So you’ve unwrapped all of your Christmas presents, received three copies of District 9 from multiple uncommunicative family members, and the year of 2009 is about to be wrapped up. The debate is over: 2009 has been a great year for film. So what do you do now?
Why, start thinking about what’s around the corner, of course!
While there’s less in the way of interesting sci-fi, as 2009 will surely be remembered for, 2010 has plenty of interesting new films in store, as well as some remakes, reboots and sequels. Here’s a list of the 15 most anticipated films of 2010, in order of release, followed by a minefield of movies you might consider avoiding.
The Wolfman (February 12)
Originally scheduled for release this year and pushed back due to production delays, it seems that Joe Johnston’s The Wolfman is finally upon us. While news of reshoots and delays always send up red flags in my mind, a glimpse at the trailer and production design for this film leaves me stoked to see what might be the first good use of CGI in a werewolf film. With a gritty R-rating and a cast that consists of Benecio del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt, what else could you ask for?
Shutter Island (February 19)
Martin Scorcese steps back into horror movies for the first time since … well, ever, unless you count his remake of Cape Fear. His new film Shutter Island stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo as federal agents who look into a disappearance at an island-bound asylum, only to find that nothing is exactly as it seems. With its nightmare aesthetics and an interesting premise, it will be great to see Scorcese stepping out of his crime drama comfort zone and into fresh territory. Early word of mouth is saying that Shutter Island has the potential for greatness. Watch the trailer here.
Alice in Wonderland (March 5)
While Tim Burton’s re-imagining of/pseudo-sequel to Alice in Wonderland could easily be as trite and by-the-numbers as his remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I can’t deny how irresistible this film looks — in 3D, this might be a high water mark of Burton’s modern visuals coming together in a title that, well, deserves to look stunning. As long as Burton takes us on a path we’ve never traveled before (and seeing as how this isn’t a version of Alice we’re familiar with, he’s doing just that) he will have a winner on his hands.
Clash of the Titans (March 26)
2009 was the year of introducing us to Sam Worthington; 2010 will be the year of Sam Worthington kicking tons of ass. Louis Leterrier’s remake of Clash of the Titans looks to be taking the gist of the title — Perseus killing giant creatures, selling lots of tie-in merchandise, and battling the gods (with Liam Neeson as Zeus! Ralph Fiennes as Hades!) — and mashing it together with his keen eye for action centerpieces. If this trailer is telling the truth, Clash of the Titans might be the most badass thing we’ll see in 2010.
Kick-Ass (April 16)
If 2009 set the stage for Sam Worthington, it also rolled out the carpet for 12-year-old Chloe Moretz in (500) Days of Summer. She’ll be in two heavy-hitters in 2010: the first is a remake of Let the Right One In (Let Me In), which has yet to be scheduled for release.
The second is a role as Hit-Girl in Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic book series Kick-Ass. While you’ve seen the superhero genre deconstructed before with Watchmen, The Dark Knight and The Incredibles, you’ll never see anything like this balls-to-the-wall action-comedy starring Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, and Aaron Johnson as Kick-Ass himself.
Watch the trailer here, keeping in mind that it’s green-band and doesn’t reveal half of the ultra-violence you’re in store for. I’ve seen respected film critics and viewers give this film near perfect scores after early test screenings.
Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps (April 23)
What’s that? The idea of Oliver Stone returning to direct a sequel to one of the 1980s seminal films disturbs you a little? What’s that, now? Shia LeBeouf seems an uncomfortable choice to fill Charlie Sheen’s shoes, with his marginal likability?
These are the reasons I’m most excited about Wall Street 2. Seeing one of our most powerful filmmakers return to Gordon Gekko in the most heated and oppressive of economic climates suggests that Stone actually has something to say with this sequel, and I couldn’t be more excited to see where he takes his characters.
As for LeBeouf, well, here’s his chance to enter the big leagues and to get away from the baggage of films like Transformers and Eagle Eye. We haven’t seen a bit of footage from the film, but that makes it all the more mysterious.
