RODEOHOUSTON MIXES IT UP THIS YEAR
Here’s what’s coming to our screens and stages this year. |
The movie industry’s awards season for 2018 releases is just getting underway — the Golden Globes are handed out on Sunday — but it’s never too soon to start getting ready for what’s in store for 2019. With this in mind, here are two dozen films you’ll be talking about this year. Release dates are subject to change.
‘The Irishman’ TBA
If there’s still any doubt about the ascendance of streaming, it will be put to rest by this heavily anticipated, reportedly $125 million-plus Martin Scorsese project for Netflix about a mob hit man starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Bobby Canavale, Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano, Jesse Plemons and Anna Paquin. As with “Roma,” Netflix probably will allow for a limited theatrical run to qualify for the Oscars, though nothing is definite yet.
‘The Kid Who Would Be King’ Jan. 25
This is a relatively small, British family film that could become a word-of-mouth hit. Joe Cornish, who made the smart alien-invasion film “Attack the Block,” tells the story of a mild-mannered, contemporary kid who, with the help of the wizard Merlin (Patrick Stewart), has to put together a children’s army to battle a medieval menace.
‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part’ Feb. 9
The first “Lego Movie” and “The Lego Batman Movie” were surprise pleasures (“The Lego Ninjago Movie” maybe less so) and hopes are high for this one that features a stellar voice cast that includes Margot Robbie, Chris Pratt, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Tiffany Haddish, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Will Arnett, Elizabeth Banks and Charlie Day.
‘Alita: Battle Angel’ Feb. 14
Not sure what to think about this one. This action film is based on a popular, post-apocalyptic Japanese manga about a female warrior, is produced by James Cameron, is directed Texas’ own Robert Rodriguez and was shot in Austin. But it was originally announced to be released at the end of 2018, and so the move to a February slot could be a warning sign from distributor Twentieth Century Fox that “Alita,” in addition to bad guys, might be battling bad reviews and audience indifference. Or, maybe they just think it might better find an audience after the holiday madness has subsided. Rosa Salazar, Mahershala Ali, Jennifer Connelly,
March 8
Christoph Waltz and Michelle Rodriguez star.
‘Captain Marvel’
Brie Larson is best known for roles in such indie movies as “Room” and “Short Term 12,” and directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are loved among cinephiles for such small, blinkand-you’ll-miss-’em films as “Sugar,” “Half Nelson,” and “Mississippi Grind.” Now they’re all lunging for that superhero brass ring and big payday with “Captain Marvel.” Larson plays the title character, a hero caught between warring aliens, and she’s got a supporting cast that features Samuel L. Jackson, Annette Bening, Ben Mendelsohn, Gemma Chan, Jude Law and Lee Pace.
‘Us’ March 15
You had us at “Jordan Peele.” The internet is already losing its mind over the first film from the director since his big 2016 hit “Get Out,” and it’s another twist on the horror trope, though this time he says his film has nothing to do with race. It’s about family members, who happen to be African-American, who find themselves being haunted by their doppelgängers. Winston Duke (Baku in “Black Panther”), Lupita Nyong’o and Elisabeth Moss star.
‘Triple Frontier’ March 15
Director J.C. Chandor is known for intelligent films aimed at adults — “A Most Violent Year,” “All Is Lost,” “Margin Call” — but “Triple Frontier,” an actionthriller about five ex-Special Forces soldiers who decide to pull off a South American heist, could be his breakthrough. Ben Affleck (who needs a hit), Charlie Hunnam (ditto), Oscar Isaac, Pedro Pascal and Garrett Hedlund star.
‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette?’ March 22
Houston-born/Austin-based
director Richard Linklater follows his 2017 film “Last Flag Flying” with this take on the Maria Semple novel about a teenage girl who goes searching for her missing mother. Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig, Laurence Fishburne and Billy Crudup star. Trivia note: The film was partially filmed Greenland.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ April 26
The mysterious end of “Avengers: Infinity War,” in which it looked like villainous Thanos is now large and in charge and many of our heroes might be dead, left Marvel fans in a dither about what could possibly be coming next. All will presumably be revealed as everyone from the last film — Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Captain America (Chris Evans and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) — is back.
‘Rocketman’ May 17
The Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” was a huge hit, and the same can be expected for this chronicle of Elton John’s life. Taron Egerton (the “Kingsman” films) got the nod to play the singer-songwriter born Reginald Dwight, and the rest of the cast includes Jamie Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard and Richard Madden. Directing is British actor-turned-director Dexter Fletcher (“Sunshine on Leith”). Of course, the one big difference between “Rocketman” and “Bohemian” is that, if it’s bad, Elton John is still around to complain about it.
‘John Wick: Chapter 3’ May 17
Fans of this action franchise starring Keanu Reeves will show up in droves for this latest installment, no matter what. Directed once again by stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski, it also stars Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Anjelica Huston.
