Top 20 Most Anticipated Movies for 2020!

Sometimes the build-up is better than the end product, but here are the top 20 films allegedly coming out next year that I am most hyped about! 

20. Macbeth
Director: Joel Coen (Fargo, True Grit, Burn After Reading)
Starring: Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Brendan Gleeson, Corey Hawkins

There have been a ridiculous amount of Macbeth adaptations over the years. Orson Welles has taken a shot at it, Roman Polanski, Akira Kurosawa took the play to feudal Japan with his Throne of Blood, and just five years ago Michael Fassbender starred in an adaptation. But despite this abundance of dramas featuring the famed King of Scotland, it's impossible not to get excited at the prospect of DENZEL himself playing the leading role, and Frances McDormand playing Lady Macbeth, following up on her Oscar-winning performance in Three Billboards. Joel Coen is a hit-or-miss director for me, but I'm looking forward to his take on this material, especially as an English teacher!

Release Date: TBA (currently in pre-production)

19. Deep Water
Director: Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction, Jacob's Ladder)
Starring: Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Tracy Letts, Lil Rel Howery

Adrian Lyne has not directed a film in 18 years, so I have to believe Deep Water must be something special to bring him out of retirement. Lyne has directed some of the best thrillers ever made, including Fatal Attraction and one of my all-time faves, Jacob's Ladder. This one is about a husband (Ben Affleck) who allows his wife (Ana de Armas, Knives Out) to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce. However, once his wife's lovers go missing, he becomes a prime suspect! It sounds to me like this has the potential to be the next Gone Girl and I hope Lyne makes his comeback!

Release Date: November 13, 2020

18. The Last Thing He Wanted
Director: Dee Rees (Mudbound, Pariah)
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Ben Affleck, Anne Hathaway, Tobey Jones

Adapted from a Joan Didion novel (admittedly one that I have not read), this film is about a journalist (Hathaway), who somehow becomes an arms dealer for her father (Willem Dafoe), turning her into the subject of her own story. Sounds intriguing to me, and Dee Rees has shown to be a great director of actors. With this cast I'm sure it'll be very dramatic!

Release Date: TBA

17. Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, Watchmen)
Starring: Dave Bautista, Ana de la Reguera, Garret Dillahunt, Chris E'Elia

It seems like the zombie genre is in a bit of a lull right now, as indicated by the waning popularity of The Walking Dead (even I gave up on that series!), but here's hoping that Zack Snyder can bring the undead back to life! In this Netflix movie, a group of mercenaries try to pull off a heist in Las Vegas during a zombie outbreak. A simple premise, but I love the idea of zombies occupying a casino, where even living patrons mindlessly try to win money. Snyder had some misfires with his latest DC films (is the "Snyder cut" of Justice League real??), but the film that initially put his name on my radar was his fantastic and terrifying remake of Dawn of the Dead. I hope his zombies here can bring back some of that blood-soaked magic!

Release Date: TBA

16. The Organ Donor
Director: Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV)
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Rock

Following the god-awful Saw 3D and Jigsaw, the morally- and gore-ally challenging Saw series seemed to have reached its final destination. As a die hard fan of the horror franchise, my gut reaction for this NINTH film was "ugh... again?" But, what's intriguing about this one is that Chris Rock - yes, that Chris Rock, stand-up comedian Chris Rock - is writing and starring in it, alongside Samuel L. Jackson. Add in director Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed the good sequels, and I am cautiously back on the hype train. Please don't disappoint me!

Release Date: May 15, 2020

15. The Invisible Man
Director: Leigh Whannell (Upgrade)
Starring: Elizabeth Moss

Leigh Whannell has a strong history in the horror genre. He wrote and starred in the first three Saw films, wrote all of the Insidious films, and wrote and directed the badass sci-fi action flick Upgrade. This latest version of H.G. Wells' The Invisible Man definitely seems to ratchet up the horror, turning the "mad scientist" approach of the 1930s James Whale adaption into more of a story about spousal abuse and the hidden horrors a housewife has to deal with. With a fantastic actress like Elizabeth Moss headlining, I'm hoping this will be terrifying!

