SEQUEL - EXPLORERS 2: The Next Journey???

Brilliant idea!

I like the idea you've offered but it creates a major problem...it's not a kids movie anymore. Its a movie for those who've seen the first and want to follow the continuing adventures. For younger kids, it might lose appeal that way. I think that having the original cast (with Wolfgang being played by some similar adult lookalike) is great still yet and even their lots in life.

But where I'd part is that Ethan's character is a single father and loves to tell stories to his son. He'd be the author you described because he didn't quite make it in astronauts training due to his continued daydreaming in class. As the movie opens Ben and his son are moving into a new house back in the old town. They move in next door to a normal suburban family with a 12 year old, beautiful, yet tom-boyish girl who befriends Ben's son quickly.

Later that week, Ben, leaving his publisher's office late at night swerves off the road to dodge something scurrying across the road. he makes it out OK but the car ends up in the river. He walks the rest of the way home and figures he'll deal with it in the morning.

At the same time at NASA, Wolfgang is hard at work trying to crack a formula that will allow his new top secret engine design to jump to hyper (warp) drive. He's been working on this problem for 2 years and is on the verge of breaking through when his latest test (out of hundreds it would appear from his expression) fails yet again. He decides that its time to take a much needed vacation for a few days in hopes that his "writers block" will lift and he'll be able to finally crack the code.

Darren's life is basically as you stated although at this point his little shop isn't getting much business these days due to larger companies moving into the area undercutting him. He decides to expand his business in a last ditch effort to make it before throwing in the towel. He figures the town could always use a towing company since there's very few in the town and this could seque his customers into other parts of his business. We see him sitting at home ratcheting a part on an old chopper he's restoring for himself and he stops for a moment, looks up at the clear night sky and says "What a waste" and throws the ratchet down. He goes into his humble home, grabs a beer and sits down at the table to a pile of bills. He opens his checkbook and sees that his funds are not making ends meet. He sighs and says "There's got to be a better way" and heads off to bed.

I kind of like where you put Lori at this point in her life so I'll leave that alone. Let's just say at the end of her day of work she realizes that things in her life aren't going the way she'd planned at her career is so lackluster that she begins to wonder why she even bothers working for the slave-driving boss she has anymore.

That night, Ben Jr. (for lack of a better name), the tom-boy neighbor and another kid we've yet to learn who he is all dream about a much more advanced circuit board though none of them are aware that there are others dreaming the same dream.

The next morning, Ben Sr. wakes up and gets out the old yellow pages to find someone to fish out his car. While he's calling around the area searching for prices, Ben Jr. comes down and tries to get dad's attention to tell him about the extraordinary dream he had. Ben Sr. more concerned at the present moment with tending to his water bound car ignores him and eventually tells Jr. to run along and play with the neighbor's girl. Ben runs across another business and calls the number. The man on the other end answers
"Darren's."
"Yeah, how much for a tow?"
"that depends on what your towing and where."
"My car is in the lake."
"What's your car doing in the lake?"
"Nevermind that. Can you do it?"
"Yeah, I guess. It's not really my thing but if you've got the money, I'll take care of it."
"Fine, fine. Meet me there at 10am."
"OK. What's your name?"
"Ben."
"OK Ben, see you there."

I could write more, but perhaps this is more than enough at present to give an idea of how I'd take the backstory. I'll let someone else take a shoet. Anyone else have any ideas?

this is one of the worst ideas I've ever seen

I love this movie and I think it would be great
but there is one main problem that no one of you has considered
The actor that did Wolfgang is Rivier Phoenix and (very unfortunately)he died in 1993....of overdose
very sad

i think this film doesnt need a sequel, if anything they shouldve cut off the last part of the film about the ailens... maybe if he had created one back then it could have been good but now it wouldnt work at all

I do like some of the suggested remake plotlines, but I think a sequel would be better served as fanfiction than as an actual movie.

However, I think it would be well worth doing a remake updated for the 21st century. Instead of walkie-talkies, they have cell phones. Instead of the girl passing the Ben a note, she sends him a text message. Instead of a picture of her in his pocket, he has it on his phone. The junkyard dude has an ipod instead of walkman.

It would also have better special effects. And the aliens could be a lot more serious (still humorous, but not outright cheesy).

Otherwise, pretty much the same kind of plot. Perhaps Ethan Hawke can be the helicopter pilot who says "good for you".

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Smooth move, Ex-Lax