‘Ad Astra’ May 24
There’s generic multiplex science fiction and then there’s intelligent, adult-skewing science fiction that’s as much about philosophy as effects. Think “Ex Machina,” “Annihilation” or “Arrival” and “Ad Astra” looks like it could be added to the list. Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland and Ruth Negga star in this story of an astronaut’s journey to the far side of space. It’s directed by James Gray, who made one of the best films of 2017 in “The Lost City of Z,” and co-written by Ethan Gross from the cult TV series “Fringe.”
‘Aladdin’ May 24
It’s been a long time since director Guy Ritchie has made much of an impression. His 2017 “King Arthur: The Legend of the Sword” was one of the worst flops of that year. But his liveaction edition of Disney “Aladdin” might bring him back into Hollywood conversations. Will Smith plays the genie and Mena Massoud (“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” TV series) is Aladdin.
‘Toy Story 4’ June 21
Road trip! The old gang, as well as a new character named Forky (voiced by Tony Hale), hit the highway. The voice cast includes Tom Hanks, Jordan Peele, Michael Keaton, Keanu Reeves, Laurie Metcalf and Tim Allen. But directing this time is newcomer Josh Cooley, for whom this is his first feature after a career as an artist (“Cars 2,” “Ratatouille”), writer (“Inside Out”) and voice actor (“Up”).
‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Aug. 9
Quentin Tarantino hasn’t had anything in theaters since “The Hateful Eight” four years ago, so there’s a bit of anticipation for this comedy-drama set amidst the faded tinsel of late ’60s Hollywood, where the likes of Charles Manson and his ilk were turning the California dream into a nightmare. The cast list reads like the movie industry’s greatest hits: Al Pacino, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Kurt Russell, Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning, Luke Perry, Tim Roth, Lena Dunham, Timothy Olyphant, Scoot McNairy and, well, you get the idea.
‘Downton Abbey’ Sept. 20
The popular British TV drama, which left the air in 2016, returns for an encore on the big screen. Set about 18 months after the events at the end of the series, it features much of the original cast, including Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith and Michelle Dockery. It will be intriguing to see how Michael Engler, a veteran TV director who has helmed a handful of “Downton” episodes, makes this seem more cinematic and less like just an extended TV episode.
‘The Kitchen’ Sept. 20
“Widows,” about a group of women who decide to carry out a heist after their gangster husbands are killed, was one of the best films of 2018. In “The Kitchen,” a group of gangsters’ wives in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen decide to take over the business while their husbands are in jail. Melissa McCarthy, who stretched her dramatic chops in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” stars alongside Elisabeth Moss, Tiffany Haddish, Common and Domhnall Gleeson. It marks the directorial debut of Andrea Berloff, who co-wrote “Straight Outta Compton.”
‘Gemini Man’ Oct. 4
This could be a big year for Will Smith with “Aladdin” and this science-fiction thriller about an aging hit man who has to battle a younger version of himself. It’s directed by Ang Lee, whose last film, the Texas-set “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime
Walk” in 2016, didn’t gain much traction.
‘Zombieland 2’ Oct. 11
It’s hard to believe it has been a decade since the first “Zombieland,” an often ferociously funny twist on the zombie apocalypse. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Emma Stone are back for the sequel, as is director Ruben Fleischer.
‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’ Oct. 18
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” the documentary about children’s TV pioneer Fred Rogers, was one of the acclaimed nonfiction films of last year. Now comes the biopic starring Tom Hanks as the affable Mr. Rogers. Directing is Marielle Heller (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
‘Frozen 2’ Nov. 22
The sequel to the highly successful 2013 Disney animated musical should have the same standard of quality, as it has the same directors (Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee) and much of the same cast (Kristen Bell, Jonathan Groff, Idina Menzel).
‘Star Wars: Episode IX’ Dec. 20
After the detour of 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” the “Star Wars” franchise comes back with the follow-up to 2017’s “Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi” which is also the finale of the most recent “Star Wars” trilogy. No pressure. Daisy Ridley, Mark Hammill, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domnhall Gleason and an archival Carrie Fisher are all back to fight the good fight. J.J. Abrams, who helmed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015, is back in the director’s chair.
‘Cats’ Dec. 20
The mega-hit Broadway production comes to the big screen starring perhaps the most eclectic set of actors in a major film: Idris Elba, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, James Corden, Ian McKellen, Judi Dench, Jennifer Hudson and Jason Derulo. Tom Hooper (“The Danish Girl”) directs.
‘Little Women’ Dec. 25
Louisa May Alcott’s classic about four sisters in post-Civil War America is now a 21stcentury Academy Award contender. Meryl Streep, Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh and Bob Odenkirk make up the stellar cast, and directing is Greta Gerwig, who made “Lady Bird.” I love the smell of Oscar bait in the morning.