From Black Widow to Bond, 2020’s film landscape is gearing up to see an explosive return of familiar faces, and original stories to herald this new decade.
Tenet
Christopher Nolan’s trademark of combining the massive scale of a blockbuster and original, heady screenplays has made him Hollywood’s most bankable auteur filmmaker. The true strength of his prowess can always be observed in the excitement his films generate with only an ominously booming teaser trailer. Stars like John David Washington (son of Denzel) and future Batman Robert Pattinson deal with an increasingly fragile space-time continuum… or at least that’s what we can gather from the media available. Wherever the sure-to-be-trippy plot takes us, Christopher Nolan is one of the few directors in a blockbuster age whose name as director becomes the main draw for an audience.
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No Time to Die
With five films under his belt, Daniel Craig is ready to order his final martini and take care of the tab. Dubbed by many as the “Brutal Bond,” Craig’s iteration of media’s most famous spy launched the veteran franchise into the 21st century. Though his run features films that shook and stirred with varying degrees of quality, Daniel Craig proved that the license to kill for this franchise should continue to be renewed. No Time to Die is excitingly unique for several reasons; we will see Craig’s last Bond performance, the series’ first American director in True Detective helmer Cary Joji Fukunaga, and an increasingly active role for its female cast.
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Black Widow
Though 2019’s Avengers: Endgame may have seen Scarlett Johansson’s titular character sacrifice herself for the sake of the universe, the First Lady of Marvel will be seen this May for a solo prequel adventure. Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, audiences will see Natasha Romanoff return to Russia, desiring to clear the red stain from her mental and emotional ledger. To achieve this, the former Avenger must fight the horrors of the ominous Red Room program that bred exceptionally trained spies such as herself. Johansson has always played the icy cold agent with increasing vulnerability, and we can’t wait to dig into the psyche of the MCU’s greatest non-superpowered character.
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Dune
Beginning his career in pulse-pounding thrillers like Prisoners, Denis Villeneuve has skyrocketed to tackling philosophical sci-fi properties like Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. The French Canadian director continues his deep dive into the unknown with this year’s Dune. Once thought to be unfilmable, an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel was attempted in 1984 by David Lynch and was met with mixed to negative results. How will Villeneuve tackle this story of interplanetary feudal rivalries and the quest for a life extending drug? He begins with a stellar cast, including, but certainly not limited to, Oscar Isaac, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Dave Bautista. With this cast in hand, audiences should take note as they are sure to be expertly handled by one of cinema’s most unique and visual voices.
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Top Gun: Maverick
Fast. Ferocious. Durable. Describing Tom Cruise has never seemed more appropriate comparative to his return to one of his most famous roles. Almost 35 years after the original film, this sequel finds Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) taking to the skies once more to train the next generation of Top Gun graduates. Chief among them is the young Lt. Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of “Goose,” Maverick’s deceased best friend and former wing man. Old wounds are made fresh, sure to spew out enough testosterone to shake the entire theater. Directed by frequent Cruise collaborator Joseph Kosinski, it’s always a welcome sight to see cinema’s most enduring and able action star explore a character past his prime.
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Wonder Woman 1984
After an unhealthy dose of rotten green tomatoes, a new Batman, and a battle over a director’s cut, the future of the DC Expanded Universe seems to be in a flux; but its shining constant comes not from Krypton, but Themyscira. Gal Gadot reprises her breakout role as Wonder Woman in Patty Jenkin’s neon-laden sequel. While other films in the DCEU were focused on bombastic visual effects and tying together illogical plots, 2017’s film wove its story into the horrid trenches of World War I to examine mankind’s penchant for violence. In a brilliant visual departure, Jenkins has given Princess Diana a Stranger Things makeover. As the past catches up to the present, we can only hope that the Jenkins/Gadot duo continues to lead the way.
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A Quiet Place Part II
When John Krasinski co-wrote, directed, and starred in 2018’s A Quiet Place, he achieved a feat of showmanship that even prankster Jim Halpert would be astonished at. In a world where silence is survival, Krasinski extracted moving and emotive non-verbal performances from his reel/real wife Emily Blunt, and newcomers Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe. Focusing on one family’s struggle to find day-to-day peace, the team behind the film captured both the hope of tomorrow and perhaps the most harrowing scene featuring a bathtub in horror movie history. After the father’s valiant sacrifice and the aliens’ weaknesses were exposed at the end of the first film, the surviving family is on the move; and the horde of audio-sensitive creatures are in fast pursuit.
