Most Anticipated Movies of 2023
Most Anticipated Movies of 2023
(A compilation of 50 films by Chris Bush)
PART II
Director: Bertrand Bonello (Zombi Child, Nocturama ) Cast: Léa Seydoux and George MacKay.
Between his two most recent films- Zombi Child and Nocturama- I feel we're in the midst of a pivotal phase in director Bertrand Bonello's career. Both films are so good and work so exceptionally well, and I'm excited to see how his career grows within the next ten years. His upcoming sci-fi/love story, The Beast, inspired from the Henry James novella, The Beast in the Jungle, represents his most ambitious undertaking as a storyteller to date. James' 1903 short story is a masterwork that explores heady themes of loneliness, fate, love and death as it contemplates the meaning of human existence. Bonello's film begins in a futuristic setting when emotions have become a threat, where a woman named Gabriella (Léa Seydoux) decides to purify her DNA through a machine that will immerse her in her previous lives, ridding her of any strong feelings. When she meets a man named Louis (George MacKay), she experiences a profound connection as if she's known him her whole life. The story traces their lives and how they've connected and overlapped with each other, spanning over three distinct periods: 1910, 2014 and 2044. As I said before, this sounds insanely ambitious, and if Bonello can even articulate half the power of James's profound text, this is going to be one of the most rich offerings of 2023.
RELEASE: A Cannes premiere as been almost all but assured.
34. Asteroid City
Director: Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom) Cast: Tom Hanks, Steve Carrell, Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Hong Chau, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Jeff Goldblum, Jeffrey Wright, Liev Schreiber, Tony Revolori, Matt Dillon, Sophia Lillis, Hope Davis, Fisher Stevens, Rita Wilson, Steve Park, Jake Ryan, Ethan Josh Lee, Bryan Cranston, and Willem dafoe.
Wes Anderson is unstoppable! If there was any director in the last few years that refused to allow the pandemic to stifle their creative output, it was Wes Anderson. Within the span of a year, he released his long-delayed, The French Dispatch (which was supposed to have its premiere at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival before it was postponed to the following year due to COVID-19), and then wrapped production on TWO films! The first to wrap was Asteroid City, a romantic comedy-drama set at a Junior Stargazer convention located in a fictional American dessert town. The film seems to have all the touchstones of a typical Wes Anderson feature: star-studded ensemble featuring a host of his usual suspects (check); whimsical setting (check); working from a script written by him and Roman Coppola (check); his go-to men in the tech dept- Desplat composing the score, Stockhausen on production design, Yeoman in DP (check, check, check.) And although it's for these very reasons that I'm looking forward to his upcoming film, they're also the reason I'm a little nonplussed by the whole affair. In typical Wes Anderson fashion, the plot focuses on multiple story threads featuring different characters and how they influence and overlap with each other, following how their lives are disrupted by world-changing events that occur during the convention. There's something about all this that has a whiff familiarity to his previous work, such as Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The French Dispatch. Perhaps too familiar for me. And it's beginning to get to the point where I'm craving to see another side of Anderson that feels distinctly fresh and different. I do believe that moment is coming soon, but in the meantime while I'm still waiting for it to happen, I'm sure this movie will have no shortage of pleasures to enjoy.
RELEASE: A limited release begins rolling out on June 16th before expanding nationwide on the 23rd, and a premiere at Cannes beforehand has been pretty much guaranteed at this point.
Director: Alex Garland (Annihilation, Ex Machina ) Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Cailee Spaeny, Karl Glusman, Sonoya Mizuno, Jefferson White, and Jojo T. Gibbs.
It's with a heavy heart that we have to watch Alex Garland retire from directing, as per a statement he made last year following the Cannes Film Festival (where Men premiered to lukewarm reviews.) Some of the criticisms regarding his work have been fair (I agree that he does seem to build story and characters around metaphor, rather than build metaphor around story and characters, both of which should always come first when you're writing a script), but I also believe he's a truly audacious and visionary talent, and I honestly hope his retirement statements about directing are short-lived. If that is to be the case though, at least we'll have Civil War to look forward to in 2023. Not much is known about the plot at this point, other than it's action-forward and set in some kind of not-too-distant post-apocalyptic future. Dunst has been very wise about the roles she's chosen at this stage of her career, so I'm hoping this is more closer to Annihilation (which I still think is a masterpiece) than Men.
