After a good amount of time, I arrived at thirty-five entries into my list. This is Part 2 of 3. The first two parts, 35-11 are in no particular order. The final entry however features my top ten most anticipated, number one being my most anticipated of them all. But we'll get there. By the time I have all three parts published, at least one of these movies will officially be in theaters (Den of Thieves 2). Anyway...
PART 2
(PART 1, PART 3)
20. Havoc
This is another that was on my list for 2024 and after more delays than I can count, supposedly this is finally the year. Gareth Evans directed two of the greatest action films ever made, The Raid and The Raid 2. These movies walked so John Wick could run. He returns to the action genre with Havoc, starring Tom Hardy. Judging by behind the scenes photos and still shots this promises to be another event from Evans not to be missed. They wrapped production in 2021 so this has been a long time coming. It needs to get here already.
2018 featured one of the biggest disappointments in cinema that year when The Predator, directed by Shane Black, was released. If you’ve seen his other films, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or The Nice Guys you know how talented he is as both a director but as a writer too. So it’s a mystery how The Predator could be so abysmally terrible. To clarify his involvement even further, you may recall Shane Black actually starred in the original Predator film as the character Hawkins. My point is he clearly cares about this franchise so what the hell happened? Luckily in 2022, director Dan Trachtenberg made us believe that the franchise was not in fact dead. He gave us the fantastic and unexpected, Prey. A return to form of sorts, in 2025 he’ll bring us Badlands, starring Elle Fanning. An odd casting but I’m sure she will happily surprise us all. And I can’t wait.
Sinister is widely considered one of the scarier horror films ever made. So it would make sense to keep track of what the director, Scott Derrickson, is following it up with. His follow up, Deliver Us from Evil, was not exactly what you might call a good movie. But still, you hope. He would eventually give us the wonderfully twisted, The Black Phone. Another success and now we await its sequel, somehow featuring the return of Ethan Hawke as The Grabber. I’m cautiously optimistic but certainly intrigued.
17. Nobody 2
With Love Hurts debuting in February, there seems to be this new kind of sub-genre featuring unexpected leading men kicking ass and taking names. Bob Odenkirk did it in 2021, Ke Huy Quan gets his chance around Valentine’s Day and then later in the year, anticipated for August, Odenkirk returns as the titular Nobody and as a big fan of the first, I’m very excited for his return. Mr. Show is a badass. Who knew?
16. The Naked Gun
Normally I wouldn’t be so happy about a sort-of-sequel like this but with casting like this, I can’t help but be excited. Leslie Nielsen was the master of playing a straight-faced character in the midst of absurdist comedy. He was the best. If they were to ever bring this franchise back, which they clearly are, I can’t think of a better human being to fill that massive void left by Nielsen by none other than Liam Neeson. Look up his cameo in the comedy Ted and I have to imagine it’s a perfect example of what he can achieve as a dramatic character completely unaware they’re in a comedy.
15. Wicked: For Good
I had zero interest in Wicked. None. I got an early screening invite and decided to take my mother who really wanted to see it. By the end credits I was cheerfully teary eyed with euphoric happiness. It won me over, what can I say? It’s tremendous, it’s absurdly amazing. Needless to say, I want to know how the story ends. Bring on part two!
14. The Running Man
I've long said if Dwayne Johnson wanted to make a niche market for himself, he could remake old Schwarzenegger movies. I think he would kill it in a remake of Commando. But another I thought could be cool is The Running Man. Of course Johnson is not a part of this but Glen Powell starring in an Edgar Wright remake is more than a consolation prize, it’s a vast improvement on any ideas I had for a remake of the ‘87 classic. I’m interested to see his unique vision for such an iconic universe.
I maintain they should have forced (convinced?) James Wan to return for the flagship movies in the Conjuring Universe. Especially when they announced Michael Chavez, of The Nun and The Curse of La Llorona shame, would be helming the third installment, The Devil Made Me Do It. While I think the first two are far better, I can say I was pleasantly surprised by the third entry. So I’m hopeful Chavez can pull off a repeat with Last Rites but I know how easily he can muck things up. This is, after all, Ed and Lorraine Warren’s swan song so it has to be a solid landing before the final curtain call. Please be good. Please be good. Please be good.
12. The Accountant 2
I’ve wanted a sequel for The Accountant since 2016. I loved the action sequences mixed with a more complex, nuanced storyline of autism, overcoming life obstacles and finding your place in the world. Even if that place is accountant by day, assassin by night. Ben Affleck was fantastic in this role and I can’t wait to see what they do next. I only wish Anna Kendrick was returning. But a team up between Affleck and Jon Bernthal sounds perfect.
11. The Monkey
I was aware of Oz Perkins from his underrated horror film, The Blackcoat’s Daughter. When news of Longlegs was announced I was excited to see what he had for us next. It was a divisive movie but I personally loved it. So now, we wait for The Monkey, based on a short story from Stephen King. It promises to be twisted and violent. Based on the limited footage released I eagerly anticipate its arrival this February.
Part 3 coming soon...
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