The highest-grossing films of 2023 (“Barbie”, “Oppenheimer” and “Super Mario Bros”, in that order) altered a trend that had been prevailing in recent years. All three were “original” films, they did not respond to any franchise or universe, and they were not remakes either. On the contrary, the cinema that is announced for 2024 is invaded by sequels, prequels and sagas for all tastes and ages. It is known that the fact that second parts were never good does not fit with the Hollywood of this century. Now there are thirds, fifths and sevenths, and anything goes to perpetuate a formula or a character that worked at the time. What’s more, as happened with the continuation of “Top Gun” (a successful and highly praised case, fortunately), it is now also on the agenda of the major studios to resurrect events from decades and decades ago, appealing to the nostalgia of an audience that He is already over 40 or 50 years old. Lack of ideas? Creative laziness? Maybe. Or perhaps the pressure to play it safe in times of crisis and lean times.
In the field of sequels, and this must be recognized, there are some of the expected films of 2024. The best example is “Duna: Part Two”, whose premiere was scheduled for 2023, but constant delays moved it to February 29. Again directed by Denise Villeneuve, this science fiction classic returns with a luxury cast that includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebeca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Austin Butler, Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh and Léa Seydoux. In the same field of high expectations is “Furiosa: From the Mad Max Saga” (arriving on May 23), a prequel to the box office and award-winning “Mad Mad: Fury Road”, from 2015. The established director George Miller returns to the helm with Anya Taylor-Joy as the lead and Chris Hemsworth in the cast.
Another female antiheroine joining the big screen is “Ballerina” (June 6), a spin-off of “John Wick” starring Ana de Armas like a fearsome assassin for hire. The cast includes Keanu Reeves, Anjelica Huston and Gabriel Byrne.
FURIOSA: FROM THE MAD MAX SAGA | OFFICIAL TRAILER #1 | SUBTITLED
The long-announced “Gladiator 2” will also hit theaters this year (November 22). The sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning film will be directed by the original director, Ridley Scott, tireless at 86 years old, and the cast includes figures such as Paul Mescal, Joaquin Phoenix, Denzel Washington and Peter Pascal. Instead of focusing on Maximus, who died in that epic and unforgettable outcome, the sequel to “Gladiator” will focus on Lucius. The nephew of Commodus and faithful admirer of Russell Crowe’s warrior has now grown up and will be played by Paul Mescal, the young and talented actor from “Aftersun” and the series “Normal People”.
Fans of the Tim Burton of the 80s will be happy with the late sequel to “Beetlejuice,” which will be released in September. With Burton himself in the direction, part of the original cast also returns (Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara) and Jenna Ortega, the star of the series “Merlina”, joins the team.
Superheroes, who no longer seem to perform at the box office as before, will have their modest quota on screen in 2024. Marvel studios only have the delayed “Deadpool 3” on their agenda (July 26), which was delayed due to the Hollywood actors’ strike, among other issues. The antihero played by Ryan Reynolds will debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Disney bought 20th Century Fox. In addition, Deadpool will not be alone: he will be accompanied by Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, who will also make his first appearance in the franchise.
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“Deadpool 3” finally arrives in July with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.
The big “tank” of this segment, however, belongs to a villain. “Joker: Folie A Deux” is released in October, the sequel to “Joker”, the brutal box office hit of 2019. Director Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix (Oscar winner for this role) team up again in this film, and Lady Gaga joins in the role of Harley Quin. The film is a risky bet, since, as anticipated, it will combine comedy, drama, romance and even musical.
Sony’s Spider-Man universe will have three movies this year, which initially do not raise many expectations: “Madame Web” (releases February 15), with Dakota Johnson as the protagonist; “Kraven the Hunter” (August 30), with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and “Venom 3” (November 8), with Tom Hardy.
Animated films, which always manage to sneak into the Top Ten of films with the highest grossing, will also have their sequel festival this year. One of the most anticipated is “Inside Out 2” (June 13), a continuation of the 2015 Pixar hit. The protagonist, Riley, became a teenager, and the already known emotions (joy, sadness, fury) are now joined by new characters such as Anxiety. Other potentially profitable titles are “Kung Fu Panda 4” (March 7), “Despicable Me 4” (July 2, just in time to break winter holiday records), “Sonic 3” (December 19) and the Lion King spin-off “Mufasa” (December 19).
Inside Out 2 | Official Trailer | Dubbed with descriptive subtitles
The oldest franchises are going to fight again. In the coming months they will be released “Ghostbusters: Ghost Apocalypse” (March 28), “Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire” (April 11), “Planet of the Apes: New Kingdom” (May 23), “Bad Boys 4” (13 June) and “Alien 7: Romulus” (August 16). The “A Quiet Place” saga will have a prequel, “A Quiet Place: Day One” (June 27), starring Lupita Nyong’o; and the purest terror will return with “Smile 2” (October 17) and “Terrifier 3” (October 24).
As if that were not enough, a new movie by “The Karate Kid”, the franchise that was revived thanks to the success of “Cobra Kai”, the Netflix series. The fifth film in the saga, which still has no title, will star Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan, and a few weeks ago a worldwide casting call was launched to find the young actor who will play the central role and master the art of the fight.
Another cinema, with limited space
Cinema by great directors and cinema awarded at festivals will also have their quota in theaters in 2024, although it is already known that their space is very limited compared to the mainstream tanks. In any case, already this month and in February, some 2022 films will arrive with a delay that will surely be in the nominations for the next Oscars.
On Thursday, January 11, “The Boy and the Heron,” the latest film by Japanese master Hayao Miyazaki, will premiere in Argentina. A week later, On the 18th, “Poor Creatures” will arrive, the new work by the always provocative Greek Yorgos Lanthimos, with Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo. And on the 25th the award-winning French film will be released “Anatomy of a fall”directed by Justine Triet. “Those Who Remain”, the new film by Alexander Payne (“Sideways”, “The Confessions of Mr. Schmidt”), arrives on February 8, and the biopic premieres on the same day “Ferrari”, Michael Mannstarring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz. “Secrets of a Scandal”, the latest from Todd Haynes, with Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, can be seen starting February 29. In just two months there will be a good film festival.
Poor Creatures | Official Trailer | Subtitled
For the rest of the year, new films by directors such as Luca Guadagnino and Bong Joon-ho. The Korean director who triumphed with “Parasite” will return to theaters on March 28 with “Mickey 17”, a science fiction film with Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette. Alex Garland will do the same on April 25 with “Civil War”, starring Kristen Dunst and Jesse Plemons, while the Italian Luca Guadagnino will return the same day with “Desafiantes”, set in the universe of tennis with Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O ‘Connor. John Krasinski (“A Quiet Place”) will try his luck with the comedy “If” (May 16), starring himself, Ryan Reynolds and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
In addition to the already named “Ferrari”, there are at least two other biopics in the pipeline for 2024: “Bob Marley: The Legend” (February 15), with Kingsley Ben-Adir as the reggae icon; and “Back to Black,” with Marisa Abela as English singer Amy Winehouse.
Robert Eggers (director of “The Lighthouse” and “The Northman”) will return with “Nosferatu” (scheduled for December 25), a re-adaptation of the legendary 1922 German film. The cast includes Bill Skarsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe.
2024-01-08 04:45:49
#cinema #coming #invasion #sequels #prequels #sagas
