Happy New Year everybody! Yes that’s right we are now in the beginning of a new decade, and you know what that means, a brand new decade of movies to come. Now 2019 was full of plenty of fantastic stuff (so much so that I’m still working on reviews for some of them) with only a couple of truly poorly received stuff and I am hoping 2020 is no different. We’ve got a nice mixture of franchise continuations, reboots, adaptations, and wholly original fare releasing these next 12 months and down below will be the ones I am most looking forward to (along with some honorable mentions at the end). If all goes according to plan then hopefully I would see all of these movies in theaters (a little unlikely but I’ll try). So with all of that being said it is now time to see what are my most anticipated releases of the new year!
20. Trolls World Tour/The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge On the Run
Lets start this list off with a tie with two films that are pretty similar. Both are computer animated comedy sequels to fun predecessors that looks to contain the same psychedelic visuals that made the previous films stand out. Both of these follow ups look a lot of fun, and seem to retain the stuff I liked about both the first Trolls, and both SpongeBob movies respectively. I was a little hesitant Sponge On the Run though, mainly because it would be trading the 2-D animation of the series for 3-D animation but what I didn’t know was that it would be very stylized 3-D animation that feels almost like a stop motion flick. So that definitely makes me more interested, as well as the fact that it will have the same characters, and humor we’ve come to know and love from the hit series. As for World Tour, I have stated before that I do enjoy the first Trolls quite a bit and it is one of the only recent Dreanworks movies that I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel to. This one looks just as visually pleasing as before with and the main plot seems pretty fun acting as a riff on Infinity War but with music, and trolls. Both seem like fun times at the movies and who knows, maybe they’ll end up being improvements on their already good predecessors.
19. Jungle Cruise
After a 2019 that was chock full of big franchise titles, and MCU blockbusters Disney seems to be going a little smaller for 2020 with more risky yet exciting projects. Probably one of their more intriguing offerings is their latest attempt to start a brand new live action franchise, this time one based on one of their classic rides, and having a pair of well known actors as the leads in Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson, and Emily Blunt. It looks like a fun film with the teaser teasing a good old fashioned adventure flick in the vein of something like Indiana Jones, and the Brendan Fraiser Mummy movies. We don’t really get stuff like that nowadays and I have mostly enjoyed Disney’s recent (if mostly failed) attempts to start a new franchise with the likes of John Carter, the Lone Ranger, and Tomorrowland, and I’m sure the studio hoping for another Pirates of the Caribbean like hit (or even National Treasure like if the budget is kept in control). While movies based on Disney land rides (with the exception of Pirates) haven’t had a great track record in terms of quality, and financial success (Haunted Mansion, Country Bears, etc.) this one could buck some of these trends, and be yet another fun movie where the Rock is in the jungle.
18. The Gentlemen
When a director releases a guaranteed smash hit, they would usually use the capital they made from that project to make a more smaller original film that they really want to make. Why just a month ago Rian Johnson released Knives Out into theaters to great success after earning a presumably big pay check from directing the Last Jedi and now Guy Ritchie will be playing this game after helming the billion dollar grossing Aladdin. From the looks of things he looks to be returning to his roots, playing in the British crime caper sandbox which he is most known for with the two Sherlock Holmes flicks, and Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. I’ve quite enjoyed the films I’ve seen from him as I like that he dips his toes into different genres and often brings his own style to the proceedings. The Gentlemen looks to contain all of the fun dialogue, and energetic direction that have always been highlights of his work, and he’s got a murderer’s row of British talent involved with Matthew McConaughy, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery, Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell, and Eddie Marsan all looking like their having a good time. Like Jungle Cruise this type of crime caper is not something we see much of in today’ theatrical environment so before Guy Ritchie goes on to make that Aladdin sequel (which is almost certain to happen) lets make sure to give this one a shot when it releases later this month.
