THE euphoria of the festive season is waning and it’s back to work for most of us, but fortunately – if you’re a film buff – there is so much to look forward to in 2020.
It’s going to be a year of nostalgic joy for cinema-goers as a number of old classics are re-made, and sequels to 80’s and 90’s classics find their way onto the big screen. So, dust off those back-to-work blues with a look at what you can expect from the stars of the silver screen in 2020.
1. No Time to Die (Action, Adventure, Thriller)
Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Stars: Ana de Armas, Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux and Rami Malek
Who doesn’t love another James Bond instalment? And this time, Daniel Craig is returning for his last foray in the action-adventure franchise but with a twist – James Bond has left active service. However, quite unsurprisingly, he’s lured back in when his old CIA friend, Felix Leiter, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
2. Bill & Ted Face the Music (Comedy, Music, Sci-Fi)
Director: Dean Parisot
Stars: Samara Weaving, Keanu Reeves, Brigette Lundy-Paine and Jillian Bell
If you haven’t heard of Bill & Ted then you obviously didn’t live through the early 1990s. This laid-back Californian duo of would-be-rockers got caught up in a few time-travel adventures, during which time they learnt they’d save the universe. Now, as middle-aged fathers, they’re trying to fulfil this destiny with a hit song.
3. Mulan (Action, Adventure, Drama)
Director: Niki Caro
Stars: Yifei Liu, Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Li Gong
Keeping in theme with strong female leads, Disney is bringing the live-action feature film, Mulan, to the big screen. The story follows a young, Chinese maiden – Mulan – who disguises herself as a male warrior in order to save her father.
4. Godzilla vs. Kong (Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller)
Director: Adam Wingard
Stars: Millie Bobby Brown, Eiza González, Alexander Skarsgård and Rebecca Hall
Yip, you read that right – the gigantic gorilla is going to take on the reptilian Godzilla in a battle for the title of King of the Monsters. Expect a lot of CGI action!
5. Bad Boys for Life (Action, Comedy, Crime)
Directors: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Stars: Vanessa Hudgens, Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Alexander Ludwig and Joe Pantoliano
The foul-mouthed, action-seeking police partners are back for another comedically explosive instalment of Bad Boys. This time, Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) is a police inspector and Mike Lowery (Smith) is going through a midlife crisis. They have to join forces to take on an Albanian mercenary, whose brother was killed by the crime-fighting pair.
6. Top Gun: Maverick (Action, Drama)
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Stars: Jennifer Connelly, Tom Cruise, Monica Barbaro and Val Kilmer
Beach volleyball and testosterone-fuelled jet racing is back for the sequel, more than 30 years after Top Gun first graced the big screen. The American navy’s top aviator, Pete Mitchell, is still breaking all the rules as a test pilot and avoiding any advancement in rank that would see him on the ground instead of in the air.
7. Death on the Nile (Crime, Drama, Mystery)
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Stars: Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Kenneth Branagh and Rose Leslie
The Agatha Christie fans are in for a treat as the next Hercule Poirot starring Kenneth Branagh is unveiled, this time taking place while the famous Belgian detective is on vacation on the Nile. Poirot and his perfect moustache must investigate the murder of a young heiress.
8. Coming 2 America (Comedy)
Director: Craig Brewer
Stars: Eddie Murphy, John Amos, James Earl Jones and Wesley Snipes
If you’re looking for some more of Eddie Murphy’s silliness, then this film is a must-see. The long-awaited sequel to 1988’s Coming to America, this story once again follows Akeem (Murphy) to the United States after he learns he has a long-lost son and the unlikely heir to the throne of Zamunda.
9. The Witches (Adventure, Comedy, Family)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Octavia Spencer and Chris Rock
A Roald Dahl classic will once again be brought to the big screen. The 1983 original featuring Anjelica Huston was particularly scary, and the latest version will no doubt follow suit. The story is an imaginative tale of a seven-year-old boy who is turned into a mouse and has to escape a group of witches.
10. Dolittle (Adventure, Comedy, Family)
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Holland, Emma Thompson
A popular story that has been reproduced on film many times before, Dr Doolittle will be brought back in 2020 as the lovable physician who discovers he can talk to animals. A great cast promises a great reproduction of this classic.
