There's a lot to look forward to at the box office in the coming year.
From superhero action thrillers to down-to-earth dramas and everything in between, here are
all the movies that will blow you away in 2019.
M. Night Shyamalan continues his surprise superhero trilogy with Glass, a sequel to
2017's Split, whose final act unexpectedly tied in with 2000's Unbreakable.
The movie will bring back all the main players from both films, with Bruce Willis, Samuel
L. Jackson, James McAvoy, and Anya Taylor-Joy all confirmed to return.
As revealed in the first trailer, the story also involves a psychiatrist played by Sarah
Paulson who observes the three men in an institution while probing their "delusions of grandeur."
Speaking with Vulture, Shyamalan described Glass as a story about the struggle between
"doubt versus belief.
Given Shyamalan's love of twists, there's certainly more to Glass than we know, but
this is a story nearly 20 years in the making, so we're sure the director knows what he's
doing.
Glass is slated to arrive in theaters on January 18th.
Marvel's first female-led superhero film will be long overdue when it hits theaters on March
9th, 2019, but the movie is shaping up to be worth the wait.
For one thing, Captain Marvel has Oscar winner Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, and Marvel Studios
president Kevin Feige has said she'll be, quote, "as powerful a character as we've ever
put in a movie."
The studio has directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck at the helm for an origin story for
Carol, all of which should help sow the seeds for Marvel's Phase Four storylines while setting
up a new hero who's sure to be a key component of the fight against Thanos in Avengers 4.
As if that weren't enough, the film's first trailer makes it clear that we can expect
plenty of space action and more than a few laughs.
2019 is going to be a good year for horror–and a good year for Stephen King.
In addition to It: Chapter 2, the year will also see the release of Pet Sematary, based
on Stephen King's 1983 novel about a family that moves in next to a burial ground with
disturbing powers that prove too difficult to resist.
The book was previously adapted for the big screen in 1989, but the newest version of
Pet Sematary has some horror visionaries on board in directors Kevin Kolsch and Dennis
Widmyer, who previously worked on Starry Eyes as well as episodes of MTV's Scream TV series.
Jason Clarke is attached to the role of Dr. Louis Creed, first played by Dale Midkiff
in the 1989 Pet Sematary film.
Joining Clarke for the remake is Amy Seimetz as Louis' wife Rachel, and John Lithgow, who
is set to portray the Creeds' neighbor Jud Crandall, who knows all the dark secrets of
the animal burial site after which the movie is titled.
With an experienced crew and a stellar cast locked in place, not to mention a suitably
freaky first trailer, Pet Sematary should make for a spooky Easter weekend when it premieres
April 5th.
Shazam! has been a long time in the making, but the DC Comics movie is currently slated
to finally hit theaters on April 5th, 2019.
The movie finally found a star in October 2017 in Chuck's Zachary Levi, who will play
the grown-up superhero that teen Billy Batson is able to turn into when he utters the magic
word.
"Shazam"
"Are you for real?"
"Say it!"
"Okay...Shazam?"
The movie's first trailer made a splash at Comic-Con by making it clear it'll bring a
different tone to the DC Universe.
Its premise means it is sure to be a bit more ridiculous and humorous than DC's past movies,
and the young hero should allow for the mix of fantastical and real-life problems that
have served superhero films well in the past.
While Black Adam won't appear now that he's getting his own standalone movie, the film
has recruited a scary villain in Mark Strong, who is rumored to be playing Doctor Sivana,
Shazam's arch-nemesis.
"Have you ever noticed how in Hollywood movies all the villains are played by Brits?"
"Maybe we just sound right."
The behind-the-scenes crew also hints at a different DC film than we've seen before,
with Jack the Giant Slayer's Darren Lemke attached to work on the script and Lights
Out's David F. Sandberg set to direct.
"I choose you as champion."
David Harbour will unveil his new take on Hellboy on April 12th, 2019, with the Stranger
Things star joining director Neil Marshall for what's described as a gritty take on the
classic Mike Mignola comics.
Harbour has said the movie will use a "darker tone" to differentiate itself from Guillermo
del Toro's adaptations, adding it'll be more of "a character piece."
While Harbour's take on Hellboy looks spot on, the rest of the cast is also packed with
potential, including Milla Jovovich as the villainous Blood Queen, Sasha Lane as Alice
Monaghan, and Ian McShane as Hellboy's adopted father.
Maybe he'll teach young Hellboy a few combat moves.
"Get ready to meet your maker!
Ow!
God!
We hadn't even started yet!"
"Never underestimate your opponent."
"ARGH"
The fourth Avengers film will mark the end of Marvel's Phase 3, which means it's probably
time to break out your tissues.
The current set of films is coming to an end, and many of the big-name contracts are expiring
as well.
"I'm doing what has to be done to stave off something worse."