RELEASE: TBA. My best guess is a SXSW premiere. Not sure he would want to go to Cannes again after last time, but that's also a possibility.
Director: Paul King (Paddington, Paddington 2 ) Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins, Jim Carter, Matt Lucas, Natasha Rothwell, Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson, Tom Davis, Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Rich Fulcher, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Paterson Joseph, Calah Lane, Colin O'Brien, Rakhee Thakrar, Ellie White, Murray McArthur, and Tracy Ifeachor.
So, I really like the Paddington movies. Believe me, those are words I never thought I would type, but it's true. They are legitimately wonderful films, and in today's market, where so much of the entertainment aimed at families and children is sappy, oversaturated tripe, Paul King's movies feel like a breath of fresh air. There's nothing pretentious or cloying about them, they are simply just big-hearted, rollicking fun guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Which is precisely why if it was any other director hoping to capitalize on a beloved property such as Roald Dahl's classic children's book, I probably wouldn't give it the time of day. But seeing as how it's King at the helm of this prequel, which will explore the origins of the titular Willy Wonka and his rise to fame, color me interested indeed. It certainly doesn't hurt that the film already test-screened last fall to very positive reactions, with one viewer calling it "inventive, dark, dramatic and funny" with a "surprisingly effective" lead turn from Timothée Chalamet that "reinvents" the character. Very interesting! That test screening occurred about 15 months before it's intended release next holiday season, which means it's either completed or nearly finished, so the fact that Warner Bros. has kept it's December release shows they are very confident with what they have and that it will play well during what is usually a very crowded movie market that time of year.
RELEASE: December 15th. It might even play one of the big festivals like Venice, BFI, or AFI before its theatrical release.
31. True Love
Director: Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Rogue One: A star Wars Story) Cast: John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Allison Janney, Marc Menchaca, Ralph Ineson, Amar Chadha-Patel, and Sturgill Simpson.
Thanks to his work on major blockbusters such as 2014's Godzilla and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (but mostly Star Wars), Gareth Edwards has become a household name in the movie world (especially in fanboy circles.) However, I've been following him since his 2010 debut, Monsters, an impressive low-budget sci-fi film that put him on the map as a talented filmmaker to watch. It's been over five years since Edwards' last film, and I've been wondering for some time now when we'd be getting something new from him, and if it would be a departure from tentpole blockbusters in favor of a new, original work. Apparently, he was wondering what his next project would be as well, and for many months the director weighed between several scripts he had been developing, wanting to make sure he settled on the right one before finally committing. We now know that project is an original sci-fi story called True Love led by John David Washington, but good luck finding out anything about the plot. Everyone involved is keeping that information very tight-lipped for the present, other than divulging how excited they are for the project. In an interview with Collider, Washington called the upcoming film something unique and special, and on the first day of filming, cinematographer Greig Fraser (whose most recent work includes Dune and last year's The Batman) excitedly took to Instagram to gush about the "incredible" project he couldn't wait for audiences to see.
RELEASE: October 6th.
30. The Old Oak
Director: Ken Loach (Kes, Sorry For Your Loss ) Cast: Dave Turner, Ebla Mari, Debbie Honeywood, Andy Dawson, and Chris Gotts.
Ken Loach is a beloved filmmaker and storyteller, with a broad and rich filmography that represents the best of what British independent cinema has to offer. At 86 he has showed no signs of slowing down, and he continues to tell deeply humane and compassionate stories that resonate with working class struggles and the folks who live within the margins of society. Continuing on the social themes that have often been the bread and butter of his works, his upcoming film, The Old Oak, takes place in a village in Northeast England, where a once thriving mining community now abandoned by the system must find a peaceful path forward with the Syrian refugees that have taken up residence there. The story is fertile ground for Loach's most compelling storytelling tendencies, and I'm excited to see the directions he takes it.
RELEASE: TBA. He's a regular at Cannes, so I'm sure the film will make it debut there.
