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The Only Big Movies That May Still Come Out In 2020

With the coming of a new decade, Hollywood's studios lined up a slew of projects to compete for your filmgoing dollar. Some were highly anticipated sequels, others were new adaptations of existing properties, some hoped to be the next big blockbuster, and a handful happened to be festival darlings that would fill in for those weary of the big-budget Hollywood machine. Then the coronavirus hit, and studios scrambled to figure out what to do with unfinished projects. There were delays... and then delays upon delays, and finally there was the realization that many of those films weren't going to have a chance at the theater, if the theaters were all shuttered.

It was supposed to have been an epic year at the movies. It's turned into something much less, with a few films finding their audience on streaming platforms in lieu of a wide theater release, while others have been put off indefinitely. But there's still some hope. The film industry is resilient, and in spite of a few delays, 2020 isn't going to be a complete write-off. While release dates seem to be ever-changing these days, we have a pretty good idea of what's still set to come out this year. Here are all the major films you still have to look forward to in 2020.

Greyhound — July 10

The coronavirus has not been good to Tom Hanks. First, he was one of the earliest celebrities to go public with his diagnosis and recovery — and then he had to watch helplessly as his latest passion project, the World War II submarine thriller Greyhound, ended up shifting to the Apple TV+ streaming platform rather than heading to theaters as initially planned.

Hanks was admittedly heartbroken when he learned plans had changed for Greyhound, but early reviews have found critics saying it's pretty much the perfect diversion for a night in — although it's nowhere near as powerful as the WWII picture Hanks will always be known for, Saving Private Ryan, it's still a smartly assembled adventure whose exciting set pieces help make up for characters that might not be as fully developed as they could have been. That last bit is a knock against Hanks, who wrote the screenplay; fortunately, Hanks the actor more than makes up for it with a starring performance that keeps the film on a steady course. If you're up for a wartime movie — or just want to spend 90 minutes with America's Dad — add Greyhound to your Apple queue.

Relic — July 10

Family drama meets haunted house terror in writer/director Natalie Erika James' feature debut, Relic. The arthouse horror film draws parallels to 2018's Hereditary and 2014's The Babadook, with all three films centering on a strained maternal relationship set against the backdrop of a home infected by a sinister supernatural presence. Here, the central relationship is between Kay (Emily Mortimer) and her ailing mother Edna (Robyn Nevin), whose battle with dementia manifests in strange and creepy ways. When Edna goes missing, Kay and her daughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) travel to Edna's home, first to find her, and then to figure out what to do with her once she miraculously reappears. The longer they stay, the worse things get, and the trio is ultimately forced to face a malevolent terror that's taken over the home.

Relic premiered at Sundance and has been a hit with critics. Jessica Kiang at Variety spoke of the house-as-metaphor aspect of the film, saying, "If growing up is often portrayed as realizing you can never go home again, in the enigmatic, mournful, deeply creepy Relic, growing old is realizing that even as home betrays you, you can never get away from it." More than anything, it's the performances from the leads that really make Relic, much like those in the aforementioned Hereditary and The Babadook. Relic is frightening because of its supernatural element, but it's terrifying because of its human one.

Tenet - August 12

Even after the initial teaser arrived in December 2019, we still know very little about the plot of Christopher Nolan's upcoming "action epic revolving around the world of international espionage," Tenet, which is slated for release August 12, 2020. We do know that it's an expensive production, with the budget reportedly clocking in at about $225 million. On top of that, Tenet will be shown in IMAX, so expect big things — literally.

The film stars John David Washington, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Robert Pattinson, among others. Pattinson told USA Today in April 2019 that he had been "sworn to secrecy" regarding Tenet's details. The actor was fond of the script, however, and said that Nolan changed his mind about doing big budget movies. "I got locked in a room to read the script — I don't have it myself," he explained. The future Batman said of the Dark Knight director, "There's just something about Chris Nolan's stuff. He seems like the only director now who can do what is essentially a very personal, independent movie that has huge scale. I read the script and it's unreal."

Peninsula — August 7

New life was breathed into the zombie genre in 2016 with Train to Busan, a Korean horror film written and directed by Yeon Sang-ho that followed a group of passengers trapped on a train as a zombie virus spread quickly through its cars. The film is action-packed, funny, and terrifying all at once, with fully realized characters and a simple yet perfectly executed story. It garnered a slew of award nominations and wins and is generally regarded as one of the best zombie films of recent years.