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Bios
Films such as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind garner more discussion and reverence than most major Oscar winners in any given year. Under the guiding eye of Amblin Entertainment (the Steven Spielberg founded company behind E.T.), producer Robert Zemeckis (director of Back to the Future), and star Tom Hanks (without a doubt America’s most wholesome actor), Bios is shaping up to be the next great sci-fi adventure. Set in the far future, Hanks plays Finch, the last man on Earth.
Desiring to explore the rest of the country, Finch builds an android to accompany him and his dog on their trek. As if all these elements weren’t exciting enough, the film is directed by Miguel Sapochnik. Not widely known by name, but he has directed some of Game of Thrones’ best episodes, most notably The Battle of the Bastards. With an October release date and all the right names behind it, Bios may very well be seeking Oscar gold as well.
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Eternals
The behemoth of films known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to go beyond the trappings of our primitive Earth. Where once the series’ most iconic action scene featured Tony Stark clunking and punching his way out of a cave, we most recently saw a truly awesome galactic showdown in Avengers: Endgame. Eternals continues this trend in the increasingly cosmic universe. Featuring characters of immense power and age, little is known about the plot of a film that is sure to feature the next great superhero team.
With a powerhouse cast that features Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, and Kit Harington, the beings known as Eternals have attempted to live a peaceful life on our planet for almost 7,000 years. Ancient enemies soon upend that tranquil life, and audiences will surely find great delight in witnessing these soon-to-be-iconic characters unleash their otherworldly strengths.
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The New Mutants
When the House of Mouse acquired 20th Century Fox, many questioned how the latter’s X-Men franchise was going to meld with Disney’s existing superhero properties. Dubbed the first superhero horror film, New Mutants was poised to take comic book movies into darker territory; a realm of dangerous powers and even more terrifying consequences. Before it even hits theaters, the film may have won its most difficult battle: being released at all. After Disney’s takeover of Fox, New Mutants was shifted in the release schedule time and time again.
Even young, bankable stars such as Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, and Charlie Heaton (from Split, Game of Thrones, and Stranger Things, respectively) couldn’t seem to give this film a firm footing. Everyone loves an underdog, and this film has finally found the light of day. We can only hope this twisted tale of extraordinary individuals trapped within the concrete walls of a secret laboratory was worth the wait.
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Mulan
In a continuation of its newest trend, Disney is ready to produce their newest live action remake of an animated film. But unlike Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King, director Niki Caro seems poised to change things for the better. The previously mentioned films have been nearly shot-for-shot remakes of their animated (and far more treasured) counterparts. Instead, Caro will dig deep into the ancient Chinese poem that the animated film was based on.
In Chinese folklore, Mulan is a truly mythic hero, who takes the burden of destiny and family duty upon her shoulders. You won’t find Eddie Murphy’s wisecracking Mushu here. Caro and a capable cast seem ready to give us an epic tale of war, vengeance, and the battle to embrace who you are inside. Just as Disney approached their original animated films with creativity and imagination, we can only hope their live action remakes continue with an approach of not repeating what has been done before.
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Ghostbusters: Afterlife
2016’s revival of the iconic supernatural franchise left much to be desired by audiences — even when led by some of the funniest comic performers working today. Jason Reitman, son of original director Ivan, seems to have embraced his destiny to herald the next installment of one of comedy’s most revered properties. Led by Paul Rudd and Finn Wolfhard (Mike from Stranger Things), Ghostbusters: Afterlife is ready to answer the call and reunite the original cast.
Decades after a massive marshmallow man marched through New York, a family relocates to a dusty, unkempt farm to escape an unspoken legacy. As erratic tremors begin to disrupt the sought-after peace, there is only one team fit to handle this job. With the passing of Egon Spengler actor Harold Ramis (who co-wrote the original film), it won’t be the full reunion audiences have wanted since 1989, but seeing Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and Ernie Hudson strap their proton packs back on will bring a smile to many, many faces.
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Fast & Furious 9
It is nearly mind-numbing to remember that the original Fast film was about street racers operating out of their family’s auto garage. Seven films later, audience’s eyes have been made witness to impossible bodily feats, a rewrite of the laws of physics, engines pushed past the point of mechanical capability… and audiences are loving it. Since turning the franchise into “Mission: Impossible meets Protein Powder,” with Fast 5, the series dealt with its narrative crossroads by screeching down the path of wonderful carelessness. Plausibility was thrown out the window in favor of what was simply fun, and the general public has been treated to higher stakes and wilder stunts in every subsequent film.
Fast 9 will distinguish itself by featuring the first return of any villain in cyber hacker Cypher (Charlize Theron) and the absence of Dwayne Johnson (occupied with his recent spin-off Hobbs and Shaw), though John Cena joins the cast to fill the void of The Rock’s sorely needed variety. Franchise writer and producer Chris Morgan once quipped that a tenth film might take place in outer space. We hope he’s not wrong.