"You keep telling yourself that."
In other words, Avengers 4 will probably result in quite a few character deaths, with Iron
Man, Captain America, Thor, and more all likely to bite the dust.
With the no-holds-barred approach the studio will likely have to the film, Avengers 4 is
sure to be epic, ending dozens of storylines set up in past films while also placing the
framework for what's to come in the franchise's future.
This is definitely one of the can't-miss adventures of the year.
It arrives on May 3rd.
Keanu Reeves' animal-loving hitman is coming back to theaters on May 17th, 2019 for John
Wick: Chapter 3.
The film will see Wick going on the run with a $14 million contract for his head.
Having broken the rules and taken a life on the grounds of the Continental Hotel, Wick
finds that he's being targeted on all sides.
The crafty killer for hire should already be long dead, but he's given a chance to escape
by the Continental's manager, Winston, who grants him a one-hour grace period before
his membership is revoked, he's banned from all services, and he's cut off from the other
members.
Wick turns to the service industry to stay alive as he fights his way out of New York
City in this third installment, which is directed by the previous films' Chad Stahelski.
Of course, we're pretty sure there's only one way it can all end:
"I'll kill them.
I'll kill them all."
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the follow-up to the well-received 2014 film featuring the
monster and brings in a largely overhauled roster of stars, with Stranger Things' Millie
Bobby Brown, The Conjuring's Vera Farmiga, and Friday Night Lights' Kyle Chandler playing
a family swept up in the trouble the monster causes.
With the impressive cast, Godzilla: King of the Monsters should be able to live up to
the positive reviews of the original while providing more big-screen monster mayhem.
As the first trailer indicates, the big green guy can expect a lot of company in this installment,
and it isn't necessarily of the friendly variety, either.
Look for it on May 31st.
Tom Holland's Spider-Man is set to continue his adventures in a second standalone film
on July 5th, 2019, which will follow another year of Peter's high school experience.
The first movie was wildly successful with both critics and fans, and the second is bringing
back a lot of the elements that contributed to its greatness, including director Jon Watts,
who's working from a script by Homecoming co-writers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis
Daley.
Despite all the returning names in the film's crew, Spider-Man: Far From Home will be far
from the same movie.
The sequel takes our friendly neighborhood Spidey to Europe over summer vacation, which
happens after both Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers 4, according to Marvel Studios
president Kevin Feige.
Hopefully that means a big return for Spidey in Avengers 4, or he'll need some extra help
getting around.
"I'm honestly, I'm, I'm shocked"
"Ahh!"
Pennywise will make his terrifying return to the big screen in September 2019.
It: Chapter Two is set to hit theaters almost exactly two years after the first film, which
followed the lives of a group of children known as the Losers' Club as they dealt with
the advances of a shapeshifting evil.
The sequel will move to the present, showing the adult versions of the characters as they
return to the town of Derry to deal with Pennywise's reemergence.
Director Andy Muschietti is set to return for the sequel, alongside screenwriter Gary
Dauberman.
The first film's massive box office haul and critical acclaim meant it was easy to land
big name stars to play the adult Losers, with Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Bill Hader,
Jay Ryan, and James Ransone set to appear.
The movie's child actors will likely return as well, with Muschietti saying there will
be "dialogue between timelines."
Muschietti has also said he would like the second film to explore the "cosmic dimension"
of the novel, dealing with some of its otherworldly aspects.
Sign us up.
No joke: Two standalone films featuring Gotham City's most infamous tormentor are being produced
in 2019, and one could even get released before the end of the year.
Variety reported in June 2018 that Jared Leto's DCEU Joker is getting his own movie, but it's
still unknown if it will film before or after the upcoming Suicide Squad sequel, set to
go into production in 2019.
And then there's the wild card.
A Joker origin movie outside the DCEU starring acting powerhouse Joaquin Phoenix is now under
way.
This means there's a chance this reportedly "darker and more experimental" take on Batman's
iconic arch-nemesis, directed by The Hangover's Todd Phillips, could make it into theaters
in October 2019.
Warner Bros. describes the script, co-written by Phillips and Academy Award nominee Scott
Silver as "a gritty character study, but also a broader cautionary tale."
Sounds like no laughing matter.
There have been some shake-ups behind the scenes of Star Wars: Episode IX, with Lucasfilm
dropping Jurassic World helmer Colin Trevorrow a few months before production was set to
begin.
They found someone who's definitely qualified to take over, however, with The Force Awakens'
J.J. Abrams returning to write and direct the trilogy finale.
Episode IX will provide a resolution to the Skywalker saga while setting up a future of
standalone movies and spinoffs, meaning that while we're undoubtedly in for the final appearances
of some classic characters, this chapter will also serve as a launching pad for years of
the franchise's future.
It's set to hit theaters in December 2019.