AKIPRESS.COM - Disney has three live-action remakes coming our way, Marvel has a new superhero (and a grand finale ahead for the Avengers), and we're getting another Joker movie. But beyond the remakes and the sequels, we also have exciting a big-screen adaptation of a beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and a new star-studded Quentin Tarantino movie. These are the movies you'll be rushing to see in 2019, according to Esquire.
The Upside
Release date: January 11
A remake of the acclaimed French film The Intouchables (scripted by Paul Feig), this dramedy stars Bryan Cranston as a wealthy quadriplegic who hires Kevin Hart's ex-con to be his caregiver.
Glass
Release date: January 18
M. Night Shyamalan's 2017 feature Split was a return to form for the director—and its ending featured one of his trademark twists, connecting it to his underrated film Unbreakable. In this sequel to both movies, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, and James McAvoy join forces as disturbed individuals with heightened powers.
Serenity
Release date: January 25
Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway star in this cerebral thriller about a man who is visited by his ex-wife, who begs him to save her from her abusive second husband—a plot that sends both of them into a dark web of deceit and chaos.
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
Release date: February 8
Four years (and two spin-off movies) later, Chris Pratt's LEGO Movie hero Emmet returns for a proper sequel along with Elizabeth Banks, Charlie Day, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Tiffany Haddish, and Maya Rudolph.
Flarsky
Release date: February 8
Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron star in this black comedy from director Jonathan Levine about an out-of-work journalist who still pines for his childhood nanny, who has grown up to become a powerful politician.
Chaos Walking
Release date: March 1
Doug Liman directs this big-screen adaptation of Patrick Ness's popular YA series, with Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley playing two young adults who are on the run from fascist leaders in a dystopian, futuristic world.
Captain Marvel
Release date: March 8
Oscar-winner Brie Larson steps gets into the Marvel game in this '90s-set adventure about an air force pilot named Carol Danvers with—you guessed it—mysterious superpowers.
Us
Release date: March 15
Jordan Peele's followup to the smash hit Get Out looks like another terrifying thriller. Starring an impressive cast that includes Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong'o, Elizabeth Moss, and Tim Heidecker, it follows a family who are stalked and terrorized by a mysterious group of doppelgangers.
Dumbo
Release date: March 29
The first of three live-action remakes of Disney movies hitting theaters next year, this one comes from Tim Burton and tells the tale of a circus elephant with the ability to fly.
Shazam!
Release date: April 5
The DC Extended Universe takes a page out of the Marvel book, delivering a light-hearted and irreverent superhero movie starring Zachary Levi as the titular comic book hero (whose powers do not include identifying songs for you).
Pet Sematary
Release date: April 5
Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, and John Lithgow star in this remake of Stephen King's horror classic about a family who move into a New England house—only to discover some terrifying secrets about the backyard.
Under the Silver Lake
Release date: April 19
It Follows director David Robert Mitchell brings another stylish thriller to the screen, with Andrew Garfield starring as a Los Angeles man who investigates the strange disappearance of a woman played by Riley Keough.
Avengers: Endgame
Release date: April 26
Prepare yourself for the epic finale to the battle between Marvel's biggest superheroes and their greatest foe, Thanos—an anticipated close to the MCU's current plot line that will certainly bring about the departure of many of the series' biggest stars.
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
Release date: May 10
The beloved anime monster gets the live-action treatment and a voice (specifically Ryan Reynolds's voice) in this comedy that places the Pokémon in a film noir setting.
John Wick: Chapter 3
Release date: May 17
They say it's not worth fixing something that isn't broken, and so the latest chapter of the John Wick series follows Keanu Reeves's titular assassin as he outruns and outwits the legion of nameless killers who are out to get him.
Rocketman
Release date: May 17
Dexter Fletcher joined the crew of this year's Bohemian Rhapsody when director Bryan Singer was fired from the production, but next year he gets sole directing credit on another biopic about a British pop icon: Elton John, as played by Taron Egerton.
