Josh Martin's Top 25 Most Anticipated Films of 2020

Another year has reached its end, and while I'll have my recap of 2019 up shortly (by the end of the month, let's be realistic), it's time to look forward to 2020. It's the beginning of the new decade, and judging by the slate of highly anticipated projects on the horizon, it looks like we're going to be off to a good start. Major auteurs, franchise titles, unique originals: it's all looking rather promising.

Before we dig into the list, I wanted to make a few notes about some major upcoming projects that don't make an appearance on this list. On The Daily Beast's list of the 30 most anticipated movies of 2020, three projects are listed that, judging by the current production timeline, I have reason to believe will end up being 2021 titles. First, there's Jonathan Glazer's long-awaited follow-up to Under the Skin, which is supposedly a Holocaust drama set at Auschwitz. The film is officially in pre-production and is lined up at A24, but I have a feeling the production timeline will push it to 2021. Second, there's Paul Schrader's The Card Counter, starring Oscar Isaac. This is another film currently in pre-production, and I doubt Schrader will get things rolling in time for this year. Finally, Terrence Malick's The Last Planet, his chronicle of the life of Jesus Christ, has actually wrapped production. But anyone who knows the director's post-production habits is well aware that this likely won't arrive until Cannes 2021.

In addition to those three projects, I'm a bit less certain about the release date fate of two more exciting auteur projects - read more about these below!

The Question Marks

UNTITLED PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT


It's Paul Thomas Anderson. You could argue that every one of his films has nearly been a masterpiece, and I don't imagine that'll change with his upcoming ninth feature. The film was only announced months ago, and there still hasn't been a single official casting or title announcement, so the odds of it arriving before 2020 is up seem low. However, PTA has worked fast before, and word on the street is that this one is primed for a spring/summer 2020 shoot. Fingers crossed?

NIGHTMARE ALLEY



While I unfortunately found myself in the minority on Guillermo del Toro's Oscar-winning The Shape of Water, I'm still very excited for Nightmare Alley, the director's star-studded follow-up. The cast is, quite frankly, outrageously good: Bradley Cooper, Toni Collette, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Willem Dafoe, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn, Holt McCallany, Richard Jenkins, and more. But will it actually arrive before 2020 is over? Per Deadline, the film will shoot in 2020 in time for a 2021 release. I can imagine Del Toro getting it done faster to avoid awards conflicts with his upcoming Pinocchio remake (set to arrive on Netflix in 2021), but whenever this one comes out, I'll be thrilled to see it.

Next, before we get to the final list, here are 10 honorable mentions that didn't quite make the main cut.

The Honorable Mentions

BENEDETTA: Four years after the acclaimed premiere of Elle, Paul Verhoeven returns with Benedetta, a sure-to-be controversial erotic thriller about a nun. A health setback for the Dutch auteur delayed this one to 2020, but it seems assured that Benedetta will premiere at Cannes. TBA

CHERRY: Can the Russo Brothers succeed outside the confines of the Marvel machine? We'll find out with Cherry, a gritty action movie about a bank robber with PTSD. Plus, this is a fun chance to see Tom Holland take on a starring role that isn't Spider-Man. TBA

DEEP WATER: Adrian Lyne, the director of Fatal Attraction, pairs Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas for this latest erotic thriller, returning to the big screen 18 years after his last feature. The sheer star power on display makes this a must-watch. NOVEMBER 13

THE CONJURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT: Say what you will about the greater Conjuring franchise, but the two films centered on the Warrens (played by Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson) are horror highlights of the 2010s. Michael Chaves replaces James Wan in the director's chair, but this should still be another scary and heartfelt installment. SEPTEMBER 11

GREEN KNIGHT: Despite the general critical acclaim for titles like A Ghost Story, The Old Man & the Gun, and Pete's Dragon, I've never fully been on David Lowery's wavelength. Will his re-imagining of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight win me over? The A24 pedigree and a cast led by Dev Patel and Alicia Vikander are definitely enticing positives, but we'll see. TBA

THE INVISIBLE MAN: After the failure of The Mummy, Universal went back to the drawing board to figure out a new path for their classic monsters. The result? Bringing in Jason Blum and director Leigh Whannell to create a new version of The Invisible Man, which puts a supernatural spin on the horrors of an abusive relationship. With Elisabeth Moss in the lead, this should be a early 2020 horror hit. FEBRUARY 28

MONA LISA AND THE BLOOD MOON: Ana Lily Amirpour's first two films haven't clicked with me, but her third outing, a fantasy film about a girl with magic powers in New Orleans, could be the one that makes me a fan for good. The cast includes Kate Hudson, Craig Robinson, Ed Skrein, and Burning's Jun Jong-seo. TBA

NEWS OF THE WORLD: While Paul Greengrass took a risky swing and a miss with the grueling terrorism drama 22 July, his next feature, a historical Western about a Texan who agrees to rescue a young girl, could put him back in the thick of the Oscar race. Plus, it'll reunite him with Captain Phillips star Tom Hanks, who turned in career-best work in their last collaboration. DECEMBER 25

THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD: Armando Iannucci's latest already premiered at TIFF 2019, but the rest of us will have to wait a little longer to check out the filmmaker's Dickens adaptation. After the raucous heights of The Death of Stalin, I'm here for whatever Iannucci does next. MAY 8

TOP GUN: MAVERICK: No, I have not seen the original Top Gun. Yes, I am still excited to see Tom Cruise risk his life for our entertainment again.

