Top 10 Must See Trailers of August 2018

Fans of the Galaxy Far, Far Away might be most looking forward to the new season of “The Clone Wars”, but in terms of animated offerings, Lucasfilm and Disney are also giving us a new ongoing series to replace the acclaimed “Star Wars Rebels”. The familiar faces of Poe Dameron and BB-8 immediately pull you in, even if they’re only billed as guest stars, and the new cast looks fun and diverse. The animation style is a departure from Rebels and Clone Wars, and admittedly takes a little getting used to, but there’s no arguing with the sort of action and comedy that the trailer promises.

Tom Clancy’s bestselling character has been played by some pretty big names over the years, including Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine. Now, the legendary CIA operative is making his small screen debut and it’s up to John Krasinski to bring the iconic character to life. Though you might know him best as the lovable Jim Halpert from “The Office”, Krasinski's role in “13 Hours” proved that he’s got what it takes to play tougher roles. Produced for Amazon Prime video, the series promises high stakes, tense action, and just enough comedy to take the edge off. In this trailer, John Krasinski makes us believe he is Jack Ryan.

More like hold your breath. By the looks of the trailer, this Netflix original film from director Jeremy Saulnier promises to be a gripping ride - the sort of movie that has you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Boasting a strong cast including “Westworld”’s Jeffrey Wright and Alexander Skarsgård, “Hold The Dark” follows a man named Russell Core who travels to Alaska to investigate the case of a missing boy in a town where multiple children have apparently been killed by wolves. Dark, atmospheric and utterly anxiety inducing, this trailer makes the film look like a must-watch.

The little webcomic that could, One-Punch Man is a testament to the fact that even in this world of pop culture oversaturation, there is still room for unique, creative ideas to find success. The anime adaptation of the series debuted in 2015 in Japan before getting an English language airdate in 2016. This first season was incredibly well received by critics and anime fans alike, which unfortunately made the wait for a second season absolutely intolerable. Thankfully, we can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with a promise of a 2019 release. This teaser might be short and light on footage, but it’s nonetheless got us feeling giddy.

Streaming services are slowly but surely shifting the landscape of television and film distribution. Historical dramas aren’t exactly a major draw at the box office these days, but on Netflix, there’s a chance that this gritty film about Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland can find its audience. Starring the always excellent Chris Pine in the role of Robert, and supported by Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the role of James Douglas, “Outlaw King” looks like it’s taken the epic qualities of “Braveheart” but gone for a much more historically accurate approach - to stunning results. From “Hell or High Water” director, David Mackenzie, this feels like a sure thing.

Based on the critically acclaimed 1974 novel by the same name, “If Beale Street Could Talk” tells the story of Clementine "Tish" Rivers and Alonzo "Fonny" Hunt, a couple whose love and strength is put through the ultimate test when Fonny is falsely accused of rape and subsequently imprisoned, only to discover that Tish is also pregnant. Directed by Barry Jenkins, this film looks to be every bit as tumultuous, stylish, insightful and emotionally-resonant as the auteur filmmaker’s last effort, the 2016 winner of Best Picture at the Academy Awards, “Moonlight”. From the looks of this trailer, you’re going to be shedding a lot of tears come November 30th.

Five instalments into the franchise, and we’re just as excited for this release as we were when we discovered the original game on the N64. With Ultimate, we’re once again getting a number of new characters, and we can’t wait to see how they play together with the the classics. Donkey Kong villain King K. Rool and his reveal trailer definitely deserve a nod, but it’s the Belmonts that we’re most excited to control after seeing this epic trailer. To give Castlevania’s Simon and Richter the sort of intro they deserved, Nintendo killed Luigi on-screen. Thankfully, they sent out a tweet clarifying that he’s okay. Well... that’s one way to get our attention!

Every film in the Cornetto trilogy brings something unique, but for horror fans, neither “Hot Fuzz” nor “The World's End” could top the film that started it all and (for many) served as an introduction to Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. So it is with bated breath that we await “Slaughterhouse Rulez”, which pairs Pegg and Frost for another over the top horror comedy strongly reminiscent of “Shaun of the Dead”. Edgar Wright might not be in the director’s chair, but with Asa Butterfield and Michael Sheen along for the ride, we’ve got enough faith in the cast to make up for his absence. Judging by the first trailer, we’re in for bucketloads of bloody fun.

Excited doesn’t even begin to describe how we’re feeling right now. Every trailer for this game has stoked the fires of our anticipation, but with this extended look at the gameplay, presented in an over 6 minute long trailer made up exclusively of in-game footage, it’s finally hitting us just how much work Rockstar has put into this long-awaited sequel. From the quality of animation, to the detail-oriented worldbuilding and a myriad of new features and mechanics, “Red Dead Redemption 2” looks to be more than a worthy follow-up to the fan favorite game; a playable work of art and masterclass in video game design.

You better look out HBO, Netflix and its fellow streaming services are nipping at your heels, putting in the work to create some truly top notch content. One such potentially huge win for Netflix is this miniseries from “True Detective” season 1 director Cary Fukunaga. Starring Academy Award winner Emma Stone and Academy Award nominee Jonah Hill, “Maniac” is a dark comedy about two strangers who submit to a pharmaceutical study that promises to fix all their problems. The first trailer promises a twisted, unnerving, surreal investigation of the human mind, interpersonal connection and identity, and it looks freaking awesome.