Release Date: February 28, 2020

14. Mulan
Director: Niki Caro (Whale Rider)
Starring: Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Gong Li, Jet Li

Based on the animated Disney film from 1998, Niki Caro's live-action adaptation thankfully looks to be approaching the material as something more grounded and realistic. No songs, no talking dragon sidekick - this has the potential to be one of the better Disney adaptations. Rumor has it that Mulan cost the studio $300 million dollars, making it one of the most expensive movies ever made. No pressure, Disney!

Release Date: March 27, 2020

13. Fonzo
Director: Josh Trank
Starring: Tom Hardy, Linda Cardellini, Matt Dillon, Kyle MacLachlan

Josh Trank's reputation may have taken a huge hit with his failed Fantastic Four reboot, but I'm hoping Fonzo will be a return to the heights of his directorial debut, Chronicle. Starring Tom Hardy as notorious gangster Al Capone, the film shows him after a 10-year stint in prison, suffering from dementia and haunted by his violent past. To date, Hardy has never disappointed with one of his performances, and this appears to be another juicy role for him.

Release Date: TBA

12. Wonder Woman 1984
Director: Patty Jenkins (Monster, Wonder Woman)
Starring: Gal Godot, Pedro Pascal, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Robin Wright

Wonder Woman is one of the best of the "DCEU" films, with Patty Jenkins balancing epic action with an entertaining and poignant fish-out-of-water story with a feminist message. The sequel brings the same cast back together, jumping ahead in time about 70 years. I'm not sure what to expect from the sequel, but it's the superhero flick I'm most looking forward to next year!

Release Date: June 5, 2020

11. Next Goal Wins
Director: Taika Waititi (Thor Ragnarok, Jojo Rabbit)
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Elizabeth Moss

Taika Waititi is on an amazing streak after Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Thor Ragnarok, and Jojo Rabbit. His next film is an adaptation of a soccer documentary (that admittedly I haven't seen!) about a Dutch coach (Michael Fassbender) who somehow takes an American Somoa soccer team known for having the worst game in World Cup history and brings them to unexpected glory. It sounds like a perfectly quirky fit for Waititi!

Release Date: TBA (in post-production)

10. The Devil All the Time
Director: Antonio Campos (Christine)
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan, Riley Keough, Mia Waskikowska, Jason Clarke

Christine was one of the best under-the-radar movies I saw last year, so I'm definitely excited to see his follow-up movie, The Devil All the Time. This Netflix movie, a psychological thriller set in the late 1960s in Ohio, follows a group of mentally disturbed people in the aftermath of World War II, including a disabled war veteran, a husband and wife who are serial killers, and a false preacher. The cast is amazing, and the plot sounds darkly intriguing - I can't wait!

Release Date: TBA (in post-production)

9. A Quiet Place Part II

Director: John Krasinski

Starring: Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy

A couple years ago, Jim from The Office shocked everyone by directing, writing, and starring in one of the most intense, unique horror films of the decade, about monsters that can only hear their victims. The same team is back for the sequel, including Noah Jupe (who was amazing as the young Shia Labeouf in Honey Boy), and Krasinski's talented wife, Emily Blunt. I can't wait to see the apocalyptic world of the first film expand and the new problems they have to survive!

Release Date: March 20, 2020

8. The Hunt
Director: Craig Zobel (Compliance)
Starring: Betty Gilpin, Ike Barinholtz, Emma Roberts, Hilary Swank

This is one of the most controversial movies on my list; The Hunt was originally slated to be released last year, but it was pulled from theaters due to potentially inflaming the public politically after the election of Donald Trump. A loose remake of "The Most Dangerous Game," the story is about a group of 1-percenters that hunt people for fun. The fact that this was directed by Craig Zobel, who made one of my favorite movies of 2012, Compliance, and written by Damon Lindelof, who wrote Lost, The Leftovers, and my favorite show of last year, Watchmen, had me intrigued, but after it was pulled, now I'm dying to see it!

