Our 65 most anticipated movies of 2019

Chances are you’re still catching up on your movie-watching from 2018, but we’re two weeks into 2019 and Hollywood stops for no one. M. Night Shyamalan’s latest mind-bender is in theaters Jan. 18, and 2019 also promises a slew of Disney films, including the final installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. What’s happening in between?

Of the upcoming offerings, we’ve picked out 65 films to keep an eye out for, for reasons ranging from “it’s a big blockbuster” to “we must discover the texture of Mothra” to “Jason Mantzoukas plays Tick Tock Man.” Here’s what’s on our radar.

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GLASS

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, opening Jan. 18

M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy comes to a close with Glass, which collides superhero David Dunn (Bruce Willis), supervillain Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson), and super-something The Horde (James McAvoy, cycling through 24 distinct personalities). As something of a rebuke to the modern superhero movie (as was Unbreakable, the film that started it all), and the culmination of almost two decades of speculation, Glass bears all the marks of Shyamalan’s best and most ambitious prior works.

VELVET BUZZSAW

Directed by Dan Gilroy, premiering on Netflix on Feb. 1

If there is one thing I love about Jake Gyllenhaal’s recent spate of work, it is that he has fully embraced being weird. Velvet Buzzsaw is the latest to prove that he’s skipped Leading Man Puberty (i.e., the awkward phase that actors like Jude Law and Colin Farrell had before embracing weirdness) and gone straight to leading character actor. In Velvet Buzzsaw, he plays art critic Morf Vandewalt, whose life goes topsy-turvy as seemingly haunted art starts to come to life.

COLD PURSUIT

Directed by Hans Petter Moland, opening Feb. 8

In 2014, director Hans Petter Moland made In Order of Disappearance, a Norwegian black comedy/thriller starring Stellan Skarsgård as mild-mannered snowplow driver Nils Dickman (we know), who takes justice into his own hands in the wake of his son’s violent death. This year, we’re due to get Moland’s remake of his own movie, this time in English and starring Liam Neeson as Nels Coxman (we know!!!). If it’s anything like its progenitor, it’s sure to be fun.

ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, opening Feb. 14

The live-action/CG hybrid version of Alita (Rosa Salazar) looks more like Gollum than a manga protagonist brought to life, but there’s still enough going on visually in James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez’s take on Yukito Kishiro’s Battle Angel Alita that it looks worthwhile. Christoph Waltz, Mahershala Ali, and Ed Skrein (with varying degrees of cybernetic enhancements) co-star in the tale of a cyborg slowly recovering her memories of her past life.

FIGHTING WITH MY FAMILY

Directed by Stephen Merchant, opening March 1

Written and directed by Stephen Merchant (The Office, Logan, Portal 2), Fighting with My Family is a mix of unlikely elements. The cast includes rising star Florence Pugh, Nick Frost, Vince Vaughn, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (who also serves as an executive producer), and it’s based on the career of real-life WWE wrestler Saraya-Jade Bevis aka Paige. Strange though its pedigree may be, each of the individual ingredients is great, making the film one to look out for.

CAPTAIN MARVEL

Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, opening March 8

Marvel’s first woman-led superhero movie flies into theaters in March on the back of a not-insignificant amount of hype. With Brie Larson in the title role and a digitally de-aged Samuel L. Jackson (also: a cat) co-starring, the film is set to properly introduce the Kree to the Marvel universe (following brief appearances from Ronan the Accuser and Korath the Pursuer), and dig into the origins of SHIELD.

US

Directed by Jordan Peele, opening March 15

After throwing audiences for a loop with his directorial debut, 2017’s Get Out, Jordan Peele is back with another horror humdinger: Us. The first trailer should be enough to give you a sense of the plot — doppelgangers run amok, terrorizing Adelaide and Gabe (Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke) and their children — as well as scare the living daylights out of you. Never has Luniz sounded so ominous.

THE BEACH BUM

Directed by Harmony Korine, opening March 22

The mind behind Spring Breakers delivers what looks like a spiritual sequel: The Beach Bum, which features Jimmy Buffett, the Mayor of Margaritaville, as himself. In case you need a little more persuading, the film stars Matthew McConaughey as a beach bum named “Moondog,” as well as rapper Snoop Dogg as “Lingerie,” Zac Efron as “Flicker,” and Martin Lawrence as “Captain Wack.”

