Cannon once made two Chuck Norris movies back-to-back and released the sequel first

One of Chuck Norris’ most successful movies ever was 1984’s Missing in Action. While it may have been overtaken by some of his other movies in terms of cult status (Lone Wolf McQuade topped our poll last week by a wide margin), among the late martial arts actor’s fans, many consider it one of his best. It was a major hit for Norris, paving the way for a long-standing contract with Cannon Pictures, grossing $22.2 million—with it being one of his biggest hits.

In it, Chuck Norris plays Colonel James Braddock, a former Vietnam POW who returns to the jungle in order to rescue Missing in Action POWs.

A Sequel Released Before the Original?

While a major hit, it’s unique in that it’s one of the only times in history that I can think of where a sequel was released before the movie it was supposed to follow.

Confused?

Let me explain.

How Cannon Reversed the Release Order

In 1984, Cannon greenlit two Chuck Norris movies where he’d play Colonel Braddock. The first would depict his time in Vietnam as a POW, climaxing in his escape, while the sequel would follow his exploits as he returned to Nam to rescue more MIA soldiers.

The first movie was to be shot by Lance Hool, while the sequel went to Joseph Zito, who, at the time, was most known for directing slashers like The Prowler and Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. According to Missing in Action’s writer, James Bruner, who is quoted in the excellent Cannon Movie Guide Vol. 1 (order that here), it was due to the fact that Cannon, at the time, had a first-look deal with Warner Bros. (who released the Cannon titles Cobra, Over the Top and Masters of the Universe), and the studio passed on the Lance Hool-shot Missing in Action. “Cannon wanted to get into distributing their own films, and they looked at Joe Zito’s Missing in Action and thought, ‘We’re going to put this out ourselves.’”

Turning a Sequel Into the First Film

As such, Zito’s Missing in Action 2 was renamed Missing in Action, while Hool’s film was made into a “prequel” (at the time, such a thing was rare) called Missing in Action 2: The Beginning. They came out only three months apart, but as expected, Missing in Action was a blockbuster, while the sequel/prequel only made about half as much money. As Bruner explains, “Warner Bros. was upset later because they’d never shown them the Joe Zito movie. They would have taken that and it would have been a different story. It came out and it was #1.”

The Series Ended on a Low Note

Sadly, the Missing in Action series would end with a whimper when Braddock: Missing in Action 3 came out in the midst of Cannon’s financial struggles (after a slew of big-budget movies tanked in 1987) and only made $7 million, ending the series on a low note.

Your Turn

Can you think of any other times when a sequel was released first? Let us know in the comments.

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