17. Free Guy
On the subject of the types of movies Hollywood never seems to make anymore, big budget action comedies seem to also fit in that category as well. I mean the last kind of comedy like that I can remember would be Pixels which didn’t turn out as well as hoped… Still though I have reason to believe the video game centric Free Guy will turn out better then that video game centric Adam Sandler vehicle because this one seems to be taking more advantage of its high concept while also having that type of Ryan Reynolds comedy we’ve come to expect from the man. The trailer does a great job of setting up the premise which sounds like a mix of Wreck It Ralph, and the Lego Movie (not a bad combination all things considered), showing off the Grand Theft Auto esque video game world, and director Shawn Levy has proven that he can make something fun with Night at the Museum trilogy, and Real Steel as well as his TV work on Stranger Things. I can see this being a nice surprise hit for 20th Century Fox under the Disney banner and here’s to hoping it will continue the recent streak of very good based on a video game or video game inspired movies we’ve been getting like the recent Jumanji films, Ready Player One, Pokemon Detective Pickachu, and the Angry Birds Movie 2.
16. Black Widow
One of the reasons why Disney’s slate probably won’t be as big is probably because the two MCU flicks being released this year aren’t nearly as big of deals to most people as their 3 home runs last year (Captain Marvel, Avengers Endgame, and Spider-Man Far From Home). That’s pretty understandable, especially with Black Widow in particular which probably should have came out earlier and might be considered less of an event considering her fate in Endgame. But even with those caveats I still think there is still plenty to look forward to here, the biggest being a return to the more small scale grounded approach of Captain America the Winter Soldier (and most of Civil War), which we haven’t seen in awhile and should provide a nice change of pace from all of the big scale fantasy of previous entries. We’ve also got Scarlett Johansson returning as Natasha Romanoff (which is always a good thing), some great new additions like Florence Pugh as Yelena Belova (if you haven’t already, please check out Fighting With my Family as she is excellent there), and David Harbour as Red Guardian (AKA Russian Captain America), Taskmaster as the main baddie, and with seemingly not too much to set up for future Marvel movies (the only thing I can really think of is setting up the Winter Guard), this one will probably just focus on being a good movie with little franchise set up which is a great thing. Definitely one of the MCU’s more smaller affairs, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less curious about it. Although I will say it is ironic that after getting so many films that kind of already feel like a Black Widow movie (like Atomic Blonde, and Red Sparrow) opening to muted numbers, this one will be a huge hit because of its comic book roots (which for better or worse is an increasingly common trend).
15. No Time to Die
Its been 4 years since James Bond last saved the world in Spectre and now its time for one last ride with Daniel Craig as 007 as he is ready to hang up his suit after the 25th Bond flick. I am myself am a big fan of Craig’s turn as the titular secret agent as I love both Casino Royale, and Skyfall and while I don’t love Spectre there is still stuff I enjoy about it warts and all (have yet to see Quantum of Solace yet), and I also love spy movies so of course this was a shoo in for the list. This looks to contain all of the things you’d expect from these films with terrific action set pieces, intense espionage, beautiful visuals, and a cast full of old favorites (Ralph Fiennes as M., Ben Whishaw as Q., Lea Seydoux as Madeline Swan, Jefferey Wright as Felix Leiter, and Naomi Harris as Moneypenny), and some prominent new players (Lasahana Lynch as Nomi the current 007 filling in for Bond, Knives Out break out star, Ana De Armas, as a new Bond girl named Paloma, and Rami Malik as the mysterious new villain Safin). Add in a trailer that plays like dynamite on the big screen and you’ve got yet another Bond treat in your hands. While those productions issues may be cause for some concern here’s hoping Cary Fukunaga does a good job with this one. Its quite impressive how long this franchise has ran and if the title is any indication then it shows no signs of stopping after Craig.
14. The King’s Man
From one spy movie franchise to another, we will also be returning to the world of Kingsman in September but instead of moving forward in the present we will be going back in time all the way to World War I to see witness the early days of the Kingsman organization. The first Kingsman is one of my favorite action movies of the decade poking fun at the spy genre while also being an excellent example of one, and is a film I find myself re watching on multiple occasions. Kingsman the Golden Circle on the other hand is an inferior film, and one of the most disappointing movies I’ve seen for reasons I’ll explain in a throwback review in time for the release of King’s Man. But just because I wasn’t a fan of one entry does not mean my excitement for future installments will wane too much and from what I’ve seen of this prequel so far, makes me really excited. The two trailers released thus far have been fantastic, marketing the flick with the intent of appealing to those who have no interest in the brand. It looks to be a much different film than its predecessor thanks to the World War I setting (unique for a spy movie), the new cast (Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Bruhl, Djimon Honsou, Stanley Tucci, and more), and a different tone. Yet it also retains some of the things that makes these films (well the first one anyway) work very well with Matthew Vaughn’s slick direction, creative set-pieces, well choreographed fight scenes, and some witty dialogue to boot. So yeah I’m really eager to see what led to the rise of the civilized and it makes me pissed that we have to wait until September to see that happen. Oh well at least there’s other great looking stuff releasing.