Four years later, Yeon is returning to the story with Peninsula, which is set in an evacuated and "abandoned" Korea, now completely overrun by the undead. Jeong-seok (Gang Dong Won), a former Marine, takes a job that sends him into the country, where he and his team are met with not only zombies, but a group of survivors who have made the most of the epidemic — by turning it into entertainment.

Peninsula isn't just a followup to Train to Busan — it's an over-the-top expansion of the universe Yeon created in 2016. As the filmmaker explained to Screen Daily in March 2020, "The scale of Peninsula can't compare to Train To Busan, it makes it look like an independent film... Train To Busan was a high-concept film shot in narrow spaces whereas Peninsula has a much wider scope of movement." As such, it carries a much larger price tag: $16 million, nearly double what its predecessor had to work with. It looks as though it's money well spent, however — Peninsula appears to be twice as crazy as Train to Busan was.

The One and Only Ivan — August 14

Based on a true story so incredible that a screenwriter would have had to invent it if it hadn't actually happened, The One and Only Ivan enthralled young audiences when it was turned into a bestselling children's book by author Katherine Applegate. Eight years later, the real-life saga of a silverback gorilla who spent decades as a caged attraction in a Washington shopping mall is getting the movie treatment — even if it isn't opening on the big screen as originally planned. 

Starring Breaking Bad vet Bryan Cranston and featuring voice work from a star-studded cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Danny DeVito, and Sam Rockwell, the One and Only Ivan film adaptation is scheduled to arrive on the Disney Plus streaming platform on August 14. Had it gone to theaters, Ivan looks like just the type of thing that would send families streaming into the cineplex on hot summer nights and afternoons — now they'll be streaming it at home instead, but given the talent involved, that Disney pedigree, and the actual events that inspired it, this is still a 2020 movie you won't want to miss.

Mulan — August 21

Disney is set to turn another one of their most popular animated films into a live action epic in 2020, debuting an updated version of Mulan. The movie, which was initially set to be released in 2018 but later pushed back, will be directed by The Zookeeper's Wife's Niki Caro based on a script from Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Jurassic World). The remake received positive reviews in early screenings, but was hit with a last-minute delay due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The initial delay in the film's release date reportedly happened because it took Disney a year of searching across the world to find its star. They eventually landed on Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu. Liu is one of China's most popular actresses and is nicknamed "Fairy Sister" due to her innocent persona. With the lead warrior princess in place, the cast was rounded out with international stars Jet Li, Donnie Yen, and Jason Scott Lee. Liu's filmography also shows that she has a lot of experience in the action required for the role, and should be a great fit for the popular Disney princess.

Antebellum — August 21

Since her feature film debut in 2016's Moonlight, Janelle Monáe's acting career has been on a steady incline — she's taken on starring roles in 2016's Hidden Figures, 2019's Harriet, and the second season of Amazon's award-winning series Homecoming. In Antebellum, the multi-talented star plays Veronica Henley, a successful author who finds herself trapped in a time-bending reality in which she's a slave on a southern plantation. It's a little like 2017's Get Out, if that film had gotten the full Twilight Zone workup.

Antebellum marks the first full-length feature for writing and directing duo Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz, whose prior work has been rooted in socially driven issues — the pair directed the 2017 music video Kill Jay-Z, as well as Against the Wall, the 2016 viral PSA condemning police brutality. For Monáe, the issues addressed in Antebellum were difficult to work through. She explained during a Hollywood Reporter Drama Actress Roundtable that doing the project was often "triggering," saying (via NME), "This is a project that is so of the times, and it was not going to be a yes for me because I knew the responsibility and the weight of it and I knew what this character was going to have to go through physically and emotionally."

Bill & Ted Face the Music — August 28

We are living in a Keanussance. Thanks in no small part to the ongoing success of the John Wick series, rumors and news have been bouncing around Hollywood about potential sequels and reboots for everything from The Matrix to Speed. One follow-up that's definitely coming is Bill and Ted Face the Music, a (hopefully) fantastic voyage following in the radical footsteps of 1989's Excellent Adventure and 1991's Bogus Journey.

