What Is a Prequel? 3 Examples of Prequels in Film

A prequel is a narrative work released after an existing story but consisting of events that take place before the original story. Prequels differ from sequels, which are set after an original story and proceed in chronological order. Prequels are a common device used in Hollywood films to expand a story world and reboot popular characters.

Prequels take on a wide variety of styles, but they build out stories in a few distinct ways.

1. 1. Build backstory: Storytellers use prequels to develop pre-existing storylines and lead up to the events of an original work.
2. 2. Expand world-building: Movie studios use prequels to bolster the setting of previous work. For example, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (2012) built out the universe of Alien (1979) with a new cast of characters.
3. 3. Develop character origins: Whether hero or villain, prequels often focus on the origin story of a character from existing, original work. For example, Craig Gillespie’s Cruella (2021) is a live-action prequel that tells the origin story of Cruella De Vil, the villain in Disney’s 1961 animated comedy, One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

To learn more about how storytellers use this device, explore these examples of prequels.

1. 1. Star Wars: George Lucas created the Star Wars prequel series to explore the origin story of how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader prior to the original films. This trilogy includes Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005).
2. 2. The Hobbit: Though the original book was written before The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit movie prequel trilogy (2012–2014) expands the worldbuilding and follows several of the main characters from the The Lord of the Rings movies (2001–2003), including the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and the wizard Gandalf.
3. 3. Indiana Jones: Following the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Steven Spielberg released Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) as a prequel to the first film.

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