A Sequel???

Yes, screenwriters Comden and Green initially saw It's Always Fair Weather as a sequel to On The Town and intended it for the stage (where On The Town also began). When Gene Kelly saw what they were working on, he decided it should be his next film.

The creative team was also interested in having the same characters and actors in the new project, but MGM executives objected, for various reasons, to the idea of casting Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin. This is why Fair Weather evolved into the story of three soldiers rather than three sailors.