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[title]Us
Clear your diary – and your Twitter feed – for Jordan Peele’s latest zeitgeist-capturing horror film. Like his ace debut ‘Get Out’, ‘Us’ promises to wrap some seriously barbed racial commentary in visceral shocks.
From Mar 14
Jordan Peele's Us promises zeitgeisty horror thrills
Dumbo
Ever seen an elephant fly? You will when Disney’s loose live-action remake of its classic 1941 animation arrives. Tim Burton is behind the camera, so expect some gothic touches and a quirky Danny Elfman score.
From Mar 27
Ready for take-off: Tim Burton's live-action Dumbo remake
Avengers: Endgame
Sure to be one of the biggest movies of the year, this will definitely have the highest body count as the world absorbs the fallout from Thanos’s foul deeds in ‘Infinity War’. Who can succeed where the cream of the Marvel superheroes has failed? Someone call Bananaman.
From Apr 24
Rocketman
This warts-and-all biopic of Elton John promises to be this year’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – only, you know, with the warty bits left in. It stars Taron Egerton as Elton and Jamie Bell as his songwriting partner Bernie Taupin. Expect songs, spectacle and plenty of dream-like, stylistic sequences.
From May 29
Spectacles spectacular: will Elton John biopic Rocketman be this year's Bohemian Rhapsody?
Toy Story 4
Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep and friends regroup for an unexpected but still much-anticipated fourth outing. This one – directed by one-time Pixar storyboard artist Josh Cooley – introduces new characters (look out for Forky) and, with Andy now at college, a new home for the toys.
From Jun 26
The Lion King
This remake of the beloved 1994 Disney animation has a stellar voice cast – Donald Glover! Beyoncé! – and the cream of Hollywood’s visual effects industry to make it look amazing. But will it be too faithful to the original? The first trailer rang more than a few bells, not that the bazillion people who watched it on YouTube cared much. It’s sure to be huge. Hakuna matata!
From Jul 17
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino’s crime film is sure to hoover up attention and headlines when it lands in the summer. It promises to be a luridly realised Hollywood story back-dropped by the Charles Manson murders in 1969. Leonardo DiCaprio plays an actor trying to make it in the movie business and Brad Pitt is his stunt double.
From Aug 8
Downton Abbey
Yes, the ‘Downton Abbey’ movie is finally on its way. The TV period drama wrapped up with a Christmas special in 2015, but the Crawleys have dusted off their dinner jackets for another spin. We know almost nothing about the plot, except that it picks up 18 months later and Maggie Smith is back as acid-tongued meme monster the Dowager Countess. Surely that’s reason enough to RSVP.
From Sep 19
Off-kilter killer: Joaquin Phoenix takes a darkly funny turn in Joker
Joker
With Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker, this dark DC spin-off movie should offer a pre-Halloween frightfest of its own. The actor is a master of playing off-kilter characters and there are few characters with kilters quite so far off as the master-villain. The smaller-scale film will chart his origins as a failed stand-up comedian and has Robert De Niro co-starring.
From Oct 3
Star Wars: Episode IX
This sure-to-be-enormous instalment in the ‘Star Wars’ saga is rumoured to pick up a year after ‘The Last Jedi’. Taking the reins again is JJ Abrams (‘The Force Awakens’) as the light side and the dark side resume hostilities. The plot is very much under wraps, but we do know that Billy Dee Williams will be back as cloak-wearing space scoundrel Lando Calrissian.
From Dec 18