80. “Dual”
Filmmaker Riley Stearns’ “The Art of Self-Defense” was one of the more tonally liberated movies of 2019, so the prospect of the still-green director tackling a science fiction story with biting satirical undertones sounds, at the very least, potentially provocative. “Dual” centers on a woman who receives a dire medical diagnosis and subsequently clones herself, a procedure that ends up having unexpected, strange consequences: Karen Gillan, Aaron Paul, Martha Kelly, and Jesse Eisenberg star.
Release Date: TBD. – NL
79. “Halloween Ends”
After the lukewarm response to “Halloween Kills,” it shall be interesting to see the decisions made by David Gordon Green and Co. for the final chapter of the reboot-quel trilogy, “Halloween Ends.” Initially reported to take place on the same night as “Halloween,” Green now describes ‘Ends’ as “a coming of age story…” set four years after the first two films, following the characters as “they’ve processed the world as it’s spun so wildly in the last four years.” – AB
Release Date: October 14, via Universal/Peacock? – AB
78. Untitled Kenneth Branagh/Bee Gees biopic
Music biopics currently don’t show any signs of slowing down. Post-”Bohemian Rhapsody,” we’ve already seen the releases of “Rocketman” and “Stardust,” and now Kenneth Branagh (who’s been working quite a lot, these days) is set to direct a Bee Gees biopic. With “Death on the Nile” being delayed for certain Armie Hammer reasons, the British director’s follow-up to Oscar-hopeful “Belfast” may also be looking to award statues.
Release Date: TBD, via Paramount. – AB
77. “Lightyear”
Ever gaze upon Andy’s space ranger-themed bed sheets and wonder, “Was Buzz Lightyear based on a real person?” The answer is yes, an in-world astronaut inspired the self-serious action figure, and now we’re getting an animated movie based on the legend! Captain America himself, Chris Evans, voices the loyal Star Command operative (wait, what’s real and what’s not?), in Pixar’s “First Man”-like, “Toy Story” origin story, “Lightyear” (did we really just type that?).
Release Date: July 17, via Disney. – AB
76. “Spaceman”
Based on Jaroslav Kalfař’s absurdist science fiction novel, “Spaceman of Bohemia,” director Johan Renck’s (“Chernobyl”) “Spaceman” stars Adam Sandler, Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan, and Isabella Rosselini. The story of the Czech Republic’s first astronaut, Jacob Procházka (Sandler), who is sent on a solo mission to a cosmic cloud of “intergalactic dust.” Leaving his wife to travel near the planet Venus, Jakub befriends a giant alien arachnid named Hanuš in an effort to escape his past.
Release Date: TBD, via Netflix. – AB
75. “Hope”
2019’s slept-on comedy “The Breaker Upperers” and its droll sensibility were very clearly indebted to the work of Taika Waititi, the film’s executive producer. Directors Jacki Van Beek and Madeleine Sami return to Netflix for their next effort, “Hope,” which stars Aubrey Plaza and boasts screenwriting credits courtesy of Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah (whose resume includes comic jewels like “Legally Blonde” and “10 Things I Hate About You”).
Release Date: TBD. – NL
74. “Top Gun: Maverick”
It’s been thirty-plus years since Tony Scott’s “Top Gun” soared into cinemas, but the need for speed is back. The sequel picks up along the same timeline: the Navy’s top aviator, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Joseph Kosinski (“Tron: Legacy”) directs, Tom Cruise stars, and the supporting cast includes Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer, Ed Harris, and more.
Release Date: May 27, via Paramount. – RP
73. “Apollo 10 ½”
For many Richard Linklater fans, “Waking Life” remains the filmmaker’s most underrated achievement. Shooting parts of his new animated project “Apollo 10 ½” with a similar rotoscoping technique to “Waking Life” and his “A Scanner Darkly” adaptation, his latest filmmaking experiment takes place during the 1969 moon landing but follows the fantasies of children back on Earth as the event unfolds. Sounds incredible, endearing, and intriguing, and we’ll turn up for anything Linklater makes.
Release Date: TBD, via Netflix – AB
72. “Cat Person”
Starring “Succession” star Cousin Greg himself, the inimitable Nicholas Braun, director Susanna Fogel’s “Cat Person” is based on the viral New Yorker story of the same name. Braun plays Robert, a man who starts a relationship with Margot (Emilia Jones), a younger, 20-year-old college student, paying frequent visits to the movie theater she works at. Co-starring Hope Davis, Michael Gandolfini, Fred Melamed, and Isabella Rosselini, Fogel (who co-penned “Booksmart”) is a strong fit for the material.
Release Date: TBD, via StudioCanal – AB
71. “The Fabelmans”
Loosely based on director Steven Spielberg’s real-life upbringing in Arizona, “The Fablemans”—Spielberg’s first screenplay credit since 2001’s “A.I.,” co-penned with regular collaborator Tony Kushner—stars Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Paul Dano, as members of Spielberg’s surrogate family. Perhaps the most intimately personal film the household filmmaker has made since “Schindler’s List” it’s hard to see any movie lover not turning up for this.
Release Date: November 3, via Universal – AB