10. “Kajillionaire”
Director: Miranda July (“Me, You, and Everyone We Know”)
Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger, Gina Rodriguez, Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Synopsis: A woman’s life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they’re planning.
What You Need To Know: Miranda July is one of our great polymaths, and she never does anything halfway. She’s committed to the sense of perversity, play, and experimentation that defines her work, from her genre-defying literary output to tender and contemplative film work like “Me, You and Everyone We Know” and “The Future.” The prospect of July tackling a crime/heist narrative is the kind of audacious, potentially reckless left turn that truly makes sense for this particular filmmaker. Evan Rachel Woods stars as a character named Old Dolio (!!!) who plans to execute a robbery with the help of her no-good parents (Jenkins and Winger) and a mysterious stranger. We’re confident that July will put her own stamp on this well-worn genre, and that her attempt at a grifter narrative will look unlike anything else to be released in 2020.
Release Date: TBD. – NL
https://twitter.com/teesenscene/status/1188620755283697667
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/974320536514736129
9. “Mank”
Director: David Fincher (“Zodiac,” “The Social Network”)
Cast: Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfriend, Lily Collins, Charles Dance, Tom Burke
Synopsis: Follows screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz’s tumultuous development of Orson Welles’ 1941 masterwork “Citizen Kane.”
What You Need To Know: Do we really need to justify to you why any new film from David Fincher belongs on this list? Fincher, one of our great directors, hasn’t made a movie since 2014’s “Gone Girl,” although “Mindhunter” still offers us tantalizing displays of his brilliance. “Mank” is Fincher’s return to the world of high-end moviemaking, and if the film is as terrific as its pedigree promises, Netflix could have another “Roma”-style awards powerhouse on their hands come this time next year. There are countless reasons to be excited about “Mank”. It’s Fincher’s first movie in black and white. The script is written by Fincher’s father, former chief editor of Life Magazine, Jack Fincher. That scummy dude from “The Souvenir” is playing Orson Welles. GARY FREAKING OLDMAN is the lead. Seriously, this is one where you should just take our word for it.
Release Date: Let’s just say we’re confident you’ll be hearing about this one come Oscar season. – NL
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1149326125350305792
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8. “Memoria”
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul (“Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” “Cemetery of Splendor”)
Cast: Tilda Swinton, Jeanne Balibar, Juan Pablo Urrego
Synopsis: Unknown at this time, but the plot is said to revolve a Scottish woman traveling through Scotland who begins to hear a series of strange sounds.
What You Need To Know: Any world where a global treasure like Apichatpong Weerasethakul can still make movies is a world worth living in, even if every day in Trump’s America offers us plenty of evidence to the contrary. Weerasethakul doesn’t make movies so much as he makes ineffable, transcendent cinematic experiences that are practically impossible to categorize. Plot particulars for “Memoria” are limited at this time, but you could sell us on this movie by telling us “Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Tilda Swinton are making a movie together.” Knowing that Neon has nabbed the North American rights to the film has us jazzed, especially since they were behind two of this year’s most resonant arthouse dramas (“Parasite” and “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”).
Release Date: TBD, but we wouldn’t rule out a holiday release, following a potential Cannes debut. – NL
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/974311549417353216
7. “Blonde”
Director: Andrew Dominik (“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”)
Cast: Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale, Sara Paxton, Scoot McNairy, Garrett Dillahunt
Synopsis: A fictionalized chronicle of the inner life of Marilyn Monroe.
What You Need To Know: Andrew Dominik is one of our best working directors, having practically reinvented the revisionist Western with “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” and later doing the same for the American gangster film with “Killing Them Softly.” The Australian director has been trying to get his adaptation of Joyce Carroll Oates’ unconventional historical novel “Blonde” off the ground for a while now, and thankfully, it looks like it’s finally happening. The book is more akin to a fever dream than a standard bio (Dominik has described as a Polanski-esque “descent-into-madness” narrative). He’s found an inspired choice to play Monroe in Ana de Armas, who is currently receiving raves for her astounding performance in “Knives Out.” Given that Dominik has said he thinks “Blonde” could be “one of the ten best films ever made,” there’s every reason to have hope.
Release Date: Unknown, but a festival-friendly fall release seems likely. – NL
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1106575039984369664
https://twitter.com/sheIbyrath/status/1200899585796923400
6. “On the Rocks”
Director: Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation,” “Somewhere”)
Cast: Bill Murray, Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans, Jessica Henwick, Jenny Slate
Synopsis: A young mother who reconnects with her larger than life playboy father on an adventure through New York.
What You Need To Know: Sofia Coppola knows a thing or two about magnetic, larger-than-life father figures. It’s probably why she collaborates with Bill Murray, who has certainly played some bad dads in this later stage of his career. Coppola’s work with Murray runs the gamut from sublime (“Lost in Translation”) to forgettable (“A Very Murray Christmas”), but if “On the Rocks” is as good as we’re hoping it is, this could very well be their defining work to date. This looks to be a film that is freewheeling and also melancholic, seeing the director veer away from the fevered melodrama of her last picture, 2017’s excellent “The Beguiled.” The film’s release also marks a joint venture between A24 and Apple – an ideal fit for Coppola’s presumed audience.
