullock thanked her producing partner of The Lost City, Liza Chasin, for her change in sequel belief as she would love to work with her again. Bullock felt like they worked as a great team together as they are both working women who take what they do seriously. 

To note, one of Bullock’s sequels that failed on a big budget was Speed 2. With the predecessor film making $30 million at the box office, this sequel had a budget five times more than that at $110-160 million. Speed 2 hit records for being one of the worst movies of all time as well as one of the biggest box office bombs, with 20th Century Fox reportedly losing $40-70 million. Another failed sequel of Sandra Bullock’s was Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. In that case, the movie stands at 15% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Following those two sequels, Sandra Bullock had said “no” to opportunities in the past such as shooting down The Heat 2. It's a shame because it would have been a breath of fresh air to see Bullock and Melissa McCarthy back for action and laughs again. However, this actress has expressed a desire to do a sequel for The Lost City if screenwriter Dana Fox came back again. So all hope for future sequels is not lost. Now, I feel like we just need to figure out how to bring her back for a Heat sequel too. 

If you want to know when you can see The Lost City, keep tabs on the 2022 new movie releases as well as movies upcoming on Netflix to see Sandra Bullock’s latest flicks there. 

Carly Levy
Entertainment Writer

Just your average South Floridian cinephile who believes the pen is mightier than the sword.