There may only be four months left of 2018 but some of this year’s biggest releases lie within them.
Here’s our roundup of a handful of the hottest and most highly anticipated films still to come before 2019…
1. Venom
A Spider-Man spin-off, Venom sees Tom Hardy play Eddie Brock, a journalist who gains frightening superpowers when he comes into contact with an alien symbiotic.
Directed by Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer, Venom swings into cinemas on 5 October.
2. First Man
La La Land’s Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle reunites with that film’s star Ryan Gosling for this biopic look at the life of Neil Armstrong.
The Crown’s Claire Foy co-stars as Janet Armstrong in a film that promises to be out of this world.
Take one great leap on 12 October.
3. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Disney’s Nutcracker adaptation comes from the director who made his name by crafting the look of thirty-one ABBA music videos in the seventies and eighties.
Kiera Knightley is his new dancing queen, here playing the Sugar Plum Fairy. Intersellar’s Mackenzie Foy is Ciara, with Richard E. Grant as the Snow Realm King. Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Miranda Hard and Jack Whitehall also feature.
Pirouetting into cinemas on 12 October.
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
Rami Malek is a startling Freddie Mercury is Bryan Singer’s Queen chronicle. The film follows Mercury’s entry into the legendary band, leading up to their appearance at the Live Aid concert of 1985.
This one will rock you on 24 October.
5. The Grinch
Illumination bring their Despicable Me stylisation to a brand new adaptation of Dr Seuss’ classic The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.
Most recently realised on the big screen in Ron Howard’s hyperactive live-action feature in 2000, the new film sees Benedict Cumberbatch voice the titular antagonist.
Christmas will be stolen from 9 November. Read more here.
6. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
More warmly received than critically acclaimed, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them offered Harry Potter fans a pleasing return to J. K. Rowling’s Wizarding World in 2016.
The sequel sees Eddie Redmayne return as Newt Scamander, who is this time recruited by a younger Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) to join the fight against rising foe Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).
Fantastic Beasts apparates into cinemas on 16 November.
7. Robin Hood
Otto Bathurst’s Robin Hood looks a whole lot like Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur to us. It too is a revisionist take on a classic story.
The ever-likeable Taron Egerton heads the cast as Robin of Loxley, who, with the aid of Little John (Jamie Foxx), revolts against the English crown.
Find out if this Robin is a bullseye or missed target on 21 November.
8. Ralph Breaks the Internet
Kristen Bell, Kelly Macdonald, Mandy Moore and Auli’i Cravalho are among the actresses briefly reprising their roles as a host of classic Disney princesses – from Mulan to Moana and Ariel to Anna – for this sequel to Wreck-It-Ralph, in which Ralph (John C. Riley) must travel across the internet to save Sugar Rush.
Ralph reloads in cinemas on 30 November.
9. Mortal Engines
Peter Jackson is among the writers and producers of this adaptation of Philip Reeve’s popular post-apocalyptic adventure novel.
Robert Sheehan – most recently of Bad Samaritan – plays Tom Natsworthy, who finds himself accidentally embroiled in a tale of assassination and scheming.
This one with traction into cinemas on 14 December.
10. Aquaman
With Wonder Woman still the only ‘Worlds of DC’ film to meet any sense of critical approval, there remains a lot riding on Aquaman.
After his introduction in last year’s Justice League, Arthur Curry (Jason Momoa) moves to the fore as the titular hero, who must come to terms with the realisation that he is heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis.
Aquaman will make a splash from 14 December.
11. Mary Poppins Returns
Emily Blunt replaces Julie Andrews in the starring role of Disney’s long-awaited sequel to Mary Poppins.
Said to be skewing closer to the characterisation of the practically perfect nanny in P. L. Travers’ original stories, this Mary Poppins will bring order to depression-era London.
Take a spoonful of sugar on 21 December.
12. Bumblebee
Back in February, Paramount pulled a sixth Transformers film from its schedules. This followed the exit of Michael Bay from the franchise a year earlier and the underperformance of film five: The Last Knight.
Fans, however, needn’t be too disheartened – they’ve still got Travis Knight’s prequel-spin-off to look forward to. Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena star.
Prepare for one more transformation on 26 December.
13. Holmes and Watson
Just when you thought there were too many Sherlock Holmes films in cinemas today (Sherlock Gnomes, anyone?), Etan Cohen – the Get Hard director, not to be confused with one half of the Cohen brothers: Ethan – brings a ‘comical’ new interpretation.
Will Ferrell plays Holmes, with John C. Riley as Watson. Also in the all-star cast are Ralph Fiennes, Kelly Macdonald and Hugh Laurie – ironically playing the same role his former comedy partner, Stephen Fry, took in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
This game’s afoot on 26 December.
The Film Blog 