The year 2018 is going to blow us away with highly anticipated movies like Infinity War, Black Panther, and The Incredibles 2. At least, we hope we’re blown away by these hyped up projects. But let’s forget all about our immediate future for a second here, and delve right into the films that we can’t wait to see… in 2019.
While it’s still at least a year away at the time this article is being published, 2019 is shaping up to be an amazing year for movie fans. There are numerous reboots, sequels, adaptations, and even a couple original projects on the slate that should keep us packed into movie theaters next year.
While some of these movies have soft release date and could always be pushed into 2020, we think it’s a pretty safe bet that these 20 flicks should be on your not-too-distant radar. Here they are, in rough order of their projected release dates.
20. Hellboy – January 11
Well, we’re definitely not getting the final installment of the Guillermo del Toro/Ron Perlman Hellboy trilogy we all desperately wanted. While we’re still sad about that, we are trying to focus on the positive here. The franchise is getting a reboot in 2019, starting off with the simply titled Hellboy next January. Neil Marshall (The Descent and multiple episodes of Game of Thrones) will be directing and David Harbour (Stranger Things) takes over from Perlman as Hellboy himself.
The supporting cast is also impressive, as Ian McShane and Milla Jovovich will join the party. The plot synopsis is still pretty thin, but here’s the early confirmations: Hellboy battles a powerful sorceress who tries to destroy mankind. Seems simple enough.
This film was originally pitched as the finale of the original trilogy, but del Toro refused to be involved unless he could also write the script himself. Perlman wouldn’t come back without del Toro, so it turned into a reboot instead. Here’s hoping the R-rating delivers a dark, entertaining anti-hero movie.
19. Glass – January 18
M. Night Shyamalan fell off a bit after The Village in 2004. His next efforts (Lady in the Water, The Happening, and The Last Airbender) were universally panned by critics and fans alike. The gimmick of his twist endings had lost their novelty to many movie fans, so we were understandably cautious about being excited for his 2016 effort Split. After seeing it, though, we eagerly declared that “Shyamalan is back, baby!”
Split was technically a super villain origin story disguised as a psychological thriller. If that sounds like Unbreakable — his superhero origin story from 2000 that was similarly disguised — then you’re already catching on. A Bruce Willis cameo at the end of Split confirmed the two movies exist in the same universe, and a third movie is coming in 2019.
Glass will bring back Willis and Samuel L. Jackson from Unbreakable and team them with James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy from Split, as reluctant hero David Dunn takes on Kevin aka The Horde, and his multiple personalities.
18. Silver and Black – February 8
Peter Parker and Spider-Man may have gotten a “homecoming” in 2017 when the characters finally debuted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after years of having their rights owned by Sony, but technically Spider-Man and a handful of related characters are still under Sony’s roof. So while the wall-crawler takes a brief holiday to appear in the Disney owned Marvel films, Sony is going ahead with their own spin-offs of Spider-Man characters.
In 2019 they will release Silver and Black, a female-led movie focusing two of the more prominent women from the Spider-Man comics: Felicia Hardy aka The Black Cat and Silver Sablinova aka Silver Sable. It will be directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees) and is a direct follow-up (but not a sequel) to 2018’s Venom. We wouldn’t be surprised to see this one pushed back, though, since there have been no cast confirmations announced yet.
17. The Lego Movie Sequel – February 8
The Lego Movie was a bit of a surprise hit in 2014, since no one knew what to expect from a computer animated movie that was all in Lego pieces and starred the characters of Batman, Gandalf, and… some guy named Emmet. Wait, what? It had action, comedy, and a whole lot of heart, as one of the subplots involved a boy wanting to play his dad’s epic (and very precise) Lego collection, much to his father’s dismay.
It already spawned one spin-off in The Lego Batman Movie and a full sequel is set for release in early 2019. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller from the original are both returning to pen the script, and this time the story will reportedly focus on gender norms of how boys and girls play with toys differently, presumably pitching Lego bricks as the great gender equalizer.
16. How to Train Your Dragon 3 – March 1
One of Dreamworks decent movie franchises that isn’t named Shrek gets a third and final installment next year, as Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Toothless return in How To Train Your Dragon 3. In the second movie, Hiccup discovered that his mother was actually still alive, and had been living secretly in a dragon utopia. The next installment will focus on Toothless discovering that he isn’t actually the last of species, as a mysterious mate emerges.
