Bad Boys For Life - Jan. 17
Seventeen years after the release of Bad Boys II, audiences will finally get another entry in the buddy cop franchise. Sony has dated Bad Boys for Life for 2020, bringing back Will Smith and Martin Lawrence (finally confirmed by the pair via Instagram) as Miami Police Department detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, respectively. Jerry Bruckheimer is set to return to produce the project, which will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Black).
Bad Boys for Life has had a long journey to the big screen, and many fans thought that the oft-discussed film would never actually happen, especially when the movie was pulled from the studio's release schedule and lost its initial director due to scheduling conflicts. However, it appears that it's finally moving forward now, which should mark a fun new opportunity for fans to enjoy the action adventures of Smith and Lawrence once again. We may not have any specific details on the movie's plot yet, but we're still pumped.
Birds of Prey - Feb. 7
DC and Warner Bros. seem determined to play to their strengths in 2020. Suicide Squad was divisive, to say the least, but fans loved Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn… or, at least, they could see her potential. That's why she's being given an even more central role in a Birds of Prey movie, the full title of which (as revealed by Robbie herself on Instagram) is the delightfully colorful Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn).
Birds of Prey has been a prominent title in DC Comics since 1996, when it debuted as a team-up book about Black Canary and Oracle. There have been numerous iterations of the team over the years, casting the spotlight on a rotating cast of DC's street-level female heroes and anti-heroes. A Birds of Prey TV show lasted for one season on the WB in 2002, but the DCEU movie will likely be quite different (and almost certainly a bigger hit).
Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Jurnee Smollett-Bell join Robbie's Harley as Huntress and Black Canary, respectively. The trio will team up with Detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to protect young Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco) from the villainous Black Mask (Ewan McGregor). Directed by indie filmmaker Cathy Yan from a script by Bumblebee's Christina Hodson, Birds of Prey flies into theaters on February 7.
G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant - March 27
Hasbro's Real American Heroes will return to the big screen in 2020 for G.I. Joe: Ever Vigilant, although who will star in the action flick is still up in the air. Paramount is set to release the third film in the franchise, seven years after the release of 2013's G.I. Joe: Retaliation and 11 years after G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The studio is reportedly keen on getting Dwayne Johnson back to reprise his Retaliation role as Roadblock.
It is unclear yet whether any other Joe stars like Channing Tatum or Bruce Willis will return for the sequel, but xXx: The Return of Xander Cage director D.J. Caruso has been attached to direct for most of the project's development. Ever Vigilant has been rumored to be a reboot that will kick off a Marvel-style Hasbro Cinematic Universe. No matter which route they go down, the franchise's past outings have combined action and adventure, and the third should be no exception.
Mulan - March 27
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Disney is set to turn another one of their most popular animated films into a live action epic in 2020, debuting an updated version of Mulan. The movie, which was initially set to be released in 2018 but later pushed back, will be directed by The Zookeeper's Wife's Niki Caro based on a script from Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Jurassic World).
The delay in the film's release date reportedly happened because it took Disney a year of searching across the world to find its star. They eventually landed on Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu. Liu is one of China's most popular actresses and is nicknamed "Fairy Sister" due to her innocent persona. With the lead warrior princess in place, the cast was rounded out with international stars Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Jason Scott Lee. The musical element of the movie remains a subject of conflicting rumors, but Liu has already proved that she has the singing chops should Caro choose to go that route. Her filmography also shows that she has a lot of experience in the action required for the role, and should be a great fit for the popular Disney princess.
Fast & Furious 9 - April 10
Viewers will have to wait an extra year for Fast & Furious 9, but they'll get a spinoff movie out of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in the meantime—and it should be worth the wait when it finally does hit theaters in the spring of 2019. Although we don't know much about where the saga's headed next, the pressure to keep upping the stakes should mean it'll find a way to be even more epic than previous installments.
With Charlize Theron's Cipher still alive and on the loose at the end of Fate of the Furious, there are lots of opportunities for mayhem. You can probably count on most of your favorite cast members returning, and the franchise's ever-increasing profile means there's always the chance they'll land even more big names to join the family. Audiences will definitely want to drive out to the theater for this extravaganza.
Untitled Barbie movie - May 8
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Anne Hathaway is going to play an atypical Barbie on the big screen in 2020. The Oscar winner is expected to star in a live-action movie inspired by the bestselling toy, playing a Barbie who gets kicked out of Barbieland for not being perfect enough. The plot, which will feature Hathaway's character going on a real-world adventure, is said to be reminiscent of Splash, Enchanted, and Big.
Alethea Jones, who has directed episodes of American Woman, Cop Hard, and Anatomy, as well as the feature film Fun Mom Dinner, will take on directorial duties for the movie. The script also shows a lot of promise, with the likes of Lindsey Beer (Chaos Walking), Jenny Bicks (The Greatest Showman), Kim Caramele (Inside Amy Schumer), Diablo Cody (Juno), Bert V. Royal (Easy A), Hilary Winston (Community), and Amy Schumer (Trainwreck) lending a hand. Sounds like a real Barbie Dream World to us.
Godzilla vs. Kong - May 23
Film fans will finally get the answer to an age-old question in 2020, when Godzilla and King Kong face off on the big screen. Director Adam Wingard has already assured fans that his take on the two monsters will crown a definitive winner, unlike the 1962 film that first pit the two characters against each other. This will be the fourth entry in Legendary's MonsterVerse, first established in 2014's Godzilla and further explored in Kong: Skull Island.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters will open up that world even wider in 2019, bringing old favorites like Mothra and Rodan into the fray and setting the stage for this clash of the titans. Godzilla vs. Kong is the biggest project yet for Wingard, whose previous directing credits include You're Next, The Guest, and Blair Witch. As if the collision of these two screen icons wasn't fan-pleasing enough, the movie will also feature an impressive assembly of human actors. Stranger Things' Millie Bobbie Brown will reprise her King of the Monsters role, with Black Panther's Danai Gurira and Deadpool 2's Julian Dennison also attached to star.