13. In the Heights
Speaking of great looking stuff here’s a movie who’s trailer really sold me on it. Since I am not too familiar with the Broadway show that this is based on I didn’t really know what to make of the up coming film adaptation, even with Lin Manuel Miranda involved, and Jon M. Chu of Now You See Me, and Crazy Rich Asians fame in the director’s chair (not to mention the fact that I do like myself a good musical). But then that trailer dropped and my curiosity quickly turned into anticipation as it showed off the nice production values, gorgeous visuals, Chu’s energetic directing, the dazzling musical numbers, some really catchy songs, and the huge diversity on display with cast comprised of many Hispanic Americans (which is great because these are whom the play is about). This is probably going to be the least surprising surprise break out of the summer and I am very much eager to go visit Washington Heights in June.
12. Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
Geez, that title is a mouthful! I’ll just refer to it as Birds of Prey because there is no way I’m typing up all of that every time I talk about this movie! Anyway, redundant title aside I am really excited for this one. While I wasn’t a fan of Suicide Squad (still the only DCEU film I don’t like) one of my favorite parts was Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn as she was great in the role and the character was a lot of fun so I’d be down for a spin off flick revolving around her teaming up with other heroines such as Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez), Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) to take on the villainous Black Mask (Ewan McGregor), and serial killer, Victor Zsasz (Chris Messina). Yep sign me up. In all seriousness this does look like a lot of fun, and I do like a lot of the casting choices. I’m confident this is going to continue DC Films current winning streak and it is continuing their goal to make their films stand out from one another. They’ve made enough good stuff to earn my trust, and heck I think their current slate is just as exciting as what Marvel has in store. Not much to say here except here’s to hoping Birds of Prey is yet another home run for the once damaged brand.
11. The Mitchells Vs. the Machines
While we don’t have too much information on this one what I’ve been hearing has gotten me really intrigued. This will be the latest fully animated feature from Sony Picture Animation, and it looks to concern a dysfunctional family whose road trip is interrupted by a robot uprising. So basically a family road trip movie akin to a Griswold movie with the back drop of the Terminator. That sounds pretty darn cool to me! The fact that Chris Miller, and Phil Lord of Lego Movie, and 21 Jump Street fame will be involved in a producing role also has me eager since they also were producers on Spider-Verse, and Lego Movie 2 (though of course they weren’t the only people who made those movies great). I’ve also heard that the animation will be very experimental like Spider-Verse and have some 2-D elements involved. This one just keeps sounding better, and better doesn’t it? After how awesome Spider-Verse was, and how fun Angry Birds 2 turned out I’m more than ready for what SPA has in store with this original project.
10. Dune
We are now in the top ten and lets start off by talking about a project that has been a long time coming. A new Dune adaptation has been in the works for a long time with the last attempt flopping in the year 1984, and I’m Warner Bros. is hoping to have better luck with Denis Villeneuve of Arrival, and Blade Runner 2049 fame in the director’s chair. I have yet to read the famous book of the same name but I am a huge fan of sci fi, and this just seems right up my alley. It also contains some of the best talent in Hollywood at the moment like (deep breath) Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Issac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem. This easily one of the more ambitious, and exciting sounding films of the year, and hopefully it will succeed where 2049 did not at the box office.
9. The Eternals
Marvel’s second film releasing this year, and also the one I’m most curious about. I myself am not too familiar with these character (which is really saying something considering I knew who the Guardians of the Galaxy were before their film released), and it seems not many people are either which makes this the studio’s biggest wild card since the original Guardians flick in August of 2014. Still that’s all the more reason to be excited as well as the fact that this promises to be unlike anything Marvel has done before, as its more of a Sci fi epic spanning over a thousand years with characters who are immortal fighting their evil counter parts, the Deviants. Those characters will be portrayed by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Kit Harrington (rumored to play Black Knight), and more. That’s probably one of the finest ensembles I’ve seen in one of these movies and hopefully they’ll be just as memorable, and compelling as the other MCU heroes when they made their first debuts. This is one of the phase 4 flicks that has me the most intrigued and if Marvel has shown before, its that they know how to catch us by surprise.
