New films from new directors
First-timers have lots to show for themselves.
Need a break from superheroes? You’re in luck. In a sea of sequels, franchises and reboots, here’s a look at eight first-time directors offering fresh films headed to a theater near you in 2018.
‘Thoroughbreds’
Why we’re intrigued:
Social outcast Amanda
(Olivia Cooke) and upper-class teen Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) reconnect over their mutual dislike of Lily’s overbearing stepfather. The chilling, bloody teen tale (in theaters now) will keep you enraptured, and Anton Yelchin is mesmerizing in his final role.
About the director: Cory Finley, a 29-year-old playwright, broke into the business in a big way with this Heathers- esque tale, which he intended for the stage. His directorial debut turned out to be a smash hit at the Sundance Film Festival and sold for $5 million. Not a bad way to break out.
‘Blockers’
Why we’re intrigued: Prom night (and losing the almighty v-card) gets a fresh take told from the girls’ perspective in this bawdy, R-rated comedy (out April 6), which showcases three parents (John Cena, Ike Barinholtz and Leslie Mann) on a desperate quest to block their daughters from going through with a sex pact.
About the director: On Blockers, Kay Cannon flexes her comedy chops behind the camera after spending years earning respect in the genre. Before directing, Cannon collected three Emmy nominations for her work writing and producing 30 Rock and went on to script and produce the Pitch Perfect franchise.
‘Sorry to Bother You’
Why we’re intrigued: In the wake of Get Out’s Oscar run, Sorry to Bother You (out July 6) makes waves as a “bonkers racial satire,” says IndieWire, focusing its trippy lens on working in corporate America as a black man. Sick of hustling while living in a rented garage in Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green ( Atlanta’s Lakeith Stanfield) discovers a magical key to professional success.
About the director: Boots Riley, known in the hip-hop world as frontman of The Coup, originally published his script on the literary site McSweeney’s and subsequently wrangled a ton of stars for his debut satire, including Tessa Thompson, Armie Hammer and Danny Glover.
‘Book Club’
Why we’re intrigued:
Fifty Shades of Grey is apparently still having an impact. In Book Club (out May 18), Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen begin reading the trilogy, and subsequently seek an uptick in their own love lives. The film will open as counterprogramming to raucous summer tentpole Deadpool 2, in theaters the same day.
About the director: Bill Holderman, Robert Redford’s longtime producing partner, is stepping out on his own, and co-wrote Book Club with Erin Simms.
‘Dude’
Why we’re intrigued: Dude, a com- ing-of-age comedy (streaming on Netflix
April 20) flips the script on the bro-heavy genre. Featuring four female friends (Lucy Hale, Kathryn Prescott, Alexandra
Shipp and Awkwafina), the Fast Times at Ridgemont High- like film charts their last two weeks of high school.
About the director: Olivia Milch is rising fast in Hollywood. The 29-yearold Yale alum co-wrote Ocean’s 8, the all-female re-imagining of the Ocean’s 11 franchise starring Sandra Bullock, Rihanna and Cate Blanchett (out June 8).
‘Wildlife’
Why we’re intrigued: The film premiered at Sundance earlier this year; USA TODAY’s Patrick Ryan writes that star Carey Mulligan “has never been better” playing a stifled ’60s housewife with a boozing husband (Jake Gyllenhaal).
About the director: Actor Paul Dano, who adapted the script with his partner, Zoe Kazan ( Ruby Sparks), earned respectful reviews for Wildlife, which hits theaters this fall.
‘Hereditary’
Why we’re intrigued: The horror film that had everyone shrieking at Sundance was Hereditary (out June 8), a no-holdsbarred horror film starring Toni Collette that “begins with a seemingly ordinary family mourning the loss of a grandparent, only to devolve into an incessant nightmare of crawling ants, headless corpses and wall-scaling demons,” USA TODAY wrote.
About the director: Ari Aster told the Sundance audience he wrote the script four years ago amid unspecified family turmoil. “It was just this rapid succession of very, very painful things happening and the prevailing feeling became that we were cursed,” the director said.
‘All I Wish’
Why we’re intrigued: Sharon Stone was initially up for the role of the mom in All I Wish (out March 30 in theaters, on demand and Digital HD) but asked if the 25-year-old protagonist, a struggling Hollywood wardrobe stylist, could be rewritten so she could play the part. “I just didn’t feel that having a 25-year-old woman who didn’t have her life together was that perilous,” Stone told Vanity Fair. “The stakes would be so much higher, and it would feel more important when the protagonist’s mom gets sick, if we are older, because this is what happens in real life.” Ellen Burstyn instead plays her mom, and Tony Goldwyn is her love interest. Yes, please.
About the director: A Harvard grad, Susan Walter came up in the business as an assistant director on films like Alien: Resurrection and Naked Gun 331⁄ The Final Insult. Walter also wrote the script for All I Wish.