Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2019

2018 was a solid year for movies. It was one of the best years for animated and superhero movies (both combined to make the brilliant Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), and we also had some amazing indie hits. But now 2018 has passed, we have 2019 to look forward to, and I believe we have some fantastic movies coming our way.

Hey everyone, I’m Andy, and today I’m going to count down my Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2019. From long-awaited sequels to films that will see the return of retired actors, these are the movies I’m anticipating the most.

Before I start, there are some honourable mentions I will give out. These are films that I am really looking forward to seeing, but they just missed the list.

Pet Sematary: The second adaption of the Stephen King classic, Pet Sematary is shaping up to be a great horror movie. If they manage to make that infamous flashback even more terrifying, it’ll be good.

Captain Marvel: The next Marvel origin story may not have good trailers, but with a great cast and set in the 1990s, this could be one of the best yet.

Dark Phoenix: I’ll be happy as long as this does the Dark Phoenix storyline better than X-Men: The Last Stand.

The Lion King: Is it necessary? No. Does it have the potential of being amazing? Hopefully yes.

Glass: The thrilling conclusion to M. Night Shyamalan’s “superhero” trilogy is looking like he is back to making amazing movies. Let’s just hope that this brings the storylines and characters of Unbreakable and Split together in a great package.

Men In Black – International: Let’s be real. There really hasn’t been a good Men In Black sequel yet. With Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson teaming up again, and director F. Gary Gray behind it, this has the potential of being something special.

The Lego Movie 2: The first Lego Movie was a huge surprise and hopefully this will be a nice surprise as well. It may have a different director, but the charm can still be there.

Spider-Man: Far From Home: Over the last two years, we’ve been rewarded with two fantastic Spider-Man movies. Tom Holland is amazing as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and this also has Jake Gyllenhaal as Mysterio! This has to be great, right?

Joker: A Joker origin story with Joaquin Phoenix playing the titular character? This is shaping up to be an incredible character study showing the decline of a normal man. You can definitely say I’m excited.

Jojo Rabbit: First of all, it’s the new Taika Waititi movie. Secondly, Taika Waititi is playing Adolf Hitler. Must I say more?

Now, let’s begin!

10. Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Kicking off this list is the much-anticipated sequel to the 2014 reboot of the Godzilla franchise. There are several reasons as to why I’m so excited for this movie. Firstly, this is going to be one of the craziest movies of 2019, as it’s apparently going to include four to six monsters/titans. The scale of Godzilla was amazing back in 2014, but now we have even bigger monsters, such as Mothra, Rodan, and their ultimate nemesis, King Ghidorah. I’m already trying to imagine the epic scale of this movie.

Secondly, there’s the amazing cast attached to the movie. Millie Bobby Brown from Stranger Things is set to be one of the main characters we follow, which is really exciting. Then there’s Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Sally Hawkins, Charles Dance, Thomas Middleditch, Zhang Ziyi, Ken Watanabe and Bradley Whitford, I mean this cast is insane! So yeah, you could say I’m keen for what’s shaping up to be one hell of a blockbuster.

9. Toy Story 4

Okay, there are parts of me that are very worried about this sequel to what I consider one of the greatest movie trilogies of all time. Considering how Toy Story 3 ended on such a perfect note, this could go two ways. Being a Pixar movie, this could either be a fantastic sequel and even one of the best yet. Or it could be a major letdown and almost ruin the reputation of the series. As long as it isn’t like a Cars sequel, I’ll be perfectly fine with the finished product.

Also, with newcomers Keanu Reeves, Jordan Peele, Keegan-Michael Key, Tony Hale and Patricia Arquette joining the fun, I’m praying that this is a worthy sequel to films that I’ve grown up with. Please let this be good!

8. It: Chapter Two

After the critical and commercial success of the first half of this adaptation of the Stephen King classic, there is bound to be a lot of hype around this conclusion. With the film taking place 27 years after the first, it’s set to follow what is known as the weaker part of the book (and definitely the worst part of the 1990 TV movie). This could be good or bad.

The casting of the adult versions of the Loser’s Club is brilliant. With James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Jay Ryan, Bill Hader, James Ransone, Isaiah Mustafa and Andy Bean cast in these roles, it should be well acted. Bill Skarsgård is returning as Pennywise, and he proved that he was able to play the creepy and terrifying villain in a terrific performance. The same crew is returning and at this stage, it’s looking like it’s going to be amazing. If they can make this part of the story thrilling, terrifying and captivating, then It: Chapter Two is sure to be an amazing sequel.

7. Rocketman

Is it just me, or have a lot of biopics been coming out recently? In 2018 we had biopics like Bohemian Rhapsody, First Man, Vice and Green Book, just to name a few. But a biopic about Elton John, a fantasy/musical, is set to be one of 2019’s best. Dexter Fletcher, who took over the directing reins for Bohemian Rhapsody towards the end of production, is the director of Rocketman and I’m hoping this will be better. Yes I know that a lot of you adore Bohemian Rhapsody, and yes I do find it pretty solid, but it had a lot of problems. One of those problems was how it was a sugar-coated biopic. However, according to lead actor Taron Egerton, this isn’t going to hold anything back. If this is true, then this is going to be one hell of a confronting biopic.

With Taron Egerton playing Elton John, and Lee Hall (best known for Billy Elliot) writing it, this has to be nothing but amazing. Right?

6. Us

In 2017, Jordan Peele released one of the greatest horror movies of the 21st century. Get Out was a fantastic horror/comedy/satire that proved Jordan Peele can do more than just comedy. His directorial debut earned him quite a few awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (which was the first time an African American took out that category at the Oscars). I still love it as much as I did upon first seeing it, and now I’m even more excited for his next feature, Us.

When the first poster was released, I was already excited to see a new idea from Jordan Peele’s brilliant mind. Then the trailer came out and oh my how excited I became. Us looks like a genuinely terrifying psychological horror film and if it’s on the same level as Get Out, it will most likely become one of my favourites of the year. Yes, I am nervous about it, but I trust Jordan Peele in making another fantastic horror movie.

5. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

First of all, can we just state how amazing the first two John Wick movies are? They’re easily some of the best action movies of the 21st century, and Keanu Reeves is simply incredible as the titular character. The amount of work he puts in for this role is beyond amazing. Like Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves does his own stunts, and it makes for a more thrilling time. If you haven’t seen the videos of him training for John Wick: Chapter 2, you have to, just to see his commitment.

Now, I’m briefly going to spoil John Wick: Chapter 2, so if you haven’t seen it, please do.

*SPOILERS START* I literally don’t know how this is going to go down after the events of the last John Wick. He’s banned from using the Continental’s services, and he has a $14 million contract on his life. I’ve also heard that the Yakuza could be involved as there has been a lot of casting of amazing martial arts actors (including a couple from The Raid series), and if this is true, get ready for some amazing action sequences.

*SPOILERS END* At this stage, this will be the craziest third film in a trilogy that we’ve ever seen. If it somehow tops its predecessors, then I’m sure we’re in for an action masterpiece.

4. Star Wars: Episode IX

How could I not include the conclusion of the new Star Wars trilogy? We may live in a world where we may have a few too many Star Wars movies. We‘ve been getting a Star Wars movie every year since 2014, which has been great for some. But now it‘s at a point where the release of a new Star Wars isn’t as exciting as it was. When the Force Awakens came out, there was so much hype around it. It was crazy how many people were so excited in the years leading up to it. It was a more innocent time in our world. I genuinely enjoyed the Force Awakens and loved the Last Jedi (I can already feel some of you getting ready to call me a fake fan who loves the film that allegedly “ruined the franchise“). By all means, it has its faults (the whole Rose and Finn subplot was a waste of time), however, I think it‘s one of the best in the franchise as it took many risks.

Now with J.J. Abrams returning to the director‘s chair, many are hoping this will be an amazing conclusion to what I think has been an amazing trilogy. With so many questions up in the air and one being how Carrie Fisher (rest in peace) will be used, considering she’s supposed to have a large role. Next, there’s the fact that Billy Dee Williams is returning as fan favourite Lando Calrissian, which adds even more excitement for this concluding chapter. What will be the fate of every old and new character? Who will die? How will these events affect the galaxy? We won’t be able to find out until the end of the year, but I’m definitely excited!

