It’s baa–aack! Towards the beginning of each year, the ScreenRex crew sits down and comes up with a list of our most anticipated movies for the rest of the year. Historically, some of these films end up a) never coming out (which was absolutely the case with last year’s article, so prepare yourself for some repeat picks…and write-ups!) or b) being terrible, but hey! They can’t all be winners. So let it be said: we’re cautiously optimistic for these 20 films, and here are each of our picks:
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
dir. Zack Snyder
Release Date: March 18th
Truly one of the weirdest stories in cinema, the failed 2017 blockbuster Justice League, which was a mutant production that consisted of about 25% of original director Zack Snyder’s footage and then 75% of replacement helmer Joss Whedon’s reshoots (and general reconceptualization of Snyder’s take on the big team-up of DC’s mainline heroes), is getting a new lease on life thanks to, let’s say, passionate fan outcry. Snyder, who has exited the production due to unfortunate circumstances, is back to complete what will basically serve as the capper to his Man of Steel/Batman v Superman trifecta. At four hours, this will be the longest superhero movie yet produced. An epic? A disaster? Who’s to say? But I gotta see it as soon as possible.
-Kyle
The Green Knight
dir. David Lowery
Release Date: July 30th
2017’s A Ghost Story remains a unique exploration of time and grief, so it was a major disappointment when Lowery’s newest feature got added to the list of 2020 delays. The Green Knight looks to be a quintessentially A24 fantasy-horror, stylish and artsy and the Sir Gawain re-telling that we never knew we needed. It doesn’t hurt that it has a stellar cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Egerton, Kate Dickie, Barry Keoghan and more. The first trailer dropped eons ago in February 2020, but my excitement hasn’t wained even a little for this medieval folk tale.
–Harper
The Suicide Squad
dir. James Gunn
Release Date: August 6th
Speaking of superhero movies getting another shot at the prize…here’s James Gunn’s attempt at salvaging the disastrous David Ayer-directed Suicide Squad from 2016, picking up a few of the key castmembers from that and basically soft rebooting the whole thing into something that looks like it was ripped straight out of the pages of the 1980’s Suicide Squad comics. When the “first look” at this rolled out of DC Fandome last summer, it immediately won me over as the best thing in the showcase, and I’ve been awaiting this baited breath ever since. My most highly anticipated blockbuster of the year, easily.
-Kyle
Candyman
dir. Nia DaCosta
Release Date: August 21st
How do you remake a classic? That’s a serious question. The original Candyman remains chilling today, thanks to its smart focus on race and a phenomenal performance from Tony Todd. I’m interested in seeing how Yahya Abdul-Mateen (Watchmen, Trial of the Chicago 7) can stack up to Tony Todd’s iconic performance. I’m even more interested in seeing more from Teyonah Parris (WandaVision), one of the most exciting actors on the scene today. Don’t believe me? Check out flawed oddity Chi-Raq and tell me, do you genuinely believe anyone else alive could have made that role work as well as it did? And, you know what, in the world of Black Lives Matter, I’m interested in seeing what the racial politics of Candyman look like, particularly with Jordan Peele helping write the script and Nia DaCosta directing.
-Calvin
A Quiet Place Part 2
dir. John Krasinski
Release Date: September 17th
2018’s A Quiet Place was the surprise horror hit in a year filled with high profile scary movies. It’s when we all made the awkward acknowledgment that Jim from The Office was suddenly one of the preeminent horror filmmakers. That movie was smart, carefully crafted, and aside from the infamously goofy dry erase board (“What is WEAKNESS?!”) it’s an all around crowd pleaser. So when the highly anticipated sequel with the impressively intense trailer got delayed at the very beginning of quarantine–one of the first big releases to make that decision–it both signaled the seriousness of the oncoming pandemic and its first big cultural disappointment. I hope I get to return to a theater before September, but if I don’t I’ll be happy for my first trip back to be to experience the thoughtful and subtle sound design of A Quiet Place Part 2.
–Harper
Dune
Dir. Denis Villeneuve
Release Date: Oct. 1
I’m not going to lie to you: this blurb has been copied and pasted directly from my most anticipated movies of 2020 list! Denis Villeneuve has already found his way into my “must watch” director list – I’ll see whatever he’s working on, especially after recent favorites in Arrival and Bladerunner 2049. But after the way he handled a Bladerunner sequel, I’m really excited to see what Villeneuve can do with adapting Frank Herbert’s Dune. It’s a difficult project that’s eluded even the greatest of directors. That said, every casting announcement I’ve seen so far has only heightened my anticipation, including: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem. I mean, wow?
