Thrilling superhero sagas and bold live-action adaptations light up the screens this 2019. Here’s a shortlist of films worth buying a second tub of popcorn for.
Superheroes
The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t quite squeezed out of ideas just yet. Starting off the year is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (10 Jan), an animated flick based on the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales/Spider-Man. In this version, everyone’s favorite wall-climbing hero encounters his counterparts from five parallel universes as he fights against a threat on all existing realities. Spunky teen Miles Morales is introduced as the new Spidey, although Peter Parker also makes an appearance.
The two other superhero movies from Marvel are Captain Marvel (6 Mar), based on the comic book superheroine (the first time a female superhero fronts a Marvel flick), and Avengers: Endgame (24 Apr), the last chapter of the Avengers franchise which immediately picks up where Avengers: Infinity War left off. The studio has also collaborated with Sony for Spider-Man: Far From Home, which is set to premiere on 3 July. We don’t have much details; we only know that it will star Jake Gyllenhaal. We’ll also see two new flicks from the X-Men franchise: the Jean Grey-centered Dark Phoenix (6 Jun), and The New Mutants (1 Aug), which will introduce us to five new superhumans: Magik, Wolfsbane, Cannonball, Sunspot and Mirage.
DC, Marvel's biggest rival, will release Shazam!, a picture about a teenage boy given the ability to transform into an adult with powers, on 4 April.
Sequels
M. Night Shyamalan's new supernatural movie Glass, a sequel to Unbreakable (2000) and Split (2016), opens in theaters on 16 Jan, centering on a gifted human named David Dunn who uses his ability to track down Kevin Wendell Crumb, a disturbed man with 23 different personalities.
A sequel is usually an easy way for a studio to make money, especially if its precedent was a blockbuster. This year’s batch of big-screen follow-ups include How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (31 Jan), The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (7 Feb), John Wick 3: Parabellum (16 May), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (30 May), Toy Story 4 (20 Jun), and It: Chapter 2 (5 Sep).
Disney classics
The success of the live-action versions of Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast has spurred Disney to deliver many more live-action-cum-CGI reproductions of Disney’s legendary animated films. Showing in March is Dumbo (28 Mar), followed by Aladdin (23 May) and The Lion King (18 Jul).
Reboots and adaptations
Another year, another pack of adaptations. Opening on Valentine’s Day is Alita: Battle Angel (14 Feb), a movie about a cyborg that loses her memory. Adapted from Yukito Kishiro's manga Battle Angel Alita, the movie is produced by James Cameron (so expect mind-blowing CGI effects). In May, Ryan Reynolds lends his voice to the titular character in Pokémon Detective Pikachu (9 May), the first Hollywood-production of the Pokémon franchise. Movie theaters will also welcome Artemis Fowl (8 Aug), an adaptation of the famous novel series of the same name by Eoin Colfer, about 12-year-old Artemis Fowl II who travels to the land of fairies in search of his father.
Reboots include Hellboy (11 Apr), co-directed by Neil Marshall (Game of Thrones), and Men in Black International (13 Jun), starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson.
Biographies
Start off another year of learning life lessons from other people’s stores in Jan with Hurry Go Round (17 Jan), a documentary about X Japan’s lead guitarist Hideto “Hide” Matsumoto created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death. Director Yumoto Yuma traveled the world for months interviewing Hide's close friends and family members. Also opening on 17 Jan, Beautiful Boy is based on David Sheff's relation with his drug-addict son Nicholas and stars Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. In February, you’ll see The Favourite (21 Feb), a movie about the crumbling relationship between Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland who lived between 1702-1714 and her friend Sarah Churchill when Abigail Masham, Sarah's cousin, tried to dethrone her. In March, Mary Queen of Scots (28 Mar), which stars Saoirse Ronan as Queen Mary of Scotland and Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth of England and is based on the complex tension between the two queens, will hit the silver screens.
There are also 2 historical films coming in 2019. The Favourite (21 Feb) is the movie about the crumbling relationship between Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland between 1702-1714 and her friend Sarah Churchill when Abigail Masham, Sarah's cousin, arrived at the Court and tried to overthrow her place. On the other hand, Mary Queen of Scots (28 Mar), stars Saoirse Ronan as Queen Mary of Scotland and Margot Robbie as Queen Elizabeth of England and Ireland who fight for the throne.
Looking far ahead
The last quarter of 2019 see even more movies coming to theaters. Thailand premier dates of these films have, however, yet announced. The list includes the movie edition of smashhit series Downton Abbey, the non-DC Joker spin-off that stars Joaquin Phoenix, Kirsteb Steward-starred Charlie's Angels, Murder on the Orient Express sequel Death on the Nile, and, last but not least, Star Wars: Episode IX, the final chapter of the galactic wars.