Iron Man 2 (May 7)
The only film that was talked about as much as The Dark Knight in 2007 had to have been Iron Man, with its showcase resurrection of Robert Downey Jr. in a role that will define him in the minds of many moviegoers too young to have known him before his drugged disappearance in the 90s.
And now, Jon Favreau is bringing Tony Stark back to battle the similarly resurrected Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, along with the lovely Scarlett Johansson. I could talk about how excited I am for Iron Man 2, but really, if you’ve seen the trailer for the film and know how magnetic Downey is in any role, isn’t your ticket purchased already?
Robin Hood (May 14)
Like many others, I was left unimpressed with the teaser trailer for Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, drawing comparisons to Gladiator instead of any take on Robin Hood legend I’m familiar with.
That doesn’t mean I’m not excited to see what one of the most talented working directors can do with rich source material and one of the best actors in his tool belt. With a cast comprised of Crowe, Mark Strong, Cate Blanchett, Danny Huston, William Hurt and Max von Sydow, the most that Ridley could do wrong would be to create one of his more marginal masterpieces.
Toy Story 3 (June 18)
Pixar’s Toy Story was one of the formative films of my life as it was for so many others. How could I not be excited to revisit Buzz and Woody? With Pixar’s sterling track record, I was sold the minute they announced production. After this trailer, I was sold twice over.
With any other production I initially question the need for sequels; with Pixar, it’s a different story. The group doesn’t make a film without a great story behind it, they cherish their characters and wouldn’t sell them out. And with the visible maturity that Pixar has gained from Wall-e and Up (not to mention some heavy subject material), I can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeve.
Predators (July 9)
Aliens vs. Predator and it’s darker sequel almost irreparably screwed up both franchises with their irreverence to their source material. But with Ridley Scott talking about a possible return to the Alien franchise, it now seems that both are potentially back on track.
What the Predator needed was a shot in the arm by some gutsy filmmaking, and hopefully that’s what producer Robert Rodriguez is doing by handing the series over to Nimrod Antal. Shot partially in Texas at Rodriguez’s Troublemaker Studios (home of Sin City) and partially in Hawaii, Predators is going back to its R-rated predecessors both aesthetically and violently, using Stan Winston’s original creature designs.
Plus, with a cast consisting of Topher Grace, Adrien Brody and Laurence Fishburne, we’re now back on the A-list after two rounds of schlocky sub-par horror.
Inception (July 16)
In this day and age, it’s incredible to have something be a total mystery. We know next to nothing about Inception other than clear facts: it’s directed by The Dark Knight‘s Christopher Nolan. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page. Your mind is the scene of the crime. The teaser trailer is brilliantly vertigo-inducing.
Oh yeah, and Nolan has a flawless track record as a filmmaker. Sign me up now.
The Expendables (August 20)
Action film. Sylvester Stallone. Jason Statham. Jet Li. Dolph Lundgren. Randy Couture. Steve Austin. Terry Crews. Mickey Rourke. Eric Roberts. Danny Trejo. Bruce Willis. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Do. I. Need. To. Say. Anything. Else?
The Social Network (October 15)
A lot of confused glances were shot when Fight Club‘s David Fincher announced he’d be directing a movie based on Facebook. What in the world is movie-worthy about Facebook? And why cast Justin Timberlake? Has the man lost his mind?
Then it became clear that The Social Network‘s script focuses on the slightly seedy rise to power of Facebook’s founding fathers, a group of 20-something entrepreneurs who face-planted into wealth. While the film is a rather large departure for Fincher as a director, he surely knows how to choose a project; time will tell why this one attracted him.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (November 19)
While I’m not much of a Harry Potter fan, there’s no denying that the first cash grab half of the last entry in the Harry Potter saga will be a true event. Director David Yates hasn’t disappointed fans yet, and I’m certain he’s not going to stop now. The final two entries in the Harry Potter film series will only truly disappoint in having an ending.