There will be plenty of voice talent in this one — Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T. J. Miller, Kristen Wiig, Kit Harington, and Cate Blanchett are among the confirmed cast members. Interestingly enough, Butler’s character actually died in last movie, so it will be interesting to see what role former village chief Stoick the Vast has in this upcoming threequel.
15. Chaos Walking – March 1
Finally we get to a movie that isn’t a sequel, spin-off, or reboot. Chaos Walking is an original movie planned for March 2018 (although it is based on a novel called The Knife of Never Letting Go). It’s a young adult science fiction story, and according this short premise, it could be very good:
“Set in an alternate reality, young Todd has been brought up to believe that a viral germ has killed all the women and unleashed Noise, the special ability to read people’s minds, on the remaining men. One day he comes upon a patch of silence and soon discovers the source of the silence: a girl named Viola.”
The book is the first part of a trilogy, so if Chaos Walking performs well at the box office, you can expect more movies to follow, as Lionsgate Films are probably hoping this will be the next Hunger Games franchise. It comes complete with star power too, as Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and Daisy Ridley (Star Wars) are the lead couple. It’s also being directed by Doug Liman, who was responsible for the surprisingly great Edge of Tomorrow in 2014.
14. Captain Marvel – March 8
Brie Larson as Captain Marvel? We can’t get in line for tickets fast enough! Larson will step into the role of Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel when the Marvel Cinematic Universe (finally) brings us its first female-led movie in 2019. In a bit of a throwback to older comic movies, this one will serve as a origin story that is reportedly set in the 1990s.
The Carol Danvers character was originally going to appear in the Jessica Jones series, but she was pulled when that show switched from ABC to Netflix. Marvel movie boss Kevin Feige has already promised that Captain Marvel will be one of the most powerful characters they’ve “ever put on screen,” but the film will probably include slight changes to her history to fit in with the existing MCU. So hardcore comic fans might end up disappointed. Either way, Marvel has an excellent track record of turning little known franchises into huge hits — remember Guardians of the Galaxy? This movie could follow that same path.
13. Godzilla: King of Monsters – March 22
We were skeptical when Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced plans to start a shared cinematic Monsterverse, featuring the likes of King Kong, Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah. Some of those are basically unknown creatures, and Kong and Godzilla have been seemingly done to death already. But we’re happy to say that we were wrong, as both 2014’s Godzilla reboot and 2017’s Kong: Skull Island were pleasant surprises.
The Monsterverse continues in 2019 with Godzilla: King of Monsters. If you remember from the reboot, the Japanese legend was actually hailed as the good guy in a fight against a pair of MUTOs (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) who attack San Francisco. There isn’t a lot of plot detail for the new movie yet, but it’s safe to say that it will feature Godzilla squaring off with a number of different creatures ahead of the next movie in the shared universe, 2020’s Godzilla vs. Kong.
12. SHAZAM! – April 5
At one point, this character was named Captain Marvel. However, since his rights are owned by DC Comics, that obviously became a bit of an issue for their biggest competitor, Marvel Comics. These days, the alter ego of Billy Batson goes by the name Shazam, and his solo movie will be part of the DC Extended Universe in 2019. It’s no small movie either, as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson originally signed on to play villain Black Adam. It’s unclear if he’ll still be in the movie though, as Black Adam is now being given his own solo film in the DC Universe.
Asher Angel and Zachary Levi will both star as the lead character, a teenage boy who transforms into an adult superhero with abilities similar to Superman. David F. Sandberg (Lights Out, Annabelle: Creation) is directing, with most of the movie being shot in Toronto, Canada. The DC Extended Universe movies have been hit and miss so far, but hopefully Shazam! will be a surprise success for a character with less popularity than Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman.
11. Pet Sematary – April 19
We feel like 2017 was one of the best years for Stephen King adaptations. Not only did the remake of IT smash box office records and scare audiences everywhere, but The Dark Tower movie also finally got made (although most critics hated it). In addition, the horror master had a number of his works pop up on Netflix. There was The Mist television series, and two Netflix original movies based on his stories — 1922 and the incredibly good Gerald’s Game.
The next calendar year will continue bring us King projects. The second half of IT will hit theaters (more on that later), but a new remake will also come our way when Pet Sematary releases in April. The classic 1983 tale of “sometimes dead is better” is set to be directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer (Starry Eyes, Scream: The TV Series). The original 1989 movie is a bit of a horror cult classic, although the 1992 sequel pretty much sucked, and should be ignored at all costs. Hopefully the reboot of Pet Sematary follows in the footsteps of IT.
