ALIEN, DUNE AND JOKER SEQUELS LEAD BLOCKBUSTER LINE-UP OF MOVIES COMING THIS YEAR
▶ Hollywood’s habit of extending storylines or revisiting classics is set to continue, not that it’s likely to upset film fans,
After more than a decade of Marvel and DC-filled schedules, 2023 was the year that superhero movies lost their allure for many filmgoers, with releases such as The Super Mario Bros Movie and Barbie dominating global box offices.
However, just because there will be fewer capes in theatres doesn’t mean that there won’t be many familiar faces to look forward to in the coming year.
Here are 12 titles to add to your must-watch list over the next 12 months.
The Color Purple January
This is the second adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a black woman living in the American South in the early 20th century. It comes after Steven Spielberg’s 1985 version that starred Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey returns to produce this bold new take, a musical from the Ghanaian director Blitz Bazawule. Fronting the impressive cast is actress-singer and American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, who plays the beleaguered Celie Harris-Johnson. This is already generating awards buzz ahead of the coming season, picking up two Golden Globe nominations for stellar performances.
Argylle February
In a plot that has a whiff of Romancing the Stone about it, Bryce Dallas Howard stars as a spy novel writer who gets sucked into the real world of espionage. Director Matthew Vaughn, who already brought us the James Bond-like Kingsman franchise, says this is his ode to Lethal Weapon, Die Hard and other classic ‘80s action movies. The supporting cast is bulging with leading Hollywood names including Henry Cavill, Samuel L Jackson, John Cena and singer Dua Lipa, who will also be recording music for the title track and score.
Dune: Part Two March
Delayed due to the actors’ strike that shut Hollywood, the second part of Denis Villeneuve’s epic take on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi tome is poised to become the first blockbuster of the year. Dune: Part Two, like its predecessor, was partly filmed in Jordan and Abu Dhabi, further showcasing the region’s spectacular landscapes. With Timothee Chalamet returning as the exiled Duke Paul Atreides, this sequel features cast additions including Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux and a terrifying (and bald) looking Austin Butler, who plays Baron Harkonnen’s fearsome nephew.
Back to Black April
The tragic story of late singer Amy Winehouse has already been captivatingly put on screen by director Asif Kapadia in his Oscar-winning documentary Amy – though reportedly to the dissatisfaction of Winehouse’s family. Here, the Winehouse estate has fully endorsed this biopic retelling her remarkable rise and fall. Expectations are high, given director Sam Taylor-Johnson and writer Matt Greenhalgh previously collaborated on the well-received John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy. And with the casting of rising star Marisa Abela (Industry), a real lookalike for Winehouse, this could be special.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga May
George Miller’s 2015 film Mad Max: Fury Road was a showstopper, a barnstorming multi-Oscar-winning return to the apocalyptic saga he began in the late 1970s. One of the last film’s biggest triumphs was the arrival of Furiosa, the female road warrior – played by Charlize Theron – who was more than a match for Tom Hardy’s Mad Max. This latest instalment tells of Furiosa’s early years, with Anya Taylor-Joy (Last Night in Soho) replacing Theron as the character. Expect more motor-fuelled action taking over vast deserts.
Inside Out 2 June
Pixar has endured a rough ride of late, with three of its recent films releasing exclusively on streaming platforms in the US due to the pandemic, and 2021’s Lightyear was not released in parts of the Middle East. But Inside Out 2 brings the animation outfit back to one of its recent highs, the 2015 Oscar winner that was primarily set inside the mind of a youngster named Riley, following the anthropomorphised emotions that guide her. The sequel reunites audiences with lead characters Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who must now contend with a new kid on the block as Riley becomes a teenager: Anxiety. Maya Hawke is the voice of this emotion, while the film is directed by screenwriter Kelsey Mann, who makes his feature debut.
Alien: Romulus August
The Alien franchise has long been a mess. First the Alien vs Predator spin-offs. Then Ridley Scott’s disappointing prequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. And Neill Blomkamp’s promising-looking effort, set to bring Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley back, was axed. But now there’s hope, with Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe) taking the reins with a story set between Scott’s 1979 original Alien and James Cameron’s 1986 follow-up Aliens. Cailee Spaeny, who recently played Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s biopic, will come up against the xenomorph.
Beetlejuice 2 September
Talk about a long-awaited film. The follow-up to Tim Burton’s ghoulish 1988 comedy Beetlejuice – the movie that turned him into an A-list director – has been in the works for years. And, after 25 long years, we have a sequel, with Michael Keaton back as the ghostly Beetlejuice, with Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara also reprising their roles from the first film. Joining them will be Jenny Ortega, star of the Burton-produced Netflix series Wednesday, along with Willem Dafoe and Monica Bellucci, with Brad Pitt’s company Plan B producing.
Joker: Folie a Deux October
A controversial sensation when it came out, Todd Phillips’s Joker shook up the DC Comics universe with a radical retelling of the story behind Batman’s unhinged nemesis. Its star Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar for his troubles, but the film was accused of glamourising incel culture. So what does Phillips decide to do? Create a sequel that embraces the musical. The mind boggles. Fellow Oscar winner Lady Gaga stars as Harley Quinn, the psychiatrist assigned to Phoenix’s former party clown Arthur Fleck, who will surely run wild with him.
Gladiator 2 November
Ridley Scott is on a roll after Napoleon, and now the 86-yearold returns to one of his greatest triumphs, the Roman epic Gladiator. Despite filming being interrupted by the actors’ strike, production is now back on track for a year-end release. Written by David Scarpa, who also worked on Napoleon and Scott’s All the Money in the World, it stars Paul Mescal as Lucius. He is the son of Lucilla – the beloved of Russell Crowe’s warrior Maximus from the original in 2000. Denzel Washington also stars as a former slave-turned-arms and commodity dealer.
Paddington in Peru November
The cuddly talking bear Paddington has long been a British institution, never more so than when he co-starred with Queen Elizabeth II in a short skit to mark her Platinum Jubilee. After two hugely successful feature outings – 2017’s Paddington 2 somehow even eclipsing the majesty of the first film – he returns for a third adventure. As the title suggests, the marmalade sandwich-eating bear (again voiced by Ben Whishaw) will return to Darkest Peru, the land where he grew up. Can the magic strike thrice?
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim December
Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel series may have left some critics underwhelmed, but this animated film looks promising. Directed by Japanese anime king Kenji Kamiyama, this new prequel is reportedly set 261 years before events in Peter Jackson’s trilogy. Fresh off his mighty turn in Succession, Brian Cox will play Helm Hammerhand, a legendary king of Rohan. For fans of Jackson’s landmark films, Miranda Otto is back in her role as the noblewoman Eowyn. What a way to see out the year.