-Hannah
Halloween Kills
dir. David Gordon Green
Release Date: October 15th
2018’s reboot/fifth-alternate-timeline/direct-sequel-with-the-same-name was one all us Carpenter fans were cautiously excited about, and was largely well-received. Like A Quiet Place, we saw a filmmaker with mostly comedic experience putting those chops to use on a horror film, and here the reverence for the original, unique take on its leading lady, and use of Carpenter himself for the score all added up to a satisfying end to the franchise. Right? C’mon, you know a movie isn’t really great unless it spawns a trilogy! The middle film in this new set of three was another disappointingly delayed one, but with the return of most of the cast (and the addition of Anthony Michael Hall as Tommy Doyle!) I’m yet again cautiously excited about the 11th(!) sequel to Carpenter’s classic.
–Harper
Last Night in Soho
dir. Edgar Wright
Release Date: October 2021
Edgar Wright is a phenomenal director. When mainstream comedy in film was dominated by slackly shot improv, Wright swooped in with immaculately composed comedy direction. That said, his limitations were definitely on display more recently, particularly in his focus on a particular type of nerdy white dude. So I was immediately intrigued when I saw that his new film would be psychological horror, leaving comedy behind, and would star Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch). The movie has a solid British cast (including Diana Riggs’ final role) and a neat time travel hook. But most importantly, I’m excited to see one of my favorite storytellers step outside his comfort zone and really try something new.
-Calvin
Eternals
dir. Chloé Zhao
Release Date: November 5 2021
We’ve mostly had a year to get past the intense superhero fatigue that set in after a slew of Marvel films every year, but I’m still ready for something that feels like a reset. I’m hoping Eternals will feel like a palette cleanser instead of another massive shared universe story, and I’m also hopeful it’ll be another chance for Marvel to allow a director to make her mark on the franchise in a way that feels fairly rare. After directing what was arguably the best release of 2020, Zhao was an incredible get for this Marvel entry, which will center around: The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.
-Hannah
Mission: Impossible 7
dir. Christopher McQuarrie
Release Date: Nov 19, 2021
We may have to wait until Mission: Impossible 8 to see Tom Cruise In Space, but Mission Impossible: 7 has an equally interesting get, at least to me personally: Hayley Atwell! There’s really no synopsis needed here – there will be some kind of thriller-y plot scattered together well enough to function as a springboard for some incredibly expensive, intricate, and exciting action scenes. After a year of watching movies in my living room, I’m looking forward to films that have to be seen on the big screen. I hope all of the screaming Cruise did on his set will pay off!
-Hannah
Nightmare Alley
dir. Guillermo del Toro
Release Date: Dec. 3, 2021
This one is an adaptation of the novel Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham. And, OK, the description on this sounds iffy: An ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is. But when it comes to del Toro, I consider the work he personally directs to be appointment viewing. Even if it’s not always my thing, I’m never sorry I sat through one of his films.
-Hannah
The Matrix 4
dir. Lana Wachowski
Release Date: December 2021
It’s hard to come by many details of the 4th installment in The Matrix franchise, which will come out more than two decades after the first film. We know Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jada Pinkett Smith will be coming back. We know Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris, and Priyanka Chopra will be new cast members. Honestly, that’s about all we know, but it’s been so long since this franchise was revisited, I have to imagine director Lana Wachowski has a good reason to come back for more, and I’m curious to see what it is.
-Hannah
The Northman
dir. Robert Eggers
Release Date: TBD
Look, you don’t make The Witch and The Lighthouse and then not expect to have the interest of every arthouse horror geek when you announce another period piece film, even if this one isn’t specifically billed as horror. All we know about The Northman so far is that it’s set in Iceland during the 10th century as a prince sets out on a mission of revenge, and that it is being cowritten by Icelandic poet (and one of Bjork’s lyricists) Sjón Sigurdsson. With Eggers penchant for using historically accurate dialogue and diving into myths and legends, a bloody viking adventure seems like exactly what you didn’t know you needed.
