With 2018 behind us, it’s time to explore the slate of exciting movies opening in theaters over the next 12 months. The Disney Star Wars trilogy is ending alongside the current iteration of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Joker is getting his own movie, both Captain Marvels finally get their big screen debuts, and Jordan Peele's next horror movie is on the way. John Wick and Hellboy are coming back, there are new Frozen and Toy Story movies and much, much more make up our list of the 50 most anticipated movies of 2019.
How the 2019 most anticipated movies list was generated: 12 of the Screen Rant team listed their top movies currently confirmed with wide theatrical release dates in 2018 at the time of writing (end of 2018) and is based on their interests at that time. Films listed by each staffer get points for being listed in their personal top 30 and additional points for where they were ranked. The scores by movie for all participants were tallied up to provide us the below listed ranking.
Related: Netflix Original Movies To Be Excited About In 2019
Keep in mind, many of these films have barely begun marketing at the time of publication and the starting list began at nearly 180 releases. This is a tally of multiple separate lists and no doubt yours will be different so before you ask “why is or isn’t _____ on this list?!” you know why. Share your most anticipated movies in the comments so we can compare! And here’s last year’s list of our 30 most anticipated movies of 2018.
50. Dumbo
Release Date: April 19, 2019
Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Helen Aberson, Ehren Kruger
Cast: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin, Finley Hobbins, Joseph Gatt, and Nico Parker.
Studios: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
From Disney and visionary director Tim Burton, the all-new grand live-action adventure “Dumbo” expands on the beloved classic story where differences are celebrated, family is cherished and dreams take flight. Circus owner Max Medici enlists former star Holt Farrier and his children Milly and Joe to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when they discover that Dumbo can fly, the circus makes an incredible comeback, attracting persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere, who recruits the peculiar pachyderm for his newest, larger-than-life entertainment venture, Dreamland. Dumbo soars to new heights alongside a charming and spectacular aerial artist, Colette Marchant, until Holt learns that beneath its shiny veneer, Dreamland is full of dark secrets.
49. The Curse of La Llorona
Release Date: April 19, 2019
Director: Michael Chaves
Writers: Mikki Daughtry, Tobias Iaconis
Cast: Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz, Patricia Velasquez, Marisol Ramirez, Sean Patrick Thomas, Jaynee-Lynne Kinchen and Roman Christou.
Studios: Atomic Monster, Warner Bros.
La Llorona. The Weeping Woman. A horrifying apparition, caught between Heaven and Hell, trapped in a terrible fate sealed by her own hand. The mere mention of her name has struck terror around the world for generations. In life, she drowned her children in a jealous rage, throwing herself in the churning river after them as she wept in pain. Now her tears are eternal. They are lethal, and those who hear her death call in thenight are doomed. La Llorona creeps in the shadows and preys on the children, desperate to replace her own. As the centuries have ed, her desire has grown more voracious…and her methods more terrifying.
In 1970s Los Angeles, La Llorona is stalking the night—and the children. Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. Their only hope to survive LaLlorona’s deadly wrath may be a disillusioned priest and the mysticism he practices to keep evil at bay, on the fringes where fear and faith collide.
Beware of her chilling wail…she will stop at nothing to lure you into the gloom. Because there is no peace for her anguish. There is no mercy for her soul.
48. Little Women
Release Date: December 25, 2019
Director: Greta Gerwig
Writer: Louisa May Alcott (novel), Greta Gerwig
Cast: Meryl Streep, Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, James Norton, Laura Dern, Emma Watson, Louis Garrel, Bob Odenkirk, Chris Cooper, Abby Quinn.
Studios: Columbia Pictures, New Regency Pictures
Little Women is a period piece from producer and ex-Sony boss Amy Pascal, the eighth adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel. In 2015, Sarah Polley was attached to write and direct until a year later Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) took over.
Little Women's story follows young adult sisters in 1860s Massachusetts as they leave their family home and will jump around in time to follow its main characters. Expect this one to bit a big player on the awards circuit.
47. Ford v. Ferrari
Release Date: June 28, 2019
Director: James Mangold
Writers: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, Jason Keller, James Mangold
Cast: Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Caitriona Balfe, Jon Bernthal, Noah Jupe, Josh Lucas, JJ Feild, Tracy Letts, Ray McKinnon, Adam Mayfield, Marisa Petroro, Jonathan LaPaglia, Rudolf Martin
Studios: Chernin Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox
Ford v. Ferrari is a biopic drama based on the true story of the battle between Ford and Ferrari to win Le Mans, the oldest endurance race, in 1966. It's the first movie directed by Jim Mangold since he changed the superhero game with Logan, the last Hugh Jackman Wolverine movie.