The Top 25

25. ETERNALS- November 6


The Marvel movies are staples on these lists, though they seem to drop further and further each year. I was initially quite excited for Chloe Zhao's Eternals, which seems like one of the riskier (a relative term here) films that the studio has produced in a long time. But despite the strength of the cast (Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden, Kit Harrington, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Brian Tyree Henry, Barry Keoghan, and more), the early concept art looks dishearteningly drab and simplistic. Will the final product be more interesting? Let's hope.

24. BLACK WIDOW- May 1


Florence Pugh! Rachel Weisz! David Harbour doing a silly Russian accent! Ridiculous action scenes! ScarJo gets her own movie!

This looks fine.

23. REBECCA- TBA


Ben Wheatley's Freakshift, which would have paired Armie Hammer and Alicia Vikander in an action/horror hybrid, never got beyond the pre-production stage, but the director of Free Fire and High Rise will still be keeping busy for the next few years. Before he teams with Vikander on Tomb Raider 2 (set for March 2021), Wheatley will take on a remake of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, which was previously tackled by none other than Alfred Hitchcock himself. This version stars Hammer, Lily James, and Kristin Scott Thomas, and it very well could be one of Netflix's big awards players come fall 2020.

22. MALIGNANT- August 14


James Wan has become one of Hollywood's favorite big-budget filmmakers over the years, making a billion dollar hit out of freakin' Aquaman and saving Furious 7 after the death of star Paul Walker. But while I respect his talent for bringing spectacle to life, Wan's horror projects remain more enticing to me than his blockbuster offerings. Before he returns to the DC Universe for Aquaman 2, Wan will return to his horror roots with Malignant. What is it about? I have no idea: details remain safely under wraps. Whatever the case, I can't wait to see what the director puts together.

21. BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)- February 7


Like every other sane human being on the planet, I thought David Ayer's Suicide Squad was an utter catastrophe. Hell, I wasn't even particularly a fan of Margot Robbie's performance as the villainous Harley Quinn. Nevertheless, I somehow find myself excited for Cathy Yan's Birds of Prey (despite the outrageously elongated title). The film looks fresh and colorful, the work of a single, fascinating artistic voice; essentially, it looks like the antithesis of its predecessor. With Jared Leto's Joker and Ayer out of the picture, it might be time for Robbie to assert herself as one of the DC Universe's biggest stars.

20. ANNETTE- TBA


It has been nearly 8 years since French auteur Leos Carax's last feature, the audacious and beloved Parisian odyssey Holy Motors. He's finally back in a big way with Annette, a musical that will unite Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. After his stunning turn in Marriage Story, I'll watch Driver in just about anything, and this film sounds about as conceptually daring as contemporary cinema can get. Look for Carax to make his return to Cannes this May.

19. BLONDE- TBA


Based on the book by Carol Joyce Oates, Blonde takes a unique look at the life and times of one Marilyn Monroe (though, to my understanding, the film doesn't actually use Monroe's name). So while it initially sounds like a bland and dreadful bit of celebrity hagiography, the film itself has much more potential. First, there's the cast: Ana de Armas as Monroe, with Adrien Brody, Julianne Nicholson, Bobby Cannavale, and Scoot McNairy in supporting roles. It's also director Andrew Dominik's first film since 2012's Killing Them Softly, though his recent guest stint on David Fincher's Mindhunter proves that he hasn't lost a step. With Dominik on the top of his game and De Armas cementing her rise to A-list status, Blonde could be a perfect storm.

19. THE KING'S MAN- September 18


Haters be damned: I love the Kingsman movies, and I couldn't be more excited to see Matthew Vaughn explore the origins of the franchise in this World War I-set prequel. My only concern right now is the fact that The King's Man has seen multiple delays, which either means that Disney doesn't know what to do with it or there's trouble in the editing room. Regardless, am I going to pass up the chance to see Ralph Fiennes in blockbuster period mode? Of course not.