–Harper
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret
dir. Kelly Fremon Craig
Release Date: TBD
The Edge of Seventeen, director Kelly Fremon Craig’s debut feature, is among the best coming-of-age films of the last decade. I don’t know if an adaptation of Judy Blume’s classic novel Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret is a good idea, but I do know that if there’s anyone I trust to make it work, it’s Kelly Fremon Craig. Will this movie actually come out in 2021? It’s tough to say, given all the chaos around filming and release dates right now. But I know it’s been far too long since Craig’s last movie, and I’m genuinely excited to see what she can do with this.
-Calvin
Decision to Leave
dir. Chan-wook Park
Release Date: TBD
A new Chan-wook Park movie is always something to be excited about. His newest is a crime drama that follows a homicide detective who begins to fall for the widow and main suspect of her husband’s murder. It’s co-written by his frequent collaborator Jeong Seo-kyeong (The Handmaiden, Thirst) and stars Tang Wei (Lust, Caution) and Bong Joon-ho favorite Park Hae-il (Memories of Murder, The Host). Chan-wook Park has turned out gorgeously lush period pieces, Hitchcockian thrillers, and the uniquely stylish Oldboy, still guaranteed to knock your socks off. Coming right off the heels of his recent historical thriller mini-series The Little Drummer Girl, this one ought to top any cinephile’s list.
–Harper
Porgy & Bess
dir. Dee Rees
Release Date: TBD
I don’t know much about Porgy & Bess. I don’t need to. Dee Rees is among the most promising young directors working today. Pariah was great, Mudbound was incredible, and I’m excited to see her try new things. Admittedly, The Last Thing He Wanted was apparently… not great. But everyone has missteps. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a huge fan of musical theatre. Porgy & Bess, an iconic Gershwin opera adapted from another play. It’s been revived on Broadway a number of times, though I’ve never caught it. Still, if there’s anyone I trust to adapt it thoughtfully for a modern era, it’s Rees.
-Calvin
The Power of the Dog
dir. Jane Campion
Release Date: TBD
Jane Campion is a legend. Her debut feature film, Sweetie, is in the Criterion Collection. She’s the second woman ever nominated for a Best Director Oscar. She was the first woman to ever win a Palm d’Or. She made the leap to prestige television before many of her contemporaries, creating Top of the Lake in 2013. The Power of the Dog is her first feature film since 2009’s Bright Star, and I’m excited as hell to have her back. The cast — Jesse Plemons, Thomasin McKenzie, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst — is fantastic. Campion has been away from the silver screen for too long, and I’m hopeful that this will serve as a powerful comeback.
-Calvin
Annette
dir. Leos Carax
Release Date: TBD
Leos Carax’s Holy Motors is one of those films that has stuck with me utterly since it hit theaters in 2012. An amorphous and indescribable experience that has grown in my estimation with each passing year, so it’s no surprise when you tell me his next effort, his first English language film no less, will be a musical starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard with songs by the cult pop act Sparks, it causes itself to shoot straight towards the top of my most anticipated films list. I can only hope his old pal Denis Lavant can make a quick drop-in at the very least, though a third portrayal of Merde is probably too much to ask for.
–Kyle
Blonde
dir. Andrew Dominik
Release Date: TBD
An adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates’ fictional biography of Marilyn Monroe seemed an unlikely next project for Andrew Dominik, the mind behind 2007’s best film (don’t @ me), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and its follow-up Killing Them Softly. A filmmaker who up till now has been pretty strictly focused on the interior lives of very damaged men is a curious choice to take on subject matter surrounding one of Hollywood’s most iconic ingenues, but here we are and I can’t wait to see where he goes with it. Knives Out’s big breakout, Ana de Armas plays Monroe, while Bobby Cannavale and Adrian Brody both hop into supporting roles (as Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller respectively). Another huge get for Netflix!
-Kyle
Soggy Bottom
dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Release Date: TBD
Our greatest living filmmaker returns this year with a new jaunt into the decade that broke him into the big time: the 1970’s. Soggy Bottom finds him teaming with the son of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Cooper Hoffman, who plays a high school student looking to become an actor. It also stars Bradley Cooper, Alana Haim, and (the brilliant filmmaker) Benny Safdie. That’s all we know, but that’s more than enough for me when it comes to PTA. The man hasn’t made a bad film yet.
-Kyle
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