With Christmas wrapping up and the New Year hangovers finally fading away, it’s time to get down to business. 2018 is all set to be another cracking year for cinema – including a welcome rest from Disney live-action remakes – and here are 18 picks to get you excited!

1. Mary Poppins Returns – 21 December

Common sense tells us a sequel to Mary Poppins, after 54 years, is wrong but…Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streetp and Angel Lansbury have made the nanny’s return the most anticipated family film of the year!

2. Early Man – 26 January

A new Aardman animation is always must-see so one starring Eddie Redmayne and Maisie Williams, and directed by the creator of Wallace and Gromit, is a thrilling prospect.

3. Avengers: Infinity War – 27 April

Billing itself as the blockbuster to end all blockbusters, the final Avengers film (of this generation anyway) will either be a joyous adventure or massive headache. We’ll see…

4. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! – 27 July

Back in 2008, Mamma Mia briefly took the title of the UK’s highest-grossing film of all time. Ten years later, here we go again… The original cast (Streep, Brosnan, Walters, Firth et al) and are this time joined by Lily James, Jeremy Irvine, Alexa Davies and Hugh Skinner as their flashback counterparts. New ABBA songs include ‘When I Kissed a Teacher’ and ‘Angel Eyes’.

5. Coco – January 19

Already out – and hailed a triumph – in the US, Coco is finally arriving in the UK! This new Pixar film sees aspiring musician Miguel venture into the Land of the Dead in search of his great-great-grandfather, a legendary musician.

6. Ready Player One – March 30

Steven Spielberg brings Ernest Cline’s book to the big screen in a new, hotly anticipated blockbuster. When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune. Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) finds the first clue and starts a race for the Egg. Mark Rylance and Gifted’s promising newcomer Mckenna Grace co-star.

7. The Crimes of Grindelwald – 16 November

A sequel to J. K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Crimes of Grindelwald is hoping to once more cast magic over the box office as Jude Law and Zoë Kravitz join the ensemble.

8. Oceans 8 – 22 June

After Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters of 2016, the Oceans franchise gets an all-female reboot this Summer, courtesy of The Hunger Games‘ Gary Ross. The cast – Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Helena Bonham Carter – is to die for so here’s praying it’s good!

9. Ant-Man vs the Wasp – 3 August

Ant-Man didn’t exactly light the world when it came out four years ago so Marvel shouldn’t be surprised if the crowds don’t exactly flood in. The field’s a lot more crowded now.

10. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – 8 June

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are back for more dino fun, this time directed by A Monster Calls‘ J. A. Bayona. The plot seems a little same-old-same-old based on the trailer but the promise of a franchise return for Jeff Goldblum has us on board.

11. A Wrinkle in Time – 23 March

Whilst Disney have no animation remakes lined up for 2018 that doesn’t mean there won’t be any big-budget magic coming from the House of Mouse. A Wrinkle in Time comes from the book by Madeleine L’Engle and is directed by Ava DuVernay – the woman behind Selma and 13th. Reece Witherspoon, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris Pine and Oprah Winfrey star.

12. The Incredibles 2 – 13 July

What’s really incredible here is that it’s taken 14 long years for Brad Bird to produce a sequel to his marvellous Pixar classic The Incredibles. Picking up right from the end of the first film, this second outing for the super-family will see baby Jack-Jack cause chaos with the development of his own special powers.

13. Robin Hood – TBC

Coming from a director with a fabulous track record on TV – Otto Bathurst has tackled Peaky Blinders and Black Mirror before his feature debut – we’re secretly hopeful about this gritty take on the Robin Hood legend. Just keep Guy Ritchie away. Taron Egerton leads.

14. Solo: A Star Wars Story – 25 May

Is it too soon for Star Wars fatigue? Another anthology film here, after Rogue One, Alden Ehrenreich plays a young Han Solo, alongside Emilia Clarke, Thandie Newton and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The young cast look great but the checkered production history is distracting.

15. Mary Queen of Scots – TBC

Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie are pretty unrecognisable is there roles as Mary Stuart and Queen Elizabeth I here. Josie Rourke moves from stage to screen with the film, which also stars David Tennant and Gemma Chan. Looks promising to us!

16. Black Panther – 12 February

Regular readers of The Film Blog will know of our increasing weariness for superhero films but somehow Marvel keep finding ways to reel us back in. This time they’ve managed it with the promise of actual diversity in the MCU as Chadwick Boseman plays T’Challa, heir to the throne of Wakanda, alongside Lupita Nyong’o and Get Out‘s Daniel Kaluuya. Ryan Cooler directs.

17. Tomb Raider – 16 March

Despite the dodgy promos, we’re still excited about the new Tomb Raider – not least because, despite her recent flops, we still love Alicia Vikander. Taking the role previously played by Angelina Jolie, Vikander stars as Lara Croft in an adventure that will push the explorer to her limits.

18. Deadpool 2

Twentieth Century Fox’s plot summary pretty much says it all:

“After surviving a near fatal knee boarding accident , a disfigured guidance counselor (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Poughkeepsie’s most celebrated French Bulldog breeder while also learning to cope with an open relationship. Searching to regain his passion for life, as well as a new stuffed unicorn, Wade must battle ninjas, tight assed metal men, and babysit a group stereotypical side characters as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and creative outlets for his very open-minded sex life. He manages to find a new lust for being a do-gooder, a sparkly Hello Kitty backpack, all while earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best 4th Wall Breaking Superhero.’

What are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments!