2018 – A Look Ahead
As we count down the last few hours of 2017, it’s time to have a look ahead at what’s “coming soon” in 2018.
January – Coco. January in the UK’s cinemas will (as usual) be dominated by the Oscar hopefuls, but the latest release from Disney/Pixar might be of greater interest. Telling the tale of a young musician’s quest through the Land of the Dead, the film has already done really well in the States.
February – Black Panther. The eighteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sees Chadwick Boseman return as T’Challa, following his debut in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. This film will explore the Kingdom of Wakanda, another as-yet-unseen corner of the MCU.
March – Tomb Raider. This reboot has nothing to do with the earlier (not very good) Angelina Jolie films, and instead stars Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander and character actor extraordinaire Walton Goggins, in a film adapted from the very successful 2013 video-game-reboot, which explored the origins of Lara Croft. Also out in March is Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One, a film set predominantly in a virtual reality world, which looks like it’s going to be visually stunning and crammed full of pop-culture references.
April – Avengers: Infinity War. The MCU has been building to this for the last ten years, and Infinity War looks like it’s going to feature pretty much every single character that’s appeared in the previous 18 films. I’m not sure the word “epic” is quite big enough for this film… Also out in April is The New Mutants, which is a bit of an experiment – a horror-film set in the X-Men universe, starring up-and-comers Anya Taylor-Joy and Maisie Williams.
May – Solo: A Star Wars Story. This has got to be the biggest risk the Star Wars universe has taken so far – not because the concept is particularly daring or experimental, but because the film-makers are playing with fire, making a film about the adventures of a young (pre-A New Hope) Han Solo. Much publicised behind-the-scenes problems haven’t helped (including the firing of the original directors and the re-filming of large sections of the film), but the final proof will be in the pudding.
June – Deadpool 2. Possibly the most original film of 2016, Deadpool was a triumph. Now the sequel has the weight of expectation upon it, but the early teaser trailer and poster suggest it’s not lost any of the original’s demented creativity, and the addition of Josh Brolin was fantastic casting. Also out in June is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the sequel to 2015’s hit, with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard returning, and Ocean’s Eight, the spin-off from the original heist trilogy, starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and Rihanna.
July – Mission Impossible 6. I think the last Mission Impossible film (Rogue Nation) was probably the best so far, so I’m very excited that writer/director Christopher McQuarrie is back for the sixth instalment, alongside many new and returning characters. Also out in July are the family-friendly animations Hotel Transylvania 3 and the long-awaited The Incredibles 2.
Later in 2018 – The Predator. I’m a huge fan of Shane Black, so I’m very excited to see what he’s done as the writer/director of this follow-up to 1987’s Predator (in which he famously appeared as Hawkins, while acting as on-set script doctor). Then in November we have X-Men: Dark Phoenix, the follow up to 2016’s (hugely disappointing) X-Men: Apocalypse. The returning cast is incredible, and writer/director Simon Kinberg has promised to take the opportunity to do the Dark Phoenix storyline justice (given that he was involved in X-Men: The Last Stand when he was starting out in Hollywood, and that film made a pig’s breakfast of the famous comic-book saga).
So that’s a selection of what to look out for in 2018, and in the meantime, I’ll be working on my cinematic highlights from 2017...
