100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2020 - Page 4 of 11

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70. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”
Director: Jason Reitman (“Juno,” “The Front Runner”)
Cast: Paul Rudd, Annie Potts, Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray
Synopsis: Unknown.
What You Need To Know: Much critical ink was spilled over Paul Feig’s female-led 2016 “Ghostbusters,” and sexist, racist rhetoric was unloaded on the film’s stars (Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones). Die-hard fans of the original weren’t happy with Feig’s irreverent re-telling, and Jason Reitman, apparently, is here to right the ship. Reitman is the son of original “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman: maybe he feels that the 1984 film is partially his birthright, or perhaps he has some primal connection to the material? Plot details are undisclosed at this time, but Reitman made waves earlier this year when he controversially stated that he’s “not making the ‘Juno’ of ‘Ghostbusters’ movies,” and that this one was apparently “a movie for [his] fellow ‘Ghostbusters’ fans”(Reitman’s sequel will entirely bypass Feig’s film, which has already irked many). There’s no denying that when Reitman is on, he’s really on, so let’s hope he brings his A-game for this splashy summer reboot (which will bring back the aging parapsychologists from the first film).
Release Date: July 10, via Sony. – NL

69. “Hope”
Director: Jacki Van Beek and Madeleine Sami (“The Breaker Upperers”)
Cast: Aubrey Plaza
Synopsis: Unknown at this time. The project is currently in development.
What You Need To Know: Netflix’s “The Breaker Upperers” was one of this year’s most slept-on indie comedies: a riotous, big-hearted charmer about two jaded New Zealand women who provide a decidedly low-rent service that breaks up couples with a minimum of fuss. “The Breaker Upperer’s” charmingly droll sensibility is very clearly indebted to the work of Taika Waititi, who served as the film’s executive producer. Directors Jacki Van Beek and Madeleine Sami will be returning to Netflix for their next directorial outing, “Hope,” which boasts screenwriting credits courtesy of Kirsten Smith and Karen McCullah (whose resume includes comic jewels like “Legally Blonde” and “10 Things I Hate About You”). What’s even more enticing is the idea of Aubrey Plaza starring in the project. Plaza’s exceedingly deadpan persona seems like a perfect fit for these filmmakers, from whom we can no doubt expect the same winning mixture of warmth and eccentric humor that distinguished their 2018 breakthrough.
Release Date: TBD. – NL

68. “King of Staten Island”/Untitled Judd Apatow Film
Director: Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up,” “Trainwreck”)
Cast: Pete Davidson, Bel Powley, Marisa Tomei, Maude Apatow, Bill Burr, Steve Buscemi
Synopsis: A semi-autobiographical comedy-drama about Pete Davidson growing up in Staten Island, losing his father during 9/11, and entering the world of stand-up comedy.
What You Need To Know: It seems these days, SNL’s Pete Davidson makes more headlines for his love life than his comedy. For his big-screen breakout, Davidson is teaming up with Judd Apatow, who gave Amy Schumer her own sort-of autobiographical vehicle with 2015’s “Trainwreck” and looks to be doing the same thing here. “King of Staten Island” (possibly a working title, recently revealed) will be a lightly fictionalized comic account of Davidson’s life, with pros like Marisa Tomei and Steve Buscemi rubbing shoulders with real-life funny people like Pamela Adlon and Bill Burr (we’re bummed that Buddy Duress of “Good Time” won’t be in the film – Davidson is a massive fan of the Safdie Brothers’ crime masterpiece and tried to court the actor to join the project). Either way, “King of Staten Island” looks to be a fine showcase for Davidson, offering audiences a view of the comedian that we haven’t seen yet.
Release Date: June 19, via Universal. – NL

67. “Happiest Season”
Director: Clea DuVall (“The Intervention”)
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis
Synopsis: A young woman’s plan to propose to her girlfriend over the holidays falls apart when she realizes her girlfriend hasn’t come out to her conservative parents.
What You Need To Know: The world is still recovering from the day this project was announced in January when half the lesbian population suffered simultaneous cardiac arrest. It’s difficult to imagine a more dykonic film, with the lesbian character actress Clea DuVall directing Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as hapless lovers. And what a talented lineup! We loved DuVall’s writer-director debut, another rom-com called “The Intervention;” Kristen Stewart just seriously proved her comedy chops in “Charlie’s Angels,” and Mackenzie Davis has been smoldering her way through screens big and small from “Black Mirror: San Junipero” to “Always Shine.” It will be an honor and a privilege to see these two incredibly skilled actresses snog, especially when directed by one of the foremothers of New Queer Cinema. (DuVall co-starred in “But I’m a Cheerleader.”) And that’s not even counting how amazing it is to see a studio shoot for a lesbian holiday romance. Ho ho ho, TriStar! Please expect some non-GMO, co-op bought, gluten-free gingerbread in your stocking this year, courtesy of Dyke Santa.
Release Date: November 20, 2020 –LW

66. “Mainstream”
Director: Gia Coppola (“Palo Alto”)
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Maya Hawke, Alexa Demie, Andrew Garfield, Nat Wolff, Johnny Knoxville, Casey Frey
Synopsis: A love triangle in “the fast-moving modern world.”
What You Need To Know: While the written words, both naming this film and describing the plot, are somewhat vague – the amount of star power both in front of and behind the camera make “Mainstream” a potentially major indie vehicle for the year ahead. It’s only Coppola’s second film after “Palo Alto,” the James Franco-written heady adolescent slice of life, but perhaps a co-written script with Tom Stuart is what the director needs to unlock further potential. Plus, between Hawke, Demie and Wolff, there’s already a handful of the most promising Gen-Z actors, as well as a welcome return from Schwartzman and Garfield back into, well, something much more interesting than your standard mainstream movie. You can almost hear Wes Anderson worrying about being replaced by a younger model already.
Release date: Unknown, but this seems like a perfect Sundance or Tribeca number. – EK

