Although we’re still catching up on all of the films that dropped in 2018, it’s time to take a look at what Hollywood has in store for the next 12 months. As per usual, the lineup is extremely packed, with studios battling for your theater dollars via a host of projects.
Not surprisingly, we’re being inundated with movies that are reboots of things we’ve already seen. There are two Stephen King remakes, new installments of the Shaft and Terminator series, remixes of films like What Women Want and the Charlie’s Angels series, and many more. The superhero genre is stacked as well, featuring M. Night Shyamalan’s grounded trilogy coming to an end with Glass and the follow-up to the most heart-wrenching Marvel film, Avengers: Infinity War.
You could get lost in trying to keep up with everything dropping during this calendar year. Hell, this batch of films is only what’s been given release dates or just announced in general. That said, we’re here to give you a month-by-month look at the films we can’t wait to get our eyes on. The popcorn’s on you. Here are the most anticipated movies of 2019.
‘Glass’
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Stars: James McAvoy, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Sarah Paulson
Company: Universal Pictures / Blumhouse
Release Date: January 18
After a return to form with 2016’s Split, M. Night Shyamalan is finally finishing his Eastrail 777 Trilogy, which he kicked off with 2000’s Unbreakable. For the final chapter, he has David Dunn (Willis) and “The Horde” (McAvoy) squaring off in a battle devised by Mr. Glass (Jackson). File under “I’d like my superhero flicks a bit more grounded.”
‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part’
Director: Mike Mitchell
Stars: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Tiffany Haddish, Will Arnett
Company: Warner Bros. / Warner Animation Group
Release Date: February 8
Set five years after the first Lego Movie, this new tale finds a set of Duplo invaders touching down on Bricksburg and causing all kinds of havoc. They end up kidnapping Lucy, so Emmet’s on the case, ready to rescue his girlfriend. Fun for the entire family.
‘What Men Want’
Director: Adam Shankman
Stars: Taraji P. Henson, Tracy Morgan
Company: Paramount Players / Will Packer Productions
Release Date: February 8
Mel Gibson’s 2000 comedy What Women Want gets a modern reboot, with the dynamic Taraji P. Henson taking over Gibson’s role as Ali Davis, a sports agent trying to even the playing field with her male coworkers. After gaining the ability to hear men’s thoughts, Davis tests the boundaries of this new power, which could end up ruining her life.
‘Cold Pursuit’
Director: Hans Petter Moland
Stars: Liam Neeson, Laura Dern, Emmy Rossum, Tom Bateman
Company: Summit Entertainment / StudioCanal
Release Date: February 8
“Liam Neeson’s in a movie” is usually all of the pitch we need to hit theaters. In Cold Pursuit, Neeson’s not only married to Laura Dern but is on the war path after the murder of his son. The rest of the film is Neeson finding elaborate ways to kill members of a drug cartel. You had us at “Neeson’s in a movie.”
‘Fighting With My Family’
Director: Stephen Merchant
Stars: Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Nick Frost, Jack Lowden, Dwayne Johnson, Vince Vaughn
Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Date: February 14
The Rock’s production company is bringing the life of WWE Superstar Saraya-Jade “Paige” Bevis to the big screen. Written and directed by Stephen Merchant, this film tells the story of Paige’s life as a daughter born into a wrestling family and how she achieved her dreams of joining the WWE. The Rock even makes a memorable cameo, as does Vince Vaughn.
‘Alita: Battle Angel’
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein
Company: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: February 14
Robert Rodriguez’s long-awaited cyberpunk action flick is finally hitting theaters. Based on the manga Gunnm, with a screenplay from James Cameron (who is also on as a producer), we find Alita, a core who’s given a new body, discovering that while she has no memory of her past, she’s lived quite the extraordinary life.
