20 Films To Look Forward To In 2020: The Gentlemen, Downhill, Mulan & More

The Gentlemen (January 24)

Guy Ritchie returns to his gangster roots in this stylish drama starring Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell, and Hugh Grant. Early buzz on this has been wildly positive and could be a January surprise for lovers of fun cinema.

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (February 7)

Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was the only decent part of 2016’s Suicide Squad, and maybe with a script that wasn’t rushed to completion in just six weeks in order to meet an arbitrarily decided release date the character will be able to actually shine. This time she contends with her breakup with Joker and is joined by several of Gotham City’s most notorious female anti-heroes. February isn’t usually known for its high powered blockbuster releases but Deadpool’s success has shown us that expectation doesn’t always match reality. Add to the mix director Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs) and we just might have a recipe for a mid-winter surprise.

Downhill (February 14)

This remake of the absolutely stunning Force Majeure feels remarkably unnecessary but the writing and directing team of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash (The Descendants, The Way Way Back) does lend some intrigue to the project. While there’s almost no way it can be good as Ruben Ostland’s original film, the onscreen duo of Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus perhaps bodes equally well for this remake. The film follows a couple’s attempts to reevaluate their lives following an escape from an avalanche on a ski trip.

The Invisible Man (February 28)

After the disastrous roll out for their planned Dark Universe series following the release of The Mummy, Universal decided to step back and hit upon the absolutely genius idea of using their iconic horror monsters in actual horror movies. Weird, I know. This reboot of The Invisible Man finds Elizabeth Moss starring as a woman whose abusive ex dies until a series of weird coincidences forces her to think, “Maybe he’s not dead?” There’s certainly a lot of room for error here but Moss hasn’t exactly been making poor decisions recently which leads me to believe that there could be some juice to this idea.

A Quiet Place Part II (March 20)

Did we need a sequel to 2017’s near silent monster movie surprise? No. But c’mon.

Mulan (March 27)

Okay, so look. You’re annoyed by Disney live action reboots; I’m annoyed by Disney live action reboots. They’re cash grabs designed to feed the multi-headed beast that the House of Mouse has become as it seeks to sate its insatiable thirst for more billions. I get it. Mulan, however, looks like it has the potential to be the first truly great of their series of unnecessary remakes.

The Lovebirds (April 3)

Kumail Nanjiani reunites with his The Big Sick director Michael Showalter for a romantic comedy about a couple on the verge of calling it quits who find themselves strangely embroiled in a bizarre murder mystery. I gotta be honest here, I was on board for this about halfway through The Big Sick whether I knew it then or not.

Antebellum (April 24)

Janelle Monáe stars in this social horror film from the producers of Get Out. The erstwhile R&B queen stars as a successful author who finds herself trapped in an alternate reality and must find her way out. Little else is known about the film at this time but that first trailer was a skin crawling nightmare.

Black Widow (May 1)

Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow might have died in Endgame (uh…spoiler alert?) but that shouldn’t stop Marvel from giving us the movie they should’ve given us 8 years ago!

The Woman in the Window (May 15)

Joe Wright (The Darkest Hour) directs Amy Adams, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gary Oldman, and Julianne Moore in this adaptation of the A.J. Finn novel of the same name. Despite its Rear Window-esque plot, which finds an agoraphobic woman (Adams) witnessing an act of violence from the window of her apartment, this long-awaited adaptation bills itself as anything but a remake of the Hitchcock classic. Still, the star power alone gives The Woman in the Window more than enough juice heading into the summer blockbuster seasons.

Wonder Woman 1984 (June 5)

I mean…yeah.

Candyman (June 12)

I think that 1992’s Candyman is probably the film most responsible for my enduring love of horror. This Jordan Peele produced and Nia DaCosta directed “spiritual sequel” to the original film might just be the first in the series to live up to the original’s tone and atmosphere. The legend of the hook-handed killer returns to a now-gentrified Chicago to re-stake his claim on the minds of the citizens.

In the Heights (June 26)

John M. Chu, director of Crazy Rich Asians, returns in this adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical. Given the resurgence in popularity for movie musicals and the pedigree In the Heights brings with it, this has the makings of being the runaway hit of the summer.

Tenet (July 17)

Two things crossed my mind while watching the preview for the latest film from Christopher Nolan. 1. I have no idea what’s going on. 2. This looks awesome.

Bill and Ted Face the Music (August 21)

STATION!

The Many Saints of Newark (September 25)

This prequel to The Sopranos focuses on the rise of the Moltisanti family and their connections with the Sopranos in the decades before the series takes place. Michael Gandolfini, son of the late James Galdofini, who played Tony Soprano, stars as a young Tony as his family begins to make a name for itself in the greater mafia community.

Last Night in Soho (September 25)

Edgar Wright returns with a psychological thriller than somehow involves time travel, the fashion industry, the music industry, and 1960s London. Sure.

Death on the Nile (October 9)

Kenneth Branagh returns to the world of Agatha Christie’s Poirot that he first established in 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express. This time he’s bringing along Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening as Poirot’s vacation is interrupted by a murder most foul. Murder on the Orient Express was an underrated classic that deserves a sequel (and a revisiting). And, if nothing else, Branagh looks like playing Poirot is the time of his life, which is always fun.

Eternals (November 6)

Even with Marvel settling into formula over substance (which hindered their two-part climax of Infinity War and Endgame) it’s difficult not to get at least somewhat excited for what the future has in store. Indie director Chloé Zhao (The Rider) takes the reigns of this cosmic story which lends an intriguing credibility to a story that is, quite frankly, kind of batshit for casual audiences. Add to the mix the likes of Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harrington, and Bryan Tyree Henry, and the new era of the MCU might have something special to offer.

Dune (December 18)

Denis Villeneuve has proven himself more than adept at handling massive sci-fi classics with his Blade Runner sequel, Blade Runner 2049. He brings his singular sensibilities to the Frank Herbert classic, Dune, with an all-star cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem. While this is said to be the first of at least two films, and also a TV series, it’ll be exciting to see what he can bring to this cornerstone of science fiction-fantasy.