Release Date: TBA... Universal has to release it sometime... right?

7. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Starring: Toni Collette, Jesse Plemons, David Thewlis, Jessie Buckley

Any time Charlie Kaufman's name is attached to a project, you can expect a cerebral, thought-provoking, original piece of art. He's written films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Being John Malkovich, and Anomalisa, and despite knowing next-to-nothing about his next project (besides its incredible cast), I am 100% looking forward to it. Bring on the weirdness!

Release Date: TBA (in post-production)

6. Dune
Director: Denis Villenueve
Starring: Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Mamoa, Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Javier Bardem, Charlotte Rampling

OK - I keep meaning to, but I have not read Frank Herbert's Dune yet. I promise to read it before this movie comes out, but just look at this cast. I know Denis Villenueve is one of those "hot" directors right now after films like Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, but it's incredible the talent he was able to line up. His vision has to have been amazing to get all these people involved! Hopefully this turns out better than Alejandro Jodorowsky's infamously unproduced Dune movie!

Release Date: December 18, 2020

5. Mank
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Gary Oldman, Lily Collins, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance, Tom Burke

Movies are a totally collaborative art form - sit through the end credits of any film and you'll see that it takes a lot of people to make a movie happen. However, when egos enter the picture, who gets credit for what can escalate into a big deal, as is the case in David Fincher's upcoming biopic, Mank, about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz's struggle for a writing credit on Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. Gary Oldman is playing Mankiewicz, and anyone who saw The Sovenir will know Thomas Burke's casting as Orson Welles is brilliant (Burke plays a pompous asshole very well). Being a classic Hollywood geek, I can not wait for this movie!

Release Date: TBA

4. Nightmare Alley
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Rooney Mara, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Ron Perlman

Guillermo del Toro is one of my favorite people in Hollywood (not the least of which because he was my initial gateway into foreign films with The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth), but Nightmare Alley is a bit of a change of pace for him. Eschewing the fantastical horror elements that has become his brand, Nightmare Alley is a remake of a 1947 film noir about the rise and fall of a con man at a traveling carnival. I'm curious to see what del Toro does to update the tale for a modern audience, and if he'll inject his usual stamp of the supernatural into it!

Release Date: TBA (in pre-production)

3. Soul
Directors: Pete Docter and Kemp Powers
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Daveed Diggs, John Ratzenberger

All hail Pete Docter! Director of Monsters Inc., Up, and Inside Out, he's one of the brilliant minds of the Pixar "brain trust" who seem to never fail at making entertaining, emotional, beautiful films. Another ambitious outing for Pixar, Soul is about a jazz musician who is transported out of his body after losing his passion for music. With the help of an infant soul, he finds his way back and reconnects with himself. It sounds weird, but I completely trust in Pete Docter to deliver yet again!

Release Date: June 19, 2020

2. Last Night in Soho
Director: Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim, Baby Driver)
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Thomasin McKenzie, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp

I don't need to be sold on anything to see whatever Edgar Wright makes next. But his upcoming film seems to fit in line with the 1960s schlocky British horror classics he sent up in Grindhouse with the fake trailer for "Don't". Taking place in London in the swinging 60s, a young, passionate fashion designer gets into some kind of trouble. Plot details are vague at this point, but this seems like a modern day Mario Bava-inspired giallo film and I can't wait to see the humor, suspense, and dazzling visuals Wright is known for!

Release Date: September 25, 2020

1. Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine, John David Washington, Himesh Patel

I love the fact that Christopher Nolan is using his Dark Knight clout to work on original films like Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk, rather than simply go back to major franchises like James Bond or something. Tenet is yet again a film kept completely under-wraps, but it can be expected that it'll be a cerebral action movie involving time travel, espionage, and epic car chases! Plus... look at that cast!

Release Date: July 17, 2020


There you have it! What movies are you most looking forward to? Let me know in the comments!