Director: Christian Petzold (Phoenix, Undine ) Cast: Paula Beer, Enno Trebs, Thomas Schubert, Jonas Dassler, and Langston Uibel.
Christian Petzold is one of the most exciting filmmakers working today (I would definitely rank Phoenix as one of the best films of the last 10 years.) Employing a classicist style that's also very subversive and fresh, his films explore the human condition and architecture of the soul with a searing pathos and poignancy that's rare in today's cinema. In his films, romance is the one saving grace that can give us catharsis is an ever-changing world that is constantly hurdling obstacles at us to overcome and adapt to, even if that love has foreshadowing-s of impossibility and doom in its tender embrace. Afire will mark the second film in a collection of features from Petzold that will each be tied together by a certain element (water, fire, air), following Undine (his modern spin on The Little Mermaid) from 2020. Where Undine showcased water as a symbol of love's malleability and adaptability, Afire will reportedly explore it though the element of fire, with love as an all-consuming and combustible passion that threatens to destroy us even as we find comfort in its warmth. The story centers on four young people during a summer retreat at their holiday home, nestled somewhere in the forest not far from Ahrenshoop and close to the Baltic Sea.
RELEASE: Premieres at Berlin. Theatrical release is still TBA.
Director: Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah, Tale of Tales ) Cast: Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall.
Still fresh off his Italian-language adaptation of Pinocchio from 2020 (a long-in-the-works passion project that managed to get ahead of the newly restored craze in Carlo Collodi's classic fairy tale before even Disney and Guillermo Del Toro), acclaimed director Matteo Garrone got back behind the camera in 2022 for another coming-of-age story, but of a slightly different kind this time. Drawing inspiration from several incredible true stories and real-life figures, I, Captain chronicles the migrant journey of two men who leave their homeland in Dakar in pursuit of a new life in Europe. In addition to battling the dangers of the Senegalese dessert and the perilous sea that sits between them and their destination, the two men will also confront the ambiguities of morality and the human soul in this modern-day odyssey. Garrone is a fantastic filmmaker and storyteller. The Italian auteur is known for the rich texture and visual poetry he uses in his work, and this honestly sounds like one of the most interesting and compelling projects of his career so far.
RELEASE: TBA. Cannes is my best guess.
27. Dune: Part Two
Director: Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner: 2049, Arrival ) Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, and Souheila Yacoub, and Tim Blake Nelson.
It's happening! In spite of a global pandemic that quashed any chance of a strong box office, jeopardizing the potential for Denis Villeneuve to even start production on the second half of Frank Herbert's epic, groundbreaking sci-fi novel, Warner Bros. gave the greenlight for Part Two so that 2021's would-be blockbuster wouldn't fall in the well of unfinished "what ifs" that are so common in Hollywood. I stand by my original hot take from 2021 that the first installment of Villeneuve's broader vision simply does not work as a film. It just doesn't. More of an extended prologue with only a few truly great moments than a complete picture, this was a film that literally depended on Denis Villeneuve being able to make a second feature if it wanted to be salvageable. I'll admit that it's grown on me a bit since it was first released, but without even the possibility of a second film, the first part is just a very bland, straightforward retelling of Herbert's book. Part Two could honestly find Villeneuve making that same mistake, however, I know all the most interesting and psychedelically unhinged aspects of Herbert's novel happen in the second half, so I have decided to be optimistic that Villeneuve will knock it out of the park so hard that we're left forgiving any of the shortcomings (or rather, apologizing for any misgivings we had) of the first film. If it does end up being that good, I will judge both films as one complete picture rather than individually. Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux and Christopher Walken are very exciting additions to the cast, rounding out the rest of the major players in Paul Atreides' story that have yet to have been revealed, save for Paul's sister, Alia (a very difficult but exciting character to cast, which is probably why Warner Bros. is chosen to safeguard that information for the time being like some wildcard ace up their sleeve.)
RELEASE: November 3rd.
26. The Iron Claw
Director: Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Nest ) Cast: Zac Efron, Lily James, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt mccallany, Michael Harney, Aaron dean Eisenberg, Maxwell Friedman, Kevin Anton, and Stanley Simons.
