Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Preview 2018
SCI-FI
ANNIHILATION After his brilliant directorial February debut 23 Ex Machina, Alex Garland takes us on a sci-fi expedition into an environmental crisis zone. Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh star in the engrossing thriller. A WRINKLE IN TIME March 23 Big budget extravaganza sees Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey star as astral travellers helping a teenage girl rescue her father, held on a distant planet. READY PLAYER ONE March 30 A race to win a virtual reality game turns deadly in big screen version of the cult novel. Set in the near future, it sees director Steven Spielberg reunite with Brit actor Mark Rylance. YOUNG HAN SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY May 25 Despite surviving the sacking of two directors, last minute reshoots and having no official title, we’re hoping our favourite space smuggler can rescue this spin-off from the dark side.
SUPERHEROES
BLACK PANTHER February 12 Another Marvel character gets his own franchise. Chadwick Boseman stars as an African king attempting to save his country from insurgents. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PART 1 April 27 Having spent over a decade creating a connected universe, Marvel now blow it apart in a galaxy-threatening adventure. Part two follows next year. DEADPOOL 2 June 1 Ryan Reynolds returns as the crude, rude and fast talking mercenary in the sequel to 2016’s massive smash ANT-MAN AND THE WASP June 29 The tiniest superheroes team up to create a buzz uncovering secrets from the past. In the comics version, Ant-man was a very troubled soul, so expect a sting in the tale.
DRAMA
ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD January 5 Ridley Scott directs Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams in a real life crime thriller, based on the kidnap of oil baron J P Getty’s grandson. DARKEST HOUR January 12 Gary Oldman gives a towering performance as Winston Churchill trying to rally the country at the beginning of the Second World War. Kristin Scott Thomas co-stars as his wife. Joe Wright directs with a script by the writer of The Theory Of Everything. THE POST January 19 First class delivery all the way as Steven Spielberg directs frequent Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. They play real life journalists fighting to expose a US government cover-up. MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS September 14 Playing the Queen of England has won Oscars for Judi Dench and Helen Mirren. Margot Robbie has her eye on the majestic prize in this period drama.
ANIMATION
COCO January 19 After the hugely disappointing Cars 3, Pixar are desperate to return to the mega success of Finding Dory. With this story of a 12-year-old solving an ancient Mexican mystery, they may just do it. INCREDIBLES 2 July 13 It’s been 14 years since the world fell in love with the crime-fighting, superpowered family. This sequel picks up at the end of the original. Don’t miss them save the world from the villainous Underminer. HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3 July 27 Well ahead of Halloween, Adam Sandler’s spooky franchise sees the family take a luxury Monster Cruise. But love strikes unexpectedly and sends the voyage off–course. WRECK-IT RALPH 2 November 30 Taking place six years after the events of the first film, Ralph doesn’t just break his arcade – this time the internet is broken and Ralph has to fix it. Along the way he meets other Disney characters such as Moana, and Anna and Elsa from Frozen.
ACTION
RED SPARROW March 2 Filmed in Slovkia, Austria and, er, Heathrow, Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence plays a Russian spy who falls for a CIA officer. Charlotte Rampling and Jeremy Irons also star. TOMB RAIDER March 16 A reboot of the video game franchise sees Alicia Vikander in Angelina Jolie’s old role. The aristocratic adventurer is searching for her lost father, played by Dominic West. RAMPAGE April 13 Big screen version of 1980s arcade video game which saw gigantic monsters trying to survive onslaughts by military forces. Dwayne Johnson and Naomie Harris play scientists trying to win the day. JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM June 8 Dinosaurs are on the hunt and humans on the menu in the second film of the trilogy. Jeff Goldblum reprises his role from the original, joining returning stars of the last film, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.