Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2019

If you think Keanu Reeves peaked twenty years ago with “The Matrix,” you clearly haven’t been keeping up with this badass series. Not only has John Wick emerged as one of Reeves’ most compelling characters, his first film also raised the bar for modern action pictures with a slick style, brilliantly choreographed Gun Fu, and a hard R rating. “Chapter 2” maintained that momentum by delving deeper into the underground world of professional assassins, and left us on a stellar cliffhanger by literally pitting Mr. Wick against the world. We’re not sure how or if John will get out of this one, but we can expect an exhilarating thrill ride either way.

Audiences are generally split on Disney’s live-action and CGI remakes, with the naysayers deeming them unnecessary and inferior to their predecessors. But it was hard to find fault with Jon Favreau’s “The Jungle Book,” which grossed just under a billion dollars, received a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and won an Oscar for its stunning visual effects. This made Favreau the natural choice to direct Disney’s remake of “The Lion King,” which will reportedly use the same “technologically groundbreaking” approach to bring a classic tale to life. Coming out 25 years after the original, the casting sounds pitch perfect with Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, and James Earl Jones reprising his role as Mufasa.

It’s been a complicated journey to the silver screen for Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, which revolves around the Manson Family murders. The project was originally tied to The Weinstein Company, but Tarantino ended his relationship with the studio following the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. Luckily for us, the film has found a new home at Sony Pictures, with a reported budget of $95 million. Tarantino will reunite with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, but the performer who has arguably generated the most buzz is Margot Robbie, who stars as Roman Polanski’s wife and Manson Family murder victim, Sharon Tate. Do we already have an early Oscar contender?

Audiences typically associate DreamWorks Animation with pop culture references and in-jokes. So “How to Train Your Dragon” was a breath of fresh air, telling a timeless story with a rich mythology. That mythology was further explored in the 2014 sequel, as well as the “Dragons” television series. Fans are hoping that “The Hidden World” will be the animation equivalent of “The Return of the King,” capping off an epic trilogy with grander action sequences, stronger character moments, and a fitting end for our heroes. Will Hiccup come into his own as a leader? Will Toothless find true love? Will dragons and humans ultimately co-exist in harmony? Let’s take flight and find out!

2017’s “It” became a monster hit, focusing on the Losers Club during their youth and saving their next confrontation with Pennywise for the sequel. While we’re hoping the kid actors from the original film all get some quality screen time, the actors selected to play their adult counterparts seem like ideal choices. How can you go wrong with Jessica Chastain as Beverly, James McAvoy as Bill, and Bill Hader as Richie? We’re not sure if the film will incorporate some of the more out-there concepts from Stephen King’s novel, such as Maturin the Turtle or It’s giant spider form. But whatever the filmmakers have in store for us, we’re floating with anticipation.

Of all the animated sequels coming out in 2019, “Toy Story 4” has us the most curious. Since the third installment left the gang on just the right note, you wouldn’t think there’d be much left for Pixar to play around with. This sequel has been described less as a continuation, however, and more as a standalone sequel, centering on a love story between Woody and Bo Peep. Will the plot open up a whole new world of possibilities for the franchise or should we expect an unnecessary cash grab? With Oscar-nominee Josh Cooley directing and Stephany Folsom of “Thor: Ragnarok” crafting the screenplay, we’re confident that the project will go to infinity and beyond.

Just when we were ready to jump ship from the DCEU, “Wonder Woman” lassoed us back onboard. Granted, this cinematic universe still hasn’t fully recovered from its missteps, but 2019 is bringing us some promising offerings with “Shazam!” and especially “Wonder Woman 1984.” Director Patty Jenkins and star Gal Gadot are back for this sequel, which sets itself during the Cold War. Although they met tragic ends in the previous film, we’ll also see the return of Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor and Robin Wright’s Antiope. While the casting of Kristen Wiig as Cheetah raised a few eyebrows, fans were also critical about Gadot playing Wonder Woman at first and she proved all the skeptics wrong.

“Godzilla” and “Kong: Skull Island” were a lot of fun, but we’re still waiting for Legendary’s MonsterVerse to really blow us away with something truly astounding. Well, if the trailer is any indication, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is the action extravaganza we’ve been waiting for. The cast includes A-listers like Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, and Millie Bobby Brown… with no Matthew Broderick in sight. As impressive as that lineup sounds, it’s the monsters that have us giddy with excitement. In addition to Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah are all appearing in the most ambitious monster mash of recent memory. Their titanic battle will set the stage for “Godzilla vs. Kong” slated for release in 2020.

The recent string of “Star Wars” films got off to a terrific start with “The Force Awakens” and “Rogue One,” but the fan reception to “The Last Jedi” was fiercely divisive and “Solo” underperformed at the box office. This makes “Episode IX” arguably the most important “Star Wars” movie Disney has produced yet. Not only is the film supposed to wrap up the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy; it also must bring the Skywalker saga to a close and pave the way for a new generation of intergalactic adventures. That’s a pretty tall order to fill, but the Force should be strong with this one as long as J. J. Abrams is in the captain’s chair.

Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

“Zombieland 2”
Release Date: October 11, 2019 [U.S.]

“Glass”
Release Date: January 18, 2019 [U.S.]

“Spider-Man: Far from Home”
Release Date: July 5, 2019 [U.S.]

As its first female-led solo film, “Captain Marvel” will be a landmark entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The MCU will reach another milestone just two months later, however, with the release of “Avengers 4,” which brings a 22-movie arc to a close, while also acting as a new beginning. For the handful of people who haven’t seen “Avengers: Infinity War” yet, let’s just say that the film ended on what’s bound to go down as the most talked about cliffhanger since “The Empire Strikes Back.” While everyone has their theories about what’ll happen next, we’ll have to wait until May 3 to see which Avengers survive and what the future of this franchise holds.