2020 might feel far away, but Hollywood's major studios are already planning ahead with
some legit super hits on the horizon.
And if you're a fan of sci-fi flicks, then 2020's looking like an especially good year
for you.
These are just a few of the most anticipated sci-fi blockbusters on their way to a big
screen near you.
Film fans will finally get the answer to an age-old question in 2020, when Godzilla and
King Kong face off on the big screen.
Director Adam Wingard has already assured fans that his take on the two monsters will
crown a definitive winner, unlike the 1962 film that first pit the two characters against
each other.
This will be the fourth entry in Legendary's MonsterVerse, first established in 2014's
Godzilla and further explored in Kong: Skull Island.
"Kong is not the only king."
Godzilla: King of the Monsters opened up that world even wider in 2019, bringing old favorites
like Mothra and Rodan into the fray and setting the stage for this clash of the titans.
Godzilla vs. Kong is the biggest project yet for Wingard, whose previous directing credits
include You're Next, The Guest, and Blair Witch.
As if the collision of these two screen icons wasn't fan-pleasing enough, the movie will
also feature an impressive assembly of human actors.
Stranger Things' Millie Bobbie Brown will reprise her King of the Monsters role, with
Black Panther's Danai Gurira and Deadpool 2's Julian Dennison also attached to star.
It's pretty hard to keep a movie production secret, particularly in the age of comprehensive
entertainment news sites.
That's why it was as startling as a freaky ghost when filmmaker Jason Reitman revealed
that not only was he working on a new Ghostbusters movie, but that he already had a vague but
atmospheric teaser trailer announcing its summer 2020 arrival.
The son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman, Jason has formed his own identity
as a director with such offbeat, low-key dramedies such as Juno and Tully.
Now, as he explained to Entertainment Weekly, he's ready to direct and co-write a new chapter
of the story he watched unfold on set as a child.
And get this: It's not a reboot! Reitman expressed that much when he told Entertainment Weekly:
"It is not a reboot.
What happened in the '80s happened in the '80s, and this is set in the present day."
All that said, it remains to be seen which original cast members will be involved Harold
Ramis passed away in 2014, Rick Moranis is in semi-retirement, and Bill Murray has long
been slippery on committing to another sequel.
But then, who knows what Bill Murray will do at any given moment?
"Wait wait wait wait wait.
I've always wanted to do this.
And..."
Writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson has had a career largely defined by video game adaptations.
Over the past 25 years, he's brought us Mortal Kombat, DOA: Dead or Alive, and most significantly,
the Resident Evil series.
Now, he's reuniting with his Resident Evil star — and better half — Milla Jovovich
to bring yet another game franchise to the big screen: Capcom's Monster Hunter.
These fantasy role-playing games have been amassing fans since the inaugural entry's
release in 2004, and there's no end in sight — the latest installment, Monster Hunter:
World, was one of the best-selling video games of 2018.
With a supporting cast that includes Tony Jaa and Ron Perlman, Anderson's adaptation
of the beloved franchise sees Jovovich starring as the leader of a platoon of soldiers transported
from our world to a savage fantasy land.
Reviews for Anderson's filmography as a whole have been middling, to say the least.
But he's described Monster Hunter as a, quote, "passion project," and maybe that passion
will make for a grand spectacle.
We'll find out when the hunt begins on September 4, 2020.
Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune has had a towering influence over the world of science
fiction, which is probably why filmmakers have been trying to bring Herbert's universe
to the screen for decades.
Avant-garde director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but abandoned attempt in the '70s
was so legendary it eventually became the subject of a hit documentary.
Surrealist director David Lynch helmed a blockbuster version of Dune in 1984, but while the film
has something of a cult following, many — including Lynch himself — found it unsatisfying.
A Syfy miniseries in 2000 served as a faithful adaptation, but suffered from the limitations
of a TV budget.
Now, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve hopes to get it right.
His strongest asset so far is an already stacked cast, which includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca
Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh
Brolin, and Jason Momoa.
Another point in the production's favor: the film will reportedly focus on only the first
half of Herbert's novel, avoiding the overstuffed confusion of the Lynch movie.
News about Dune seems to be coming in fast and furious, with a release date set for November
20, 2020.
Stay tuned to find out who else joins its already super impressive cast.
We're getting not one, not two, not even three, but four Avatar sequels over the next decade,
the first of which will hit theaters in 2020.
The massive undertaking reportedly has a total budget of over $1 billion, allowing director
and franchise mastermind James Cameron to fully embrace new technologies and make sure
that the sequels are as visually stunning as the first chapter.
Cameron isn't slouching on the story, either.
The movies are said to be a family saga about Sam Worthington's Jake, Zoe Saldana's Neytiri,
and the pair's children.
Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Matt Gerald, Joel David Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, and C.C.H.
Pounder are among the returning cast, despite the deaths of some of their characters in
the original.
Newcomers include Fear the Walking Dead's Cliff Curtis as Tonowari — the leader of
a clan of reef people — and Game of Thrones' Oona Chaplin as Varang, a prominent character
described as being strong and vibrant.
A group of young actors will take on mostly CGI roles as the younger set of Pandora residents,
bringing the film a new challenge — and hopefully, some new life as well.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite stuff are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.