My Most Anticipated Movies of 2020

As we enter into a new decade of cinema, the landscape of it is vastly different from when we entered into it. 2019 was a great reminder of how speical movies can be and lets just hope 2020 follows suit.

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Seeing how last year I did so many movies, and some of them weren’t even released, I’m scaling it back this year and not even going in any real order. 2020 is going to be an odd year, with no real giant “event” movies happening, like Endgame or Star Wars, but yet we have a Christopher Nolan film, Edgar Wright and Denis Villeneuve to keep us afloat. Here are the movies, that I know of coming out in 2020 that I’m most looking forward to seeing!

Underwater: Director; William Eubank. Release Date; 1/10/20 

One, this lowkey could be a new Cloverfield movie. It’s about monsters and it’s been under hush-hush the moment the first trailer arrived. Alien but underwater instead of space? Sign me up! Kristen Stewart replacing Sigourney Weaver as the new female action star badass? Sign me up again! This has all the signs to be a major let down, January release dates are never really a great sign for a movie, and the fact that it’s not really being talked about is another troubling sign. But if we get a cool new monster movie that explores new territory and feels original even in a tiny way, this could be a hit. It just feels like one of those movies you have to see in because you know at some point a curveball will be thrown our way and you’ll want to be apart of that discussion.

Birds of Prey: Director; Cathy Yan. Release Date; 2/7/20

Margot Robbie legit put the world on notice when she arrived in The Wolf of Wall Street. Not long after that, she turned every nerd’s head when she suited up as everyone’s favorite sideshow clown sidekick with Harley Quinn. Now she’s ditching Mr. J and even Jared Leto himself and getting her own solo flick with Birds of Prey. No Batman, no Joker, no one to bring her down. But she’s not alone, she’s bringing some serious girl power with her, and DC is about to unload a ton of terrific female characters onto the world. Also starring Ewen McGregor as Black Mask, which has a chance to be really special, considering one, how talented he is and how unique and awesome the villain he is portraying is. With a rating of R, this movie is certainly going to pack a punch and will no doubt be a box-office success. DC is about to have a wonderful start to the 2020 campaign. Look out for Mary-Elizabeth Winstead, who will be the standout of the movie, calling it now.

Sonic The Hedgehog: Director; Jeff Fowler. Release Date; 2/14/20

I know what you’re thinking. Nate, this is a video game adaptation, there’s almost a zero percent chance this is going to be good. Considering how things started off with this movie. They release the trailer, the entire world freaks out about the design of Sonic, so the studio goes back and changes the entire thing. Sometimes internet cry babies can be useful. If you are going to make a Sonic movie, rule number one, make him look like Sonic, please. So now we are back in business and this movie just looks like a lot of fun. There’s no better pairing than Jim Carrey and him portraying Dr. Robotnik and even Ben Schwartz voicing the little blue speedster seems like a home run. I grew up playing these games for countless hours, just for the love of everything that is holy, please make this guy go super-sonic in the movie, that’s all I ask. Actually, have him fight a giant robot, but that’s it I promise.

The Way Back: Director; Gavin O’Connor. Release Date; 3/6/20

I already know, this movie is going to break me. Basketball, booze, and Ben, now that’s a triple B I can get behind and support. An alcoholic whos finds new life when he starts coaching the basketball team at his old high school. The catch, he used to be a star there. His life has become mirky ever since, with his battle with booze and personal issues. Gavin O’Connor loves to tell emotional redemption stories and I’m sure this won’t be any different. It also touches home for Affleck who has battled these problems in his own journey in life. Affleck is going to have a monster 2020.

A Quiet Place 2: Director; John Krasinski. Release Date; 3/20/20

Gotta get this out of the way now. I have ZERO ideas on how you keep a baby quiet in a world where, if you make a sound, you die. They better not skip over this giant detail in the movie, because other than that, I’m pretty excited for this world to be explored more and it to be opened up into a vast universe. When A Quiet Place dropped two years ago, it really blew audiences away. Original, great cast, well-made, and now a sequel only 2 years later. Sometimes rushing into something is a bad idea, but hopefully, this can stand out like its predecessor and knock us off our asses yet again. This time Cillian Murphy joins the fight and we get to learn more about what caused this disaster and more about our alien friends.

Mulan: Director; Niki Caro. Release Date; 3/27/20

Mulan is one of the most important Disney properties ever created is now getting the live-action treatment. Here’s the thing, we have gotten a ton of these in recent years, but this one feels different, it looks different. They took this property and the altered it, they cut out some of the unrealistic parts, sorry to the Mushu fans, and there’s no singing. Disney is kind of going serious with Mulan and it seems to have paid off, because all of the trailers look great, and it seems to be pretty epic. This should be Disney’s biggest moneymaker of the year, and it could be the movie that makes the most money in 2020. Legit can’t wait for this.

No Time To Time: Director; Cary Fukunaga. Release Date; 4/8/20

It’s time for the swan song for this beloved James Bond. Daniel Craig is suiting up one last time and it looks like a doozy. He’s been apart of some of the most memorable bond movies and moments and let us hope this is the proper send-off he deserves. This cast is stacked, and most notably entering the franchise is Lashana Lynch who is playing a ’00 agent herself and could be legitimately taking over the bond mantle once Craig hangs it up. Ana de Armas is a new bond girl and she looks fabulous doing so and fresh off his Oscar, Rami Malek is playing the film’s villain. Oh, and toss is Christoph Waltz and Jeffrey Wright just for fun. With Fukunaga behind the camera, a man known for his horror roots, and creepy imagery, you know this will be a different and eerie bond film. Something that is always welcomed, because seeing the same bond movies over and over again can become a bore. I know myself, that I will miss Craig, he has made for one hell of a 007.

Fast & Furious 9: Director; Justin Lin. Release Date 5/22/20

You think the team is heading to space? The team is clearly heading to space right? The only logical thing to do is push this franchise so far into the wacky. After Hobbs and Shaw this past summer, where it is now clear that these people are straight-up superheroes, why not strap them into a rocket ship. One of the biggest franchises this world has to offer right now, you never know who’s going to pop up and who’s going steal the show. From where this all started, to where it is now, honestly, no other franchise has grown quite like Fast & Furious. Love it or not, you have to give it some credit. This was about street racing, and now they might be racing on the moon, that’s remarkable. John Cena is coming into the mix, I put a photo of him above, you just can’t see it.

Wonder Woman 1984: Director; Patty Jenkins. Release Date 6/5/2020

This is a female-led year for DC Comics. Wonder Woman is getting the sequel she rightfully deserves and it promises to be a banger. Ever since Gal Gadot showed up in BvS the world has fallen in love with her portrayal of Princess Diana. The Amazonian God who just wants to fit in. This is shaping up to be bigger, brighter and way more badass. Now, there are a few things that are going to certainly make or break this film. How they decide to bring back Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and it all has to make sense as to why he is alive and well in this sequel. Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord looks fantastic and he’s going to be playing a much larger role than the trailer suggests. The biggie though is Kristin Wig and her role as Cheetah. The arch-nemesis to Wonder Woman, it’s a massive feat on its own and we haven’t even gotten a photo of her yet. If this works out, I truly believe this could be DC’s best movie because she’s such a unique and interesting villain. She’s getting all sorts of new suits and everything just seems more cheery and colorful from the previous installment. It’s a homerun already regardless, let’s see if it can reach grand slam territory.

Top Gun: Maverick: Director; Joseph Kosinski. Release Date; 6/26/20

Biggest chill moment of cinema in 2020? When ‘Danger Zone’ starts playing in the new Top Gun movie. Perhaps one of the most unnecessary sequels to ever happen? With that being said, it doesn’t mean this movie can’t seriously rock and deliver another classic. Tom Cruise is back and this time the student has become the teacher. Teaching at Top Gun Academy, he will come across “Rooster” the son of his trusty sidekick Goose. I’m sure that is going to open up a serious can of worms. This cast is one dude short of the handsome Olympics with a ton of talent. Looking forward to seeing Jon Hamm and Tom Cruise on screen together. Don’t forget the iconic reunion of Maverick and Iceman!

Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Director; Jason Reitman. Release Date; 7/10/20

“A gunner seat?” Sweeter words have never been spoken in the Ghostbusters universe. Since I’m not doing this list in any particular order, I’m not really ranking these movies in any sort of way. But If I had to only see 1 movie in the year 2020, Ghostbusters: Afterlife could be it. Building upon already rich soil, this trailer really blew me away. If you’re going back into the well, but the original guy isn’t available, there’s nobody more suited for the job than his own son. Jason Reitman hops into the director’s chair. This movie might not feel like the original, there’s no way it ever could, but it seems to be building on something that a lot of people hold dear to their hearts. It helps that they are bringing back all the big guns. Annie Potts, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and Ernie Hudson. That moment when everyone is back on screen will be emotional, to say the least. The leader of the bunch Harold Ramis will be smiling from above. We have no idea how they will be back, perhaps Bill will get his wish and he’s coming back as a ghost. But I hope they are strapping on the proton packs and taking down some ghosts. Paul Rudd is also welcome to bust some ghosts. We are finally getting the third installment we have been craving for decades, and let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint. If some how Stay Puft shows up, I will actually be going into shock in theatres, I’m hoping to go into shock!

