There are only four months left of 2019, yet things look very good when it comes to film releases. As every year, it seems like the cold season is the time when most of the year’s best movies are getting released, just in time for the award season to begin, and there are so many promising films getting released in the following months that it makes us feel like children waiting for our presents on Christmas Eve.
On this list, we selected our 10 most anticipated films for the rest of 2019, but we feel like there might be many other films worth your attention in these next few months. Some honorable mentions such as A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, A Hidden Life, Gemini Man, The Goldfinch, Little Women, Frozen II or 1917 didn’t make it in the top 10, but you should keep your eyes on them as well.
Let us know in the comments what are your most anticipated movies for the rest of this year.
1. It: Chapter 2 (September 6)
The sequel to the 2017 horror blockbuster “It” is coming this September and we can’t wait to see it.
“It: Chapter 2” will also be based on Stephen King’s 1986 novel, but this time it will focus on the adult timeline, which was omitted in the first film. The movie will take place 27 years after the events of the first one when the now-adults members of The Losers Club reunite to fight It once again.
Among the actors chosen to play the grown-up Losers are James McAvoy as Bill Denbrough, Jessica Chastain as Beverly Marsh and Bill Hader as Richie Tozier. Bill Skarsgård is also set to return as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, one of It’s many faces who terrorized the Losers Club in the first film.
While we have no worries about the cast – all of the adult actors look perfect for their parts – we hope that this second installment will be scarier than the first one. Although we really enjoyed the first film, truth be told, “It” was a great coming of age story, but not so much a scary film. Judging by the trailers, it seems like the second “It” movie will do King’s novel justice and be a fully-fledged horror movie.
2. Downton Abbey (September 13 in the UK, September 20 in the USA)
It’s been nearly four years since “Downton Abbey” closed its gates after a five-year run on ITV, but fans are still longing for a continuation to Julian Fellowes’ period drama. When the news of a “Downton Abbey” film broke out back in 2018’s summer, they couldn’t be happier.
Despite the declining quality in its final seasons, when it became too much of a soap opera, “Downton Abbey” was at its best a superb series which really captured the post-Edwardian life of the British aristocracy and benefited from a stellar cast which included among others Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, and Penelope Wilton.
Most of the original cast including Smith in her first on-screen role since 2015’s “The Lady in the Van” are set to return for this 2019 feature film continuation of the series. Along with them come new cast members such as Imelda Staunton and Geraldine James.
As for the plot, the film will take place one year and a half after its finale and will see the Crawley family preparing for a royal visit by King George V and Queen Mary. We really hope that this will turn out to be a new “Gosford Park” or even better.
3. Ad Astra (September 20)
Directed by James Gray (“The Lost City of Z”), “Ad Astra” stars Brad Pitt as Roy McBride, an astronaut who travels to outer space in search of his lost father, Dr Clifford McBride (Tommy Lee Jones), who went missing on a mission to Neptune which involved some otherworldly technology. During his journey, McBride discovers some secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and our place in the cosmos.
During an interview, Gray said that he intended “Ad Astra” to feature “the most realistic depiction of space travel that’s been put in a movie”. Based on the trailers we’ve seen so far, the film’s visuals and story look pretty promising and gave us the vibes of a mix between “Interstellar” and “Gravity”. We love epic sci-fi thrillers so we couldn’t be more excited about this one.
4. The Irishman (September 27 at the New York Film Festival / late 2019 Netflix release)
What happens when you take a director like Martin Scorsese, you add a cast consisting of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Harvey Keitel and you even manage to get Joe Pesci out of retirement? Well, you probably get the most anticipated film of 2019.
“The Irishman” is based on Charles Brandt’s book “I Heard You Paint Houses” and will have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, followed by a Netflix release sometime in late 2019. The film will follow the real-life story of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran (Robert De Niro), a labor union official with mob connections who claimed to be involved in the killing of labor union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).
While we have been pretty disappointed with Robert De Niro’s late-career role choices, we’ve never seen a bad De Niro – Scorsese collaboration so chances are that “The Irishman” will mark De Niro’s return to form. Add to that we’ll get to see Joe Pesci once again on screen – what a shame it took so long – and what remains to be done is only hope that “The Irishman” won’t fail to reach its full potential.
5. Joker (October 4)
While nobody asked for another movie featuring Batman’s archenemy after the disappointment that “Suicide Squad” was, when Todd Philipps’ upcoming Joker standalone film had its trailer released, everyone’s expectations were raised.
“Joker” will feature an original story and will star Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a clown for hire and failed stand-up comedian who turns to a life of crime and becomes the Clown Prince of Crime in Gotham City. The film’s cast will also include Robert De Niro as Murray Franklin, a talk show host who contributes to Arthur’s downfall. The Wayne family and Alfred Pennyworth are also set to appear in the film, but only as background characters. This is not a “Batman” film so don’t expect to see anything more than a young Bruce Wayne, unaware of the fate of his parents.
We all know that Joaquin Phoenix is a fantastic actor and there is little doubt that his take on the Joker will let us down. We’ll just have to wait and see if the film’s story will be up to par with Phoenix’s acting chops.