Aladdin
Release date: May 24
Guy Ritchie directs his own live-action Disney film, with Will Smith stepping into the big slippers to play the Genie first made famous by the late Robin Williams.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Release date: May 31
Godzilla is back again, and this time he brings with him Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah for an full-on kaiju war. Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Sally Hawkins, and Ken Watanabe round out the human cast if you're hoping for something beyond giant monsters fighting each other.
Dark Phoenix
Release date: June 7
Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner gets her big shot as a leading lady with this Jean Grey-centered addition to the X-Men franchise, which also stars fellow mutant alumni James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence.
Men in Black: International
Release date: June 14
While it doesn't star the series mainstays, the fourth Men in Black movie does reunite Thor: Ragnorok stars Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth, who have already proven themselves to be perfect comedic action heroes.
Toy Story 4
Release date: June 21
Have you recovered from the weepy ending of Toy Story 3? Prepare for another installment, which sees Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang embarking on another toy-out-of-the-box adventure.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
Release date: July 5
Spoiler alert: the latest Avengers flick will certainly bring back Tom Holland's Spider-Man, who will likely survive Thanos's attempts at mass destruction so that he can go on to anchor another standalone movie.
The Lion King
Release date: July 19
Jon Favreau's live-action Disney remake is the one everyone is really waiting for, with early reviews from sneak peeks claiming it's as stunning as the animated original. And there's also the cast: Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé as Nala, and James Earl Jones returning as Mufasa.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Release date: July 26
Quentin Tarantino's ninth film will be a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood in 1969 with some of IRL Hollywood's biggest players (the cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Dakota Fanning, James Marsden, and Al Pacino). And there's the terrifying backdrop: the Manson murders that shook the nation.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw
Release date: August 2
The Fast & Furious universe expands with the series's first spinoff, which features Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham as their popular characters pulling off a new heist. Idris Elba and Vanessa Kirby join in on the action-packed fun.
It: Chapter Two
Release date: September 6
Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, and Bill Hader play the adult versions of the kids who were terrorized by Bill Skarsgard's Pennywise in the first half of Stephen King's epic. In the second installment, the shapeshifting entity proves he has some unfinished business to take care of.
Downton Abbey
Release date: September 20
Four years after the beloved ITV series came to a close, creator Julian Fellowes brings a big-screen sequel that will reunite much of the show's cast.
Zombieland 2
Release date: October TBD
Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin will return for this sequel to the 2009 black comedy about an unlikely group of survivors struggling to stay alive after a zombie apocalypse.
Joker
Release date: October 4
Another. Joker. Movie. This time, director Todd Phillips offers an origin story to the Batman supervillian with Joaquin Phoenix in the starring role.
The Goldfinch
Release date: October 11
Ansel Elgort, Sarah Paulson, Jeffrey Wright, and Nicole Kidman star in this adaptation of Donna Tartt's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a teenage boy whose life is changed after he survives a terrorist attack in New York City.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Release date: October 18
Tom Hanks plays the beloved Mr. Rogers in this biopic inspired by Tom Junod's classic Esquire profile of the children's entertainer. Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper, and Tammy Blanchard co-star.
Frozen 2
Release date: November 22
They just couldn't let it go. Anna and Elsa are back for another round of frosty adventures in this sequel to the 2013 blockbuster.
Untitled Terminator Movie
Release date: November 1
Arnold Schwarzenegger returns for another installment of the Terminator franchise, which Deadpool director Tim Miller describes as a direct sequel to Judgment Day. The bonus? Linda Hamilton is back as Sarah Conner.
Death on the Nile
Release date: November 8
Following the success of Murder on the Orient Express, director Kenneth Branagh is back with another Agatha Christie murder mystery—and once again starring as the mustachioed detective Hercule Poirot.
Star Wars: Episode IX
Release date: December 20
The Skywalker saga comes to a close as J.J. Abrams steps back into the director chair to finish out the epic sci-fi movie series.