2020 is fast approaching, and Hollywood's major studios have lined up a slew of projects
to compete for your filmgoing dollar.
Some of the upcoming releases on the calendar are highly anticipated sequels, but that isn't
all we're expecting to see.
Kristen Stewart has come a long way since Twilight.
Only two months after appearing as Sabina in Elizabeth Banks' 2019 Charlie's Angels
reboot, Stewart is set to star in Underwater, a film about an underwater research crew who
find themselves trapped following a devastating earthquake.
Although it isn't slated for release until January 10, Underwater actually finished production
back in 2017, before co-star T.J. Miller's career was quite in the shambles it is now.
And as much as one may want to compare it to other sci-fi thrillers like Alien or The
Abyss, Stewart told Entertainment Weekly that there's more to it than that.
According to her:
"It's a really dark, scary meditation on isolation."
Stewart won't be entirely isolated in the film, though.
Underwater's cast also includes Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick, John Gallagher, Jr., Mamoudou
Athie, and Gunner Wright.
It's directed by William Eubank, whose sophomore film The Signal premiered at Sundance in 2014.
If it feels like you're having a déjà vu film experience with 2020's The Grudge, you
aren't alone.
Based on the 2002 Japanese horror movie Ju-On, The Grudge had its first American adaptation
back in 2004, which starred Buffy the Vampire Slayer herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar.
The 2004 Grudge was rated PG-13, likely as a means of appealing to the largest Halloween
crowd possible.
However, this new Grudge iteration will head into theaters with a hard R rating.
Starring John Cho, Andrea Riseborough, Demian Bichir, Betty Gilpin, Lin Shaye, and Jacki
Weaver, The Grudge tells the story of a house cursed by the spirit of a vengeful, deadly
presence.
Rest assured, however, that although The Grudge will center on an entirely new cast of characters,
there will still be some callbacks to prior films for the long-time fans.
Prepare to get spooked when it arrives on January 10.
If Guy Ritchie's more recent genre-specific film exploits have had you questioning his
appeal as a director, fear not.
Ritchie is getting back to his crime caper roots with The Gentlemen, which hits theaters
on January 24.
The film's trailer seems to promise drugs, double-crosses, classic Ritchie dialogue,
and duplicity.
In other words, it sounds like a return to form for the director of Lock, Stock and Two
Smoking Barrels and Snatch.
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Michelle Dockery, Henry Golding, Colin Farrell,
and Hugh Grant, The Gentlemen is the kind of action film we've been wanting to see from
Ritchie for years.
In the aftermath of her family's untimely death, Stephanie Patrick, played by Blake
Lively, heads toward self-destruction.
When she discovers the plane crash that killed her loved ones was orchestrated, she takes
it upon herself to enact revenge upon those responsible.
The Rhythm Section, which was originally supposed to have made it into theaters at the beginning
of 2019, marks only the third feature for cinematographer-turned-director Reed Moreno.
Moreno's made a name for herself on the small screen though, having done work on The Handmaid's
Tale and Billions.
The Rhythm Section is written by Mark Burnell, who's adapted his own novel for the big screen.
The film looks to be something between a spy thriller and a revenge thriller, with a strong
female lead.
While Lively has done action films in the past, this will be her first time actually
heading up this kind of major studio action movie.
Rounding out the cast are Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown, and Richard Brake, and The Rhythm
Section arrives in theaters on January 31.
The 19th century German fairy tale about a young pair of siblings who find themselves
lost in the woods and end up the dinner target of a witch has certainly seen its fair share
of film adaptations.
Generally speaking, none have been particularly outstanding, and some, like 2013's Hansel
& Gretel: Witch Hunters, have gone so far off the rails that it's just sort of laughable.
But come January 31st, we'll get a pretty straightforward onscreen version of the story.
Sophia Lillis, who played the younger version of Beverly Marsh in the It films, leads the
cast as Gretel, while Sam Leakey makes his feature film debut as her younger brother
Hansel.
Genre veteran Alice Krige takes on the role of the witch, Holda.
Gretel & Hansel marks only the third film by director Oz Perkins his previous works
are The Blackcoat's Daughter and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House.
Aside from its character-swapped title, Gretel & Hansel looks to be an incredibly creepy,
true-to-its-source-material feature.
The terror of isolation is having a real moment in the horror genre films like 2016's Hush
or 2019's Midsommar present a kind of fear that's compounded by the fact that there's
quite literally nowhere to run to.
So, too, does The Lodge, which centers on soon-to-be stepmom Grace as she struggles
to discover the truth behind a mysterious and terrifying presence in a snowed-in remote
village.
The Lodge is as much a story about a troubled young woman trying to make a connection with
her fiance's less than enthusiastic kids as it is about the creepy monster hiding in the
snow storm.
Grace has a difficult past, and it's hard to tell how much of what's happening to her
in the present is a direct result of it.
You'll just have to see it for yourself to find out on February 7th.
Ben Affleck reunites with his The Accountant director, Gavin O'Connor, for The Way Back,
a movie that's half an inspirational feel-good story about a man struggling with alcoholism,
and half a sports drama about a high school basketball team that's fallen from glory.
In other words, pretty much nothing like The Accountant.
The Way Back is written by Brad Ingelsby, whose previous credits include 2013's Out
of the Furnace and 2019's The Friend.
The Way Back did experience a development hurdle back in August 2019, when the film
had its original October 2019 release date pushed back to March 6, 2020.