46. Rocketman
Release Date: May 31, 2019
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Writer: Lee Hall
Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Gemma Jones and Bryce Dallas Howard.
Studios: Marv Films, Paramount Pictures
ROCKETMAN is an epic musical fantasy about the uncensored human story of Sir Elton John’s breakthrough years, starring Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden and Bryce Dallas Howard.
45. Under The Silver Lake
Release Date: April 19, 2019
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Writer: David Robert Mitchell
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough
Studios: Vendian Entertainment, A24
From the dazzling imagination that brought you It Follows comes a delirious neo-noir fever dream about one man's search for the truth behind the mysterious crimes, murders, and disappearances in his East L.A. neighborhood.
Sam (Andrew Garfield) is a disenchanted 33-year-old who discovers a mysterious woman, Sarah (Riley Keough), frolicking in his apartment’s swimming pool. When she vanishes, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal, and conspiracy in the City of Angels.
From writer-director David Robert Mitchell comes a sprawling, playful and unexpected mystery-comedy detective thriller about the Dream Factory and its denizens—dog killers, aspiring actors, glitter-pop groups, nightlife personalities, It girls, memorabilia hoarders, masked seductresses, homeless gurus, reclusive songwriters, sex workers, wealthy socialites, topless neighbors, and the shadowy billionaires floating above (and underneath) it all. Mining a noir tradition extending from Kiss Me Deadly and The Long Goodbye to Chinatown and Mulholland Drive, Mitchell uses the topography of Los Angeles as a backdrop for a deeper exploration into the hidden meaning and secret codes buried within the things we love.
44. Ad Astra
Release Date: May 24, 2019
Director: James Gray
Writers: James Gray, Ethan Gross
Cast: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, Ruth Negga, Greg Bryk, John Ortiz, Jamie Kennedy
Studios: New Regency Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox
In Ad Astra (which means “to the stars” in Latin), Pitt plays a slightly autistic space engineer Roy McBride. Twenty years after his father left on a one-way mission to Neptune in order to find signs of extra-terrestrial intelligence, McBride travels through the solar system to find him and understand why his mission failed.
Source: Deadline
43. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (You Are My Friend)
Release Date: October 18, 2019
Director: Marielle Heller
Writers: Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster
Cast: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Enrico Colantoni, Wendy Makkena, Chris Cooper, Sakina Jaffrey, Tammy Blanchard, Susan Kelechi Watson, Michael Masini.
Studios: Big Beach Films, TriStar Pictures
Two-time Oscar-winner Tom Hanks portrays Mister Rogers in Untitled Mr. Rogers/ Tom Hanks Project, a timely story of kindness triumphing over cynicism, based on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Tom Junod. After a jaded magazine writer (Emmy winner Matthew Rhys) is assigned a profile of Fred Rogers, he overcomes his skepticism, learning about empathy, kindness, and decency from America’s most beloved neighbor.
42. Sonic The Hedgehog
Release Date: November 8, 2019
Director: Jeff Fowler
Writers: Patrick Casey, Josh Miller
Cast: James Marsden, Ben Schwartz, Natasha Rothwell, Tika Sumpter, Neal McDonough, Adam Pally and Jim Carrey.
Studios: Original Film, Paramount Pictures
This telling of Sonic's story sees him as a bit of a fish -- or hedgehog -- out of water. Sonic, voiced by Ben Schwartz, finds himself in our present-day world, wherein he develops a relationship with James Marsden's Tom Wachowski and also finds himself at odds with Jim Carrey's Dr. Robotnik. As expected, mayhem ensues.
The production team behind the movie opted to go for a more realistic take on Sonic -- down to his updated new kicks -- than the more cartoony version we've seen in the past. The filmmakers consider Ted to be an appropriate analog for the Sonic movie’s integration of a CG character into a real-world setting.
Source: IGN
41. Are You Afraid of the Dark
Release Date: October 11, 2019
Director: D.J. Caruso
Writers: Gary Dauberman, BenDavid Grabinski
Cast: N/A
Studios: Ace Entertainment, Paramount Pictures
As mysterious as the content of the film itself, we know little about Paramount's feature film based on the Nickelodeon series, 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?'
Page 2: Top 40 Most Anticipated Movies of 2019