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Sonic
Filmmaking is rarely a democracy. When we go to the theater, we see a film that has been crafted by hundreds of people, but all of whom work under department heads — who ultimately facilitate the vision of the director and studio behind it. When the first Sonic trailer debuted online, the tsunami of criticism over the CGI design of Sega’s blue hedgehog created unprecedented change. $5 million was spent to redesign the title character, giving Sonic (voiced by Parks and Recreation’s Ben Schwartz) a far more faithful and aesthetically pleasing visage.
Pursued by the nefarious Dr. Robotnik (a robust comedic return to form for Jim Carrey), super-speedster Sonic must outwit and outrun both his enemies and the critics to justify the film’s ironically slow march to get one of gaming’s most treasured characters the live-action treatment. Was the cry of the internet enough?
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Jungle Cruise
Who would have imagined that Disney considered 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl a risk? At the time, creating a swashbuckling fantasy based on a relaxing water way attraction seemed a lofty prospect. Yet, here we are today, five films and $4.5 billion later. Disney is ready to replicate their formula and strike gold once again with Jungle Cruise. Mega star Dwayne Johnson and the always delightful Emily Blunt captain this journey into the unknown.
Searching for the fabled Tree of Life, Johnson and Blunt are sure to put their well-tested action chops to good use as they fend off a rival expedition, monstrous animals, and the jungle itself. Based on the trailer, the writers seem to have embraced the pun-laden, inherent silliness of the ride, peppering in plenty of minute details for the most dedicated of theme park lovers.
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Bill and Ted Face the Music
While Neo and John Wick will face each other on the same release date in 2021, we must consider us mere mortals fortunate that the glory that is Keanu Reeves is able to grace the silver screen this year in Bill and Ted Face the Music. As is popular in many sequels from the past several years (and a trend that shows no signs of slowing down), this film picks up decades from the original duology in an attempt to find these two time-travelling adventurers as mature adults; or more accurately, as adults that should be mature.
Tasked by a fellow traveler of the space-time continuum to write a song that will save the world, the duo encounters the universe’s most famous musicians, old and new. The return of these slackers is sure to bring laughs and cheers in equal measure, especially thanks to the near worship level of fame that Reeves has achieved in recent years.
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Halloween Kills
In 1978, director John Carpenter unleashed horror’s greatest monster since Norman Bates: Michael Myers. Driven by only a desire to kill, Michael roams the streets of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night to feed his insatiable appetite (babysitters are typically the main course). After a series of increasingly disappointing sequels, the killer was thought to have hung up his iconic white mask. But in 2018, co-writer Danny McBride (the uproarious, drunken party animal from This Is the End) of all people allowed Michael Myers to rediscover his purpose by ignoring all the films (save the original) that came before it.
Along with director David Gordon Green, the franchise returned to its frightening roots in a poignant exploration of the post-traumatic stress Laurie Strode (original scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis) has endured decades later. At the end of the film, Laurie, her daughter, and granddaughter seem to have defeated the boogeyman… or so they thought. Halloween Kills once again proves you cannot stop evil. The Devil is back, and he’s on a hunt that is sure to explore how the next generation of Strode women have been tormented by Michael’s emotionless and merciless deeds.
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The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
In the dead of night, as the pale glow of the moon creeps through your window, the back of your neck tingles just enough to leave you with a terrifying decision: ignore the threat breathing down your spine, or perhaps even worse, stare it in the face. Moments like that are why producer-director James Wan has kept audiences questioning every dark corner in their home since he has launched films such as Annabelle, The Nun, and the original Conjuring.
Framed as another entry in the deeply disturbing paranormal investigations of real-life couple Ed and Lorraine Warren, their marriage must face another trial by fire in the form of demonic possession. Based on true events, the murderer of a young boy claims the influence of supernatural forces as his defense. As the Warrens investigate this shocking mystery, audiences are sure to be treated to the factor that has truly elevated this franchise: its examination of the love story between Ed and Lorraine. Many horror films end with a revelation that the killer is still alive, but the greatest twist of all was when The Conjuring 2’s ending scene had the Warrens embracing, swaying lovingly to Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love.
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The Gentlemen
Soonest to be released on this list is Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen. Before he turned the Genie into Will Smith and before he turned Sherlock Holmes into a kung-fu master, Guy Ritchie was the king of crafting fast talking, gut punching, rock and rolling British gangster films. You could smell the salt of the docks, the beer that stained the pub, and the sulfur from a fresh bullet casing hitting the ground. Anchored by a ridiculously talented cast (Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant) that all effortlessly ooze charisma, the honor among thieves seems to be wonderfully chaotic in a story that sees a criminal empire at stake, and an uproarious gang war threatening to hit the streets of London.