8. Last Night In Soho
Director, Edgar Wright, returns with a brand new original movie! After helming one of my favorites of 2017 with Baby Driver I am ready for whatever else he has in store for us. Not much is known about this one except that it will be a psychological horror film and that it will be starring Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Matt Smith among others. Like I said with Guy Ritchie, I always love it when established directors try doing something new and take on different genres and this is no different. I’m more than happy to see Wright tackle a psychological thriller as I am curious to see how well his particular directing style matches with the genre. Who knows maybe this can be another surprise break out similar to Baby Driver?
7. Scoob!
Scooby dooby Doo! is finally returning to the big screen the correct way, completely animated. After years of getting live action movies based on classic cartoon characters (which ranged from mediocre, and forgettable to outright crap) it seems that Hollywood is finally starting to realize that maybe we should take these characters back to their roots, and if Scoob! is any indication this may be the right track to go on. It looks to be extremely faithful to the Hanna Barbera cartoons and has absolutely nailed the character designs of each of the Mystery gang members (sure their voiced by celebrities instead of the regular voices, but I’m sure they’ll do a fine job). But this is not just a fully animated Scooby Doo movie, its also being teased as the start of a Hanna Barbera cinematic universe (take that Marvel!) with characters like Dick Dastardly (Jason Isaacs), Captain Caveman (Tracy Morgan), Blue Falcon (Mark Wahlberg), and Dynomutt (Ken Jeong) already confirmed. This opens up a lot of possibilities and after seeing what WAG did with their Lego movies, I’m optimistic they will do just as good a job here. As a fan of Scooby Doo, and Hanna Barbera in general I’m very happy to see Warner Bros. do more things with these classic properties and I am looking forward to see what they do.
6. Godzilla Vs. Kong
Now we’ve got the battle of the century right here! As you guys may have read in a previous posts, I love me some big scaled giant monster battles every now and then so how can I not be excited for this movie. When you’ve got two iconic titans battling out to see who is truly King of the Monsters, then of course I’m going to buy a ticket and see it on opening weekend! It also helps that I’ve enjoyed each entry in the Monsterverse thus far as they are visually dazzling, and a lot of fun. I also appreciate how each of the three films (Godzilla 2014, Kong Skull Island, and Godzilla King of the Monsters) each have different tone, and feel from one another while each having glorious kaiju smack downs. Heck I really dug King of the Monsters despite its (somewhat understandably) polarizing reception and if anything it made me even more excited for this one while also making me wonder how this smack down will top that film in terms of scope, and scale of the fights. I’m also curious to see if the human cast will be as fun as the Skull Island cast, or as aggressively tolerable as most of the stars of both Godzilla films. Nevertheless no matter who wins or lose this showdown, we win (and of recent reports are to be believed they may not just be duking with each other).
5. Raya and the Last Dragon
After releasing two very successful sequels in the last two years in the form of Ralph Break the Internet, and Frozen II (both of which are quite good, review for latter pending) Walt Disney Animation studios, like Pixar, will be returning to focusing on original projects for the next couple of years starting with Raya and the Last Dragon. This promises to be yet another different kind of Disney film as it looks to be a fantasy adventure involving dragons, and not a Renaissance era musical in the vein of Frozen, and Moana which is good because Disney doesn’t want to make the same mistake of turning every movie they make into something like that. Not much else is know at this point in time beyond the facts that Disney animation veterans Paul Briggs, and Dean Wellins will be directing, there will be a a lot of influence from Asian culture, and Cassie Steele will be playing Raya, and Awkwafina will voice the titular dragon herself. Those things and the fact the WDAS are on a hot streak in terms of quality make my anticipation for this one grow and as more information get revealed it will continue to be like that until Thanksgiving comes around.
