Our 12 New Year's Wishes & Resolutions For The Film/TV Industry In 2019

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Here, we are, living the last day of 2018, and for many, it’s good riddance to this year. 2018, which went on for approximately, 1,324 days, seemed to have a ton of ups, but perhaps even more downs, especially outside of the entertainment industry (let’s not go there, however). That said, we have spent a fair amount of time breaking down the very best the year had to offer, from a variety of different angles. And now, on the eve of 2019, it’s time to look ahead.

READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2018

Whether it’s aimed at the biggest production companies and studios around or specific films that we’re dying to see, we have some wishes and resolutions that we’d like to put out into the ether in hopes they may just happen. And while we fully expect many of these hopes for 2019 to end up like that “I’ll really get that gym membership, for sure!” resolution that we always break, it never hurts to have dreams.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019

Click here for our complete coverage of the best and worst of 2018.

So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at 12 resolutions, hopes, dreams, wishes, what-have-you, that we really would love to see in the next 365 days. There’s no way that 2019 can be worse than 2018, right?

READ MORE: The Worst Films of 2018

1. Please, Cannes and Netflix, end the feud
One of the biggest stories from the first half of 2018 was how Cannes and Netflix couldn’t come to an agreement, and thus, some of the year’s biggest films skipped the French film festival in favor of Venice, TIFF, and the remaining fall fests. The crux of the argument is pretty complicated, but allow us to distill it down as easy as possible. A rule that has always been in place at Cannes forces each film that premieres at the festival to have a theatrical run in France. However, French law states that any film that has a theatrical run in the country must wait at least 36 months until it premieres on a streaming service. And as you might have guessed, there’s no way that Netflix is going to premiere a film like “Roma” at Cannes only to have to wait 3 years until it can go on its streaming service.

This led to a bitter feud that doesn’t seem to have an end in sight and in the end, “Roma” not debuting at Cannes (nor any Netflix pictures to that end). However, with Cannes being perhaps the most historic (and prestigious) film festival of the year, it’s a shame that Netflix would choose to skip the event in favor of the fall festivals (and in doing so inadvertently lead to the Venice Film Festival to have a banner year). This puts Cannes in the rare situation of being a festival that doesn’t have some of the big names it annually has, and if 2018 is any indication, would lower the stock of the French fest. As film fans, we want Cannes to be incredible, and so we hope that an agreement can happen. The future is here Cannes, and its name is Netflix. And at some point, you’ll have to adapt or die.

2. Terrence Malick, will you be so kind and release “Radegund?”
It has been well over 2 years since legendary filmmaker Terrence Malick began production on his latest film, “Radegund.” The film, which is said to follow a German conscientious objector to WWII that is later executed, has been eagerly anticipated by damn near every film fan for years now, with not a hint as to when it might be released. Earlier this year, in July, it was rumored that Malick might be done with the film and was waiting for the fall film festival season to premiere “Radegund.” But fall came and went, and even though the film festival season was full of incredible works, Malick’s name was nowhere to be found.

We know that Malick is not someone that rushes projects through post-production, but we would love to at least know when the filmmaker is set to release “Radegund.” And it would fill our little film fan hearts with glee if that came in 2019.

3. Hey, Marvel Studios, thanks for hiring diverse filmmakers. Now, keep it up!
The big story of Marvel Studios’ 2018 was not “Avengers: Infinity War” and the infamous Thanos snap. Clearly, the story of the MCU this year revolved around the introduction of “Black Panther.” That film, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, showed that a film with a diverse cast and diverse crew of filmmakers could not only be successful, but break records in the process. Now, 2019 brings us Marvel’s first female director on “Captain Marvel,” and perhaps even more down the line.

While nothing was officially announced (pesky Kevin Feige and all his secrets), Marvel Studios is said to have hired Cate Shortland for “Black Widow,” Chloe Zhao for “The Eternals,” and Dave Callaham to write “Shang Chi.” Add to that Ryan Coogler coming back for “Black Panther 2,” and Marvel Studios’ creator line-up is more diverse than ever before. And with Phase 4 ostensibly being announced in 2019, let’s hear some more women and people of color being announced as joining the MCU fold. “Avengers: Endgame” is putting a stamp on the first chapter in the MCU, why not enter the future with a new direction, led by some new talent?

4. Kathleen Kennedy, can you please hire a director that isn’t a non-white male and steer the “Star Wars” franchise out of the toxicity?
Ever since Disney purchased Lucasfilm, and with it, the entire “Star Wars” universe, there hasn’t been very much to complain about. Up until 2018, every move that studio boss Kathleen Kennedy made seemed to be the right choice. Films were breaking records, spin-offs were doing well, and all was right. Then, 2018 came and with it, the first time that “Star Wars” looked painfully vulnerable. Toxic fans took over the social media conversation, terrorizing actors and filmmakers. ‘Solo’ produced the lowest box office numbers in franchise history. And sure-thing spin-off projects were put on the backburner.

Now, in 2019, we have a TV series to look forward to, with “The Mandalorian,” and the trilogy-ending “Star Wars: Episode IX.” How about we move into the future with a new direction? Lucasfilm can do that in a variety of ways, not least of which by hiring some diverse filmmakers to take the reins on a film project. Sure, there’s some women and non-white men working as directors on “The Mandalorian,” but when will Kathleen Kennedy stop relying on the old white men she feels comfortable with and give someone else a shot? Look at Patty Jenkins, Ryan Coogler, and James Wan. These are filmmakers breaking records and taking risks. I mean, it couldn’t hurt, given how far the brand has fallen in the last 365 days.