‘Happy Death Day 2U’
Director: Christopher Landon
Stars: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Suraj Sharma
Company: Universal Pictures / Blumhouse
Release Date: February 14
Set two years after the wildly successful Blumhouse film Happy Death Day, this sequel features Tree thrust back into the time loop (which involves her reliving her birthday, in which she is destined to die). This time, she isn’t alone; her friends are now a part of the loop. Of course, she has to battle her way out. Jessica Rothe returns as Tree, and if we’re lucky, this sequel will pack as much of a dark sci-fi punch as the first film did.
‘The Rhythm Section’
Director: Reed Morano
Stars: Blake Lively, Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown
Company: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: February 22
Blake Lively stars as Stephanie Patrick, a woman who lost her family on a flight that she was supposed to be on. When she realizes that the crash that took her family was not accidental, Patrick disguises herself as an assassin, taking us on an wild, international ride.
‘Greta’
Director: Neil Jordan
Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Isabelle Huppert, Maika Monroe
Company: Focus Features
Release Date: March 1
While we’d love to believe that all meetings on the train are just chance, sometimes people are orchestrating things... for evil. That’s what happens to Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz), who meets Greta (Isabelle Huppert) on the train. They strike up a friendship but quickly realize that something far more sinister is afoot.
‘Captain Marvel’
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Stars: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Mckenna Grace, Clark Gregg, Jude Law
Company: Marvel Studios
Release Date: March 8
The next chapter in the MCU introduces us to Captain Marvel, who is primed and ready to be the force powerful enough to take out Thanos. This film takes us back to the ’90s (during a time when Nick Fury has two eyes and the Kree-Skrull conflict is hitting a fever pitch), giving us a quick origin story for Captain Marvel before Endgame hits theaters.
‘Us’
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker
Company: Universal Pictures / Blumhouse
Release Date: March 22
Jordan Peele’s second go-round as a film director is delivered on a plate of hype. His debut, Get Out, slayed the box office and netted him a Best Original Screenplay Oscar; anything he touches will at least have the world’s full attention. While little is known about Us, aside from it being a horror film that isn’t steeped in race, we do get the sense that Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke, who play the parents and alternate versions of themselves, will be put through the wringer by the time this film’s done.
‘The Beach Bum’
Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, Jonah Hill, Isla Fisher, Jimmy Buffett, Snoop Dogg, Martin Lawrence
Company: Neon
Release Date: March 22
It’s been seven years since Harmony Korine dropped Spring Breakers, and his latest feels like a return to that vibe. Matthew McConaughey being Matthew McConaughey as a beach bum, with a supporting cast featuring everyone from Martin Lawrence to Jimmy Buffett? The only question is how Harmony Korine will this film be?
‘Wounds’
Director: Babak Anvari
Stars: Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson, Zazie Beetz
Company: Annapurna Pictures
Release Date: March 29
You ever check out that One red paperclip site, where a blogger traces how he started with a paper clip and traded up to a whole house? Wounds is like that, but instead of getting a lot of interesting and fulfilling trades, a bartender’s life turns into a nightmare after answering a phone that was left behind at his bar. One of our favs, Zazie Beetz, is on hand, with Armie Hammer and Dakota Johnson adding some intriguing star power to the cast.
‘Shazam!’
Director: David F. Sandberg
Stars: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Jack Dylan Grazer
Company: Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema / DC Entertainment
Release Date: April 5
As Warner Bros. continues to figure out what works for its DC properties, it is unleashing Shazam!, which feels like Tom Hanks’ Big minus the Zoltar machine. Zachary Levi stars as the buff hero who appears when a little boy utters a magic word, and because it’s Zachary Levi, there are tons of wisecracks mixed with the superhero tactics.
‘Pet Sematary’
Director: Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Stars: Jason Clarke, John Lithgow, Amy Seimetz
Company: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: April 5
The latest Stephen King film to get a modern rework is Pet Sematary, which originally hit theaters in 1989. The premise remains the same: There’s a pet cemetery that brings pets back to life... only a little fucked up. Guess what happens if you bury a PERSON there?