After many years of rumblings, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter officially confirmed in a video in March of 2019 that strange things were indeed afoot at the Circle K once more. William Sadler is slated to reprise his role as the oft-Melvined Grim Reaper. Original writers Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon have returned to pen the screenplay, with Galaxy Quest director Dean Parisot set to helm. The sequel will catch up with a now-middle aged Bill S. Preston and Theodore Logan as they realize that adult responsibilities like fatherhood have prevented them from coming up with that universe-saving song they were destined to write. They will be assisted by their daughters (Samara Weaving and Brigitte Lundy-Paine) and come face-to-face again with Death (William Sadler reprising his Bogus Journey role). Be excellent to each other when you line up for your tickets on August 28, 2020.

The New Mutants — August 28

Dare we even talk about The New Mutants as a 2020 release? At this rate, assigning an actual date to this seemingly cursed X-Men project is like waiting for a toad to get struck by lightning. After an initial trailer was released in the bygone days of October 2017, the movie has been pushed back no fewer than four times, shifting from April 2018 to February 2019, then to August 2019. The release of Disney's post-Fox-merger schedule revealed that New Mutants had been delayed yet again, all the way to April 3, 2020. Just when all seemed to be finally going well for New Mutants, it became one of many projects delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

So, other than the latest one, what's behind all the delays? By all accounts, it's not actually the quality of the film itself — unlike Dark Phoenix, New Mutants has reportedly been well-received in test screenings. The movie's source comics — created in the 1980s by Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz — remain unique fan favorites. The cast features up-and-comers like The Witch's Anya Taylor-Joy and Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams. A number of other factors have been at play, however — the release of Deadpool 2, an expansion of certain characters' roles, and the Earth-shaking Disney/Fox merger among them.

Hopefully we'll actually be able to watch The New Mutants in 2020... and hopefully, it will live up to its potential as a stylish and frightening final Fox X-Men movie.

A Quiet Place 2 — September 4

In 2018, A Quiet Place took Hollywood by surprise, turning a modest $17 million budget around to pull in nearly $350 million worldwide at the box office. It's also one of the most highly acclaimed horror films in recent years, with Rotten Tomatoes granting it an overwhelmingly fresh rating and calling it "a ruthlessly intelligent creature feature that's as original as it is scary." So it's no wonder Paramount Pictures would want to capitalize with a sequel. A Quiet Place Part II was initially slated to hit theaters on March 20, 2020, but was delayed at the last minute due to the coronavirus pandemic.

While writer/director John Krasinski is confirmed for the sequel now, it wasn't always that way. In an interview with The Ringer's The Big Picture podcast, Krasinski said he initially didn't want to have anything to do with a second film but was convinced by his producer to jot down a few ideas. "After like three weeks he was like, 'Why don't you just write this and then we'll get another filmmaker?' and of course Jedi mind tricked me into signing on to the sequel," he said.

As far as the story goes, writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods told Fandango that there was the potential to focus on new families. Krasinski seemed to agree that the sequel wouldn't be just about the Abbotts of the original, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "In our circumstance, the thing that the audience loved most was the world. That's the cool thing that you could explore on and on."

Monster Hunter – September 4

Writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson (not to be confused with Paul Thomas Anderson, who makes very different movies) has had a career largely defined by video game adaptations. Over the past 25 years, he's brought us Mortal Kombat, DOA: Dead or Alive, and most significantly, the Resident Evil series. Now, he's reuniting with his Resident Evil star (and wife) Milla Jovovich to bring yet another game franchise to the big screen: Capcom's Monster Hunter.

These fantasy role-playing games have been amassing fans since the inaugural entry's release in 2004, and there's no end in sight — the latest installment, Monster Hunter: World, was one of the best-selling video games of 2018. With a supporting cast that includes Tony Jaa and Ron Perlman, Jovovich stars as the leader of a platoon of soldiers transported from our world to a savage fantasy land.

Reviews for Anderson's filmography as a whole have been middling, to say the least. But he's described Monster Hunter as a "passion project," and maybe that passion will make for a grand spectacle. We'll find out when the game begins on September 4, 2020.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It - September 11

Just before Halloween 2020 hits, we'll be getting the third installment of the Conjuring Universe's flagship series, and the official continuation of the Warrens' story. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga will both reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren, although James Wan, who was behind the camera for both The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2, is sitting out directorial duties this time around, as he's busy with other projects. He's still on board as a producer, though, with The Curse of La Llorona director Michael Chaves taking the helm.