Tron Legacy (December 17)
The film I’m most excited for in 2010 is the one I have to wait the longest to see: the 3D sequel to Disney’s cult classic Tron, featuring a return by Flynn himself, Jeff Bridges. While I’d be interested enough to see the world of Tron re-imagined in three dimensions, the fact that Bridges is on board and that this is a legitimate sequel and not a remake get the geek in me excited. Call it wish-fulfillment: a movie that never got the credit or response it should have is now getting a sequel that’ll look like a million (or so) bucks.
The Minefield (Films You May Want to Avoid)
The Spy Next Door (January 15)
Tooth Fairy (January 22)
Extraordinary Measures (January 22)
Cop Out (February 26)
Why Did I Get Married Too (April 2)
Marmaduke (June 4)
Sure. If what you're into is remakes and sequels.
Yes, please feel free to create a list of the 15 most anticipated films that are not remakes or sequels. I'd be pretty interested at taking a look at it.
I am looking forward to Iron Man 2 and Toy Story 3 so its not like I am against all sequels. I guess Im looking forward Harry Potter too But I dont think it would be in my top 15.
Remakes are rarely good. Sometimes they are like The Departed, but almost never. And they are almost always unecassasry and alot worse than the originals.
Others I look forward too? Inception, Black Swan, Tree of Life, The Way Back, The Fighter, and Shutter Island are some.
Care to share you're interests? What's on your list?
Um, what about Eclipse?
Yeah, John. What about ECLIPSE!?!?!
F*&^ Twilight
Take a look at how many interesting non-sequel films are coming out in 2010. You will be horribly disappointed.
Dude, not cool. You put “Cop Out” (or as I prefer to call it, “A Couple of Dicks”) in the films you want to avoid list. You seriously doubt Kevin Smith that much?
Other than that, pretty good anticipation list, but I think I’d also include Daybreakers in it too. After the atrocities of the Twilight films, it’s really refreshing to get a legitimate vampire movie to calm down the Twilight mania, especially with a cast like Ethan Hawke, Sam Neill and Willem DaFoe
That's a good list. I even think it's good putting COPOUT on the avoid list. Look, I have been a HUGE Kevin Smith fan since the first time I saw Clerks when I was like 11. The COPOUT trailer did absolutely nothing for me though.
I'm definitely looking forward to a couple of those. My personal list is something like this:
The Expendables
Tron
Iron Man 2
Shutter Island
Alice in Wonderland
The Green Hornet
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Splice
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Youth in Revolt
Machete
Edge of Darkness
Frozen
Why the heck is Why Did I get Married too and Marmaduke in the Don't See file? Okay, Marmaduke I can understand but a good Tyler Perry film never hurt anybody. What about Edge of Darkness AND Legion? AND the Eli film with Denzel Washington! I think 2010 is the year where a lot of biblical scenarios will take place…and I love it!
I also have toa agree with fatluggae on A Nightmare on Elm Street..Im a fan of the horror
Edge of Darkness almost made it onto my list. As cheesy/great as Legion and Eli look, I have a feeling they might not turn out as good as the ones here.
As for WDIGM TOO? I saw the original and it made me wanna croak. Just my opinion, but still.
Biutiful – Alejandro González Iñárritu
The Tree of Life – Terrence Malick
Shutter Island – Martin Scorsese
Black Swan – Darren Aronofsky
Inception – Christopher Nolan
Alice in Wonderland – Tim Burton
The Social Network – David Fincher
Robin Hood – Ridley Scott
Broderskab – Nicolo Donato
Machete – Robert Rodriguez & Ethan Maniquis
Hereafter – Clint Eastwood
Jonah Hex – Jimmy Hayward
Somewhere – Sofia Coppola
The Fighter – David O. Russell
The Lost City of Z – James Gray
The Rum Diary – Bruce Robinson
The Town – Ben Affleck
Green Zone – Paul Greengrass
Predators – Nimród Antal
Kick-Ass – Matthew Vaughn
Daybreakers – Michael & Peter Spierig
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – David Yates
The Expendables – Sylvester Stallone
I know it sounds silly, but I am gonna watch the Harry Potter movie. It is like a childhood complex.
uh…THE LAST AIRBENDER???