‘Little’
Director: Tina Gordon Chism
Stars: Marsai Martin, Regina Hall, Issa Rae
Company: Universal Pictures
Release Date: April 12
black-ish star Marsai Martin stars in—and is producing—this tale that’s best described as Big meets Freaky Friday. In Little, Regina Hall plays one of those bosses you love to hate. One day, she’s transformed into her younger self (played by Martin) and has to figure out how to get back to normal with the help of her assistant (played by Issa Rae). It’s one of those feel-good comedies that also counts Will Packer and Kenya Barris as producers. We’d call that a recipe for success.
‘Hellboy’
Director: Neil Marshall
Stars: David Harbour, Milla Jovovich, Ian McShane, Sasha Lane, Daniel Dae Kim
Company: Summit Entertainment / Millennium Films
Release Date: April 12
The third live-action Hellboy film is a reboot of the entire franchise, with David Harbour of Stranger Things fame embodying the role. There are three Hellboy stories this film is said to draw from (Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, and The Storm and the Fury), and with its R rating, this is set to be a darker, humorous flick.
‘Under the Silver Lake’
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace
Company: A24
Release Date: April 19
“Wait, this isn’t out yet?” That’s correct. This A24 film premiered at Cannes in 2018 and was released in France back in June of the same year. The Andrew Garfield-led project, which finds his character searching for a particularly peculiar woman all over town, was set to hit American theaters in late June 2018, then got pushed to December 2018 before settling on this April 2019 date. Does this mean the film is trash? We’d hope not; it looks quirky and intriguing, and Riley Keough is a gem.
‘Avengers: Endgame’
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Stars: Half of the MCU, apparently
Company: Marvel Studios
Release Date: April 26
What even needs to be said here? Infinity War left moviegoers with one of the most depressing endings to a comic-book film in, well, ever, as well as bringing Thanos to life on the silver screen. Endgame will find the Avengers (well, what’s left of them) picking up the pieces and trying to fix what Thanos decimated. Hopefully this opus puts a beautiful bow on the first decade of Marvel films while setting up the future of the MCU.
‘The Intruder’
Director: Deon Taylor
Stars: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
Company: Screen Gems
Release Date: May 3
The Intruder isn’t going to be one of the better films of the year, but this thriller is one of the reasons we love hitting the cinema. Dennis Quaid plays a guy who sells his house but forgets that once it’s sold, he needs to leave. He has a weird attachment to the property, and the new owners (Michael Ealy and Meagan Good) are stuck in the dangerous position of figuring out his issue before it's too late.
‘Pokémon: Detective Pikachu’
Director: Rob Letterman
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe
Company: Warner Bros. / Legendary Entertainment / The Pokémon Company
Release Date: May 10
Ryan Reynolds voicing Pikachu in a live-action Pokémon film? Feels like a hard pass. But yet there’s something interesting about these creatures, whom many grew up loving in a cartoon that was a worldwide phenomenon, being brought to the “real world” in all of their CGI glory. If done right, it’ll maintain all of the charm that made Pokémon the force that it’s become.
‘John Wick 3: Parabellum’
Director: Chad Stahelski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common, Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishburne
Company: Summit Entertainment
Release Date: May 17
Again, not much needs to be said about the third installment of the John Wick series. Keanu became That Dude™ when it comes to balls-to-the-wall action flicks. With John Wick 2 putting the crosshairs squarely on Wick’s head, this third installment will feature all of the assassins in the world gunning for John. Also, it features some lit scenes of John Wick getting into a gunfight while riding a horse. How can you NOT want to see this film?!
