Opening this weekend
View a guide to this weekend's new theatrical releases including Jason Bourne, Bad Moms, Nerve, Indignation, and more.
Comic-Con recap
Did you miss any of the trailers debuting at last weekend's event, or do you need to see them again? We have you covered ...
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Wonder WomanGal Gadot’s Diana Prince, one of the best things about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, became one of the most exciting things at Comic-Con as well when Warner Bros. debuted the first trailer and poster for its June 2, 2017 release Wonder Woman. The film follows Diana as she’s introduced to the world outside of Themyscria, home of the Amazons, by Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor, entering the fray of World War I. Directed by Patty Jenkins (Monster), the film also stars Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen, David Thewlis, Elena Anaya, Lucy Davis, and Danny Huston.
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Justice League
While not an official trailer, the footage shown from Zack Snyder’s Justice League got the crowd pumped up thanks to there being a little humor mixed in with the action. The November 17, 2017 release stars Ben Affleck as Batman, and the scenes at Comic-Con show him (along with Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman) recruiting Jason Momoa as Aquaman, Ezra Miller as The Flash, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.
Suicide Squad
After the critical and U.S. box office disappointment of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, next week’s release of Suicide Squad is important for the success of DC Comics’ future film slate, so Warner Bros. unveiled one last trailer at Comic-Con last week. Director David Ayer (Fury) promised a “filmmaker-driven piece of work” for what fans surely hope is something different in the comic book movie world.
Kong: Skull Island
Starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly, Thomas Mann, and Shea Whigham, Kong: Skull Island builds on Warner Bros. and Legendary’s 2014 release Godzilla. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts (The Kings of Summer) from a script by Max Borenstein, Derek Connolly, John Gatins, and Dan Gilroy, the March 10, 2017 release throws a team of explorers into an uncharted island in the Pacific that happens to be the domain of the mythic Kong.
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
After putting his twist on Sherlock Holmes, director Guy Ritchie tackles the story of King Arthur and Excalibur with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. The March 24, 2017 release follows Arthur (Charlie Hunnam) as he grows up on the streets after the death of his father at the hands of the evil Vortigern (Jude Law). Also starring in the film are Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Annabelle Wallis, Eric Bana and Aidan Gillen.
The LEGO Batman Movie
With the aptly titled The LEGO Batman Movie, one of the breakout characters of 2014‘s The LEGO Movie gets his own movie. All bluster, ego and darkness, LEGO Batman (voiced by Will Arnett) is a clever comedic twist on Christopher Nolan’s version of the Dark Knight, and the latest trailer continues the surprises with the reveal that Robin (voiced by Michael Cera) is Batman’s adopted son (and he requires a seatbelt). Directed by Chris McKay, this February 10, 2017 release features voice work by Ralph Fiennes as Alfred, Zach Galifianakis as The Joker, and Rosario Dawson as Batgirl.
Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them
J.K. Rowling’s first original screenplay returns to the world of Harry Potter, but decades before he’s even born and in a completely different country. Taking place in 1920s New York, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them follows Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) as his magical case of fantastic beasts is misplaced, causing trouble for both the wizarding and No-Maj worlds. David Yates (The Legend of Tarzan), who directed the last four Harry Potter films, returns for this November 18 release, and he’s assembled a wonderful cast (Katherine Waterston, Colin Farrell, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Ron Perlman, Jenn Murray, and Faith Wood-Blagrove), some seen for the first time in this new trailer.
Doctor Strange
Marvel decided against on online release for most of the footage shown at Comic-Con (which included a look at Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Thor: Ragnarok), but they did release a second trailer for Doctor Strange. Directed by Scott Derrickson (Deliver Us from Evil) and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular doctor, this November 4 release has garnered some blowback for the casting of Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One, but since she is a woman playing a character typically portrayed as a man, and she’s the ageless Tilda Swinton, maybe the focus can move to Scarlett Johansson in Ghost in the Shell. The latest trailer pours on the world-bending special effects originally seen in Inception and gives more time to characters played by Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen, Benedict Wong, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
Blair Witch
At Comic-Con last weekend, director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett’s Blair Witch made a surprise debut. The early reviews were very good, which might be expected from the minds behind The Guest and You’re Next. Originally titled The Woods (before the Blair Witch connection was revealed), the third film in the franchise (and first in 16 years) picks up on the legend of The Blair Witch Project with a group of college students who venture into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mystery surrounding the disappearance of one of their sisters. Find it in theaters beginning September 16th.
More new trailers ...
The Great Wall
Legendary Pictures’ monster mash continues with The Great Wall. Directed by Zhang Yimou (House of Flying Daggers, Hero) and starring Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau, Jing Tian, and Eddie Peng, the February 17, 2017 release finds battalions of soldiers fighting a mysterious species of beast attempting to breach China’s Great Wall.
A look at Hacksaw Ridge ... and some Venice news
Mel Gibson returns to the director’s chair for the first time since 2006’s Apocalypto with the World War II film Hacksaw Ridge. Based on a true story, the film chronicles the life of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), who saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun at the battle of Okinawa. As an army medic, Doss became the first conscientious objector awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The November 4 release will premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, where the main competition will include Terrence Malick’s Voyage of Time, Pablo Larrain’s Jackie, Ana Lily Amirpour’s The Bad Batch, Derek Cianfrance’s The Light Between Oceans, Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals, and Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival, as well as Emir Kusturica’s On The Milky Road, Francois Ozon’s Frantz and Wim Wenders’ The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez.
