Will Alice Through The Looking Glass 2 Continue The Original Story?

After reading both the books and watching the movie adaptations, I tend to separate the 'original story' (Carroll's books) from the film continuity. The 2016 movie 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' was already its own beast, borrowing names, motifs, and some scenes from 'Through the Looking-Glass' while inventing much of its plot and motivations. So a hypothetical sequel would most likely follow the film's invented continuity rather than pick up where Carroll left off — because the filmmakers have shown they prefer building their own arcs for Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the Red Queen. Practically speaking, studios usually weigh audience demand, actor availability, and brand direction; expect a new installment to either continue the cinematic storyline or reboot the premise entirely, rather than neatly continuing the Victorian narrative. If they wanted to honor Carroll, they'd probably adapt lesser-known chapters or tilt toward the books' parable-like strangeness, but I'd bet on another original story inspired by Carroll rather than a faithful continuation of his novels.

I still get a little giddy thinking about the weirdness of old Carroll and the big, kooky movie versions — so here's how I see it. If by "original story" you mean Lewis Carroll's books, a true continuation would be odd: Carroll gave us 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and then 'Through the Looking-Glass', and those are complete in their own dream-logic way. The 2010/2016 film pair already took huge liberties, using the books more as a springboard than a script to follow. So if another film billed as 'Alice Through the Looking Glass 2' ever showed up, I wouldn't expect it to slavishly continue Carroll's narrative.

From a practical, behind-the-scenes angle, sequels are driven by studios, cast availability, and whether the creative team wants to keep rewriting Wonderland to suit a new tone. The previous films swapped directors, leaned into spectacle, and reshaped character arcs to fit a modern franchise model — which means any new installment would probably keep characters we recognize but invent new conflicts, villains, or emotional beats rather than retelling Carroll. I'd love to see a sequel that leans more on the surreal, literary roots — less CGI parade, more weird poetry — but I'm realistic: commercial pressures usually win. Still, a creative team with patience could make something that feels true to the spirit, if not the letter, of the originals; that possibility keeps me hopeful.

Short take: I'm skeptical that a sequel would continue Carroll's literal 'original' story in full. In my experience watching adaptations, filmmakers usually extract themes, characters, and images from 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking-Glass' and then craft something new to suit contemporary audiences. If a new 'Alice' film appears, I expect it to extend the movie continuity — new personal stakes for Alice, maybe a deeper dive into the Mad Hatter's backstory or another surreal conceit about time and identity — rather than pick up a Victorian narrative thread and carry it forward exactly. That said, a clever writer could honor Carroll's tone and make something that feels both original and true, which is the version I'd be most excited to see.

I still get excited imagining what could come next, and I often play director-in-my-head: would a sequel continue the 'original story'? It depends on which original you mean. If you're asking whether a new film would pick up the Victorian book plotlines, probably not — cinematic adaptations historically remix, compress, and expand Carroll's episodes into new character arcs. In the film universe set up by 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass', a second sequel would most likely keep the world and emotional stakes already established, and then push Alice into fresh conflicts that fit modern storytelling (identity, time, memory, that sort of thing).

On the flipside, if the creative team wanted to please hardcore readers, they could mine smaller episodes from 'Through the Looking-Glass' or even Carroll's poems and turn them into surreal vignettes with an overarching emotional thread. Practically, casting and real-world baggage — like major actors' controversies or shifts in studio strategy — would steer whether the story leans faithful or fantastical. My personal hope? A sequel that respects the book's sensibility — playful logic and melancholy undercurrent — while daring to be weird again. I'm still waiting for someone to make Wonderland feel genuinely unsettling rather than just glossy.