2017 was a great year for movies, but 2018 is shaping up to be even better. Black Panther has already become a critical and commercial phenomenon, and there are another two Marvel movies to look forward to. The second Star Wars spin-off arrives in the shape of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which will focus on the early adventures of the iconic space smuggler, and Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in the sixth Mission: Impossible movie, Fallout.
Beyond these big tentpole franchises, other crowd-pleasing favourites are set to return. There's more dinosaur action in the Jurassic World sequel, two more films in the X-Men universe, and several movies from cinema's busiest star, Dwayne Johnson. Lara Croft returns to the screen, the first of Sony’s Spider-Man spin-offs arrives in the shape of Venom, and we'll find out if there's life in the Predator franchise. So with another ten months of the year to go, here's what to watch for in 2018...
Red Sparrow
Jennifer Lawrence reunites with her Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence (no relation) for this Cold War thriller. J-Law plays a young woman who is recruited into Russia's secretive Sparrow spy school and forced to undergo a brutal training regime, from which she emerges as a ruthless agent. Early reviews have praised its mixed of Cold War thrills and brutal action, and the film also stars Bright's Joel Edgerton.
Release date: March 2
Tomb Raider
While the previous two Tomb Raider movies were box office hits, neither are fondly remembered, and it's been 15 years since Lara Croft last appeared on a movie screen. But there are a number of reasons to be optimistic about the upcoming reboot. The film seems to be heavily influenced by the games--particularly the 2013 reboot--and star Alicia Vikander will bring some Oscar-winning clout to the lead role. Could this finally be the movie that breaks the cycle of terrible video game movie adaptations?
Release date: March 16, 2018
Pacific Rim: Uprising
For a long time, it looked as if the Pacific Rim sequel wouldn't actually happen. The original film had a mediocre US box office performance, and despite its popularity overseas, the film was hit with a series of delays and changing personnel. But Pacific Rim: Uprising finally arrives in March. Director Stephen DeKnight is unlikely to bring the same level of dazzling visual artistry as Guillermo Del Toro, but with with Star Wars favorite John Boyega in the lead role and a whole new range of awesome Kaiju-killing Jaegers, Uprising should deliver some crowd-pleasing monster mayhem.
Release date: March 23, 2018
Ready Player One
The acclaimed 2012 novel Ready Player One focuses upon a teenager who enters a virtual reality world to try to win the ultimate game, and it is packed with pop culture references to the 1980s. Who better to adapt the film version than Steven Spielberg, who defined '80s Hollywood as much as any filmmaker? The trailers released to date look spectacular, although don't expect to see much of Spielberg's own work in there. "I've cut most of my movies out," he said last year. "I was very happy to see there was enough without me that made the '80s a great time to grow up. I think one of the reasons I decided to make the movie was that it brought me back to the '80s and lets me do anything I want, except for with my own movies."
Release date: March 30, 2018
A Quiet Place
This creepy-looking horror movie is the second film directed by former Office star John Krasinski (who will also be seen next year in Amazon's Jack Ryan reboot). It's got a great premise--a family forced to communicate using sign language to avoid some mysterious supernatural evil attracted to sound--and a seriously spooky trailer. Krasinski stars alongside his real-life wife Emily Blunt.
Release date: April 6, 2018
Rampage
One of several movies that will star the ever-busy Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in 2018, this is an adaptation of the classic '80s arcade game. Johnson plays a scientist who must face dozens of huge, crazed mutated animals as they run amok across America. From the trailers so far it looks the wild stuff, as our hero does battle with marauding wolves, crocodiles, and gorillas. Rampage is directed by Johnson's San Andreas director Brad Peyton and also stars Naomie Harris, Malin Åkerman, Joe Manganiello, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
Release date: April 20
Super Troopers 2
Hitting theaters on the very appropriate date of April 20, Super Troopers 2 is the crowd-funded sequel to the cult 2001 comedy. All the key members of the Broken Lizard comedy team return for this second movie, which sees the hapless Vermont troopers sent to the Canadian border, to a town that was thought to be Canadian soil but is actually part of the US. "We essentially have to impose US law on a bunch of Canadians that aren't at all happy about it," Broken Lizard member Paul Soter said about the movie.
Release date: April 20
Avengers: Infinity War
Black Panther is amazing and Ant-Man and the Wasp looks like huge fun, but it's Avengers: Infinity War that promises to be the defining Marvel movie of 2018. The culmination of a decade of interconnected superhero storytelling, the movie will feature every major hero from the MCU to date in a fight to stop the evil Thanos and the universe-threatening Infinity Stones. Captain America: Civil War proved that directors Joe and Anthony Russo are adept at juggling multiple characters, and if the first trailer is anything to go by, this will easily be the most spectacular Marvel movie to date. Until Avengers 4 arrives in 2019 that is.
