- Avengers: Infinity War
Screenplay by: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, based on The Avengers by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Starring: various
Release date: May 4, 2018 (United States)
All the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies come to this one. A super-sized superhero epic, with stravaganza special effects and a complex combination of character interactions. It is rumoured to feature more than 70 characters, which leads be to this question: can it work?! I'm specially curious about this one, specially since Marvel has set the standard really high with previous movies.
- Black Panther
Written by: Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, based on Black Panther by Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis
Release date: February 16, 2018 (United States)
It is MCU effort to #MarvelNotSoWhite. An all-star black cast and the first chapter of a black superhero franchise, helmed by a black director. NICEEEEE!!! Finally, big studios have come to this conclusion: the world is different and people want to see themselves on-screen (both white and black people and I would say asian, but one step at a time). Chadwick Boseman made a great impression as Black Panther in 2016's Captain America: Civil War, so I guess he will be nothing more but great as the lead in his own solo movie.
- Boy Erased
Screenplay by: Joel Edgerton, based on Boy Erased: A Memoir by Garrard Conley
Starring: Lucas Hedges, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Cherry Jones and Joel Edgerton
Release date: September 28, 2018 (United States)
A coming-of-age drama about the son of a baptist preacher is forced to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program... Sounds like a potential tearjerker, but what makes me interested in this project is having Joel Edgerton behind (and in front of) the camera: his directorial debut (The Gift, 2015) was extremely underrated and it showed some promising directorial craft! Plus, Lucas Hedges is proving to be a major talent after his amazing turns in Manchester by the Sea, Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. And then there's Nicole Kidman: enough said.
- The Death and Life of John F. Donovan
Written by: Xavier Dolan & Jacob Tierney
Starring: Kit Harington, Ben Schnetzer, Natalie Portman, Jessica Chastain, Bella Thorne, Susan Sarandon, Jared Keeso and Kathy Bates
Release date: no release date (maybe 2018)
The young director of Mommy is back and he brings you an all-star high-caliber ensemble cast to tell you the story of the death of an American TV star named John F. Donovan. Early stills suggest a movie with great visual impact and the movie trailer makes you hold your breath. It promises to be thrilling and I've high hopes for this movie. It doesn't have a release date yet, but I bet on a late 2018 release date in order to be seen during award season.
- Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
Screenplay by: Gus Van Sant, story by John Callahan, Gus Van Sant, Jack Gibson and William Andrew Eatman, based on "Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot" by John Callahan
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara and Jack Black
Release date: January 19, 2018 (Sundance); May 11, 2018 (United States)
Gus Van Sant is back with a light comedy-drama about a man who finds joy in art after a life-changing accident. The movie is competing for the Golden Berlin Bear of Berlin International Film Festival and it is said to be a potential Summer indie hit given the early buzz around the movie. Gus Van Sant's directorial efforts have met polarizing reception: you have Drugstore Cowboy, Good Will Hunting or Milk as universal acclaimed works, while other works didn't do that great. In which we'll include Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot? Sundance reception suggest it is one of the Van Sant's best in a long time!
- Isle of Dogs
Screenplay by: Wes Anderson, story by Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Kunichi Nomura
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunichi Nomura, Ken Watanabe, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Courtney B. Vance, Liev Schreiber, Bob Balaban, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, F. Murray Abraham and Yoko Ono
Release date: February 15, 2018 (Berlin International Film Festival); March 23, 2018 (USA)
One of the most distinguished auteurs working in Hollywood, Wes Anderson, the genius behind The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel is back with an animated feature - Isle of Dogs.If you remember The Fantastic Mr. Fox then you know Isle of Dogs can be one of the best movies of the year... let's wait for Berlin and March.
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Written by: Desiree Akhavan & Cecilia Frugiuele, based on The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Sasha Lane, John Gallagher, Jr., Forrest Goodluck, Jennifer Ehle and Quinn Shephard
Release date: January 22, 2018 (Sundance Film Festival)
Well, you can ask me why I'm including this one in my Most Antecipated Movies of 2018 list: my answer is "Sasha Lane". She was the star of Andrea Arnold's American Honey and she was stellar in that one. It's her first feature film since her breakthrough performance and guess what... her character is named Jane Fonda! (lol). Plus, I'm still hoping for Chloë Grace Moretz to get the acting showcase she deserves. The movie is doing well at Sundance Film Festival, receiving mostly positive reviews and I can't wait to watch this one.
- A Rainy Day in New York
Written by: Woody Allen
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Elle Fanning, Jude Law, Diego Luna and Liev Schreiber
Release date: 2018 (USA)
No matter what, Woody Allen will always be one of my favorite directors ever and since Cinema and Popcorn is a movie blog and not a tabloid, I have to admit I'm excited about his next movie. He said he wanted to make a movie about young love and, in fact, A Rainy Day in New York stars two of the best working young actors: Timothée Chalamet and Elle Fanning. And I'm curious to see Selena Gomez in a more serious feature film. Allen is quite inconsistent when it comes to his movie's quality - so let's wait to see if his latest one is a hit or a miss.
