Stars getting their day in the sun
Tom Hanks, Mindy Kaling in theaters this summer.
Can you taste the movie popcorn yet? As major franchises move in to grab a bite of this summer’s box office, it also is a stellar season for stars to step forward. A big project can provide a handy public relations boost, introduce a new skill set, or even set an actor on track for awards nominations down the line.
Just look at last summer: Evangeline Lilly crushed it as the Wasp, Josh Brolin dominated the box office, comedian Bo Burnham directed his first movie, “Eighth Grade,” and the cast of “Crazy Rich Asians” ended up at the Oscars.
Which stars have our attention right now?
Brad Pitt, back in the spotlight for ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’
Will this be the summer Pitt gets back into his groove? The still-not-divorced dad of six has stayed mostly off the radar since splitting from Angelina Jolie in September 2016. But his retro Quentin Tarantino film begs must-see status this summer. The black comedy, in which Pitt plays the stunt double of a fading TV actor (Leonardo DiCaprio), is set in 1969, in the days of Charles Manson and actress Sharon Tate’s (Margot Robbie) murder. “Once Upon a Time” is launching with full pageantry May 21 at Cannes Film Festival in France, and hits theaters July 26.
Tom Hanks, bringing comfort with ‘Toy Story 4’
Here to distract us from real-world anxiety are Woody, Buzz and Bo Peep, zooming back in theaters almost a decade after “Toy Story 3.” Hanks continues to lead the toy chest, along with new friends including Forky (a spork with arms voiced by Tony Hale) and Canadian stunt toy Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves). Bring a tissue. “When I realized what they were going for, I realized, ’Oh, this is a moment in history,’ ” Hanks said on BBC’s “The Chris Evans Breakfast Show.” “The emotional range of the movies has become more and more deep and profound and affecting.” “Toy Story 4” arrives in theaters June 21.
Beyonce, coming back to us for ‘The Lion King’
Frankly, Beyonce already is winning 2019. In April, the pop superstar released her Netflix concert film “Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce,” which documents her 2018 Coachella performance – and on the same day dropped a surprise live album of the same name. In “The Lion King,” directed by Jon Favreau, she’ll play the fully grown, powerful lioness Nala, who is betrothed to Simba (Donald Glover). Just the idea of a Beyonce and Glover duet of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?” is enough to
keep our eyes trained on July 19.
Olivia Wilde, delivering the teenage goods with ‘Booksmart’
Wilde steps behind the camera for her directorial debut “Booksmart,” a gut-busting comedy about the waning days of high school. Focused on two
bookish best friends (Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever) who realize they forgot to have any fun before heading to college, this trippy, perfectly cast comedy – which has earned comparisons to “Superbad” and “Lady Bird” – is destined to become a cult favorite and carve a new path for Wilde. “Booksmart” hits theaters May 24.
Mindy Kaling, breaking up the boys’ club with ‘Late Night’
While Kaling has been busy building her own TV empire, she also has racked up several notable film roles, including last year’s “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Ocean’s 8.” But what makes “Late Night” (in theaters June 7) so delectable is that Kaling wrote and stars in the comedy, which imagines an irrelevant late-night host (Emma Thompson) who begrudgingly decides to add a sole, excessively earnest female writer (Kaling) to her staff to keep critics off her back. Kaling, who began in showbiz as an intern for Conan O’Brien and got her first big writing job at “The Office,” pulls back the curtain on comedy life, making “Late Night” a crowd-pleasing winner.