17. HALLOWEEN KILLS- October 16


The Halloween franchise could have ended after 2018's soft reboot, which brought Jamie Lee Curtis back into the fold for another face-off with Michael Myers. And even though it appeared that the Boogeyman finally perished at the end of the film, he'll be back for another hunt in this October's Halloween Kills. The latest installment will once again be written and directed by David Gordon Green (with co-screenwriters Danny McBride and Scott Teems also returning), but it'll also be the first part of a presumed conclusion for the series, which will wrap up in October 2021 with Halloween Ends. Here's hoping it's the epic conclusion that John Carpenter's iconic franchise has always deserved.

16. ARMY OF THE DEAD- TBA


Look, we all saw what happened when Netflix let Michael Bay go absolutely bananas with 6 Underground. Now they're gonna let Zack Snyder do the same thing? In a gonzo zombie movie? Say what you will about the filmmaker, but I'm absolutely down to see him let his inhibitions go wild. The film, which is the story of a Las Vegas heist in the aftermath of a zombie outbreak, sounds like the perfect vehicle for Snyder's stylistic excess, and I have a feeling it's going to be gory and stupid and utterly ridiculous. In other words, the perfect Netflix movie.

15. ONWARD- March 6


When's the last time one of Pixar's original films missed the mark? I guess you could say The Good Dinosaur, but even that one is interesting in its own weird way. Basically, if Pixar has a new original film, I'm excited, and Onward is no different. The trailers have sold a bit of an odd concept (like a magical Weekend at Bernie's), but I have no doubt that the final product will be emotionally potent and delightful. Plus, the voice cast is strong: Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Octavia Spencer, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, and more.

14. C'MON C'MON- TBA


My excitement for this one boils down to two people: Joaquin Phoenix and Mike Mills. No, I wasn't the biggest fan of Joker, which will probably net Phoenix his first Oscar, but he's still one of our greatest working American actors, capable of creating fascinating characters from the ground up. For his follow-up, he'll be collaborating with Mike Mills, director of the tremendous 20th Century Women. A24 is distributing in the US, and even though plot details are still unknown, the combined talents of Phoenix and Mills make this a must-watch.

13. MACBETH- TBA


If for no other reason, 2020 will be notable for temporarily splitting up the Coen Brothers. While Ethan Coen takes a break from filmmaking, Joel Coen will tackle a new version of Macbeth, which will star Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Brendan Gleeson, and Corey Hawkins. Details are scarce at the moment, but according to World of Reel, the film is set to begin filming in February. If all goes well, we'll likely see this one by the end of the year. Also noteworthy: it's the first Coen picture to be distributed by indie hotshots A24.

12. DA 5 BLOODS- TBA


Spike Lee made a major resurgence in 2018 with BlacKkKlansman, which ultimately earned him his long-overdue first Academy Award win. Where does a filmmaker go after they come out on top on Hollywood's big night? To Netflix, of course. Lee lined up this Vietnam veterans project during the thick of the last awards season, and if all goes well, he'll probably be back in the mix again. Beyond the involvement of the iconic director, the cast is fairly stacked as well, with Chadwick Boseman, Paul Walter Hauser, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jean Reno leading the ensemble.

11. ON THE ROCKS- TBA


Sofia Coppola reunites with Lost in Translation star Bill Murray for On the Rocks, a film about a woman reconnecting with her father in New York City. The reunion of Coppola and Murray is enough to get most cinephiles in the theater, but the supporting cast is also rather terrific, with Rashida Jones and Jenny Slate leading the charge. Truth be told, if this is half as good as Coppola and Murray's previous collaboration, it'll likely be one of the best of 2020.

10. AFTER YANG- TBA


Kogonada's Columbus is one of the finest debut features of the decade, a heartbreaking and romantic film that combines an impressive level of formal rigor with a rich abundance of emotion. Regardless, it never fully got the attention it deserved at the time of its release, so it's essentially destined to be hailed as an underrated masterpiece for decades to come. If there's any justice in the world, Kogonada's upcoming second feature, After Yang, will elevate him to the upper echelon of indie directors. The film is an adaptation of a short story by Alexander Weinstein, which follows a family trying to save a robotic family member from death. Kogonada reunites with Columbus star Haley Lu Richardson, with Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Clifton Collins Jr. also starring.

9. WONDER WOMAN 1984- June 5


How exactly is Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) alive? Will director Patty Jenkins just ignore everything that happened in Justice League? Will the 1980s setting be cool or just feel like a lame Stranger Things rip-off?

I have no idea, but after the rollicking surprise that was 2017's Wonder Woman, I'm down for whatever Jenkins and star Gal Gadot have assembled for their second outing.

8. SOUL- June 19


The first trailer for Soul didn't exactly knock my socks off, and I have a feeling that the particulars of its conceptual execution could result in a minefield of internet discourse. But it's director Pete Docter's first film since 2015's Inside Out, which, in my humble view, is Pixar's very best film. Soul has been billed as a sort of spiritual successor to that emotional trip into the world of the human mind, and I can't wait to see Docter's latest metaphysical spin on contemporary animated cinema.