10. Avengers 4 or Infinity War Part II– May 2
The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe has been moving towards this moment for years. When the first half of Infinity War comes out in 2018, we’ll finally see the giant ensemble cast of Marvel characters take on Thanos in their biggest, most important battle ever. Of course, that’s only the first part of the story, with the epic conclusion hitting theaters almost exactly one year later in May 2019.
All the usual suspects will be back for this one (minus any characters who might die in the first half of the story), plus some newer members of the MCU, like Captain Marvel. It should be one final grand epic adventure, as most of the principal actors will have fulfilled their contracts at this point and will be leaving the franchise. In fact, Marvel only has two projects announced for post-Infinity War — a sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. It will be interesting to see what Disney/Marvel Studios does with the final Avengers installment, and even more interesting to see what happens next.
9. John Wick: Chapter 3 – May 17
We already know exactly how this movie is going to go. After the conclusion of John Wick: Chapter 2, the ruthless assassin has been excommunicated from the Continental Hotel and a global bounty is put on his head. He tells Winston (Ian McShane), in very simple terms, that he will kill anyone who comes after him. We’re willing to bet a bunch of greedy hit men will take the risk and try to track down the Boogyman for a pile of cash.
Although the John Wick movies are pretty simple, they have gotten rave reviews for their slick action sequences and realistic gunplay. Reeves also performs brilliantly as the despondent but deadly main character. Director Chad Stahelski and writer Derek Kolstad are both set to return for the third installment, so we simply expect more of the same — Wick gunning down legions of foes in superbly entertaining fashion.
8. Toy Story 4 – June 21
Pixar sure takes its sweet time releasing sequels. Toy Story 2 took four years and Toy Story 3 took another eleven. In 2019, a full eight years after the tear-inducing and heart wrenching third installment, we will be treated to the latest update from Woody, Buzz, and the gang in Toy Story 4. Oddly enough, Pixar president Jim Morris has stated this installment will be more of a “stand alone sequel” and less of a continuation of the third film.
The exact story is still a closely guarded secret, but some of the details have been slipping out here and there. Back in 2015, it was suggested the film would focus on the romantic relationship between Woody and Bo Peep, since she was missing for the entire third movie. People of a certain age have fond memories of these characters, and Pixar has a long habit of making their movies both entertaining to children and heartwarming to adults. We expect Toy Story won’t do anything to tarnish the reputation of one the most perfect trilogies in movie history.
7. Spider-Man: Homecoming 2 – July 5
After the success of Sony letting the wall crawler “jump ship” temporarily over to Marvel Studios, it was agreed upon that Marvel could keep making Spider-Man movies as long as Sony keeps getting their (probably very large) piece of the pie. So Tom Holland will return again (he’ll be in the Infinity War movies too) in Summer 2019 for the second installment of a Marvel-made Spider-Man series.
It’s hard to say what this movie will be like. For example, will it take place before or after the events of Infinity War? The answer to that questions could seriously change the entire plot. Marvel boss Kevin Feige once suggested following a Harry Potter like timeline, with each Spider-Man movie following Peter Parker through a year of high school. That would put him in his junior year in this sequel and a potential trilogy film would mark his senior year.
6. The Lion King – July 19
Director Jon Favreau had people questioning Disney’s judgement then they announced a live action version of the animated classic The Jungle Book a few years ago. Going for a more realistic (although heavily CGI-ed) look, that movie was actually quite good, even without the extravagant musical numbers from the original cartoon version.
In 2019, Disney and Favreau are teaming up again for a similar project, as they remake The Lion King in a live action format. Unlike The Jungle Book, this remake will have zero human roles, but the voice cast assembled so far is nothing short of incredible. Look at this lineup:
Donald Glover (Simba), Beyoncé (Nala), James Earl Jones (Mufasa, again), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Scar), Billy Eichner (Timon), Seth Rogen (Pumba), John Oliver (Zazu), John Kani (Rafiki), and Alfre Woodard (Sarabi) headline the star-studded voices. In addition, Academy Award winning composer Hans Zimmer has signed on to do the score and Elton John will return to rework some of his songs from the original film to fit the modern re-telling. The Lion King seems like a surefire hit!