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Birds of Prey
When Suicide Squad was announced by Warner Brothers, many scratched their heads at the nearly unknown band of comic book anti-heroes. They applauded however, near universally, at the casting of Oscar nominee Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn — the Joker’s equally deranged paramour. This pseudo-sequel sees the former psychiatrist shaking off the shackles of the Joker and finding purpose in her liberation.
With a newfound fervor to clean up Gotham of those that would oppress, Harley finds herself assembling a dream team of female vigilantes to take down Roman Sionis aka Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). With a trailer that whams, pows, and kabooms with action, color, and laughs, Birds of Prey can hopefully deliver on giving an actress as talented as Margot Robbie the iteration of Harley Quinn that she more than deserves.
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The Invisible Man
2017 saw one of Universal Studios’ worst missteps: taking the iconic movie monsters of the 1930s and 40s and preparing them for an Avengers-style film to save the world. The ambitious idea of the Dark Universe took its first and final breath in Tom Cruise’s The Mummy and was thought to have turned to dust. From the ashes has risen The Invisible Man, a new adaptation crafted by the minds of Blumhouse — the studio behind Get Out, Sinister, and Happy Death Day.
Liberated from any connection to the Dark Universe, this film will see Elizabeth Moss’ (Mad Men, The Handmaid’s Tale) character struggle with paranoia and the specter of her presumed dead husband. Believing her abusive spouse to be still alive, Cecilia Kass (Moss) battles her unseen tormentor, and the frightening prospect that her own mind is playing these tricks on her.
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Gretel and Hansel
Horror films have reached a level of prowess in the last decade that hasn’t been scene since the auteur and often times avant-garde approach in the 1970s and early 80s. Films like Get Out, The Witch, and Us have moved the genre away from the dark age of simple slashers attacking teens in various states of undress. Gretel and Hansel appears to be the latest torch bearer of terrifying films that delve deep into primal fears with unique visual eyes behind the camera.
Adapted from the famous tale of mistrust and witchcraft, the film sees Gretel (Sophia Lillis, young Beverly from IT) trying to save her brother from the grasp of a dark and dangerous sorceress. Oz Perkins has proven himself several times to be one of horror’s most exciting filmmakers. It doesn’t hurt that his father was Anthony Perkins, the actor behind the smiling, cracked psyche that was Norman Bates.
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The Woman in the Window
Truth, oftentimes, is a matter of perspective. What happens when we begin to question the sanctuary of our memories and our own recollection of events? That is the core conflict in The Woman in the Window, a wonderful riff on what could have easily been a Rear Window knockoff. Amy Adams leads an amazing cast (which includes Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, and Brian Tyree Henry) in Joe Wright’s thriller.
The director of Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, and Darkest Hour brings us the story of Dr. Anna Fox (Adams), an agoraphobe who spends her life only observing the world from afar. Just as she connects with her neighbor from across the street (Moore), she witnesses her friend murdered — just panes of glass and the asphalt between them. But when the police insist that her friend never existed, Dr. Fox dives into both her own theories and psyche, all while trying to leave the horrors of the outside world where they belong.
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Godzilla vs. Kong
In order to capitalize on the global, decade defining success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, almost every major franchise launched in the last several years has attempted to spawn a chain of interconnected films. Many have tried, few have fully succeeded, but Legendary’s MonsterVerse will soon release its crown jewel. When Godzilla vs. Kong thunders into theaters this November, cinema’s two most iconic monsters will wage war, leaving humanity desperate for survival in the middle.
Starring pop culture teen icon Millie Bobby Brown (better known as Eleven from Stranger Things), the future of the human race and nature itself lays in the balance as the Earth’s two most powerful forces trade blows to determine who will be King of the Monsters.
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The Lovebirds
2017 saw the release of The Big Sick, a gem of a film that found itself nominated for Best Original Screenplay and grossing $56 million on a budget less than a tenth of that. This year, we will see a reunion of The Big Sick’s director Michael Showalter and star Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley) for The Lovebirds. Though the trailer and general marketing plays it a bit safe by suggesting it is a romcom meets murder mystery ala 2018’s Game Night, co-star Issa Rae (HBO’s Insecure) might just be the key that lets 2017’s original duo strike gold twice. Both Rae and Nanjiani have carved out wonderfully distinct niches for themselves — both as comedic performers and writers — and will hopefully elevate this film to a picture that is worthy of the wonderful leads it has accrued.
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