7. I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS- TBA


While I don't want to make a habit of praising corporations, let me just say one thing: thank god for Netflix. After the box office failure of Anomalisa, a truly unique and unforgettable motion picture experience, it's hard to imagine many studios footing the bill for writer/director Charlie Kaufman's newest project. But Netflix swooped in to distribute I'm Thinking of Ending Things, which, according to the distributor's own tweet, is a road trip comedy that becomes something of a horror movie. The logline almost sounds like Midsommar by way of Kaufman's singular sensibilities, and with a cast that includes Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, Jessie Buckley, and David Thewlis, this one is worth getting excited for.

6. NO TIME TO DIE- April 10


After the rapturous reception and billion dollar gross of Skyfall, the Bond franchise had nowhere to go but up. And then Spectre happened. While I liked Sam Mendes' over-sized follow-up to his espionage masterpiece more than most moviegoers, the film was basically a temporary killer for the franchise, especially with star Daniel Craig expressing disdain for the role at every moment of the press tour (the "I'd rather slit my wrists" line will go down in infamy). The following four years were nothing short of a mess for the franchise: rumors of a new casting process, Craig's confirmed return, script rewrites, Danny Boyle's swift entrance and exit, and, finally, the arrival of director Cary Joji Fukunaga. Conventional wisdom says that this movie will be a total disaster.

But that trailer was pretty damn good, right? With Fukunaga and cinematographer Linus Sandgren behind the camera, anything is possible.

5. MANK- TBA


Once again: Netflix to the rescue. Despite the success of Gone Girl in 2014 (an adult hit in this marketplace is not easy to come by), David Fincher has struggled to get another film off the ground in the time being. Granted, he's been busy with Mindhunter, but the fact that his Strangers on a Train remake and his World War Z sequel both fell apart remains nothing short of dispiriting. But, at long last, there's no reason to despair any longer: Fincher returns to the world of feature filmmaking in 2020 with Mank, a biopic of Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz. The screenplay for the picture was written by Fincher's own father, Jack Fincher, and the film will be shooting in black-and-white. Gary Oldman goes for Oscar #2 in the titular role, with Lily Collins, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance, and The Souvenir's Tom Burke rounding out the supporting crew.

4. THE FRENCH DISPATCH- TBA


After delivering what is arguably his masterpiece in 2014 with The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson's most recent picture ended up being significantly more divisive than anyone expected. I wasn't a huge fan of Isle of Dogs, but amusingly enough, that's made me all the more excited for The French Dispatch, which should bring the director back to his whimsical, melancholic live-action mode. Details are still scarce, though the film is said to follow a group of journalists in postwar France. As usual for Anderson, the cast is a staggering all-star line-up: Timothée Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Benicio Del Toro, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Kate Winslet, Elisabeth Moss, Willem Dafoe, Lea Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Rupert Friend, and many more.

3. DUNE- December 18


While it's probably silly to say that any movie's success is "high stakes," the stakes for Denis Villeneuve's Dune are about as high as they can get. Blade Runner 2049 should have been a sensation, but it ended up only really connecting with a small but vocal group of cinephiles. Villeneuve is getting another chance to play in the blockbuster big leagues with his adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, which was previously brought to life by David Lynch in 1984. Will the novel prove to be un-adaptable once more? Or will Villeneuve succeed where Lynch could not, creating the next big franchise in the process? The cast certainly won't hurt matters: Timothée Chalamet stars, with Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Zendaya leading the supporting cast.

2. LAST NIGHT IN SOHO- September 25


Edgar Wright is one of popular cinema's finest modern filmmakers, and he's heading into uncharted territory in 2020. While horror has always been an influential genre for the director (see: Shaun of the Dead, or even The World's End to a lesser extent), he's never really made a straight-up horror vehicle before. That'll change this year with Last Night in Soho, a psychological horror film that appears to take place in multiple time periods. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin McKenzie, and Matt Smith, and according to Wright, it takes a number of cues from Roman Polanski's Repulsion and Nicolas Roeg's Don't Look Now. The only disappointing thing is that we have to wait until September to see it.

1. TENET- July 17


Could any other film top this list? Christopher Nolan has long been one of my favorite filmmakers, and his latest looks like another unmissable original experience. Tenet is one of the few films on this list that has already released a feature length trailer, but I feel like I still know very little about it. John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kenneth Branagh lead the cast, and it appears that this film will see Nolan back in an Inception/Interstellar sci-fi mode. Considering that those are two of my favorite recent blockbusters (and favorite movies in general), I can't wait to see what Nolan has in store for us here. Time manipulation, espionage, and pure originality: only Christopher Nolan can still deliver big-budget madness on this scale.

Come back soon for my list of my favorite films of 2019!

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