For those who are passionate about film, a new year is full of promise and potential — and there are few groups more passionate than the Pond5 creative community. 2019 brought with it 12 months of movies to look forward to, including everything from big-screen blockbusters to prestige dramas and quirky indie productions. Here are the 13 films we can’t wait to see in the coming months. Read on, then let us know what you’re looking forward to the most in the comments below!
Us (March 22)
Considering how fantastic Jordan Peele’s Get Out was, the two years waiting for his follow-up have been loaded with anticipation. The terrifying trailer for Us already has us hiding under the covers from its evil doppelgängers, but we’ll be sure to climb back out when the movie hits theaters.
Dumbo (March 29)
It can be difficult to be a Tim Burton optimist these days, but there’s something Big Fish-like about this trailer that offers the hope there could be some genuine heartfelt magic in store with his latest take on an existing property. Besides, how can we resist a mini Batman Returns reunion with Burton, Michael Keaton, and Danny DeVito?
Missing Link (April 12)
Laika, the studio behind Coraline, ParaNorman, and Kubo and the Two Strings, is one of the biggest and best names in stop-motion animation. As huge fans of the stop-motion medium, we can’t wait to see the director of ParaNorman take the helm again for this charming-looking tale of a Sasquatch-like creature searching for his ancestors in Shangri-La.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (May 17)
John Wick: Chapter 2 left our hero in a delicious pickle: ex-communicated from the underworld he belongs to. Now, instead of going after others, it’s an army of others coming after him, to cash in on the considerable bounty on his head. Director Chad Stahelski returns, as does cinematographer Dan Lausten and his excellent eye. We can’t wait.
Ad Astra (May 24)
We are, of course, excited for the big dose of science-fiction we’ll get with a new Star Wars movie this year, but there’s another SF project that has us intrigued: James Gray’s Ad Astra. We’re still waiting for the Lost City of Z director to get the wider credit he deserves, and we’re hoping that finally happens with this story about an astronaut (Brad Pitt) who ventures into space to find his father (Tommy Lee Jones).
James Gray directing The Lost City of Z (Photo Credit: Amazon Studios)
Brightburn (May 24)
There are a lot of big superhero movies coming in 2019 – Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: Far From Home – all of which we’re also looking forward to. But we’re especially intrigued by the unexpected premise of the Brightburn take on the genre: superhero horror. The film seems to be asking, “What if Superman became a horror movie boogeyman instead?” — and that’s a question we’re very eager to see answered.
Ford v. Ferrari (June 28)
A film about car engineers duking it out over automobile design might not seem like rich cinematic material, but after Logan (and, frankly, most of his output in the last ten years), director James Mangold definitely has our faith. It helps that we’ve got Christian Bale and Matt Damon starring in this based-on-a-true-story tale about Ford’s attempts to out-car Ferrari in anticipation of the 1966 Le Mans World Championship.
James Mangold directing Hugh Jackman in Logan (Photo Credit: Twentieth Century Fox)
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (July 26)
A new Quentin Tarantino movie is always a cinematic event, and for this one, he’s taking us back to Los Angeles in 1969, when the city was gripped with terror in the wake of the Manson Family’s murderous rampage. With Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio playing struggling actors, it also sounds like Tarantino will once again have the chance to do something he does best: pay homage to cinema in the way only he does.
Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures)
The Goldfinch (October 11)
Director John Crowley oversaw a spellbinding adaptation of Brooklyn back in 2015, so we have high hopes for his take on Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the crime world, rare art, and a young man coming of age in the wake of his mother’s death. Bonus: It stars Nicole Kidman, who is currently on a red-hot acting streak.
Director John Crowley working with Saoirse Ronan on Brooklyn (Photo Credit: Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Knives Out (November 27)
Before he took on The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson was always eager to play around with genre, whether it was noir (Brick), heist films (The Brothers Bloom), or science-fiction (Looper). So before going on to make his own mark on the Star Wars franchise, it seems he wanted to tinker one more time. Knives Out is rumored to be his take on an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery — a type of mystery that we can always use more of.
Rian Johnson directing Looper (Photo Credit: TriStar Pictures)
Little Women (December 25)
With Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig proved herself to be as accomplished behind the camera as in front of it. Her directorial follow-up finds her adapting Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel with an all-star cast that includes Saoirse Ronan, Meryl Streep, Emma Watson, Laura Dern, and Timothée Chalamet.
Greta Gerwig directing Lady Bird (Photo Credit: A24)
The Lighthouse (TBD)
Robert Eggers’ The Witch remains one of the best horror films of the 21st century. Considering it was his first feature film, we’ve been quite eager to see what he would do for his second. That brings us to The Lighthouse, which will star Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson. Not much is known yet, except that it’s shot in black and white, but given the strength of Eggers’ vision, we don’t need much else to get excited.
Robert Eggers directing The Witch (Photo Credit: A24)
The Irishman (TBD)
How can any cinephile resist the prospect of Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino, and Robert DeNiro all working together on a gangster movie? In this case, they’re giving us the story of the hitman who may or may not have been responsible for the death of notorious mobster Jimmy Hoffa.
Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in The Irishman (Photo Credit: Netflix)
So there you have it — those are our picks for the most anticipated films of the year, but we’re sure you have others you’re looking forward to, as well. Tell us what’s at the top of your list and why in the comments below, so we can keep filling up our movie-going calendar! And if there are particular films you’d like to see us take a deeper dive into in future articles, let us know that, too!
Header image from Us courtesy of Universal Pictures