Fifty-five years after the publication of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” Harper Lee has announced that she will be releasing a sequel to her Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Nostalgic millennials and non-millennials rejoiced. Lee, however, is not the first to spark the sequel suspense that has dominated modern culture. With reboots like “Maleficent,” the “Veronica Mars” film and post-“Deathly Hallows” publications, our generation has proven that if we ask for more, we shall receive.

Despite what some might assume about the reasoning for these sequels and continued story-lines, sequels today are more about keeping these stories relevant than reliving nostalgic fantasies. For millennials, sequels represent our love for classic stories retold through modern interests.

While everyone probably loved to watch the animated “Beauty and the Beast” as children, Disney’s live-action with Emma Watson appeals to a different generation. Live-action movies target millennial audiences through the re-animation of stories we grew up with while maintaining cultural relevance through notable cast members like Watson.

Despite some people’s belief that the original is always better than the sequel, it is important to recognize that sequels do not exist for lack of originality but rather to keep stories fresh through time.

More than anything, millennials should realize there is an art in asking, and we are changing the way sequels are produced.

Devoted fans have allowed for shows to run longer than their usual course, like “My Mad Fat Diary” a drama on the British channel E4, is based off a memoir “My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary.” The show was originally meant to last two seasons. Due to the eagerness of fans, MMFD execs announced: “My Mad Fat Diary has touched the hearts of the E4 audience and it is with both sadness and pride that we announce filming on the third and final series.”

The audiences who eagerly await sequels should recognize that a sequel’s job is not to mirror the original perfectly. Millennials should recognize that although sequels keep these stories alive, they will never be the original. But these same adaptations make for more interesting stories.

The sequel of “To Kill a Mockingbird” should not be held to the same standard as the first because they should be recognized as two separate works. Even though this story was written before the original, there is no saying how different these books will be.

This is not to say that we should not demand quality publications and productions — because we should — but rather we should acknowledge that we cannot re-create what has been written, only retell it.

Laritza Salazar is a sophomore newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at lcsalaza@syr.edu.

Published on February 10, 2015 at 12:15 am