TENET: Director; Christopher Nolan. Release Date; 7/17/20

July might be my favorite movie month of 2020. Ghostbusters and TENET back to back weeks. My two most anticipated films of the entire year and I get to see them both within a week of one another. Life is good folks, life is good! Are we officially calling Nolan the Clock King? The man loves time more than the Batman villain himself. It’s his trope, and time will tell if it has become a crutch. TENET is no different, with things happening within the trailer that kind of blow you away, and you’re not even sure as to why. Time is moving in one direction while the characters within the film are moving in another. Fascinating stuff, but what do you expect from one of the best working directors today. Nolan loves to push boundaries, test the audience and really try to show us something that has even been seen before. I haven’t even gotten to the best part, the two leads. John David Washington, coming off his monstrous performance in Blackkklansman and Robert Pattison, you know the guy who is putting on the cape and cowl in 2021. These two are destined to be an epic pairing, and for some reason, I think Pattison is going to end up being the villain in the movie. It would really be something to see him go from baddie to the ultimate good guy the following year. Shrouded in mystery, I truly hope whatever is going on isn’t revealed until the movie itself.

Last Night In Soho. Director; Edgar Wright. Release Date; 9/25/20

We are getting late into the year here people! September release dates, you know what that usually means? No trailers, hardly any set photos, essentially nothing. All I know is that Edgar Wright is dropping a movie in 2020, that’s always something special. Coming off the incredible Baby Driver, a unique and original film. This time around, he’s directing a psychological horror film, that has some great young talent. There is ZERO information floating out there about this thing, but it doesn’t matter. When Edgar Wright makes a movie, that means I’m there opening night. He’s one of the few directors not to have a letdown film and keeps reinventing himself. With his visual flair and his unique sense of style, the fact he’s deciding to shift his focus onto horror has my ears perked.

Venom 2. Director; Andy Serkis. Release Date 10/2/20

Ain’t no party, like a Spider-Man party. Remember when the world thought Venom was going to be a total misfire, an utter box-office bomb, and not only did it go on to almost gross a billion dollars, but it also was a ton of fun and spawned a sequel only 2 years later. They left us with a serious cliff hanger, introducing us to Cletus Kasady, also known as Carnage, played by Woody Harrelson. The thing about Venom, it knew exactly what it wanted to be. Cheesy in certain moments, but also exploring the character in a way that Spider-Man 3 didn’t do. Tom Hardy was perfect for Eddie Brock/Venom and he totally ran with the wackiness of the film. The design of Venom was pretty much flawless, and now they are bringing in, the king of motion capture, Mr. Andy Serkis himself. Venom 2 has so much potential, with a great cast and a director that knows what he is doing. Carnage and Venom squaring off only seems like the inevitable conclusion. All that’s missing is Spidey and we know that Tom Holland is back in the MCU safe and sound. But don’t be surprised if somehow he pops up in this thing. Or maybe SONY will have their very own web-slinger. Super excited to see how these two are going to look this time around, you know with Serkis behind the camera it will be special.

Deep Water: Director Adrian Lynch. Release Date; 11/13/20

So these two are falling out of love and people around them start to die? Hot couple alert. A new psychological thriller from the mind of Adrian Lynch brings these two stars together. Ana de Armas is having herself a serious run right now in Hollywood. That’s the real reason I’m so hyped for this. Yes, it helps starring next to my dude, someone who is going to have a massive year in 2020.

Godzilla vs. Kong: Director; Adam Wingard. Release Date; 11/20/20

Titans. Gods. Giant freckin monsters. Who doesn’t love a good monster movie? Well, when done properly. We got reintroduced to King Kong, with Skull Island and Godzilla a few years prior. Guess what my most anticipated movie of 2019 was? Godzilla: King of Monsters. Guess what the biggest disappointment of 2019 was? Godzilla: King of Monsters. It was a bore, it was actually just awful. The trailers alone had me gushing. I couldn’t believe we were getting something of this magnitude. Turns out, the trailers oversold this movie, because the real thing was honestly so mishandled. So many beautiful creatures and monsters, but again, they let the human characters take center stage. This will probably be no different, but with another great cast and this feels like a BvS type showdown, I’m sure certain moments will blow us away. You know, that they will become friends to take down a bigger foe. After the reception and box-office failure of the latest Godzilla, WB regrouped and decided to tweak this thing and make it a little more fan-friendly. Still waiting on that first trailer, I’m thinking they might pop up during a certain football game in the next few weeks. Or at least if I was working for WB, that’s when I would show this off to the world.

Dune: Director; Dennis Villeneuve; Release Date; 12/18/20

Dennis, had himself a decade didn’t he? Now entering this new decade he is promising us another masterfully crafted piece of cinema. Dune, although a remake, will be something standing on its own. Blade Runner 2049 was honestly one of the most beautiful looking films I can ever remember seeing. This shall be no different. With a stacked cast, the list longer than a CVS receipt. Here’s the thing, I’ve never seen the original and know very little about the subject matter at hand. I like it that way. I’d even dodge the trailers if I could, but I’m blogger, it’s kind of difficult. Let’s not make the same mistake with BR 2049 and have this be a poor box-office performance.

2020 is going to be such an interesting year.