DUMBO

Directed by Tim Burton, opening March 29

Of all of the reboots and remakes coming out of Disney, Dumbo looks to be the strangest, which may have a little to do with the fact that it’s helmed by Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands). He’s cast two of his Batman Returns stars (Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito) in the tale of a little elephant who learns how to fly, as well as Colin Farrell and Eva Green, who round out the human cast.

SHAZAM!

Directed by David F. Sandberg, opening April 5

Though the mileage you’re likely to get out of Shazam! depends in some small part on what you make of flossing, DC’s attempt at bringing its Big-esque hero to the big screen looks like a charm. When 14-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel) encounters an ancient wizard, he’s given the power to transform into an adult superhero (Zachary Levi) simply by uttering a magic word. Hint: It’s the title of the film.

PET SEMATARY

Directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, opening April 5

As the Stephen King-aissance continues, Pet Sematary comes back to life with its second film adaptation (the first premiered in 1989). For anyone unfamiliar with the source material, Pet Sematary revolves around a cemetery for pets that has the power to bring those buried there back to life. Naturally, things spiral out of control when the newly arrived Creed family discovers just what’s going on. Just remember: Sometimes, dead is better.

HELLBOY

Directed by Neil Marshall, opening April 12

This particular version of Hellboy seems more Deadpool than del Toro, so your mileage may vary, but the important part is that everyone’s favorite big, red, candy-loving half-demon is back on the big screen. David Harbour stars, with Ian McShane as monster dad (monster daddy?) Professor Bruttenholm, and Sasha Lane, Milla Jovovich, and Daniel Dae Kim in roles yanked from the comics. Thomas Haden Church has also been cast as Lobster Johnson, which is now the only thing I will be able to think about until April.

HIGH LIFE

Directed by Claire Denis, opening April 12

French director Claire Denis’ first English-language film is also space-bound, and lands with a splash following its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. The film follows a group of criminals (including Mia Goth and André Benjamin) sentenced to a mission to deep space. Robert Pattinson plays the sole survivor, and as the film unfolds, the mystery of exactly what happened on the ship unravels, as does the ultimate purpose of their journey.

MISSING LINK

Directed by Chris Butler, opening April 12

The stop-motion animation studio Laika has perfected the art of “extremely cute and yet somehow still slightly creepy,” as evidenced by Coraline and ParaNorman, and it’s bringing that talent to bear with Missing Link. Though Laika’s newest film has a less inherently spooky premise — Sir Frost (Hugh Jackman) sets off in search of a legendary creature named Mr. Link (Zach Galifianakis) — it still looks plenty kooky, as Link seems to be half monkey, half man.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, opening April 26

Watching half of the world’s population get snapped out of existence by Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War may have been upsetting, but there’s no point in pretending we don’t know that that’s somehow going to be resolved in Avengers: Endgame. The whole gang will presumably be back; I refuse to believe that anyone is permanently dead.

THE HUSTLE

Directed by Chris Addison, opening May 10

Every iteration of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a delight, whether it’s the 1988 film starring Steve Martin and Michael Caine, or the 2005 musical. The latest take on the material is The Hustle, with Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway starring as two con artists determined to out-con each other, with Alex Sharp, soon to be seen in the Game of Thrones prequel series, as the subject of their efforts. If you need any more insight as to what the vibe of the piece is meant to be like, just know that the working title was Nasty Women.

POKÉMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU

Directed by Rob Letterman, opening May 10

I know that, logically speaking, furry CG Detective Pikachu is better than smooth CG Detective Pikachu, but ... I don’t know, I have questions that need answering. Beyond that: Ryan Reynolds is Pikachu. Pikachu is a detective. Detective Pikachu solves crimes (presumably). I will retract everything negative I’ve ever said about him if he arrests Mr. Mime.

