2019 will be the year of...

From Disney remakes to superstar comebacks, we take a look at the entertainment trends set to take over this year.

THE END OF POP CULTURE STAPLES

In April, Marvel nuts will need a hug when Avengers: Endgame rounds out their favourite trilogy. In June,

Toy Story 4 signals the probable end of the popular animated Pixar hit. Get your hankies ready in June,

Game of Thrones’ fans, because the grim and violent TV saga is about to end. Likewise, Star Wars addicts will need tissues in December for the close of the Skywalker saga with Star Wars:

Episode IX hitting big screens. There’s no need to worry though: a host of spinoffs, prequels and sequels are bound to be in the works.

DISNEY DEJA VU

Speaking of, Disney is releasing a slew of new movies including an ever-increasing selection of “liveaction” (whatever that means these days) remakes. Slated for release this year are Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King and Mulan.

On top of that, there are a bunch of sequels coming our way, including the aforementioned Avengers: Endgame,

Toy Story 4, Star Wars: Episode IX as well as Frozen 2. They’re also

introducing comic and book adaptations Captain Marvel and Artemis Fowl. Between killer visuals and classic stories, hopefully Disney can win over a whole new generation.

GETTING WOKE

Everyone wants to make this year’s Black Panther, so 2019 is bound to see a lot of content creators tripping over themselves to tick the ol’ diversity boxes. So far, this hasn’t been going too well as fans can see right through the tokenism, but the hope is that practice will make perfect and that Hollywood makes room for new voices who can tell more diverse stories from the heart. Is this overly optimistic? Probably. But at least we’re now running in the right direction.

LOCAL TV STEPPING UP

After failed ideas (Filthy Rich, Dirty Laundry) and reboots (Westside ),a whole lot of new local

productions will debut this year.

We’re talking The Gulf, The Bad Seed, Golden Boy, Mean Mums, Educators, The Luminaries, Mystic, Fresh Eggs, Straight Forward, The Basement, Life is Easy and more. Basically, it’s shaping up to be a massive year for Kiwi TV.

NOSTALGIA GIGS

Up to 25,000 people showed up for last year’s Friday Jams festival — not bad for a Sunday event. The Western Springs festival delivered one hell of a nostalgia kick, with Usher and Lil Jon as headliners. That’s set to continue with Aqua and Blue performing at So Pop in February, Boyzone coming in April and Westlife going on a world tour. With a trend like that, you can guarantee Friday Jams will return. Let’s hope it’s on a Friday this time — and that Missy Elliott is headlining.

BANDS CREATING THEIR OWN FESTIVALS

Why headline someone else’s festival when you can create one all of your own? Mumford & Sons have just done it, so has Nicki Minaj at FOMO by Night. And Six60 are doing it too in February. Overseas, everyone from Pearl Jam to Post Malone to Jay Z to Travis Scott has their own day-long events, and