3. The Irishman

When talking about the greatest filmmakers of all time, Martin Scorsese will come up a lot. He has created some of the greatest movies of all time, including my personal favourite, Goodfellas. Now Scorsese is bringing us one of his passion projects (similar to Silence back in 2016), and it will see the return of many classic Scorsese actors. This film will have Robert De Niro (hopefully a return to form for him as his latest works have been not so great), Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel and the big talking point, Joe Pesci who literally came out of retirement for this movie. Then there’s Ray Romano, Anna Paquin, Bobby Cannavale, Jesse Plemons, Stephen Graham and Kathrine Narducci. This is easily one of Scorsese’s best ensembles yet.

Although I’m ridiculously excited about this crime epic, I do have a few worries. Firstly, there is going to be a reliance on CGI to de-age the main four actors. We’ve seen this in a lot of movies before, and you can always tell when they’ve de-aged an actor. The only good example of this is when it’s used in any MCU movie, but it’s still quite noticeable. However, this is the biggest budget Scorsese has worked with yet, so hopefully, the CGI is amazing. Another worry I have is that The Irishman is a Netflix movie, which can take some of that cinematic value out of it. However, Alfonso Cuarón proved that a Netflix movie can be a masterpiece and a game changer with Roma. Still, I’m ridiculously excited for The Irishman and hopefully, it will be a return to form for De Niro.

2. Avengers: Endgame

I don’t think I can talk about Avengers: Endgame without spoiling Infinity War, so if you somehow haven’t seen the biggest movie of 2018, just skip to my number one and please watch it.

*SPOILERS START* With the universe in mourning after Thanos made the snap, I’m trying to figure out how this will play out. We know this will mainly focus on the original Avengers teaming up one last time to defeat Thanos and hopefully bring back everyone from the snap. We also know that Captain Marvel will be in it, with her first outing coming out a month prior. This will most likely be the last time we’ll see Captain America, Iron Man and basically any of the classic Avengers in the MCU. It’s also alleged by the Russo brothers that this will be the longest MCU movie yet (it could be around three hours long), meaning this will be one hell of a farewell for some of these characters we’ve known for the past ten/eleven years.

Will Thanos regret his decision and help the Avengers reverse to a time just before the snap? How will Tony Stark and Nebula get back to Earth? How far is Hawkeye/Ronan willing to go to defeat Thanos? How will Ant-Man and Captain Marvel factor into this epic conclusion? These are just some of the questions that we’ll be asking until Endgame comes out. So have an MCU marathon and get the tissues ready, this may be a sad affair. *SPOILERS END*

1. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Oh Tarantino, of course I had to put your next movie as my number one pick! Yes everyone, my most anticipated movie of the year is Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. If you know me or at least know this website, you know that I adore Tarantino. I remember first seeing Pulp Fiction at a very young age (way too young for what it was), and I was drawn to his energetic style of filmmaking. I’ve always loved his snappy and witty dialogue and his excellent soundtracks. I pretty much love everything he has made (well except for Death Proof, that is a really average movie with only a couple of great/memorable scenes), and I can’t tell you how much excitement I have for this.

The movie is set in Los Angeles during the Charles Manson murders and by the sound of it, it may be the closest movie to Pulp Fiction he’s done since the 1994 classic. I must also mention the cast, as it may just be his best ensemble yet. You’ve got Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead roles as a former Western star and his longtime stunt double, who struggle to find success. They also live next door to Sharon Tate, who will be played by the wonderful Margot Robbie, which brings the Charles Manson murders close to them. Then there’s Al Pacino, Tim Roth, Damien Lewis, Dakota Fanning, Kurt Russell, Timothy Olyphant, Emile Hirsch, Luke Perry, Michael Madsen, James Marsden, Clifton Collins Jr., Lena Dunham, Scoot McNairy, Bruce Dern, and Damon Herriman as Charles Manson himself.

If you don’t have this on your most anticipated list, hopefully after reading this it will be. This looks like it will be one of the year’s best and I know I’m optimistic, but it may even be one of Tarantino’s best! So when looking at the movies I’m anticipating the most in 2019, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is easily at the top of that list.

There you have it, my Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2019. I hope you enjoyed reading it and even saw a couple of movies on here that you didn’t even realise were coming out. As always, if there is a movie I left out, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!