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

Directed by Chad Stahelski, opening May 17

John Wick is back, baby! The first John Wick introduced us to the Continental Hotel and the assassins’ underworld, the second expanded the mythos, and John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum seems set to capitalize on all of that craziness as John fights his way out of New York, with Halle Berry, Anjelica Huston, and Jason Mantzoukas (as “Tick Tock Man” — give him the Oscar already) joining the cast.

AD ASTRA

Directed by James Gray, opening May 24

Over and over, James Gray has proven himself to be perhaps the most sensitive filmmaker of our time (Little Odessa, The Immigrant). His last film, the tremendous The Lost City of Z, was his first to take place outside of New York, and his latest, Ad Astra, travels even further afield, taking Brad Pitt up into outer space. James Gray hive, where you at?!

ALADDIN

Directed by Guy Ritchie, opening May 24

No matter what you make of Will Smith’s Genie, or how much you trust Guy Ritchie to do the remake justice, there’s no denying that the original score to Aladdin rules and the lush orchestral arrangement of “Arabian Nights” and segue into “Friend Like Me” in the trailer is ... awesome. Give me more of that! Make this story of a boy and his genie as outsized as possible!

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS

Directed by Michael Dougherty, opening May 31

Even if Godzilla and company aren’t your bag (and if that’s the case, who are you?), the use of a souped-up version of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” in the trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters easily vaults it up the year’s most-anticipated list. Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Rodan, Mothra — the gang’s all here! Is Mothra soft, like Detective Pikachu? Only one way to find out!

ROCKETMAN

Directed by Dexter Fletcher, opening May 31

Bohemian Rhapsody (coincidentally, also sort-of directed by Dexter Fletcher) may have put a bad taste in everyone’s mouth as far as musical biopics are concerned, but Rocketman looks genuinely transporting. The film tackles Elton John’s life, with Kingsman’s Taron Egerton taking on the singer’s iconic oeuvre and costumes. It’s reportedly more of a “fantasy musical” than a straightforward biopic, which sounds pretty perfect as far as John’s music is concerned.

DARK PHOENIX

Directed by Simon Kinberg, opening June 7

If Sansa Stark is taking revenge on everyone who has ever wronged her a little too slowly for your tastes, you’ll have the chance to watch her raze everything to the ground in the upcoming Dark Phoenix. As the young Jean Grey, Sophie Turner is about to go HAM, as a “mysterious cosmic force” makes Jean much more powerful — and much more unstable.

MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL

Directed by F. Gary Gray, opening June 14

Before we go any further, let’s just agree that Men in Black 3 was good. Still with me? OK, great. The latest installment in the franchise, Men in Black: International, sees Tessa Thompson inducted into the fabled alien-monitoring organization, and sent overseas to work with Chris Hemsworth as a global crisis looms. Where the action quotient is concerned, let’s not forget that F. Gary Gray directed The Fate of the Furious, which featured The Rock changing the direction of a giant missile in mid-fire with his bare hands.

SON OF SHAFT

Directed by Tim Story, opening June 14

No further comment!

CHILD’S PLAY

Directed by Lars Klevberg, opening June 21

Ever since the original Child’s Play in 1988, the Child’s Play series has been trucking along pretty consistently — the seventh movie, Cult of Chucky, came out in 2017. With this year’s Child’s Play, however, we’re looking at the reboot, with Aubrey Plaza and Brian Tyree Henry slated to deal with the demonic Chucky doll. Franchise creator Don Mancini isn’t terribly happy about this movie existing, so the big question is whether or not Brad Dourif will be back to voice the “new” Chucky, or if a reboot will mean a new voice as well.

TOY STORY 4

Directed by Josh Cooley, opening June 21

If the last three Toy Story movies didn’t sufficiently tap into your existential angst, good news: Toy Story 4 is here to ruin your day. The latest installment in the franchise introduces Forky (Tony Hale), a spork whose sense of purpose in life is thrown off when he goes from utensil to makeshift toy. This seems about par for the course for a series that has been unsettlingly on point when it comes to tailoring its emotional core to devastate adults who watched the original movies when they were children.