The date change gave The Way Back the opportunity to avoid having to go up against Warner Bros.'
already heavy fall 2019 slate, which included It: Chapter 2 and Joker.
It'll also allow the basketball-centric film to capitalize on the start of March Madness.
Nearly two decades after we first saw charming, idealistic law student Elle Woods demonstrate
the perfect bend and snap, Reese Witherspoon is set to reprise one of the biggest roles
of her career with Legally Blonde 3.
Witherspoon won't be the only familiar face returning for the threequel, it seems as though
most of the original film's creative team has signed on as well.
Currently, not a whole lot is known about the film.
It's yet to secure a director, and specific plot details are being kept under wraps.
Chances are good that Legally Blonde 3 will be in line with the two previous movies, centering
on Elle Woods' ability to overcome adversity through optimism, ingenuity, and sheer determination.
The idea with this one is that it will most likely focus on female empowerment, hopefully
introducing the franchise to a new audience when the new installment comes out on May
8.
"Harvard.
Law school."
"You got into Harvard law?"
"What, like it's hard?"
Coming July 3, 2020 is Free Guy, an action comedy directed by Stranger Things' Shawn
Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds, who might be the only actor to ever play the same character
twice with completely opposite results.
Free Guy tells the story of Guy, played by Reynolds, a bank teller who comes to find
out that he is a non playable background character in a brutal and violent video game.
The film also stars Taika Waititi, Jodie Comer, and Joe Keery and is written by Matt Leiberman
and Zak Penn.
There are two big, noteworthy reunions happening with Free Guy.
The first is between Keery and Levy, who have a long-running history on Netflix's hit series
Stranger Things.
But there's also the on-screen reunion between Reynolds and Waititi, who appeared together
once before, in 2011's Green Lantern.
"A racetrack.
That's the best you could come up with for your first big appearance.
Racetrack."
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I disappoint you?"
Disney has a long history of adapting its theme park rides into blockbuster movies Pirates
of the Caribbean turned a 15 minute boat ride into a film franchise that spans five films
and, soon, a reboot.
Of course, it would only make sense for the House of Mouse to want to expand on its ride-to-movie
franchise opportunities before Disney's parks are comprised solely of movie-based attractions.
The Jungle Cruise ride is a favorite for weary park goers who are looking to take a break
and listen to some cheap jokes for ten minutes.
Meanwhile, The Jungle Cruise movie looks like it could be another franchise hit when it
arrives on July 24, with a fresh spin on the ride's cornball one-liners courtesy of star
Dwayne Johnson.
The actor was originally announced for the film back in 2015, but development on Jungle
Cruise took its time co-star Emily Blunt wasn't cast until 2018.
The film's official synopsis promises to add a supernatural element to the river-bound
tale, which is right up director Jaume Collet-Serra's alley.
He's responsible for both Orphan and the 2005 remake of House of Wax.
Just before Halloween 2020 hits, we'll be getting the third installment of the Conjuring
Universe's flagship series.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will both reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren,
although James Wan, who was behind the camera for both The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2,
is sitting out directorial duties this time around.
He's still on board as a producer, though, with The Curse of La Llorona director Michael
Chaves taking the helm.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is inspired by the first time in U.S. history
that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense.
That would be the story of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who was put on trial for the murder of his
landlord following a failed exorcism attempt.
He claimed to have been possessed at the time of the killing.
We'll have to see if the devil really did make him do it when The Conjuring 3 arrives
on September 11.
Venom may not have been a critical success, but it wasn't long after its 2018 release
that rumors began to circulate regarding the film's inevitable sequel.
That was confirmed in January 2019, and by August, Andy Serkis had signed on as the film's
director.
Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, and Michelle Williams will all return for Sony's second round with
the famous Marvel symbiote, while Naomie Harris is rumored to be taking on the role of Shriek,
Carnage's deadly partner.
If the rumors are true, that could mean big things for Sony's Spider-Verse.
In the comics, Shriek's team up with Carnage ultimately led to a face-off between Spider-Man
and Venom, along with a whole bunch of other superheroes.
How the whole thing inevitably unfolds will likely have a lot to do with the fragile relationship
between Sony and Marvel.
If the two studios manage to work things out, Venom 2 could be setting up the framework
for a huge crossover when it arrives in theaters on October 2.
One thing we know for sure about Venom 2:
"When I get outta here, and I will, there's gonna be carnage."
When David Gordon Green and Danny McBride rebooted the Halloween franchise in 2018,
they took a huge risk.
The new film retconned everything that had happened in the franchise following the original
1978 film and picked up four decades later, in a world where former babysitter Laurie
Strode has spent a lifetime preparing for another confrontation with her masked stalker.
But according to McBride, their leap of horror faith could have been an even bigger one.
Apparently, the pair had originally planned to pitch two films to be shot back-to-back.
They ultimately decided against it, but shortly after Halloween opened to both critical and
commercial success, two more films were confirmed.
Slated for October 16, Halloween Kills will see Curtis again reprise her role as Laurie
Strode, along with Judy Greer as Laurie's daughter Karen and Andi Matichak as Laurie's
granddaughter Allyson.
It will also bring the return of several of the franchise's original characters: 1978
babysitting charges Tommy and Lindsey are back and all grown up, with Kyle Richards
returning as Lindsey, while Anthony Michael Hall takes the role of Tommy.
Nancy Stephens and Charles Cyphers are coming back too, reprising their respective roles
of Nurse Marion Chambers and Sheriff Leigh Brackett.
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