After a year of thrilling movies like Wakanda Forever, Avatar 2, Don’t Worry Darling, My Policeman, The Batman, and Bones and All, 2023 is about to match the high bar set by 2022. The release schedule already includes a series of films that viewers are eagerly awaiting. From Barbie to The Little Mermaid, here are the 10 most anticipated films of 2023.
Barbie: From the moment it was announced that Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling would be starring in a live-action Barbie film, the feature film became one of the most anticipated of the year. Leaked photos from the set showing off the duo’s fantastic costumes as well as the recently shared trailer only heightened that expectation. Barbie is played by an all-star cast including Simu Liu, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, Hari Nef, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, and Ncuti Gatwa.
Dungeons & Dragons – Honor Thieves: Inspired by the cult role-playing game, Dungeons & Dragons: Thieves’ Honor follows a band of thieves who must go on an action-packed adventure after helping the wrong person steal the wrong thing. Whether you’ve played this fantasy RPG or not, the film is well worth seeing, especially with a cast that includes Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant.
The little Mermaid: The live-action adaptation of the classic Disney cartoon follows Princess Ariel, a mermaid who longs to live among humans and understand life above the sea. The Little Mermaid made headlines when it was announced that singer Halle Bailey would play the role of Ariel. Despite the controversy surrounding the casting of Ariel’s role by a black actress, the film was received with immense enthusiasm. Besides Halle Bailey, the other cast members are Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy, Javier Bardem, and Awkwafina.
Oppenheimer: Putting Batman aside, Christoper Nolan has a new project lined up, but this time it’s based on a true story. Oppenheimer tells the story of the team of scientists who participated in the Manhattan Project. The biopic will star Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, and Jack Quaid.
Dune – part 2: Any excuse to watch Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya is welcome. Sequel to the first installment, Dune: Part Two will follow events after Paul Atreides joins Chani Kynes in an attempt to bring peace to Arrakis. In addition to Chalamet and Zendaya, the film features a 5-star cast such as Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacob, and Christopher Walken.
Wonka: Fans of Timothée Chalamet have reason to rejoice as the beloved actor will also star in the film Wonka. Set several years before the events of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka tells the story of young Willy Wonka before he became the chocolatier everyone knows and loves. As this is a musical film, viewers will also get to see the actor show off his singing and dancing skills. The film also stars Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Keegan-Michael Key, and Rowan Atkinson.
The Pale Blue Eye: West Point, 1830. On a grim winter morning, the body of a cadet is discovered. This death turns out to be even more tragic when we realize at the morgue that the young man’s heart has been skillfully removed from his chest. Fearing that their new military academy will suffer from this savage act, its leaders enlist a local policeman, Augustus Landor (Christian Bale), to solve the murder. The code of silence of the cadets hindering the investigation, Augustus Landor asks one of them to help him elucidate the case, an eccentric cadet with a touch of poetry who despises military rigor and responds to the name of Edgar Allan Poe (Harry Melling). Based on the novel by Louis Bayard, The Pale Blue Eye is directed by Scott Cooper. The supporting roles are brilliantly performed by a five-star cast, Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, and even Charlotte Gainsbourg.
The Immensita: Rome in the 1970s. In the wave of social and cultural changes, Clara (Penélope Cruz) and Felice Borghetti (Vincenzo Amato) no longer love each other but are unable to leave each other. Distraught, Clara finds refuge in the complicit relationship she maintains with her three children, in particular with the eldest born in a body that does not correspond to her. Ignoring judgments, Clara will instill fantasy and transmit to them the taste for freedom, to the detriment of family balance.
Babylon: In Damien Chazelle ‘s latest masterpiece, none other than Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt share the bill. The plot, Los Angeles in the 1920s. A tale of inordinate ambition and the wildest excess, Babylon traces the rise and fall of various characters during the creation of Hollywood, an era of decadence and depravity without limits.
Shotgun Wedding: Jennifer Lopez and the roles of young brides, it’s a story that works. In Shotgun Wedding, Darcy (played by the singer) and Tom (played by Josh Duhamel) reunite their lovable but opinionated families to plan the ultimate wedding abroad, just as the couple begins to have relationships. Doubts and as if the party wasn’t threatened enough, everyone’s lives are suddenly in danger when the entire party is held. The phrase ’til death do us part’ takes on a whole new meaning in this hilarious, adrenaline-pumping adventure, as Darcy and Tom must save their loved ones if they don’t kill each other first.
Aftersun: After bursting the screen in the sublime series Normal People, Paul Mescal is back in 2023 in Aftersun by Charlotte Wells. The latter’s first feature film, the film won two prizes at the award ceremony of the 48th Deauville American Film Festival of which the most prestigious, the Grand Prix with melancholy, Sophie recalls the summer holidays spent with her father twenty years earlier, the moments of shared joy, their complicity, sometimes their disagreements. She also thinks back to what hovered above those precious moments, the deaf and invisible threat of dying happiness. She then tries to search among these memories for answers to the question that has obsessed with her for so many years.
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