4. Wonder Woman 1984
Here we are with my most anticipated super hero movie of the year. Yes I like many others really enjoyed Patty Jenkin’s Wonder Woman as it was a very well told origin with terrific action, fantastic acting, and wonderful characters. Sure the third act doesn’t work quite as well as those excellent first two thirds and some of the villains could have been done better, but overall it was a shot in the arm for the DCEU following the divisive responses to (my own opinion on the former not withstanding) Batman Vs. Superman, and Suicide Squad. Funny enough where Wonder Woman was thought of as the saving grace for DC, now Wonder Woman 1984 looks to continue their winning streak and will probably be the first one to not be met with a ton of skepticism when it comes out. But anyway as for why I’m excited for this follow up well Gal Gadot is returning and she is perfect in the role and is absolutely a character whom I would want to see again, Patty Jenkins is once again back in the director’s chair, the 1980s setting looks to be a nice way to change things up, the film looks just as great to look at as its predecessor, the action packed trailer gets me hyped, and along with Chris Pine returning as Steve Trevor (Spoilers: despite dying in an explosion in the first one) we’ve also got Kriten Wiig as Wonder Woman’s most popular adversary Cheetah, and Pedro Pascal as main baddie, Maxwell Lord both of whom I’m excited to see portray their respective characters. Even if it doesn’t end up being as good as the original I’m confident that Jenkins and crew will make a worthy follow up to this franchise’s most acclaimed feature. Between this and Birds of Prey I’m loving the direction DC is going with their movies being very stand alone and being completely different from one another and I can’t wait to see what this decade brings from them.
3. Tenet
Director Christopher Nolan making a big budget (a reported $225 million budget!) espionage flick in a story that involves time travel. How can anyone not be excited for this movie! All jokes aside I’ve always admired Nolan as a director as he is one of the only directors who can sell a movie with his name alone, which allows him to craft big budget original films that usually end up being big hits and fingers crossed this one is no exception. This looks to be yet another intense Nolan blockbuster with breathtaking cinematography, an A-list cast who are most likely going to bring their proverbial A game (John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debiki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh), and some mind bending action sequences, I mean just take a look at that trailer! What’s even more refreshing is how we really don’t know a whole lot about the plot with even the trailer being extremely cryptic and I love it! I mean wouldn’t you rather wait until seeing the movie to see whats really going on instead of having the trailers showing literally everything (don’t get me wrong I love trailers when done right, but sometimes they can show a bit too much). I also love me a good espionage film, and one with time travel sounds even more intriguing. So yeah I’m pretty hyped for this one and its funny how this is one of my most anticipated films of the year and yet I have no clue what its about, and hopefully its stays like that until July 17.
2. Onward
After nearly a decade of making (mostly pretty great) sequels along with a number of (again mostly high quality) original works, Pixar will be returning to focus mainly on originals for the next decade. That’s a great things considering Pixar originals tend to be pretty exceptional, and like Christopher Nolan are some of the few wholly original films to break out in this day and age. Leading that pack of originality into the new decade is Onward and it looks like a very different type of Pixar movie and you know what? That’s just great because shouldn’t Pixar be allowed to do whatever type of movie they want to make instead of being relegated to making movies very similar to each other (which many people have been complaining about unfortunately). Onward looks to be yet another heartfelt journey from the studio with an inventive premise, creative visuals, a fine voice cast (with Tom Holland, and Chris Pratt as our two leads), a strange yet oddly fun sense of humor, and a story that’s has emotional tear jerker written all over it. According to the film’s director Dan Scanlen (who also helmed the underrated Monsters University) the story is very personal to him as it is based on his own experiences growing up without knowing who his father was, with only a video tape of him saying some words being all he had. This is clearly a passion project for him and it looks to deal with some weighty themes, and it will most likely resonate with a lot of people. Another thing is that it seems to be looking into the whole magic versus modern day technology topic that Little Witch Academia tackled a bit (funny enough I was thinking of this movie while watching that series last summer), and it is a really interesting idea that has a lot of potential for further exploration. Come what may after how excellent Toy Story 4 turned I trust Pixar that they will knock it out of the park with their two features this year. Speaking of which…
And my most anticipated movie of 2020 is…
Soul
Before this movie was being announced in June, Onward was my most anticipated of the year, and while it is a bit of a close race Soul just has so much great stuff going for it. First its being directed by Pixar legend, Pete Doctor, who was the man behind such classics like Monsters Inc., Up, and Inside Out. Second it looks to be one the studio’s ambitious flicks yet, with a premise that sounds like it will be dealing with some hefty, existential subject matter. Third the teasers shows off some beautiful animation with the city of New York looking stunning and keeps showing off Pixar’s level of animation quality they always strive to perfect. Finally it has been teased that jazz will play an important role in the film just as how music was a huge part of Coco’s story, and there will be original songs written just for this movie just like that Day of the Dead fantasy. Since I am fan of jazz myself that element especially excites me, and like I said for Onward Pixar has gained enough trust from me that I am going to be very optimistic with their projects from now on and this just has another great film from them written all over it. Soul easily takes the top spot in a year that has a lot of promising releases, and I cannot wait until it comes out.