YESTERDAY

Directed by Danny Boyle, opening June 28

The premise may be outlandish, but Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Sunshine, Trainspotting) and Richard Curtis (Bridget Jones’ Diary, Love Actually, Notting Hill) doing a musical comedy about a musician who discovers he’s the only person who can recall the Beatles seems like an all-around win. The ever-charming Himesh Patel and Lily James (of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) star.

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

Directed by Jon Watts, opening July 5

The “Tom Holland spoils things” bit is a little old now, but he is still an unimpeachably good Spider-Man (though not the best Spider-Man — shout-out to Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 2), and the fact that Michael Keaton is reprising his role as the Vulture is more than enough to get me back in the theater for Far From Home. Again, I feel the need to point out that Spider-Man was zapped out of existence in Infinity War, and yet ... you know. Is he a zombie in this movie?

STUBER

Directed by Michael Dowse, opening July 12

Though it’s one of the more low-key entries on a list stacked with Disney movies and other studio tentpoles, Stuber looks like it might be a dark-horse entry for the most charming movie of the year. The film pairs Kumail Nanjiani and Dave Bautista as an Uber driver and a hard-boiled detective, respectively, in what seems to be a comedic mirror of Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise’s Collateral.

THE LION KING

Directed by Jon Favreau, opening July 19

A souped-up CG Lion King? Why not! Despite appearances (and having James Earl Jones reprise his role as Mufasa), the new Lion King is apparently not a beat-for-beat re-creation of the 1994 original, which I am fine with so long as reports that “Be Prepared” won’t make it into the movie turn out to be a lie. Even Donald Glover and Beyoncé being part of the voice cast can’t forgive that big of a crime.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD

Directed by Quentin Tarantino, opening July 26

You will have to pry problematic fave Quentin Tarantino from my cold, dead hands. The filmmaker always seems to be at the eye of a storm of controversy, but his movies are undeniably great, and his ninth looks to be a similar mix of provocation and prestige drama. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as a struggling actor and his longtime stunt double, respectively, who just so happen to be next-door neighbors to Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and Roman Polanski (Rafał Zawierucha) at the time of the Manson “family” murders.

THE NEW MUTANTS

Directed by Josh Boone, opening Aug. 2

If you don’t entirely understand what The New Mutants, a potential casualty of the Disney-Fox merger, is all about, fear not: We’ve got you. The film, which is Fox’s 11th foray into the world of the X-Men, centers on a group of teenage mutants (none of whom are ninja turtles, unfortunately) trying to break out of a secret government facility. The cast is stacked with up-and-comers including Glass’ Anya Taylor-Joy, Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, and Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton.

FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS AND SHAW

Directed by David Leitch, opening Aug. 2

I agree that Han (Sung Kang) deserves justice, but I also cannot get enough of Jason Statham, so here we are for Hobbs and Shaw. Former bad guy Shaw (Statham) was inducted into the Fast and Furious fold in the last movie, Fate of the Furious, and since The Rock (who plays Hobbs, a cop) has been beefing with at least one (if not two) of the Fast and Furious crew — and has proved he can lead a movie — the first Fast and Furious spinoff was born.

ARTEMIS FOWL

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, opening Aug. 9

I read the Artemis Fowl books when I was a teen, and all I remember about them is that they are about a rich boy genius named — you guessed it — Artemis Fowl (Ferdia Shaw) who gets tangled up with fairies. Judi Dench plays one of the fairies, Commander Root, and wears a little green helmet, which is all it took for me to get on board with this film adaptation.

SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK

Directed by André Øvredal, opening Aug. 9

Great news: The series of books that gave you nightmares as a kid is finally coming to the big screen! Co-written and -produced by Guillermo del Toro, the film centers on a group of teenagers who band together to solve a series of murders in their hometown. Which scary stories are you excited to see? I’m personally banking on “Harold,” the fun one where a scarecrow skins a person.

WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE

Directed by Richard Linklater, opening August 9

We love Richard Linklater! Given that he’s the director behind School of Rock, the best movie of all time, we will watch literally everything that he does, including an adaptation of the best-seller Where’d You Go, Bernadette, which stars Cate Blanchett (sporting an unplaceable accent) as the disappearing title character, alongside Billy Crudup, Laurence Fishburne, and Judy “give her her own movie already” Greer.

