If you’ve seen my previous blog post, then you’ve deduced I love big, epic and cinematic films from a variety of directors. In this post we will be looking ahead into the next year and we will be looking into ten of the biggest films that I am personally looking forward to. Off course, there are many, many films I am looking forward to, but this select few are on my radar more than others.
10. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino has only made 8 films in his career, which is surprisingly low. However, he is one of those people where quality is better than quantity and anyone who has seen any of his films, from Pulp Fiction to Django Unchained, knows this is true. So, his 9th film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, should come at no surprise as to why I am excited.
The cast list is absolutely stellar with Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tim Roth, Kurt Russell, Al Pacino and a lot more! The story is set to the background of the Charles Manson murders in Hollywood in the 1960’s.
Tarantino won’t be focusing on the murders and will instead be focusing on his two leads with Pitt and DiCaprio, as they cause trouble and get involved in a lot of misfit adventures. This film doesn’t just deserve to be on my radar, but on everyone else’s as well.
9. Toy Story 4
Pixar has a great track record when it comes to making animated films. In fact, they’ve successfully made a trilogy of films where each film gets better and better. Not a lot of films have successful sequels, but Pixar just somehow knows the secret to making it work. So with this in mind, what can wrong with Toy Story 4?
The fact there is a 4th film seems a bit worrying considering Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending for the franchise.
But, if you’ve seen recent TV movies such as Toy Story of Terror then you know there are a lot of opportunities for more creativity to tell more stories. For this reason, I believe Toy Story 4 has the potential to tell a great story with Woody, Buzz and the gang.
8. Aladdin
The director of Sherlock Holmes and Snatch is bringing classic Disney animated film Aladdin to life on the big screen. That sentence alone should excite a lot of people. Guy Ritchie is a fantastic director, with razor sharp editing and a brilliant gritty style of filmmaking, he is a man of force when it comes to storytelling.
Then, you have the brilliant 1992 film Aladdin which captivated a lot of people’s hearts with Robin Williams’s Genie and the catchy songs. The marriage of these two promises to bring this film to life in a lot of magical ways. With Will Smith stepping in Robin William’s shoes and a diverse cast of people involved, this promises to be a very faithful reinvention of the Disney Classic.
7. Jungle Cruise
While talking about Disney, they are brilliant at sequels and remaking their back catalogue, but it is their original films which really stand the test of time.
Check out Mary Poppins and Pirates of the Caribbean as two examples of this.
This is why I am excited for Jungle Cruise, which is starring Dwayne Johnson (Hollywood’s Best Player at the Moment), Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall. Promising an adventure story within a deep jungle, similar to Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, this film is a great opportunity to see a more modernised look at the adventure genre that is set in the 1930’s.
This film could easily become the next big thing in Disney’s great archives of fantastic movies.
6. It: Chapter Two
Horror films have seen a huge resurgence in recent years, from new classics Light’s Out and A Quiet Place to reinventing old franchises like Halloween. However, the best man who knows the genre best is Stephen King, and his novel It came to life in 2017 and proved to be a huge success.
The balance of horror and the coming-of-age story was a winning formula, with a cast that shone through every scene. This time around we are seeing the children as adult’s as they return to the town of Maine to confront the evil they came across as kids. I love Horror anyway, but when it comes to cinematic Horror I’m already a guaranteed audience member!
5. Missing Link
If you’re reading this blog then you’ve seen the website and know the next film by Eyesight is Awake. Stop-motion films was a huge part of my childhood and was one of reasons I wanted to make one of my own.
However, it is not a dead genre. Stop-motion films are still being made, just check out last years Early Man as a prime example. So the fact we have one coming out in 2019 is incredible exciting. Missing Link is from the studio who made other stop-motion films such as Coraline and Paranorman. This is their first film in a few years, and the story and cast is incredibly exciting. Zack Galifianakis and Hugh Jackman play the main characters, and the globetrotting story revolves around a monster investigator trying to find a legendary creature known as Mr. Link.
4. Wonder Woman 1984
If you want a pure cinematic blockbuster film then what you want a superhero film. The problem is, there are so many of them! Not every superhero film is a guaranteed hit, just check out Justice League as an example. However, one of the most recent superhero films, Wonder Woman, broke every expectation there was. It sounded generic and the same old origin story of a hero in the making, but it was so much more.
Gal Gadot brought Diana Prince to life and Patty Jenkins directed such a moving and important story about how much violence is in the world. This time however, instead of a straight-up sequel, they’re making an entirely new chapter set in the same world. Chris Pine and Gal Gadot return, but instead of the war setting we are going to the 1980’s where music is dominant and the world is getting more colourful.
My expectations are already high, but so should yours.
3. Captain Marvel
I know a lot of people do complain about the amount of superhero films, and how different ones connect to each other, there’s one studio that knows how to make a standalone story, a universal tale and a great superhero film all in one.
That studio is Marvel Studios.
Black Panther, Iron Man, Doctor Strange and others like them are proving big hits due to their cinematic mastery and self-contained stories. This is why Captain Marvel should be seen by everyone and not just me. It has Jude Law, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn all sharing the screen, which is already a big sell. The story is about an army pilot with alien DNA in her blood which makes her super powerful. The potential here is exciting for a great story and for something truly cinematic.
2. Avengers 4
Avengers: Infinity War was the biggest success story of the year. It had 10 years worth of films building up towards it and a lot of characters to juggle, and somehow it just worked! Not only that, it wasn’t the end. Instead we have Avengers 4 that will do that for us. This film promises to conclude a lot of storylines for a lot of beloved characters. Some of these heroes include Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye and Thor. Details for the film is scarce to nothing, but doesn’t stop it from being the most hyped up film this decade.
1. Star Wars: Episode IX
The first film I ever saw that blew me away was Star Wars: A New Hope and so it is only natural that over eight films and two spin-offs and countless of other stories set in a galaxy far, far away, that the one film I am looking forward to most is Episode IX.
Reuniting the remaining old cast with the new cast, and a story that will finally conclude the Skywalker Saga, this promises to be epic!
J.J. Abrams is returning behind the camera, and every film he has made so far has catapulted my imagination and given me goosebumps. So I’m expecting the exact same next Christmas. This is definitely something to experience on the biggest screen possible.
These are only ten films coming out within the next year. There’s a tonne more like Shazam!, Glass, The Lion King, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Rocketman, Jumanji 3 and the list is endless.
I am without doubt each one I will see will inspire me, educate me and teach me more about how filmmaking continues to evolve.
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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