Over the past 10 years, we have seen comic books come to life, Korean cinema take a bold stand, a space opera that spans over 40 years come to an end and one of Hollywood’s most iconic leading men retire from the silver screen.
But all is not lost because as we head into a new decade of cinema the creative minds of tinsel town look poised and ready to take us to new worlds and introduce us to new iconic heroes and here are 10 films that you should be excited about to kick off the roaring twenties.
Black Widow
Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe first came to fruition in 2008, one aspect of the multi-billion dollar juggernaut has been lacking and that is a feature-length exploration of one of the cornerstones of the Avengers initiative…Natasha Romanoff aka The Black Widow.
Some may argue that Marvel’s attempts are too little and too late and that a Black Widow movie seems like an outdated premise with the more recent introductions of Captain Marvel and other iconic female superheroes. However, with the forever brilliant Scarlett Johansson reprising her role as the iconic Russian spy and Cate Shortland of Lore (2012) at the helm it is an unusual mix that is impossible to not be excited about.
Tenet
Christopher Nolan has solidified himself as one of the most influential and successful directors of the last 20 years with the likes of The Dark Knight trilogy (2005 - 2012), Inception (2010) and Dunkirk (2017). As an audience we find ourselves asking the question of what more could Nolan bring to the table? Well if the latest trailer for Tenet is anything to go by the answer is a lot.
Nolan looks to still be at his peak with an intriguing and mysterious premise that delves deep into current affairs and infuses them with time travel in what is rumored to be one of his most expensive undertakings to date.
Top Gun: Maverick
For 34 years the world has craved a sequel to one of the most iconic, albeit cheesy cult classics in cinema history - Top Gun and 2020 shall provide. In this reboot of the beloved franchise, we see the return of everyone’s favorite ace Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchel as he tackles a new breed Top Gun graduates in what looks to be a thrilling next chapter.
We see Cruise reunited with his Oblivion (2013) director Joseph Kosinski as well as an onslaught of talent including the likes of Miles Teller and Jennifer Connely in what looks to be one of the more fun-filled action epics 2020 has to offer.
Color Out Of Space
In a world where Nicholas Cage can still shock us all with one of his craziest performances of his lifetime as Red Miller in 2018’s Mandy, what better way to celebrate a new decade than with even more Nicholas Cage?. The Color Out Of Space will see Cage tackle the often controversial world of H.P Lovecraft in what could be the first of many films based on Lovecraftian literature, produced by none other than Frodo Baggins himself Elijah Wood.
Cage often thrives when a film’s budget is low and has really upped his game in the last few years so seeing him delve deeper into the world of more independent cinema is something we should all be excited about and The Color Out Of Space could deliver the goods and leave everyone with something truly memorable.
Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn)
If there was one thing that the audience could take away from the absolute train wreck that was 2016’s Suicide Squad, it was that Margot Robbie was born to play Harley Quinn.
As Robbie’s fame and influence grows it was inevitable that both Warner Brothers and DC would capitalize on the fan-favorite, only this time Quinn looks set to join a new squad including Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee-Smollett Bell, and Rosie Perez.
Also appearing will be none other than Ewan McGregor who plays the infamous Black Mask in what looks to be the saving grace of Suicide Squad.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Ghostbusters is one of the most beloved franchises the world has ever seen so when the announcement came back in 2015 that fans would be getting a new addition to the franchise hopes were high, however, when Paul Feig’s reboot hit cinemas it was met with an onslaught of negative reviews and fan criticism. Fast forward four years and here we are with a nice, shiny new continuation of the original films from 1984 and 1989 in the form of Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
We see Jason Reitman take the helm of his father’s legacy and join forces with Paul Rudd and Stranger Things Finn Wolfhard to drive the franchise forward and give us something to rival the original stories instead of a major reboot and it is difficult not get on board the hype train.
Wonder Woman 1984
We see Jenkins reunite with Gal Gadot as well as Chris Pine in what looks to be an action-packed sequel that stays on track with the character’s ideals and principles, infusing them with the bombastic energy we come to expect from superhero classics and possibly taking the summer box office by storm.
The Invisible Man
2020 will see Universal Pictures team up with the mighty Blumhouse Productions to re-imagine H.G Wells The Invisible Man with renowned horror writer Leigh Whannell taking the helm. In 2016 Universals interconnected monster universe - The Dark Universe was announced, meaning fan favorites like The Invisible Man, The Mummy, and Frankenstein would all coexist within their own Marvel-inspired universe.
However, following the lack of enthusiasm shown for 2017’s The Mummy reboot with Tom Cruise, Universal quickly backtracked and chose to focus on movies based on individual characters and 2020’s The Invisible Man is hopefully the first of many such films.
Bill And Ted Face The Music
A film 10 years in the making, Bill And Ted Face The Music will see everyone’s favorite metalhead slackers return to the big screen in one of the most anticipated comedy sequels of the decade.
Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are set to reprise their roles as Bill and Ted with original writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon also returning to tell a story that follows an aging Bill and Ted cursed with the monotony of middle-aged life. Bill and Ted is one of the greatest cult classic series in cinema and with the original team back on board, this sequel promises to be more than just a simple cash grab.
Dune
Denis Villeneuve has solidified himself as a prominent and most sought after Sci-Fi director with his re-imagining of the Blade Runner franchise with Blade Runner 2049 (2017) as well as The Arrival (2016) and he now looks to continue his legacy with an adaption of the Frank Herbert classic - Dune.
Set for a December 2020 release, Villeneuve has assembled arguably one of the most talented casts of any film set to release this year with Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Jason Momoa already signed up to play one of the many extensive characters from the original series as well as Hans Zimmer looking to score this Sci-Fi epic. Dune has the potential to be something truly special within the Sci-Fi genre and is the perfect end to an incredible year of film.