‘The Sun Is Also a Star’
Director: Ry Russo-Young
Stars: Yara Shahidi, Miriam A. Hyman, Camrus Johnson, Charles Melton
Company: Warner Bros. / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release Date: May 17
Yara Shahidi (of black-ish and grown-ish fame) in a film adapted from a YA novel (which is like every non-superhero film out right now, amirite). The story follows Natasha’s last day in NYC; her family of undocumented immigrants is set to be deported back to Jamaica after her father catches a drunk-driving charge. This also happens to be the day that she meets Daniel (who’s played by Riverdale star Charles Melton), who is immediately smitten and decides to spend the entire day with her. We’ve not seen Yara be able to spread her wings in a film, and hopefully this movie lives up to Nicola Yoon’s novel, which hit No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
‘Aladdin’
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Will Smith
Company: Disney
Release Date: May 24
When they aren’t dropping new films in the Marvel and Star Wars universes, Disney’s remixing its classic animated features into live-action motion pictures. Aladdin, with Will Smith starring as Genie, is set to either reignite your love for this classic or make you really hope your VCR still works. Alan Menken, who scored everything from The Little Mermaid to Pocahontas, is back for this film and is said to have worked with Pasek and Paul (aka the songwriters behind La La Land) on material for the film. Will this top the Grammy Award-winning "A Whole New World"? We’ll see.
‘Ad Astra’
Director: James Gray
Stars: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Kennedy
Company: 20th Century Fox / Regency Enterprises / Plan B Entertainment
Release Date: May 24
If sci-fi action thrillers are your bag, Ad Astra’s something you should keep on your radar. Starring Brad Pitt as a guy determined to figure out what happened to the 20-year-old space mission that caused his father to go missing, this film is primed to take you on a collision course through deep space. With heavy hitters like Tommy Lee Jones (as Pitt’s father!), Donald Sutherland, and Ruth Negga (Preacher) on board, we’re definitely hyped for this project’s potential.
‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’
Director: Michael Dougherty
Stars: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown
Company: Warner Bros. / Legendary Entertainment
Release Date: May 31
Comic-book-based films aren’t the only blockbuster action flicks we’re ready for. Millie Bobby Brown as a Godzilla whisperer? Heads have been waiting for this film since it got the go-ahead during the opening weekend of 2014’s Godzilla. For Godzilla fans, this will feature some of your favorites being brought to the modern era: King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan. Hopefully this lives up to the hype and is only seen in IMAX.
‘Dark Phoenix’
Director: Simon Kinberg
Stars: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters, Jessica Chastain
Company: 20th Century Fox / Marvel Entertainment
Release Date: June 7
Many pegged this as the next obvious chapter after Fox’s groan-inducing X-Men: Apocalypse, but we’re still holding out hope that this retelling of the iconic Jean Grey story from the X-Men comics is done properly. Set 10 years after Apocalypse, this film details what happens when a solar flare causes Jean Grey’s already-advanced mutant powers to drive her insane. It’ll be a battle for the survival of the mutant race and the world at large. It’ll also be amazing if the multiple delays of this film mean a better overall project hits screens.
‘Men in Black International’
Director: F. Gary Gray
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Liam Neeson
Company: Columbia Pictures / Amblin Entertainment
Release Date: June 14
There’s no Will Smith or Tommy Lee Jones in sight, but the Men in Black franchise chugs along. We meet two new agents, H and M (Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, respectively), who are tasked with solving a murder that takes them all over the globe. Directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, The Fate of the Furious), this feels like a proper summertime popcorn flick, full of action and laughs. Will it hold up to the best of the MiB franchise, though?
‘Son of Shaft’
Director: Tim Story
Stars: Jessie Usher, Samuel L. Jackson, Alexandra Shipp, Regina Hall, Method Man, Richard Roundtree
Company: Warner Bros. / New Line Cinema
Release Date: June 14
The Shaft family is all under one roof for this new film. Jessie T. Usher stars as John Shaft Jr., an FBI agent who’s investigating the suspicious death of one of his friends. He turns to his father, John Shaft II (Samuel L. Jackson, who starred in the 2000 Shaft, the fourth of the series), and the original John Shaft (played by Richard Roundtree, aka the original Shaft) for assistance. This is an interesting film, as it’s being released by Warner Bros. domestically and Netflix internationally—Netflix reportedly paid half of the film’s $30 million budget for the right to drop it internationally two weeks after its U.S. premiere. Hopefully this film lives up to the legacy that precedes it.
