It’s a new year, it’s a new decade, which means new movies to enjoy - as this 2020 movie preview reveals!
Yep, 2020 is certainly not skimping on the blockbuster titles with each month jam-packed with exciting films that we just cannot wait to laugh, cry, cheer and jump at.
From Marvel introductions to horror returns, there’s really something for every film fan and so here at ShortList, we thought we’d remind you about a few key releases over the next 12 months to mark in your calendars.
January: The Rhythm Section
Release date: 31 January
Blake Lively takes the lead in Reed Morano’s violent thriller about a woman who goes on a mission of revenge after discovering that the plane crash that killed her family was not an accident. Jude Law, Sterling K. Brown, Danie Mays and Jade Anouka co-star.
February: Birds of Prey
Release date: 7 February
Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn who, after ditching the Joker, is now single and ready to mingle. She chooses to mingle with superheroes Black Canary and Huntress (two of the titular Birds) and detective Renee Montoya in order to save young Cassandra Cain from Ewan McGregor’s evil crime lord Black Mask. Cathy Yan directs with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollet-Bell, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco and Chris Messina co-starring.
March: Mulan
Release date: 27 March
Niki Caro’s live-action remake of the classic Disney animation looks epic. Forgoing the musical element of the original, this movie will be heavy on the action as we watch our titular Chinese heroine (Yifei Liu) take her ailing father’s place as a soldier in the Han dynasty’s army, in order to fight the invading Hun. Donnie Yen, Jet Li and Li Gong co-star.
April: No Time To Die
Release date: 2 April
Cary Joji Fukunaga takes the helm of Bond 25 as Daniel Craig's 007 is brought out of retirement to help stop Rami Malek's mysterious villain wielding some seriously dangerous new tech. Ana de Armas and Lashana Lynch join the cast with Ralph Fiennes, Jeffrey Wright, Ben Whishaw and Christoph Waltz reprising their previous roles.
May: Black Widow
Release date 1 May
Scarlett Johansson returns in this prequel to Avengers: Infinity War which follows Natasha when she’s keeping a low profile after the events of Civil War. She heads back to the infamous Budapest and reunites with her former “family” to face a new threat from the mysterious Taskmaster. Cate Shortland directs with Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz and David Harbour co-starring.
June: Wonder Woman 1984
Release date: 5 June
Patty Jenkins '80s-set sequel sees Diana face-off against Kristen Wiig's Cheetah and corrupt businessman Max Lord (Pedro Pascal) but luckily her formerly dead boyfriend Steve Trevor is back to help her. Expect to be this movie to be bigger, brasher and have a banging soundtrack to bop along to.
July: Tenet
Release date: 17 July
Christopher Nolan returns with an intriguing story of time travel and evolution against a backdrop of international espionage. There’s not much information on the film but with a cast that includes John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Caine, Clémence Poésy and Himesh Patel, it’s certainly got the chops to be a critical hit.
August: Bill & Ted Face the Music
Release date: 21 August
Alex Winters and Keanu Reeves are back as our titular time-travelling rockers who are now middle-aged dads still trying to make a hit song to launch the Wyld Stallyns to superstardom. The stakes are raised when someone from the future says one of their songs can save the world and bring harmony to the universe so they need help to do it from old friends, family and famous musicians.
September: Last Night in Soho
Release date: 18 September
Edgar Wright delivers another original tale, this time set in the British capital and following young girl Eloise (Thomasin Mackenzie), who is somehow able to return to the 1960s where she meets her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer played by Anya Taylor-Joy. However, her time travelling is not without its problems and results in horrifying consequences for Eloise.
October: Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Release date: 21 October
Based on the hit West End musical (which was based the 2011 TV documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16), this upbeat film follows a gay teen (Max Harwood) from Sheffield with dreams of becoming a drag queen. Despite backlash from peers and family, Jamie doesn’t give up on his ambition to perform live. Richard E. Grant, Sharon Horgan, Shobna Gulati and Adeel Ahktar co-star.
November: Eternals
Release date: 6 November
The first new MCU movie to feature completely original characters not yet seen on screen is one of epic proportion. It follows the Eternals, a race of immortal, superhuman beings who helped shape human civilisation on Earth while battling their nemeses the Deviant. The ensemble cast includes Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Lauren Ridloff, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek, Lia McHugh, Don Lee, Barry Keoghan, Gemma Chan and Kit Harington.
December: Dune
Release 18 December
Based on Frank Herbert’s classic sci-fi novel, Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation follows the survival struggle of House Atreides in the face of corruption at the highest order over the control of the most valuable substance in the new universe: spice. Timothée Chalamet plays our young protagonist Paul Atreides with Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem in the supporting cast.