5. IT: Chapter Two – September 6
As mentioned earlier, Stephen King adaptations have been all the rage lately. And if you’ve watched the original IT television miniseries from 1990 (or even read the 1986 novel), you’ll know that the hit 2017 movie was only the first half of the story. The children who were terrorized by Pennywise actually return to Derry 27 years later to finally track down and face the killer clown.
In September 2019, the second half of the iconic story will hit theaters. Bill Skarsgard will once again freak everyone out in the role of Pennywise, but the other characters will be recast with new actors as their adult selves. When most people think of IT, they remember the adolescent members of the Losers Club coming of age and facing their fears together. The second half of the original miniseries is often forgotten about, really. Here’s hoping that changes with Chapter Two.
4. Wonder Woman 2 – November 1
After a couple of critical flops in Batman V. Superman and Suicide Squad (although both made considerable money at the box office), there were plenty questions about the future of the DC Extended Universe. Could they really take Marvel’s epic idea of a massive shared film universe and apply it to DC heroes and villains? Well, they seem determined to try.
Luckily, DC and Warner Bros. scored big with Wonder Woman in 2017, which was a bit of a surprise in the traditionally male-dominated comic book movie scene — but Girl Power reigned supreme. Female director Patty Jenkins introduced a new generation of fans to Diana of Themyscira (played perfectly by the stunning Gal Gadot) with a story set back in the 1910s, in the middle of World War I. It was one of the better superhero origin stories we’ve seen to date, and the character will get a much-deserved sequel in 2019.
Both Jenkins and Gadot will be returning, although it’s still unclear what the story will be about or, more pressing, during which era it will take place. Will it be more backstory stuff? Or will it be a modern adventure, set after the events of Justice League? Either way, we’ll be front of the line for tickets for anything that features Gadot as Princess Diana.
3. James Bond 25 – November 8
After much “will he, won’t he” speculation, it was finally confirmed that Daniel Craig would come back to play England’s greatest fictional spy one time before he hangs up the Walter PPK and the keys to the Aston Martin. We’re feeling quite thankful for that, as the recent James Bond movies with Craig have been among the best in franchise history, adding more realism, more character depth, and tons of intense action scenes to the series’ already-great lore.
As of right now, this movie exists without a name and only Craig has been confirmed to return. However, audiences always flock to the latest Bond movie, so they will probably never stop making them. The real question will come after Bond 25, when Craig does finally retire the role and make way for someone else. There have been plenty of Hollywood rumors about a successor, including Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston, or even giving a female actress to take over as the superspy. Let the speculation continue!
2. Star Wars: Episode IX – December 20
Another year, another new Disney financed Star Wars movie. Get used to it, people. You don’t pay $4 billion for the rights to a franchise unless you’re going to pump out sequels and spin-offs in an effort to recoup that investment. We’ve already gotten The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi, and there’s a Han Solo spin off planned for some time in 2018 too. At the end of 2019, the final installment of new sequel trilogy will finally arrive, bringing an end (maybe?) to the saga of Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Renn.
J.J. Abrams is returning to direct the currently unnamed final installment (he did Episode VII too), but we already know the major plot points. Kylo Ren has overthrown Snoke as Supreme Leader of the First Order, Rey is proving to be a formidable Jedi-in-training (although her past continues to be a mystery), and Luke Skywalker is apparently dead, vanishing into some sort of force ghost at the end of The Last Jedi. It should be an epic conclusion, but we really hope they have something more important for Finn to do this time around. His side mission to the casino on Canto Bight was amusing, but hardly important.
1. Quentin Tarantino’s Charles Manson Project – December 25(?)
This movie is more of a mystery than any other on our list, but we’re putting it at the top of our list because we are Tarantino fanboys around here. It had a working title of Helter Skelter at one point, since it will focus on the Charles Manson murders that took place in the late 60s. Margot Robbie (Wolf of Wall Street, Suicide Squad) is rumored to be playing infamous actress Sharon Tate, although it’s unconfirmed at this point.
Tarantino has stated this movie won’t be a biopic, exactly, but will focus more on the state of America in 1969, using the Manson Family murders as a pivot point around a larger story. We expect this movie to give us another classic Tarantino tale, with his distinct writing and directing talents once again captivating audiences. Previous Tarantino collaborators like Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson have been included in casting rumors, although we’ll have to wait and see what information emerges between now and then.
The release date is nothing but a guess, although Tarantino does have an affinity for Christmas Day — The Hateful Eight, Django Unchained, and Jackie Brown were all released on December 25.
