From The Batman to Top Gun: Maverick, this year has been filled with several exciting movies, but Hollywood is not done yet. There is still plenty left to be seen in the coming months. The likes of Marvel, Disney, James Cameron, and Steven Speilberg are all set to treat the audience with their breathtaking projects. Especially the horror fest in October, where every other movie will provide some new costume design choices. Here are 5 upcoming films that will make this year further enjoyable, at least as far as cinema is concerned.
Black Adam
DCEU’s anti-hero origin film, Black Adam, has been highly anticipated since 2014. The superhero Shazam’s nemesis was planned to be introduced in the 2019 film ‘Shazam!’. However, Dwayne Johnson, the actor who plays the titular role, suggested a solo movie to integrate the character in DCEU better. The film had been in the works for more than 8 years as Warner Bros struggled to develop its DC universe.
The film will follow Teth-Adam from being a slave in Kanhdaq to becoming one of the most powerful entities in the world. After given the Power of the Ancient Gods, he was entombed by the traditional heroes for over 5000 years. However, he gets free and unleashes his own form of justice on the modern world before attracting the attention of the Justice Society of America (JSA). Also making its Hollywood debut, JSA is a band of superheroes that features Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate. They will likely be a nuance in Black Adam’s path before finally working with him against the greater evil, Sabbac, played by Marwan Kenzari. The trailer also revealed that Viola Davies would reprise her role as the diabolical Amanda Waller, working with JSA to put Black Adam down.
The film will take a different approach from his portrayal in the comics as an all-out villain. In his Hollywood debut, Black Adam smashes the superhero cliche and redefines what it means to be a hero.
Black Adam will be released on October 21, ten days before Halloween.
Amsterdam
It looks that almost every A-List Hollywood actor is appearing in David O. Russell’s mystery comedy Amsterdam. One of the most talked about films this year features Christain Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington in leading roles with the addition of Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldana, Taylor Swift, Michael Shannon, Matthias Schoenaerts, Andrea Riseborough, Alessandro Nivola, Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Timothy Olyphant, Robert de Niro, and Rami Malek.
The film set in the 1930s Netherlands will revolve around 3-long time friends, a doctor, a nurse, and an attorney tangled in a murder case. In an attempt to clear thier name, they uncover a nefarious plot by a shady group aiming take over the world. The trailer does not reveal much about other characters but promises a lot of crass humour.
It will be released on November 4.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
A sequel to the 2018 film Black Panther is a long time coming. After the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman due to colon cancer in 2020, Marvel retired his main role. Boseman’s portrayal of King T’Challa, the first Black Panther, was widely appreciated. His death broke many hearts, and fans hoped that the studio would somehow keep his legacy alive. It would not be same without Boseman as he left a massive pair of shoes to fill. However, the audience would feel his presence through other characters who will be mourning thier king’s death. In the sequel, the studio will show Boseman’s character as one of the heroes who died in The Blip, a significant event in MCU where Thanos exterminated half-of-the living beings in the universe. On the other hand, it was a political rival Killmonger who killed T’Challa in the comics version.
Several previous cast members are returning but it is still not clear who will take on the mantle of Black Panther now. The strongest contender is T’Challa’s sister Shuri (Letitia Wright), as she was in comics. However, Marvel is not known to follow comics to the T. The trailer also shows Ramonda (Angela Basset) in a strong role, rejecting the UN access to Vibranium since the US wants it. It will mostly be up to the women of Wakanda to protect thier land and its resources from the world powers eager to intervene. The rest of the cast members include Okoye (Danai Gurira), Ayo (Florence Kasumba), Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman), Namor (Tenoch Huerta), Riri Williams (Dominique Throne), and Aneka (Michaela Cole). For now, it seems Michael B. Jordan will not be returning as the Killmonger in the sequel.
The release date of Balck Panther is November 11.
Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron’s epic science-fiction franchise has come back to life after 13 years. The first part of the planned pentalogy was released back in 2009 as Avatar. It introduced the viewers to the exhilarating world of Pandora inhabited by sapient aliens, Na’vi. Humans sometimes refer to them as “blue monkeys” because of their colour and humanoid structure. The story is told from the perspective of a human, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a former US marine suffering from paralysis. He is selected to participate in the Avatar Program, which allows humans to enter Pandora using genetically engineered, remotely controlled, hybrid body that looks like Na’vi. Sully is sent to gain the trust of the locals so that the US can get its hands on a rare mineral Unobtanium. However, Sully’s allegiances soon shift towards the end of the movie after bonding with princess Neytiri of the Omaticaya clan.
The sequel is set at least a decade after the events of the first movie. Sully and Neytiri now share 5 children and will be forced to face further challenges from a familiar threat. The film had been in development since 2010 and went through many changes. According to the reports, the perfectionist Cameron wanted to get the underwater CGI right before releasing it. The director reportedly worked on all parts simultaneously and plans to release each one by 2028.
Avatar: The Way of Water will be released on December 16.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek will reprise their roles as Puss in Boots and Kitty Softpaws after 11 years. The animated comedy is set in the same universe as the Shrek franchise and tells the story of a fugitive cat seeking to restore his lost honour. It must not be confused with an Italian fairy tale of the same name in which a cunning cat works for his human master. Dreamworks’ Puss is an independent and action-packed cat with a passion for adventure.
The first part saw Puss steal the magic beans from an evil reimagination of Jack and Jill, become friends with Humpty Dumpty, enter the Giant’s castle, and snatch the Golden Goose to clear his name of all changes. In the sequel, Puss embarks on another big adventure after realizing he has used 8 of his 9 lives. The film will show an epic journey about Puss finding the mythical Last Wish to restore all of his 9 lives.
The film will be released on December 21.