Release Date: Unknown, but this seems like the kind of work that might end up at TIFF in the fall. – NL
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1177609101993377798
5. “Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Project”
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (“Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia”)
Cast: Unknown.
Synopsis: The story of a high school student who is also a child actor in the 1970’s San Fernando Valley.
What You Need To Know: Any new film from Paul Thomas Anderson, one of our great working American directors, is cause for celebration – particularly because he generally works in a different genre/tonal register every time he makes a new picture (stoner noir in “Inherent Vice,” torrid period romance in “Phantom Thread”). With his new, as-of-yet untitled new work, Anderson is going back to his roots. His new work will see him returning to the 1970’s milieu of “Boogie Nights.” The movie will also be Anderson’s first look at high school life, and there are early rumors that the film will return to the sprawling ensemble-based, interlocking-vignettes vibe of “Magnolia.” No one has officially joined the cast yet, but don’t be surprised if some big names board the project in the coming months.
Release Date: TBD, and to be honest, it might be #1, if we had a secure date, but considering how quickly Mr. Anderson is able to turn around “Phantom Thread” (less than a year), we’re hoping this one sees a release come holiday season next year. – NL
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1194271520958242816
4. “Dune”
Director: Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner: 2049”)
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Zendaya
Synopsis: A feature film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel, about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy.
What You Need To Know: Denis Villeneuve’s gradual ascent to the exalted heights of modern science fiction has been quite a thing to witness. “Blade Runner: 2049” was one of the best-looking films of 2017 (if not one of the best studio films of the year, full stop), but we’re betting that “Dune” may make that grand and immersive sci-fi opera look as humble as the director’s stripped-down “Polytechnique.” The sheer scope of Frank Herbert’s dense and demanding series of science fiction novels is only one of the most daunting things about reading them – even David Lynch tried to bring this story to life and didn’t totally succeed. That said, we have the utmost faith in Villeneuve: his work gets greater and grander with each new film, and seeing him tackle the tale of House Atreides, the Harkonnens, and “spice” is something we all collectively can’t wait to see (preferably in IMAX).
Release Date: December 18, via Warner Bros. – NL
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1107679694063718400
3. “The French Dispatch”
Director: Wes Anderson (“Moonrise Kingdom,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel”)
Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Saoirse Ronan, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jeffery Wright, Elisabeth Moss, and many more.
Synopsis: A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in “The French Dispatch” magazine.
What You Need To Know: Wes Anderson is one of a handful of directors who makes non-Marvel event movies that cinephiles spend their entire calendar years looking forward to. After facing some blowback over the perceived cultural tourism of his last effort, 2018’s “Isle of Dogs,” Anderson is going the “Grand Budapest Hotel” route and orchestrating another ambitious period piece in the form of his upcoming seriocomic epic, “The French Dispatch.” Anderson’s films tend to resonate the most when he’s allowed free reign in the sandbox of his imagination, and “The French Dispatch’s” entanglement with journalistic ethics could make it one of the director’s most topical works.
Release Date: The film is currently in post, so we’re betting on a spring or early summer release, although we could also see this one dropping next holiday season. But given the plot and the filmmaker involved, a Cannes debut seems likely. – NL
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1174695025093074944
2. “Annette”
Director: Leos Carax (“Holy Motors”)
Cast: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Hellberg
Synopsis: The peaceful life of a stand-up comedian and a world-famous soprano gets turned upside down with the birth of their daughter, Annette – who harbors a curious talent.
What You Need To Know: There’s a scene in “Holy Motors” that sees a marching group of men playing the accordion in a seemingly never-ending rotating scene keeping spirits high and the strength of music higher. If this offers any indication of just how high the stakes of Leos Carax’s next film, suggestively musical “Annette” will be, color us intrigued. What with Driver’s recent Sondheim rendition in “Marriage Story” and Cotillard’s proven track record with a role as Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose,” the trio of director + leading performers seems truly made of the stuff of stars.
Release date: No release date yet, but all involved parties have historically loved a premiere on the Croisette. – EK
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1128700586038140929
1. “Tenet”
Director: Christopher Nolan (“Dunkirk,” “Interstellar”)
Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine.
Synopsis: An action epic revolving around international espionage and time travel.
What You Need To Know: Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” is already poised to be arguably the biggest movie of 2020. The budget currently sits at a staggering $225 million, making it one of the most expensive original films of all time. Mr. Nolan is no stranger to big budgets, nor is he a stranger to a formidable sense of scope, as he proved in 2017’s rattling, immersive wartime epic “Dunkirk.” “Tenet’s” little-seen teaser trailer is characteristically enigmatic: we get shots of a bullet hole puncturing a sheet of glass, John David Washington breathing through an oxygen mask, and Robert Pattinson looking like some kind of souped-up secret agent. The “High Life” actor called Nolan’s latest “unreal,” and the film is currently shooting in seven countries (which is par for the course for this filmmaker). “Tenet” could prove to be Mr. Nolan’s most elaborate undertaking to date – which is enough of a reason for us to include at the top of this list.
Release Date: July 17, via Warner Bros. – NL
https://twitter.com/ThePlaylist/status/1199711236885139456
And some honorable mentions on the final page, plus a group of films we know are not coming until 2021.