In December 2018, Wan confirmed plot details of the film to Bloody Disgusting, saying, "It's this guy who was on trial for committing a murder... I think it's the first time in America's history where the defendant used possessions as a reason, as an excuse." Since The Conjuring films have focused on actual past Warren cases, we always knew we could count on the "based on a true story" tagline with this one. Sure enough, in December 2019, the movie received an official title: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

The official plot synopsis (via Slashfilm) confirms that the third Conjuring is inspired by "the first time in U.S. history that a murder suspect would claim demonic possession as a defense." That would be the story of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who was put on trial for the murder of his landlord following a failed exorcism attempt. He claimed to have been possessed at the time of the killing.

The King's Man — September 18

After a successful-enough sequel that broadened the scope and raised the stakes of its predecessor, the Kingsman series is becoming what every action property dreams of: a fully-fledged franchise. Not only does director Matthew Vaughn have another sequel in mind for Taron Egerton and Colin Firth's characters, he's also envisioning a spinoff, a TV series, and a prequel. The prequel will be arriving next, slated (after some re-shuffling of Fox's schedule) for September 18, 2020.

According to the studio's plot summary for The King's Man, "As a collection of history's worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them." The film is set in the early 1900s and stars Ralph Fiennes as the Duke of Oxford, with Harris Dickson as his new protégé. The action-comedy's first teaser dropped in July 2019, giving fans a glimpse into the beginnings of the secret, secret service organization, as well as its earliest foes, including Rhys Ifans as the infamous Rasputin.

Wonder Woman 1984 - October 2

2017's Wonder Woman is the most critically acclaimed movie in the DC Extended Universe by a wide margin (no, really... wide margin). It makes sense, then, that Gal Gadot's embodiment of the Amazonian warrior is being fast-tracked back to the big screen while Superman and Batman are left to fight a legion of issues standing in the way of their next movie appearance. Diana's second solo adventure hasn't been without delays of its own, however; the movie was pushed back from its original 2019 holiday season release to June 5, 2020, and then to October, due to the coronavirus.

When the movie does at last arrive, it will bring with it the blast from the past promised by the title. Filling in part of the timeline between the first movie's World War I setting and the hero's reemergence in Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeWonder Woman 1984 will see the return of Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, and director Patty Jenkins. SNL alum Kristen Wiig joins the fray as nemesis Cheetah, while The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal pulls the strings as evil tycoon Maxwell Lord.

Candyman - October 16

It is the destiny of all horror franchises to be rebooted. That's been the case for pretty much the entire 21st century so far — since the dawn of the new millennium, we've seen remakes and reimaginings of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and multiple stabs at a new Halloween. The newest of those, David Gordon Green and Danny McBride's take on Michael Myers, has been unquestionably the biggest success of them all. Part of that success is thanks to Halloween 2018's rather unique approach to revitalizing its franchise. Rather than a hard reboot, it was a sequel to John Carpenter's 1978 masterpiece that simply ignored what had come between.

Another long-dormant series seems ready for similar treatment. Candyman, released in 1992, was based on a story by Hellraiser creator Clive Barker, starred Tony Todd as a supernatural murderer who haunted a housing project in Chicago and represented the specter of racial and class inequality. Also, bees came out of his mouth. It's perfect material for the shockingly prolific Jordan Peele, who is producing and co-writing a new Candyman slated to hit theaters on October 16, 2020. Bloody Disgusting reports that the film, directed by up-and-comer Nia DaCosta, will be a "spiritual sequel" that returns to the now-gentrified neighborhood of the original. Conflicting reports about Todd reprising his role and/or being replaced by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II suggest that DaCosta and Peele have some intriguing twists in store.

The French Dispatch - October 16

It's been six years since Wes Anderson released his last live action feature film, 2014's The Grand Budapest Hotel. This year's The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun not only marks the director's return to his signature large ensemble films (Anderson's last project was the 2018 stop-motion stunner Isle of Dogs), but it's also his tenth feature — an incredible accomplishment, and one we can only hope won't mirror Quentin Tarantino's self-imposed directorial expiration date. Set in mid-20th Century France, The French Dispatch is an anthology film that relays several stories published in the fictional French Dispatch magazine.

There are always a few things that one can expect from a Wes Anderson film: an incredible cast, an unconventional approach to storytelling, and a distinctive visual style. The French Dispatch promises all of these, and more. The cast is a blend of both familiar faces from Anderson's repertoire and newcomers, including Bill Murray, Timothee Chalamet, Frances McDormand, Elisabeth Moss, Saoirse Ronan, Tilda Swinton, Owen Wilson, Jeffrey Wright, and Benicio Del Toro. The style is, of course, distinct: Moss told IndieWire of being on set, "Everyone looks like they're in a Wes Anderson movie — and they usually are — and there's Wes Anderson, and he looks like he's in a Wes Anderson movie. It was like a weird dream."