Now as always lets take a look at some quick honorable mentions…
Underwater – Looks like a decent underwater thriller with Kriten Stewart, although the trailer did feel a bit spoilery. Still I’m glad Fox is still making movies like this.
Bad Boys For Life – This is one of those films that’s been in development hell for years, that’s finally coming out this year but without Michael Bay at the helm. I quite like the first Bad Boys, while the second is definitely something alright. This could either be a lot of fun or a really bad or maybe a bit of both all things considered.
Dolittle – Has potential to be a decent family flick, and Robert Downey Jr. looks to be having fun with the stacked cast of talking animals. Still the fact that the film was heavily reshot concerns me a bit along with the muted marketing. Also why would Universal spend $175 million on this!!!
The Rhythm Section – Familiar premise but decent trailer and great cast has me pretty interested in this revenge thriller.
My Hero Academia Two Heroes – Might as well include this one for fun as technically it already came out in Japan, but it has a planned U.S. release date for February 2020. I enjoyed the first one (even if it had some problems) and I’m curious to see how much of an endpoint this serves for the series, and according to early reactions is one heck of an emotional roller coaster so maybe this’ll be an improvement.
Sonic the Hedgehog – While that redesign is a huge improvement over what we initially got, and the trailer had some fun moments the story just seems a little too familiar. But hey Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik looks pretty entertaining!
Fantasy Island – Apparently this was an old TV show form the 70s that is now being turned into a Blumhouse horror flick. You don’t see many films like this which makes me curious as to how this will turn out.
The Call of the Wild – Looks pretty decent. Harrison Ford is always a highlight, and director Chris Sanders has plenty of experience with movies about the bond between humans and creatures with Lilo & Stitch, and How to Train Your Dragon. So yeah I’m expecting good things from this one.
The Invisible Man – Almost made the list as this a good example of what universal should be doing with their classic monsters (RIP Dark Universe). I like how their updating the classic story to modern day and Elizabeth Moss is an extremely talented star although I felt as I saw pretty much the whole movie by just watching the trailer.
Bloodshot – From what I first heard this was suppoed to be the start of the Valiant Comics Cinematic Universe, but now it seem those plans haven’t been touched upon for awhile with Sony losing the rights to Harbinger. Still let’s hope this is as much pulpy B-Movie fun as the trailer suggests.
A Quiet Place Part II – I have yet to have seen the original 2018 horror smash hit, but I’ve heard some great things about it, and I hope to check it out before this follow up which looks to follow in the footsteps of Aliens and Terminator 2 as a more action packed sequel.
Mulan – Unlike other live action Disney re imaginings this one looks like it might actually do change up the story in a major way. The trailer plays great on a big screen and I like that it looks like a more serious epic war film so I’m cautiously optimistic about this one.
The New Mutants – Wow, this film might actually be coming out! But will the long awaited horror flick be able to justify itself after Fox’s X-Men franchise came to an end?
Peter Rabbit 2 the Runaway – Haven’t seen the original, but the trailer for this follow up was pretty funny. That’s all I have to say really.
Fast and Furious 9 – I’ve only seen a handful of the Fast movies but I do plan on catching up before this one comes out. Not much is known about this one except that it will likely contain a bunch of cars, and action sequences, and it will probably make big bucks in China. Also John Cena joins the cast so that’s something.
Artemis Fowl – Disney doesn’t seem to have much confidence in this adaptation of the popular book series as they’ve delayed from August 2019 to May of this year for heavy re shoots. Still I’ve enjoyed plenty of their live action films so hopefully Kenneth Branagh will turn out a decent product.