Maleficent 2 - May 29
Audiences haven't seen much of Angelina Jolie over the past few years—in fact, her most recent big-budget movie is 2014's Maleficent. Now, after four years of waiting, Disney has confirmed the return of the horns and high cheekbones, announcing that Maleficent 2 is in production with Jolie and Elle Fanning reprising their roles as Maleficent and Aurora. According to the synopsis, the sequel begins "several years after" the first chapter, and "continues to explore the complex relationship between the horned fairy and the soon to be Queen, as they form new alliances and face new adversaries in their struggle to protect the moors and the magical creatures that reside within."
Hot off her appearance in Ant-Man and the Wasp, Michelle Pfeiffer has signed on to the project as Queen Ingrith. Harris Dickinson—who just finished playing J. Paul Getty III in the FX series Trust—will step in to replace Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip, Aurora's love interest in the original animated Sleeping Beauty. Other additions to the cast include Chiwetel Ejiofor (Doctor Strange), Ed Skrein (Deadpool), and Jenn Murray (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them). Joachim Rønnin, who directed 2017's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, will venture into the enchanted forest to helm the feature.
Wonder Woman 1984 - June 5
2017's Wonder Woman is the most critically acclaimed movie in the DC Extended Universe by a wide margin (no, really… a wide margin). It makes sense, then, that Gal Gadot's embodiment of the Amazonian warrior is being fast-tracked back to the big screen while Superman and Batman are left to fight a legion of issues standing in the way of their next movie appearance. Diana's second solo adventure hasn't been without delays of its own, however; the movie was pushed back from its original 2019 holiday season release to June 5, 2020.
When the movie does at last arrive, it will bring with it the blast from the past promised by the title. Filling in part of the timeline between the first movie's World War I setting and the hero's reemergence in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman 1984 will see the return of Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, and director Patty Jenkins. SNL alum Kristen Wiig joins the fray as nemesis Cheetah, clashing with Diana in the Soviet Union.
Top Gun: Maverick - June 26
Director Joseph Kosinski made his movie debut with 2010's TRON: Legacy, a sequel for a generation that hadn't even been born when its predecessor was made. Now, he's set to do it again with Top Gun: Maverick, the 2020 follow-up to 1986's military thrill ride. Much like Creed, the new film will find the original movie's hero taking the son of his fallen friend under his wing.
Top Gun director Tony Scott had envisioned a sequel, but his death in 2010 put those plans on hold. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer remained dedicated, however, eventually hiring Kosinski and getting original stars Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer on board. Miles Teller will play the son of Goose, with Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, and Ed Harris also joining the cast. A big part of Top Gun's success was its wildly popular soundtrack, and Maverick has already promised to pay homage to that, with Harold Faltermeyer returning to compose the score and Kenny Loggins recording a new version of "Danger Zone." Feel the need for speed on June 26.
Minions 2 - July 3
No matter how much success the animation studio has with Dr. Seuss adaptations and funny animal franchises, Illumination will always be the house that Minions built, and they aren't likely to forget it any time soon. The little yellow mischief-makers have dominated the box office since Despicable Me debuted in 2010, and after ten years, two sequels, and their own spin-off, the characters will get their second chance at leading their own big-screen outing.
Minions 2 was pretty much a given after the first film took over theaters and toy stores everywhere, but Illumination has proven throughout the Despicable Me franchise that there's still a lot creativity behind this juggernaut. It still remains to be seen what the banana-loving little guys will be up to in their standalone sequel, but the first movie promised a glimpse at their early adventures with a young Gru. We have faith that whatever the studio comes up with will be fun for the whole family.
Avatar 2 - Dec. 18
We're getting not one, not two, not even three, but four Avatar sequels over the next decade, the first of which will hit theaters in 2020. The massive undertaking reportedly has a total budget of over $1 billion, allowing director and franchise mastermind James Cameron to fully embrace new technologies and make sure that the sequels are as visually stunning as the first chapter.
Cameron isn't slouching on the story, either. The movies are said to be a family saga about Jake (Sam Worthington), Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), and their children. Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Matt Gerald, Joel David Moore, Giovanni Ribisi, and C.C.H. Pounder are among the returning cast, despite the deaths of some of their characters in the original. Newcomers include Fear the Walking Dead's Cliff Curtis as Tonowari, the leader of a clan of reef people, and Game of Thrones' Oona Chaplin as Varang, a prominent character described as being strong and vibrant. A group of young actors will take on mostly CGI roles as the younger set of Pandora residents, bringing the film a new challenge—and hopefully, some new life as well.
Sherlock Holmes 3 - Dec. 25
Robert Downey Jr. is set to return as the world's most famous detective in 2020. The actor will once again step into the shoes of Sherlock Holmes for Sherlock Holmes 3, which will also feature the return of his co-star Jude Law, who plays John Watson. Guy Ritchie directed the first two films, although it's unclear if he'll return for the third movie. The film has a script from Narcos co-creator Chris Brancato.
By the time Sherlock Holmes 3 hits theaters, it will have been nine years since Downey last played the character in 2011's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. However, the actor's trademark wit has been on full display thanks to his role as Tony Stark in the MCU, which could bring a fun new dimension to his Sherlock. It should be interesting to see how his take on Sherlock Holmes has aged over the years, but it seems safe to say that he'll lead audiences on yet another exciting and epic adventure.
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