65. “Pieces Of A Woman”
Director: Kornél Mundruczó (“White God”)
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Vanessa Kirby
Synopsis: When a home birth goes tragically awry, a grieving woman is thrust into an emotional inner journey by trying to come to terms with her loss while also dealing with the ramifications in her interpersonal relationships with her husband and estranged mother.
What You Need To Know: Mundruczó, the filmmaker behind the Un Certain Regard winner “White God,” makes his English-language debut with a hell of a cast. Shia LaBeouf has essentially reinvented his career in the last few months and is on the upswing of “Honey Boy ” and “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” and following appearances in “The Crown,” “Mission Impossible – Fallout” and “Hobbs & Shaw,” Kirby has become one of the most sought-after actresses. This one has all the trappings of a much-anticipated film
Release Date: TBD and possibly something not ready til 2021, but here’s to hoping. – RP

64. “Good Morning, Midnight”
Director: George Clooney (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” “Goodnight and Good Luck”)
Cast: George Clooney, Felicity Jones, Kyle Chandler, Demian Bechir, David Oyelowo
Synopsis: A scientist, alone in the Arctic, tries to make contact with a spacecraft returning to Earth.
What You Need To Know: George Clooney doesn’t tend to make one kind of movie: for every blackly comic study of sociopathy and celebrity (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”), he’ll make an earnest political drama (“The Ides of March”) or a nihilistic, Coens-esque farce (“Suburbicon”). “Good Morning, Midnight” isn’t Clooney’s first foray into the streaming world (he directed episodes of this year’s television adaptation of “Catch-22”), but it certainly looks to be his biggest. Clooney’s first dabble in the realm of sci-fi is the post-apocalyptic tale of a scientist living and working in isolation in the Arctic, as well as an astronaut determined to return home to earth. Clooney has called the script, by “The Revenant” screenwriter Mark L. Smith “haunting,” and he hinted that the movie will tell a visceral human story on a rather grand scale.
Release Date: Unknown, but we could see this one landing on Netflix in the heat of 2020 awards season. – NL

63. “The Invisible Man”
Director: Leigh Whannell
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer
Synopsis: After her abusive ex takes his own life, Cecilia Kass works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
What You Need to Know: Who else rolled their eyes when Blumhouse announced that “The Invisible Man” was on the way? Don’t worry, no one will judge you. The concept of an unseen phantom stumbling around swaddled in bandages and clothed in a trenchcoat screams camp in the shadow of grief-stricken nightmares like “Hereditary” and “The Witch,” but the involvement of Leigh Whannell should have dissuaded any doubts. Fresh off his schlocky masterwork “Upgrade,” Whannell has settled back into his horror roots by adapting H.G. Wells’ classic novel with a psychological edge and potential social commentary with Elisabeth Moss cast in the lead role. By dissociating itself from Universal’s embarrassing “Dark Universe” misfire, “The Invisible Man” appears to be small-scale, character-focused and founded in the traditional characteristics of a horror film. Granted, the film’s trailer indicates that the newest adaptation of Wells’ novel is focused on entertainment rather than thought-provoking discourse, but Whannell’s artistic talents always elevate the material.
Release Date: February 28th, via Universal – JC

62. “Bill & Ted Face The Music”
Director: Dean Parisot (“Galaxy Quest,” “Fun with Dick and Jane”)
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter
Synopsis: Once told they’d save the universe during a time-traveling adventure, two would-be rockers from San Dimas, California find themselves as middle-aged dads still trying to crank out a hit song and fulfill their destiny.
What You Need To Know: Even today, there is a beguiling sense of innocence to the original “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” that makes it one of the most rewatchable movies of its kind. Its characters are genuinely lovable. They simply want to have fun, rock out, and party with Abraham Lincoln. We’re not sure how many people were clamoring for the prospect of a third installment (after “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey”) that picks up with our former San Dimas-born, Circle K-dwelling metalheads some twenty-some years later, but we’d be lying if we were to say that we’re not curious as to how this one will play out. At worst, “Bill & Ted Face The Music” could be a lazy, harmless bit of fan service. If it’s good, though… it could be quite bodacious indeed.
Release Date: August 20, via United Artists. – NL

61. “The Lovebirds”
Director: Michael Showalter (“The Big Sick”)
Cast: Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani
Synopsis: On the brink of breaking up, a couple gets unintentionally embroiled in a bizarre, hilarious murder mystery. As they get closer to clearing their names and solving the case, they need to figure out how they, and their relationship, can survive the night.
What You Need To Know: Anyone who had seen “The State” knew Michael Showalter was funny, but I think it’s safe to say that he surprised us all by delivering arguably 2017’s most poignant rom-com in the form of “The Big Sick.” Showalter will once again be recruiting his leading man from that movie, Kumail Nanjiani, for a follow-up titled “The Lovebirds.” The film pairs Nanjiani with the irrepressibly likable Issa Rae, and its plot sounds like a genre-oriented change of pace for the director. Perhaps “The Lovebirds” will feature absurdity in the vein of “Wet Hot American Summer.” Perhaps it plays as a comic metaphor about a couple on the rocks who must resolve not to kill each other so they can find out who killed someone else. Either way, you count us in.
Release Date: April 3, via Paramount Pictures which almost certainly means an SXSW debut. – NL

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