GRUDGE

Directed by Nicolas Pesce, opening Aug. 16

The general rule is “don’t fix what ain’t broke,” and the 2003 Japanese film Ju-on: The Grudge definitely ain’t broke, but we’re getting a second remake of it, anyway. This particular iteration stars Andrea Riseborough (Mandy, The Death of Stalin), and will supposedly introduce new ghosts and a new mythology for its human cast (which also includes John Cho and legend Lin Shaye) to deal with.

IT: CHAPTER TWO

Directed by Andy Muschietti, opening Sept. 6

The boys (and one girl) are back in town! The hotly anticipated follow-up to It is hitting theaters almost exactly two years later, and will be delving into the aftermath of The Losers Club’s run-in with Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Bill Skarsgård). Having promised to return home to destroy the clown should it ever return, the gang — now all adults — make their way back to face their demons once again.

THE KITCHEN

Directed by Andrea Berloff, opening Sept. 20

“Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss star in a crime comedy-drama” is a real “shut up and take my money” sentence, but for a little further context, they’re playing the wives of Irish mobsters in the 1970s who take control when their husbands are arrested by the FBI. Common plays the FBI agent on their tail, along with Domhnall Gleeson, Bill Camp, Brian d’Arcy James, and character actress Margo Martindale, falling on the more rascally side of the character spectrum.

ZOMBIELAND TOO

Directed by Ruben Fleischer, due in October

What if Zombieland became Ruben Fleischer’s Boyhood? The franchise, which began in 2009 and is returning a decade later, seems to raise that particular thought experiment given that the exact same cast is reuniting for the sequel. It’s the same principle that Richard Linklater was operating on, isn’t it? Check in every so often on the same cast, except instead of telling a story about a boy growing up in Texas, this is about a group of people getting by in the apocalyptic wasteland.

GEMINI MAN

Directed by Ang Lee, opening Oct. 4

You had me at “Ang Lee,” and you really had me at “Ang Lee and Will Smith.” I don’t even know what to say about the actual pitch: “Ang Lee and two Will Smiths.” In Gemini Man, Smith plays an assassin whose attempts at getting out of the game are stymied by a young clone of himself, who, in turn, will be played by a CGI clone of Smith. (Obviously, the effects masters at Weta Digital are on the case.) While you wait for the movie to come out, here is a picture of Ang Lee destroying a hamburger:

JOKER

Directed by Todd Phillips, opening Oct. 4

Against my better judgment, I am all-in on the Todd Phillips/Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie. Though each new report on what the film is actually about (Thomas Wayne is supposedly “in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump”) seems to indicate that this movie will be trying to tap into the zeitgeist in a way that seems less productive than promising, the King of Comedy vibe that emanates from every other detail — plus that delightful “Laughing” teaser — gives me hope.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Directed by Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon, opening Oct. 11

Though I am mourning the fact that Oscar Isaac and Charlize Theron are only playing animated versions of Gomez and Morticia Addams, and not hamming it up in live action, I’ll take what I can get. The latest adaptation of The Addams Family comes to us from Greg Tiernan and Conrad Vernon (Sausage Party), with Chloë Grace Moretz as Wednesday, Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley, Nick Kroll as Uncle Fester, and Bette Midler (?!) as Grandmama.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Directed by Marielle Heller, opening Oct. 18

Even the title of this film makes me cry. The fact that America’s sweetheart Tom Hanks is playing Fred Rogers is enough to crank up the dial to “wrenching sobs.” Matthew Rhys co-stars as Lloyd Vogel, a journalist sent to profile Rogers who, naturally, finds his own view of the world changing as he spends time in Rogers’ neighborhood.

CHARLIE’S ANGELS

Directed by Elizabeth Banks, opening Nov. 1

The Charlie’s Angels franchise is revving back to life with Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott, and Ella Balinska as the Angels, and Elizabeth Banks (who is also directing the movie) as Charlie. The crime-fighting trio will no doubt have their hands full, as the names they have to contend with range from Patrick Stewart to the internet’s boyfriend, Noah Centineo.