Release date: May 4, 2018
Solo: A Star Wars Story
The second Star Wars spin-off has been marked by much behind-the-scenes turmoil, with original directors Chris Lord and Phil Miller being replaced during production by Ron Howard, leading to months of extensive reshoots. But last year's Rogue One emerged unscathed after similar production problems, and Howard is an experienced veteran of dozens of crowd-pleasing movies. The adventures of a young Han Solo is something that Star Wars fans have wanted to see for decades, and with a hugely talented supporting cast (Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton) backing up Alden Ehrenreich (Han) and Donald Glover (Lando), we're excited for this one.
Release date: May 25, 2018
Deadpool 2
Deadpool was one of the 2016's biggest cinematic surprises--not only was it the most successful R-rated movie of all time, it outgrossed every other movie in the X-Men universe. So expectations are high for the sequel. The movie lost original director Tim Miller early on due to creative disagreements with star/producer Ryan Reynolds. But with John Wick co-director David Leitch on board and a cast that includes the return of Morena Baccarat, T.J. Miller, and Brianna Hildebrand, including the much-anticipated movie debuts of Josh Brolin's Cable and Zazie Beetz's Domino, everything is in place for bigger, badder, and more outrageous follow-up. The marketing campaign is already refusing to play by the rules; expect the movie to do the same.
Release date: June 1, 2018
Ocean's Eight
The long-awaited reboot of the hit heist comedy series, Ocean's Eight showcases an all-female team, led by Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), sister of George Clooney's Danny Ocean from the previous trilogy. She assisted by the likes of Cate Blanchett, Helen Bonham Carter, Rihanna, and Mindy Kaling, and the first trailer suggests that it will match the fast-moving funny style of the earlier movies. It's directed by Gary Ross (The Hunger Games).
Release date: June 8
The Incredibles 2
Pixar's long-awaited sequel to its 2004 superhero family smash The Incredibles was originally set for a 2019 release but having switched places with Toy Story 4, we now get it a whole year earlier. Although the first teaser gives little away, we do know a few plot details. At Disney's D23 convention this summer, director Brad Bird revealed that the movie take place immediately after the end of the first movie, and will focus more on Elastigirl's superhero adventures, while Mr. Incredible is now a stay-at-home dad, trying to deal with the increasingly powerful baby Jack-Jack. Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, and Samuel L. Jackson all reprise their roles, with Toy Story veteran John Ratzenberger playing the villainous Underminer.
Release date: June 15, 2018
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Jurassic World wasn't just the fourth part in a series of big dinosaur movies; it was an absolute box office monster, and currently stands as the fourth biggest film of all time. For the follow-up, acclaimed Spanish filmmaker J. A. Bayona takes over from Colin Trevorrow, who remains on-board as producer and co-writer. Meanwhile Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprise their roles. Trevorrow has described the movie as a "Spanish horror thriller"(in reference to Bayona's earlier hit Mama) but most exciting is the return of Jeff Goldblum, who starred in Steven Spielberg's original Jurassic Park way back in 1993.
Release date: June 22, 2018
The First Purge
The Purge series has proved to be one of the most successful horror franchises of recent years, and expectations are high for this fourth entry. The First Purge looks set to continue the mix of scares, action, and biting social commentary, and while we're yet to see any footage, the first poster certainly suggests that its satirical bite remains as strong as ever. As the title indicates, it’s a prequel that looks at the creation of the single night of legalised crime known as The Purge.
Release date: July 4
Ant-Man and The Wasp
The first Ant-Man was a welcome contrast to the likes of The Avengers and Captain America: Civil War. As much of a heist comedy as a superhero movie, it featured a winning lead role from Paul Rudd and put the emphasis much more on character and humor than huge CG-driven action sequences. With Avengers: Infinity War due in May, Ant-Man and the Wasp should be a good follow-up two months later. Evangeline Lily reprises her role as Hope Van Dyne, who now fights alongside Ant-Man as The Wasp, with Michael Douglas and Michael Pfeiffer as her parents. We don't know what direction the movie will go in this time, just that director Peyton Reed promises "an entirely different genre template."
Release date: July 6, 2018
The Nun
James Wan's The Conjuring was one of most successful horror movies of recent years, inspiring not only a prequel, but two spin-offs focusing on spooky doll Annabelle. The latest movie in this horror series is The Nun. It's set before the other four movies in the series so far, and focuses on the investigation into the earlier life (and death) of Valak, the terrifying demon nun from The Conjuring 2. Wan co-wrote the screenplay, and it's directed by Corin Hardy, who previously helmed the acclaimed low-budget shocker The Hallow and is about to start shooting the remake of The Crow. Expect plenty of scares.
Release date: July 13, 2018
Skyscraper
Another of Dwayne Johnson's 2018 action epics, this China-set thriller stars Johnson as a retired FBI hostage rescue agent who now works as a security assessor for the world's biggest skyscraper. While the first trailer doesn't reveal the specific dangers he must face while working in the world's most advanced building, we know they involve explosions, shooting, and lots of jumping. That said, it looks a bit less comedic than many of The Rock's other movies, as evidenced by the fact he has a prosthetic leg and a greying beard. All will be revealed in July.