Office Christmas Party
The workplace comedy has a long tradition and, when done right, it can provide many relatable laughs. So there’s some hope for Office Christmas Party. The latest from directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon (Blades of Glory) reunites their stars in The Switch, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman, for a story about a CEO who wants to close her brother’s office. In response, he and his CTO throw a gigantic Christmas party with the hope of impressing a client and saving their jobs. This December 9 release also stars Kate McKinnon, TJ Miller, Olivia Munn, Vanessa Bayer, Randall Park, Sam Richardson, Courtney B. Vance, Jamie Chung, Karan Soni, Abbey Lee, Jillian Bell, and Rob Corddry.
Shyamalan's Split
M. Night Shyamalan reunites with the team that helped make The Visit a micro-budget success to bring another horror story to theaters on January 20, 2017. Split stars James McAvoy as Kevin, a man with dissociative identity disorder. His 23 personalities have been kept in check, but a 24th is about to threaten the lives of three teenage girls played by Anya Taylor-Joy of The Witch, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jessica Sula.
Teaser time
Here are two quick teasers for upcoming sequels. Spud (Ewen Bremner), Renton (Ewan McGregor), Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle) return in T2: Trainspotting 2 on February 3, 2017. Danny Boyle is once again behind the camera, and the movie is based on Irvine Welsh’s sequel novel, Porno.
Bad Santa 2 returns Billy Bob Thornton as the misanthropic Willie Soke, Tony Cox as Marcus, and Brett Kelly as Thurman Merman, while Mark Waters takes over directing duties from Terry Zwigoff, and Kathy Bates (as Willie’s mother), Christina Hendricks and Ryan Hansen join the cast. The film opens on November 23rd.
The Accountant
The second trailer for The Accountant expands on the first one with more action and the introduction of Anna Kendrick’s character, an accounting clerk at a robotics company that discovers a discrepancy in the company’s financial records. The October 7 release revolves around Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck, seemingly miscast, but we’ll reserve judgment), a math savant who cooks the books for the world’s most dangerous criminals. J.K. Simmons plays the head of the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, who’s trying to track Christian down.
Masterminds
Originally slated for release last year, Masterminds tells the bizarre true story of the Loomis Fargo Heist. Zach Galifianakis plays David Ghantt, who enlisted his work crush Kelly Campbell (Kristen Wiig), who then brought in Steve Chambers (Owen Wilson) on an absurd plan to steal $17 million. And it actually works ... for a while. A series of double crosses lead to a hitman (Jason Sudeikis) entering the picture, and that’s not the end of the story. Directed by Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre) from a screenplay credited to Jody Hill, Danny McBride, and three others, Masterminds will finally be released on September 30th.
Ben-Hur
In this remake/re-adaptation, Jack Huston takes over the role of Judah Ben-Hur made famous by Charlton Heston in 1959. Based on Lew Wallace’s novel, the story follows the trials of a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala (Toby Kebbell), an officer in the Roman army. Separated from his family and the woman he loves (Nazanin Boniadi), Judah Ben-Hur becomes a slave until he breaks free, seeks revenge, and enters a chariot race. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) and also starring Morgan Freeman, Rodrigo Santoro, and Pilou Asbæk, Ben-Hur hits theaters August 19th.
A Tale of Love and Darkness
Natalie Portman’s feature directorial debut, A Tale of Love and Darkness, received mixed reviews when it premiered at Cannes last year. An adaptation of Amos Oz’s autobiographical novel, the film details the relationship between Amos (Amir Tessler) and his mother Fania (Portman) set against the the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the early years of the State of Israel. Look for it in select theaters beginning August 19th.
Short takes
Andrew Ahn’s Outfest LA winner Spa Night, starring Sundance Jury Prize winner Joe Seo, will come to select theaters on August 19th.
Maximum Ride, based on James Patterson’s bestselling YA novel about six DNA-enhanced orphans with the ability to fly, hits theaters September 30th.
News and notes
- At Comic-Con, Marvel Studios confirmed that Brie Larson will play Captain Marvel. A director for the March 8, 2019 release was not announced.
- Meryl Streep has joined Emily Blunt and Lin Manuel-Miranda in director Rob Marshall’s Mary Poppins Returns. - Variety
- Director Jon Watts revealed that the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming will be Vulture. - EW
- Jessica Chastain is in talks to join Jake Gyllenhaal in an adaptation of the video game Tom Clancy’s The Division. - Heat Vision
- In director Rick Famuyiwa’s The Flash, Kiersey Clemons (Dope) will play Iris West, a journalist and friend of Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen (aka The Flash). - Variety
- New Line is developing a sequel to Lights Out. - Heat Vision
- Eddie Redmayne will star in The Last Days of Night, The Imitation Game director Morten Tyldum’s film about “the battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to bring electric light to the country.” - Variety
- Chris Evans is attached to star as Tom Jackman in Jekyll, Lionsgate’s feature adaptation of the 2007 BBC series. - Deadline
- Disney is working on a reboot of The Rocketeer that will be headlined by a black female character. - Heat Vision
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