TERMINATOR 6

Directed by Tim Miller, opening Nov. 1

Though the new Terminator movie will apparently disregard the last three Terminator films (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Terminator Salvation, and Terminator Genisys, which, hell, I liked), Arnold Schwarzenegger is once again set to return, as is the OG Sarah Connor, Linda Hamilton. The film will serve as a direct sequel to The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and will also feature a truly ripped Mackenzie Davis.

KINGSMAN: THE GREAT GAME

Directed by Matthew Vaughn, opening Nov. 8

Unfortunately for fans of Harry Hart and Eggsy Unwin, the third Kingsman movie will be a prequel set in the early 1900s. The film will explore the Kingsman organization’s origins, with Ralph Fiennes, Daniel Brühl, Charles Dance, and Rhys Ifans attached to star. Fear not, though: Some of the Kingsman characters we’ve already become acquainted with may reappear soon enough, as a Statesman film is also reportedly in development.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG

Directed by Jeff Fowler, opening Nov. 8

As of this writing, Sonic’s look for the live-action adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog has not yet been revealed, though his muscular legs have caused a stir online, and reports suggest that “Sega was not entirely happy with the eye decision.” Bringing me solace is the fact that Ben Schwartz (who voices him) is a sweetheart, as per this Larry King clip:

FROZEN 2

Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, opening Nov. 27

If being forced to sit through the 22-minute Olaf’s Frozen Adventure “short” before Coco wasn’t enough to put you off of the Frozen franchise entirely, then you’ll be glad to know that Frozen 2 hits theaters for the Thanksgiving holiday this year. Disney has been relatively tight-lipped about details on the new film, though we know this much: Elsa (Idina Menzel) finally figures out how to control her magic, and finally lets loose. (Letting it go?)

KNIVES OUT

Directed by Rian Johnson, opening Nov. 27

After directing The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson is back to his caper roots with the whodunit Knives Out. If you’ve seen his 2009 film The Brothers Bloom, then you know that this is cause for celebration, especially as the cast is stacked with names like Daniel Craig (building off of his Logan Lucky appearance), Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Christopher Plummer, and Don Johnson. Oh, and, of course, Noah Segan.

JUMANJI 3

Directed by Scott Rosenberg, opening Dec. 13

Besides the announcement that Danny DeVito and Awkwafina would join the cast, there are scant details available on the third Jumanji movie, which, presumably, will once again thrust children into the jungle via a haunted game. 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle was terrifically fun, so hopefully its successor follows in its footsteps, though at this point it’s difficult to think of much in relation except for Kevin Hart’s recent Oscars kerfuffle.

CATS

Directed by Tom Hooper, opening Dec. 20

Cats. What is there to say about Cats? Taylor Swift, Idris Elba, and Judi Dench will be there. They’ll be playing cats. They’ll be sending another cat to the Heaviside Layer. If you need any further explanation, I highly recommend reading this.

STAR WARS: EPISODE IX

Directed by J.J. Abrams, opening Dec. 20

The final installment of the new Star Wars trilogy caps off the year, which is about as good a Christmas present as you could ask for. Though there’s not too much known about it besides the fact that it’s set to take place a year after the events of The Last Jedi, Episode IX still has the goods: Richard E. Grant is joining the Star Wars universe, as is Keri Russell, with Billy Dee Williams returning as Lando Calrissian.

CHAOS WALKING

Directed by Doug Liman

Based on the first book in Patrick Ness’ Chaos Walking trilogy, Chaos Walking is another attempt at scoring a Harry Potter- or Hunger Games-sized young adult hit. While there’s little word on the status of the movie (it was due out in March), the film has the cast to back up those ambitions, as Spider-Man and Rey (aka Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley) star as Todd and Viola, two youngsters navigating the post-apocalyptic world, wrestling freedom out from under the Mayor’s (Mads Mikkelsen, who else) grasp. Demián Bichir, David Oyelowo, and Cynthia Erivo also star.

THE IRISHMAN

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Even though Scorsese’s Silence didn’t get nearly the kind of attention it deserved, the acclaimed director is still blessing us with another film, this time via Netflix. The Irishman is a passion project for Scorsese, and has the billing to match: Robert De Niro and Al Pacino reunite for the fourth time (after The Godfather Part II, Heat, and Righteous Kill) in a take on alleged hitman Frank Sheeran, Jimmy Hoffa, and the Bufalino crime family. It’s gonna rule! Joe Pesci came out of unofficial retirement for this!!!