‘Toy Story 4’
Director: Josh Cooley
Stars: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Kristen Schaal, Patricia Arquette, Laurie Metcalf, Wallace Shawn, Annie Potts, Tony Hale, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele
Company: Disney / Pixar
Release Date: June 21
The fourth (and rumored to be final) Toy Story film is set to give Woody and the gang a look at the vast world of toys (and life in general) outside of the confines of Bonnie’s bedroom. It’s also set to introduce a new toy, Forky and is said to bring the vocal work of Key & Peele, Michael Keaton, and even Keanu Reeves (in an unspecified role) to the film, which is sure to be the only thing your niece or nephew is trying to see this summer.
‘Child's Play’
Director: Lars Klevberg
Stars: Gabriel Bateman, Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry
Company: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / Orion Pictures
Release Date: June 21
What’s that—another remake of a classic horror film? Don’t mind if we do. Bringing Aubrey Plaza and Brian Tyree Henry into the insane world of Chucky is fine with us, honestly. Plaza plays Karen, a mother who unwittingly brings terror into her household via a child’s doll that she gifts to her son. Henry plays a detective following a string of murders, most likely committed by this lovable doll. What’s most interesting about the doll, whose manufacturer named “Buddi,” is that the “i” has a Wi-Fi symbol over it, which leads us to believe that it has some kind of wild cyber upgrades set to murder even more of your life.
‘Ford v. Ferrari’
Director: James Mangold
Stars: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Jon Bernthal, Noah Jupe
Company: 20th Century Fox / Chernin Entertainment
Release Date: June 28
James Mangold (Logan) directing Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Matt Damon, and more in this biographical drama? You’ve got our interest. It’s about Ford’s attempt to build a car that’ll beat Ferrari in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France, which could be less or more exciting, depending on how much you like movies about building cars. That’s a helluvalot of star power for this story, which could mean that it’s one of the non-action flicks to keep fans in theaters during this summer.
‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya, Michael Keaton, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson
Company: Columbia Pictures / Marvel Studios
Release Date: July 5
Reportedly set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, this film lets us see what happens when Peter Parker tries to keep it low-key on a class trip in Europe—which basically means he gets involved in some wild superhero shit. Add Nick Fury to the mix, as well as the villain (or ally?) known as Mysterio, and you have one wild international ride that still has fans asking what happened to Iron Man.
‘The Lion King’
Director: Jon Favreau
Stars: Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, John Oliver, James Earl Jones, John Kani, Keegan-Michael Key, Eric Andre, Florence Kasumba, Alfre Woodard
Company: Disney
Release Date: July 19
This is the one Disney remake fans are here for. Jon Favreau assembling a cast featuring Donald Glover, Beyoncé, Seth Rogen, and James Earl Jones for a new spin on The Lion King? It’s set to be lit, especially with how well they seem to have recreated scenes from the iconic animated film. Hopefully the songs are dope and the performances are top-notch, although this feels like one of the better takes on Disney’s vault of bangers.
‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tim Roth, Timothy Olyphant, Michael Madsen, James Marsden, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino, Emile Hirsch, Damian Lewis, Clifton Collins Jr.
Company: Columbia Pictures / Heyday Films
Release Date: July 26
For his ninth film, Tarantino is set to tell a tale that takes place in Hollywood in 1969, around the time of the infamous Manson Family murders. Leonardo DiCaprio in a Tarantino film is enough to get us through the door, but it’s also intriguing to know that Margot Robbie is on board as the late actress Sharon Tate. The robust cast also features the likes of Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino, and Brad Pitt.