Movie futures, and a bit of trivia

The Guardian offers an article previewing the summer blockbusters, including Sin City even though it has already opened here in the states. Doesn't sound too promising.

One item caught my attention, however. In the write-up for Revenge of the Sith, the author asserts that "this is surely the first film in history that has been designed to bridge two others." Since the word "surely," to my ears, sounds like "please pay attention for a claim that may be entirely false," I began trying to think of a predecessor.

The only thing that has leaped immediately to mind is Alien v Predator. It's obviously a prequel to the Alien movies, but also appears to be a sequel to the Predator films, if we are to believe that the Predator movies are roughly contemporaneous with their releases. If nothing else, the technology of AvP seems to set it after the first Predator. I seem to recall something happening in AvP confirming that it took place after the other Predator movies, but I can't remember what now.

That said, I'm not sure AvP really accomplishes the role described in the article. Several things about the Alien franchise are elaborated upon in the new movie, but again, I can't think of any way in which AvP continues the stories of the Predator movies. So, it doesn't exactly "bridge" the two series.

If I think of a more fitting precursor, I'll update. Any suggestions?