JOJO RABBIT

Directed by Taika Waititi

Putting Hitler in a movie in any form is a gamble. If there’s anyone that I’d trust to do it well (?), it’s Thor: Ragnarok and What We Do in the Shadows director Taika Waititi. Jojo Rabbit, set during World War II, centers on a young boy whose imaginary friend is a version of Hitler who isn’t based on the dictator so much as he is an amalgam of the boy’s wishes for his father’s love. Waititi himself plays the made-up version of the Führer, because of course he does.

THE LAST THING HE WANTED

Directed by Dee Rees

Dee Rees’ follow-up to Mudbound is an adaptation of Joan Didion’s The Last Thing He Wanted, and stars Anne Hathaway and Willem Dafoe as Elena and Richard McMahon, respectively. Elena is a political journalist, but is forced to cease her coverage of the 1984 presidential election when her father takes ill.

THE LIGHTHOUSE

Directed by Robert Eggers

With 2015’s The Witch and now The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers is out to prove himself as a methodical horror filmmaker. The Lighthouse, shot in black and white, stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, and was apparently so grueling that Pattinson was tempted to (lovingly) punch Eggers during production. There will presumably be a lighthouse in the film, though Eggers has been keeping his cards close to his chest.

PARASITE

Directed by Bong Joon-ho

Bong Joon-ho, master of flip-flopping tones and monster stories, returns with Parasite, which reunites him with Memories of Murder and The Host star Song Kang-ho. The film reportedly centers on two families who, despite being worlds apart, share striking similarities. Based on the film’s title, we’re guessing that things get hinky extremely quickly.

PRISONERS OF THE GHOSTLAND

Directed by Sion Sono

Here is a direct quote from star Nicolas Cage about his film with Sion Sono, Prisoners of the Ghostland, which I feel is all that really needs to be said: “It might be the wildest movie I’ve ever made, and that’s saying something. It’s out there. I wear a skintight black leather jumpsuit with grenades attached to different body parts, and if I don’t rescue the governor’s daughter from this state line where they’re all ghosts and bring her back, they’re gonna blow me up.”

SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON

Directed by Richard Starzak

Stop-motion titan Aardman can do no wrong, and though the Wallace and Gromit shorts remain the studio’s best work, the Shaun the Sheep movies may just give them a run for their money. The first film, released in 2015, was a delight, and the sequel looks to be shaking up the formula by cranking things up to the next level. Forget a jaunt into the big city — Farmageddon throws an alien and the attendant government agents into the mix.

SHIRLEY

Directed by Josephine Decker

After stunning audiences with Madeline’s Madeline last year, Josephine Decker is set to tackle a biopic of author Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House), with Elisabeth Moss in the lead role. The film, co-starring Michael Stuhlbarg as her husband Stanley Edgar Hyman, is described as a thriller, with the couple’s move prompting events that serve as inspiration for Jackson’s next novel.

THE TRUTH

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

Reportedly, after winning the Palme d’Or for Shoplifters at Cannes last year, director Hirokazu Kore-eda flew directly to visit Ethan Hawke, and told him that he wanted him for his next movie. That is obviously an offer you can’t refuse, and sure enough, The Truth, Kore-eda’s first non-Japanese-language film, stars Hawke as well as Juliette Binoche and Catherine Deneuve. Kore-eda’s films are famously tender and carefully crafted (if you haven’t seen Shoplifters, do so posthaste), and The Truth is likely no exception.

UNCUT GEMS

Directed by Josh and Benny Safdie

If any film will truly cement the Adam Sandler-ssance, it is Uncut Gems, which pairs Sandler with Good Time directors Josh and Benny Safdie. Sandler plays a jewelry store owner struggling with a gambling addiction and the attendant problems, who finds himself in hot water when his merchandise is stolen. The set photos have shown Sandler in various states of rage, bloodiness, and public-fountain-jumping-ness, all of which seem to herald a — pardon the pun — very good time.