Despite only directing two feature films within the span 10 years, both of which were low-budget and only seen by a handful of people, Sean Durkin has managed to establish himself as one of the most exciting voices today in indie cinema. His close ties with a small circle of other indie auteurs have found him attached as producer to a number of other films as well (such as James White and Christine), so he's definitely stayed busy, but I find it baffling he hasn't directed more films. The fact that his upcoming film, The Iron Claw, will arrive only three years after his last film- an improvement following the nine-year hiatus he took after directing Martha Marcy May Marlene- is perhaps a good sign that that may be beginning to change. His latest project certainly marks the biggest and most star-studded film he's been involved with to date, which chronicles the legacy of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a significant impact on the sport spanning from the 60s to the current time period. It's fascinating subject matter, and I'm sure Durkin with give it extra layers that explore the pathos of the family members and their relationship to each other.RELEASE: TBA. Some are predicting a Cannes premiere, but I don't think so. I'm betting this shows up at one of the fall festivals first, like Venice, Telluride, or Toronto.
25. Priscilla
Director: Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Somewhere ) Cast: Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi.
People may be a little burnt out on The King after Baz Luhrmann's excessive Elvis, but Sofia Coppola and A24 seem to believe there's still more to the story worth exploring. The Lost in Translation director has chosen to tell the story of the music icon's relationship with his wife, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, but from her perspective, drawing inspiration from her personal memoir, Elvis and Me. It's a curious choice on Coppola's part, but there are very few directors that are so good at channeling the joy (and tragedy) of girlhood, and I'm always down for whatever project she attaches herself to. Personally, Luhrmann's movie didn't quite do it for me anyway, so I doubt I'll find myself comparing the two films. Perhaps Coppola's film will even be better!RELEASE: My money is on Cannes, followed by a summer theatrical release.
24. Monster
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters, Like Father, Like Son ) Cast: Sakura Andô, Mitsuki Takahata, Shidô Nakamura, Eita Nagayama, Yûko Tanaka, Hinata Hiiragi, Soya Kurokawa, and Akihiro Kakuta.
Still fresh off Broker, which literally debuted at Cannes less than a year ago and began its theatrical bow only last month, Hirokazu Koreeda is already back with a new film! After a semi-secretive production that was only announced roughly one week before shooting wrapped, the Japanese auteur seems primed to make yet another debut at Cannes this summer, and I couldn't be more pleased. It seems the production itself isn't the only aspect of this project with a secretive quality, as any details regarding the plot have been kept very close to the vest since its existence was even made known. The only clue we've been given so far is a brief, 30-second teaser that opens with an ethereal shot of two children playing outside against lush greenery, before closing to the image of several drops of blood hitting the floor between two feet. The script is penned by Yûji Sakamoto, an acclaimed writer in Japanese television, with a score from Oscar-winning composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto (The Revenant.) I am so there!
RELEASE: TBA. As I mentioned already, Koreeda seems to have his gaze locked on Cannes.
23. Occupied City
Director: Steve McQueen (Small Axe, Hunger, 12 Years a Slave )
Steve McQueen is by far one of the most exciting voices in cinema working today, especially after his insanely good Small Axe anthology (the Lover's Rock film in particular is a gorgeous artistic triumph, and probably my favorite of the five.) He's got several projects in the pipeline at the moment, one of which is a documentary through A24 about Amsterdam under Nazi occupation during World War II, between the years 1940 and 1945. The film, which will mark McQueen's first non-fiction feature, is based on the illustrated history book by Bianca Stigter, tracing the remnants of World War II's traumatic stain on The Netherlands' capital, guiding the reader through this historically rich city that still reverberates with echoes of its dark and painful past. In a statement regarding the upcoming project, The Netherlands Film Fund said, "Living in Amsterdam is like living with spirits. It looks like there are two parallel worlds. The past is always present." This is the documentary I'm looking forward to most this year, and I'm very excited about it's potential!
RELEASE: TBA. A Venice premiere seems like a possibility.
22. Wildwood
Director: Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings ) Cast: Carey Mulligan, Jacob Tremblay, Angela Bassett, Charlie Day, Jemaine Clement, Awkwafina, Mahershala Ali, Jake Johnson, Amandla Stenberg, Richard E. Grant, Tantoo Cardinal, Maya Erskine, Tom Waits, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, and Jamie Sara Lewis.