Release date: July 13
Mission Impossible 6: Fallout
The Mission: Impossible series might be more than 20-years old, but on-set injuries aside, star Tom Cruise shows no signs of slowing down. Fallout sees Rogue Nation's Chris McQuarrie return to the directors chair, with Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, and Alec Baldwin all reprising their roles from previous movies. Superman star Henry Cavill joins the cast, as does his controversial moustache. Expect plenty of insane action.
Release date: July 27, 2018
The Predator
Although the original Predator is an '80s action classic, the movies that have followed have ranged from interesting but flawed (Predator 2) to completely terrible (Alien vs Predator). The Predator is writer/director Shane Black's attempt to get the franchise back on track. Black's impressive resume ranges from writing Lethal Weapon to directing Iron Man 3, and as a young actor he even had a role in original Predator. We're yet to see any footage from the movie, but the plot details we know so far suggest that it will focus upon a group of traumatised prisoners who do battle with Predators in a suburban setting. Black himself has said that he only agreed to make the film if he could do it on a big, blockbuster scale, while still delivering the sci-fi horror goods.
Release date: August 3, 2018
The Meg
Based on the best-selling 1997 novel, this big-budget shark thriller has been in development for several years and finally arrives this summer. Expendables star Jason Statham plays an expert diver who faces off against a 70-foot monster shark which is causing mayhem off the coast of China. The recent shark movie The Shallows was a great small-scale thriller with a limited location, but with a budget in excess of $150 million, expect The Meg to deliver something way more spectacular.
Release date: August 10
Venom
Although the deal between Disney and Sony has ensured that Spider-Man is currently part of the former's Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie right to the character ultimately remain with Sony. As a result, the studio is launching its own interconnected universe of characters from the canon of Spidey comic-books. Venom is first up; it stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock, a photographer who ends up with superpowers after he is taken over by the alien parasite of title. It's directed by Zombieland's Ruben Fleischer, and the impressive supporting cast includes Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, and Riz Ahmed.
Release date: October 4, 2018
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
There were rumours that after the relatively disappointing box office results of X-Men: Apocalypse, Fox was looking reboot the entire X-franchise. But that's proved not be the case, and all the regular cast are returning for the long awaited adaptation of the the classic Dark Phoenix storyline from Marvel's comic books. The story was tackled in a half-hearted way in 2006's X-Men: the Last Stand, but with the franchise's long-time writer/producer Simon Kinberg making his directing debut, hopes are the high that Dark Phoenix will really do the story justice.
Release date: November 2, 2018
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
The Harry Potter series might have finished in 2011, but the wider movie universe goes from strength to strength. The success of 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them led to the announcement of a further four movies, the first of which arrives in November. Eddie Redmayne returns as Newt Scamander, with Jude Law as the young Dumbledore, who enlists the help of Newt to help defeat the dark wizard Grindelwald (Johnny Depp). David Yates directs once more, from a screenplay by Potter creator JK Rowling.
Release date: 16 November 2018
Creed 2
While most thought that the legendary movie boxer Rocky Balboa had finally hung up his gloves, the 2015 spin-off Creed not only gave the character one of his finest movies, it paved the way for director Ryan Coogler to get the job of directing Marvel's wildly successful Black Panther. Coogler won’t be back for the sequel, but star Michael B. Jordan is, once again playing the son of the original movies' Apollo Creed. Rocky creator and star Sylvester Stallone is back too, as both co-star and co-writer. Steven Caple Jr. directs this time, and it's rumoured that Creed 2 will bring back another iconic character from the original series--Rocky IV's Russian powerhouse Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren).
Release date: November 21
Ralph Breaks the Internet
The 2012 animated comedy Wreck-It Ralph was a critical and commercial hit, and the sequel arrives in November. It focuses on the arcade game villain-turned-hero of the title, who this time enters the internet after the arcade his game lives in goes online. John C. Reilly is the voice of Ralph, with Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Taraji P. Henson, and James Corden also part of the voice cast.
Release date: November 21
Aquaman
The DC universe has had a bumpy ride so far, with only Wonder Woman connecting with both audiences and critics. But there's every reason to be hopeful that Aquaman could do the same. Director James Wan is a skilled genre operator, whether delivering crowd-pleasing horror (Saw, The Conjuring) or blockbuster action (Furious 7), and there's a killer cast that includes Patrick Wilson, Willem Defoe, Nicole Kidman, and '80s action icon Dolph Lungren, plus Jason Momoa as Aquaman and Amber Heard as Mera. Wan recently debunked the rumour that the film would be overstuffed with multiple villains, and promises an "emotional and powerful" origin movie.
Release date: December 21, 2018
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