- The Sisters Brothers
Written by: Jacques Audiard & Thomas Bidegain, based on "The Sisters Brothers" by Patrick deWitt
Starring: John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed
Release date: 2018 (USA)
The director of The Beat That My Heart Skipped, A Prophet, Rust and Bone and Dheepan is going to present a new movie this year and judging by the source material and the ensemble cast, The Sisters Brothers seems to have all the key ingredients to be a major cinematic achievement. One of my favorite directors ever, I'm curious to see how he helms a movie in English language... No matter what I bet it's going to work as a great acting showcase for its actors in the worst case scenario (since Audiard is terrific with actors).
- Solo: A Star Wars Story
Screenplay by: Lawrence Kasdan & Jon Kasdan, based on characters by George Lucas
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Joonas Suotamo and Paul Bettany
Release date: May 25, 2018 (United States)
When they announced a Han Solo movie a lot of "contenders" for the lead iconic role emerged and, by that time, Alden Ehrenreich got the role - which left a lot of people cheering with joy. In 2016, Ehrenreich delivered his breakthrough performance in Hail, Caesar! and 2018 seems to be year he can become a movie star. And Ron Howard... well, we all know he can excel as a director and he's searching for redemption from Inferno or In the Heart of the Sea (but he stills the same man who brought us A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon and Rush). No matter what, it is "A Star Wars Story"!
- Tully
Written by: Diablo Cody
Starring: Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass and Ron Livingston
Release date: April 20, 2018 (USA)
Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman reunited once again with Charlize Theron, but this isn't a Young Adult sequel...! It is a movie about motherhood. So... it is a mix between Juno & Young Adult? The trailer suggest a very sweet down-to-earth approach of a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown and a juicy role for Theron (who was great and underrated in Young Adult). Mackenzie Davis brings some light during the trailer last seconds and judging by her previous works (The Martian, Blade Runner 2049, Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town and Black Mirror TV series), I believe her breakthrough performance is coming soon (maybe in this one).
- Untitled Noah Baumback Project
Written by: Noah Baumbach
Starring: Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Laura Dern, Merritt Wever, and Azhy Robertson
Release date: 2018 (could be 2019), Netflix
No big details about this project, but we already know it is in pre-production. Early word on this project suggest Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson play a couple with a marriage on the rocks / during a separation process. Juicy? I guess it has plenty of potential to generate Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson's best performances in years, since both can be excellent in the "indie" mode - we are talking about stars of two of the most profitable and extravaganza franchises. Oscar talk potential? Maybe! And Noah Baumbach... he's one of the most genuine auteurs in Hollywood (remember Greenberg, Frances Ha, Mistress America and The Meyerowitz Stories)!!
- Venom
Screenplay by: Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, Kelly Marcel, based on "Venom" by Randy Schueller, David Michelinie, Mike Zeck and Todd McFarlane
Starring: Tom Hardy and Michelle Williams
Release date: October 5, 2018 (USA)
I confess I wasn't expecting to see Michelle Williams in a comics cinematic universe, but it seems Marvel was able to seduce her. Tom Hardy doesn't surprise me. And a movie about Venom just intrigues me! One of my favorite (and complex) anti-heroes of all time is getting his own solo movie and the geek in me is just "excited".
- Where'd You Go, Bernadette
Screenplay by: Richard Linklater, Holly Gent, Vincent Palmo Jr., Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter, based on "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" by Maria Semple
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer, Laurence Fishburne, Troian Bellisario and James Urbaniak
Release date: May 11, 2018 (USA)
The most "ridiculous" thing about Linklater is that even his least fine movie in years (Last Flag Flying) was a nice movie and his next project named Where'd You Go, Bernadette promises to work as another acting showcase to add to Cate Blanchett's resume. One of the best actresses ever, playing an ansiety-ridden mother who disappears! Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer and the always underrated Billy Crudup also star in which seems to be a movie full of acting talent. I trust Linklater.
- Wildlife
Screenplay by: Paul Dano & Zoe Kazan, based on "Wildlife" by Richard Ford
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan, Ed Oxenbould and Zoe Margaret Colletti
Release date: January 20, 2018 (Sundance Film Festival)
Sundance seems to be in love with Paul Dano's directorial debut, praising both his eye for elegant composition and his assured direction of actors. The movie narrates the story of a couple who separates because of a forest fire, with the wife having an affair with another man while her husband is away. First reviews suggest a career best performance from Carey Mulligan... Oscar material here? Possibly, since Sundance hits have nice changes during awards season. Can't wait!
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