Top Gun Maverick – Yet another sequel that’s been in the works for a very long time. Tom Cruise has been mostly starring in quality work this past decade but will anyone really want to fly with Maverick again after nearly 30 years?
Minions the Rise of Gru – I did not care for the original Minions too much (nor did I like Despicable Me 3 all that much either) so I’m starting to become a little bit tired of the Despicable Me franchise. Still the premise has some potential to focus on Gru, AND the Minions this time so maybe this one will have a better story?
Ghostbusters Afterlife – While I probably would have preferred a sequel to Paaul Feig’s 2016 flick, and it just feels like Ghostbusters is one of those franchises that only people on the internet care about, and the toxic fandom makes me feel iffy on the prospect of a follow up to the 80s films. Then again this does look pretty good with a more dramatic tone to it, and Jason Reitman looks to be trying to make a good movie first, please the fans second kind of thing, so we’ll see about this one.
Bob’s Burgers – Never really watched the show, but its pretty neat to see an adult targeted animated series get the big screen treatment and the creator promised it’ll be newbie friendly so maybe this could be a Teen Titans Go to the Movies like film.
Morbius – After Venom scored big bucks, Sony quickly announced more Spider-Man anti hero films are on the way starting with Morbius. While I think the character is pretty cool, and Jared Leto is a good actor, I really am not sure what to think about this one just yet. This is probably one where I need to see a trailer in order to fully get what they’re going for here.
Malignant – James Wan is a very good director, and him directing another original thriller sounds like a lot of fun no matter what the premise is.
Bill and Ted Face the Music – Yet another long belated sequel, but this time a comedy sequel and those don’t really turn out so great (Dumb and Dumber Too, Zoolander No. 2, etc.). Keanu Reeves is on a hot streak currently so maybe a return to one of his most recognizable franchises is just what he need?
Bios – Sounds like a pretty interesting, and potentially tear jerking Sci fi premise with Tom Hanks in the lead.
Venom 2 – Wasn’t very fond of the first Venom but with Woody Harrelson as Carnage, and Mo-cap king, Andy Serkis, now directing (whose Mowgli Legend of the Jungle I really liked), I have a feeling this sequel will be improvement.
Death On the Nile – A sequel to the pretty solid Murder on the Orient Express adaptation in 2017 with Kenneth Branagh reprising his role as Detective Hercule Poirot (the best part of the original), and a slew of other actors like Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, and Letita Wright sounds like a fine idea.
Halloween Kills – The 2018 sequel was a decent follow up to the 1978 classic, and it made a butt ton of money ensuring at least two more follow ups. This one looks to bring back cast members from the original and if its at least as enjoyable as the last one then this one can be able to justify itself.
Snake Eyes – Paramount looks like it want to turn this G.I. Joe spin off into its proverbial Bumblebee, in that it will most likely serve as a soft reboot for the franchise. I really liked Bumblebee and I like that Henry Golding is getting a high profile role like this, so here’s hoping this can be an improvement over the other films.
King Richard – Will Smith knows how to do a good dramatic performance and maybe he can get some awards recognition playing the father of Venus, and Serena William.
Coming 2 America – Look at that another long belated sequel (seriously this can be a list unto itself), this time to one of the great comedies of the 80s. After getting award recognition for Dolemite is My Name, Eddie Murphy seems on the cusp of a comeback, and will this follow up to one his best movies cement that. We’ll just have to wait and for that question to be answered.
West Side Story – While not sounding quite as exciting as In the Heights, its still Steven Spielberg dipping his toes into the musical genre, and I have reason to believe he will do a good job with it.
Tom and Jerry – Could go either way, though I am curious to see what route they will go in terms of bringing the iconic cartoon characters to life.
The Croods 2 – While I can’t say I’ve been demanding for a Croods 2 and it might be a little too late for it, I still think there’s some potential in exploring this world further and I hear it will be a different film than the first so hopefully the creators found a good artistic reason to come back despite the long wait and temporary cancellation.
So these are my most anticipated films of 2020 everyone! Please tell me what movie are you most excited for this year? Do you think this will be a great year or a lousy year for film? I’d be happy yo hear what you guys are most looking forward to, as I had a ton of fun figuring out how the order of this list would go. One more time I’d like to wish everyone a happy New Year and I cannot wait to start getting more post up soon.
Please leave your thoughts down below in the comments and see you guys later!
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