Those Who Wish Me Dead — October 23

Boasting an all-star cast that includes Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Hoult, Jon Bernthal, and Tyler Perry, Those Who Wish Me Dead tells the story of Jace Wilson, a teenager who's hidden in a Montana wilderness skills program after witnessing a brutal murder carried out by twin assassins. The brothers pursue Jace and he's forced to flee; at the same time, a forest fire threatens to take them all. The neo-western thriller is based on the book by Michael Koryta, who co-wrote the screenplay along with the film's director, Taylor Sheridan. Sheridan, it should be noted, has made a real name for himself in the genre. After writing 2016's Hell or High Water, he went on to write and direct Wind River the following year, and he's responsible for the creation of Yellowstone, Paramount Network's hit western series starring Kevin Costner.

While there isn't much currently known about Those Who Wish Me Dead in terms of the film's specifics, we can expect at least the same degree of character building from Sheridan that we've seen in his other projects. Bernthal spoke with Collider in November 2019 and said, "It's going to be muscular and it's going to be bold and daring and thrilling, as everything he does is... This thing really moves. I mean, I'll always, always bet on Taylor Sheridan."

Black Widow — November 6

Marvel Studios was originally set to release Black Widow, its 24th film and the beginning of the MCU's Phase 4, on May 1, but that date got pushed back... six months. The shift would wind up affecting not only Black Widowbut the rest of Marvel's Phase 4 projects as well (The Eternals, for example, moved from a November 2020 release to February 2021).

Chronologically, Black Widow will take place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. In it, Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff sets off to confront her past and the people she left behind when she traded her first family for the Avengers. According to its cast, the film is going to be something of a departure from other Marvel properties. David Harbour, who plays Alexei (a.k.a. the Red Guardian), spoke Marvel after Marvel's 2019 SDCC panel and said, "It feels like an espionage movie; it's got all these elements to it." According to Johansson, "It's a little dirty; it's a little salty. It's bringing some realness to the Marvel universe."

Joining the pair are Florence Pugh as Yelena (Natasha's fellow Black Widow agent), O-T Fagbenle as Mason (a "fixer" who has "a complex relationship with Natasha"), and Rachel Weisz as Melina (a character who's been through the Widow program five times).

No Time to Die — November 20

After several development setbacks, including Daniel Craig's uncertain return to the franchise following 2015's Spectre, the latest Bond film was scheduled for wide release on April 8. Unfortunately, its troubles weren't over, as the movie would become the first major film industry victim of coronavirus concerns, leading to an eight-month delay announced in March. Late in 2018, the film's original director, Danny Boyle, left the project due to a script dispute. Only a month later, True Detective's Cary Fukunaga signed on in his place, but Boyle's departure wound up setting the film's release date back six months. While No Time to Die will officially mark Craig's final film as James Bond, it will introduce a brand new 007 to the franchise. 

Returning cast members include Christoph Waltz, Ben Whishaw, Lea Seydoux, Naomie Harris Jeffrey Wright, and Ralph Fiennes. New to the film are Lashana Lynch as a fresh 00 agent and Rami Malek, who'll portray the movie's villain. No Time to Die is set sometime after Bond has retired from active service. He's called back by Felix Leiter (Wright) when the CIA needs help with "a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology."

Voyagers — November 25

Set in the near future, the sci-fi thriller Voyagers follows a group of 30 young men and women as they set out on a mission into space in search of a new home. Along the way, their captain dies under mysterious circumstances and chaos takes over, resulting in the entire crew reverting to a primal state. The question then becomes whether the danger lies out in the void or within the ship itself. Starring Colin Farrell, Tye Sheridan, Isaac Hempstead Wright, and Lily-Rose Depp, Voyagers has been described as "Lord of the Flies for a new generation."

The film is written and directed by Neil Burger, who's certainly no stranger to sci-fi: His prior credits include 2006's The Illusionist, 2011's Limitless, and the 2014 teen dystopian flick Divergent. He also served as executive producer on that film's 2016 trilogy-concluding Allegiant, as well as Limitless' 2015 TV spinoff series. Little is known about Voyagers outside of a few scattered plot details, so where and how Farrell's Dr. Alling will exactly fit in to the film is yet to be seen. Maybe he'll be able to bring in a little maturity as things go awry... or maybe he'll be the first adult to be scared. It's really anybody's guess at this point.