After a decade of storyboarding and development, Laika is finally close to unveiling their long-in-the-works adaptation of Wildwood, based on the book by singer/songwriter of The Decemberists, Colin Meloy, with illustrations by Carson Ellis. It's a very exciting project, not just because it's Laika (the Portland-based studio that's been keeping the fire of stop-motion animation alive ever since Coraline first debuted) or that it finds the studio's President/CEO, Travis Knight, back in the director's chair for the first time since Kubo and the Two Strings, but also because the children's fantasy novel (the first in a trilogy of books) has amassed a very large following, as well a few notable accolades- such as a spot on the New York Times Bestseller list for two weeks straight and the E.B. White Read Aloud Award. Like the creators behind it, the story is also based in Portland, which follows the adventures of Prue McKeel, who sets off into a dangerous enchanted forest outside her city after her younger brother is kidnapped by a murder of crows. When talking about what drew him to the material, Knight says: "As a deep-dyed native of Oregon, I have rainwater, microbrew, and fair-trade coffee coursing through my veins. With 'Wildwood,' I have the opportunity to tell a madly ambitious story of magic, wonder, and danger set in a place I grew up." He added that with this movie, his "very own Portland" would "join the pantheon of unforgettable fantasy realms, with a stirring epic that will kindle imaginations, lift spirits, and break hearts." Can not wait!
RELEASE: TBA. I'm predicting some time in the fall.
21. Barbie
Director: Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women ) Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Ariana Greenblatt, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Michael Cera, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Issa rae, Ncuti Gatwa, Hari Nef, Rhea Perlman, Emerald Fennell, Sharon Rooney, Scott Evans, Ana Cruz Kayne, Connor Swindells, Ritu Arya, Jamie Demetriou, Marisa Abela, and Helen Mirren.
When I first heard that Mattel was cooking up a Barbie movie, capitalizing on a trend that started about fifteen years back that found studios looking to popular, iconic toys for inspiration in what they hoped would be a thriving market of blockbuster opportunities, I was once again exasperated and disgusted by the desperate and lazy lengths studios would go to swindle audiences out of money just so they could exploit their nostalgic, childhood whims for a quick buck. Indeed, just to give you an idea of how bad and confused the creative process behind this film was at one point, the project went through a belabored development that spanned THREE different major studios, beginning at Universal where it waited around in developmental purgatory for five years, then going to Sony where it went through multiple script drafts and lead stars (including Amy Schumer and Anne Hathaway), before finally settling over at Warner Bros after Sony's "creative" license expired. And throughout this long-winded history, I remained completely uninterested, telling myself that it would eventually come out and be just as horrendous as it sounds, likely garnering a slew of Razzie nominations in the process. But then something happened. Greta Gerwig, the actress/auteur known for her collaborations with real-life partner, Noah Baumbach, and behind acclaimed hits such as the hilarious, heartfelt Lady Bird and her brazenly original take on Little Women, took an interest in the project, penning a script with Baumbach that put Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles (as Barbie and Ken respectively.) That was my first clue. Gerwig is a very talented filmmaker and writer, and with only three films under her belt, has shown a lot of promise as one of the leading voices today in American cinema, and I was surprised that she had taken interest in a plastic toy doll that's influenced this narrow and impossible (and frankly, quite harmful) standard of female beauty, let alone that she was able mine something inventive, fun, and original in the process. However, it was the teaser trailer released last month, with its delightful and unexpected riff on Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, that finally sealed the deal and made me a believer. There's been lots of exciting word of mouth about the project that's been buzzing behind the scenes and movie sets of Tinseltown, and based on what I've heard and what I've seen (in the teaser at least), it sounds as though Gerwig's Barbie will inventively pay tribute to the toy in ways akin to The Lego Movie, while delivering a funny and meta fish-out-of-water comedy in the same vein as Elf or Enchanted. Yes, Barbie is coming ladies and gentlemen, and for once I can say I'm excited about it!
RELEASE: July 21st.
TO CHECK OUT THE FIRST PART OF THE LIST (ENTRIES 50-36), CLICK HERE
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