2019 Toronto International Film Festival: 25 Most Anticipated Movies - Page 2 of 5

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“Lucy in the Sky”
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm, Zazie Beetz, Dan Stevens, Ellen Burstyn, Colman Domingo, Tig Notaro, Nick Offerman
Synopsis: Astronaut Lucy Cola returns to Earth after a transcendent experience during a mission to space, and begins to lose touch with reality in a world that now seems too small.
What You Need to Know: Noah Hawley has emerged as one of the more singular small-screen storytellers of the last few years: he managed to take Joel and Ethan Coen’s “Fargo” and turn it into a TV anthology drama actually worth tuning into, and his superhero saga “Legion” is a heady psychedelic treat. It was only a matter of time before he got a chance to direct his first film. Hawley is working in the realm of sci-fi character study for “Lucy in the Sky,” and we’re betting that the film will end up a major player in this year’s already-crowded awards season lineup. Natalie Portman stars as a not-so-happily married astronaut whose personal life slides into disarray when she returns to earth from a particularly transformative mission and realizes that the world she inhabits isn’t quite vast enough. We’re excited to see Hawley flex his muscles in this world, and if the recent, eye-popping trailer is any indication, “Lucy in the Sky” promises to be one of the major cinematic trips of 2019.
Release Date: October 4th– Nicholas Laskin

“Just Mercy”
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Rob Morgan, Tim Blake Nelson, Rafe Spall
Synopsis: Criminal attorney Bryan Stevenson begins a fight to free an innocent man from death row.
What You Need to Know: The newest film from Destin Daniel Cretton finds him right in the space we all kind of thought he’d be in after making such a phenomenal movie in 2013’s “Short Term 12.” He’s got two Oscar winners (Larson, Foxx) and one of Hollywood’s biggest names (Jordan) in tow for what looks to be a pertinent look at justice reform. It’s going to be exciting to see if Cretton can finally deliver on the infinite promise he’s shown for humane, gripping adult drama, and he’s got one of the best ensembles this fall to work with to help make that possible. Warner Bros. seems to have strong confidence that this film will be primed for an Oscar run by giving it a year-end qualifying run, so perhaps Cretton really will be considered one of the prominent dramatic filmmakers working today this is as good as we think it could be. It premieres at Toronto to start its awards journey.
Release Date: December 25 limited; January 17 wide – CW

“True History of the Kelly Gang”
Cast: George MacKay, Russell Crowe, Charlie Hunnam, Nicholas Hoult, Essie Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Sean Keenan, Jacob Collins-Levy
Synopsis: The story of Australian bush-ranger Ned Kelly and his gang as they flee from authorities during the 1870s.
What You Need to Know: We’ve been waiting for a return to form for acclaimed Australian director Justin Kurzel. Kurzel’s debut, “Snowtown,” is one of the most savage and unforgettable movies we’ve ever seen, and his iteration of “Macbeth” magnificently captures the gloom of one of the Bard’s most difficult plays. Kurzel stumbled a bit with “Assassin’s Creed,” but “True History of the Kelly Gang” looks to be a suitably brutal return to what this particular filmmaker does best. George MacKay (“Captain Fantastic”) plays the nominal Irish-bred gang leader, leading an ensemble that includes Russell Crowe (looking appropriately grizzled and bearded in one of the film’s first still images), Charlie Hunnam, Nicholas Hoult, and rising star Thomasin McKenzie. Kurzel’s latest could potentially be too vicious to qualify as awards bait, but it should nevertheless prove to be a robust historical drama from one of today’s great directors.
Release Date: TBD – NL

“The Goldfinch”
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Finn Wolfhard, Sarah Paulson, Finn Wolfhard, Ashleigh Cummings, Jeffrey Wright, and Oakes Fegley
Synopsis: A boy in New York is taken in by a wealthy Upper East Side family after his mother is killed in a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
What You Need To Know: Directed by John Crowley and based on the critically-acclaimed 2013 novel of the same name by Donna Tartt, “The Goldfinch” stars Ansel Elgort as a young man whose troubled childhood leads him to the world of art forgery. There is lots to love here. The book is very well celebrated and it appears to be a kind of two-part film, one with Nicole Kidman as the mom and Oakes Fegley as the young boy and another with Elgort as the boy all grown up. It also looks a little awards-baity, we know, however, there are some really, really steady and respected hands behind it. Crowley is a terrific, acclaimed theater director and he’s also well-acclaimed for films like the Academy Award-nominated “Brooklyn” (Best Picture), “Boy A” (which introduced most of the world to Andrew Garfield) and some of the best episodes of the uneven Season 2 of “True Detective.” Legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins shooting the film, so you know the screenplay and Crowley impressed him enough to sign on and the screenplay is from Peter Straughan who wrote “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.” Warner Bros. is expecting big things from this one.
Release Date: September 13. – Rodrigo Perez

“The Friend”
Cast: Casey Affleck, Dakota Johnson, Jason Segel, Gwendoline Christie
Synopsis: After learning that his best friend’s terminally ill wife has six months to live, a man moves into the family’s home to support them.
What You Need to Know: Have you ever read a synopsis for a film and thought, “That movie will probably make me cry?” If you haven’t, take a peep at the summary for Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s potential tearjerker and then reconsider the question. While the premise may appear overly schmaltzy, “The Friend” is surprisingly based on a true story; the events of the film were originally cataloged in an Esquire article published in 2015. Accordingly, it is this respectful dramatization of heartbreaking reality that will conceivably elevate “The Friend” beyond artificial award-fishing fare. Coinciding with a phenomenal cast of Hollywood heavyweights and an up-and-coming director—Cowperthwaite’s prior credits include the controversial documentary “Blackfish” and “Megan Leavey”—“The Friend” appears to be an example of bittersweet cinema at its finest. Be forewarned: Kleenex will be required.
Release Date: TBD – Jonathan Christian