Free Guy - December 11

Coming this holiday season is Free Guy, an action comedy directed by Stranger Things' Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds, who might be the only actor to ever play the same character twice with completely opposite results. Free Guy tells the story of Guy (Reynolds), a bank teller who comes to find out that he is, in fact, a non playable background character in a brutal and violent video game. The film also stars Taika Waititi, Jodie Comer, and Joe Keery and is written by Matt Leiberman and Zak Penn.

There are two big, noteworthy reunions happening with Free Guy. The first is between Keery and Levy, who have a long-running history on Netflix's hit series Stranger Things. But there's also the on-screen reunion between Reynolds and Waititi, who appeared together once before, in 2011's Green Lantern (although it seems as if the pair — and everyone else — would like to forget that whole thing ever happened).

Dune — December 18

Frank Herbert's 1965 novel Dune has had a towering influence over the world of science fiction, which is probably why filmmakers have been trying to bring Herbert's universe to the screen for decades. Avant-garde director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but abandoned attempt in the '70s was so legendary it eventually became the subject of a hit documentary. David Lynch helmed a blockbuster version of Dune in 1984, but while the film has something of a cult following, many (including Lynch himself) found it unsatisfying. A Syfy miniseries in 2000 served as a faithful adaptation, but suffered from the limitations of a TV budget.

Now, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve hopes to get it right. His strongest asset so far is an already stacked cast, which includes Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgård, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Jason Momoa. Another point in the production's favor: the film will reportedly focus on only the first half of Herbert's novel, avoiding the overstuffed confusion of the Lynch movie.

Coming 2 America — December 18

Coming to America was released in 1988, at the height of Eddie Murphy's superstardom. Murphy, who co-wrote the story, stars as Prince Akeem, heir to the throne of the fictional African nation of Zamunda. Determined to escape an arranged marriage and find a free-thinking bride to fall in love with, he travels to New York City with trusted aide Semmi (Arsenio Hall) in tow. It was a box office smash, capping off an explosively successful decade for Murphy (and giving him his first exercise in playing multiple roles).

After a period of rumors and rumblings, a Coming to America sequel has been officially announced and is set to be released on December 18, 2020. Murphy released an enthusiastic statement confirming the project, which will reportedly send Akeem back to America after 30 years in search of his long-lost son. Original supporting players Arsenio Hall, Shari Headley, John Amos, and James Earl Jones are all rumored to be in talks as well. Black-ish creator Kenya Barris is penning the screenplay, with Craig Brewer (who worked with Murphy on Dolemite Is My Name for Netflix) taking the director's chair from the original movie's John Landis (who rather famously clashed with Murphy at the time).

Top Gun: Maverick - December 23

Director Joseph Kosinski made his movie debut with 2010's TRON: Legacy, a sequel for a generation that hadn't even been born when its predecessor was made. Now, he's set to do it again with Top Gun: Maverick, the 2020 follow-up to 1986's military thrill ride. Much like Creed, the new film will find the original movie's hero taking the son of his fallen friend under his wing.

Top Gun director Tony Scott had envisioned a sequel, but his death in 2010 put those plans on hold. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer remained dedicated, however, eventually hiring Kosinski and getting original stars Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer on board. Miles Teller will play the son of Goose, with Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, and Ed Harris also joining the cast. A big part of Top Gun's success was its wildly popular soundtrack, and Maverick has already promised to pay homage to that, with Harold Faltermeyer returning to compose the score and Kenny Loggins recording a new version of "Danger Zone." Feel the need for speed on December 23.

Saint Maud - TBA

If there were a single modern film studio that could be pointed to for horror that truly gets under your skin, A24 would be it. The company is behind some of the most unconventional and thought-provoking features in the last decade, including Midsommar, The Lighthouse, and The Witch. Now comes Saint Maud, a twisted story about a young hospice nurse (Morfydd Clark) who becomes obsessed with saving the soul of one of her dying patients (Jennifer Ehle). Of course, things aren't so cut and dry in this tale of religious redemption, as Maud's dark past comes back to haunt her.

Saint Maud marks the feature film debut of writer/director Rose Glass, whose previous work includes the shorts "Room 55" and "Moths." Saint Maud has already proven to be a hit with critics on the festival circuit — it currently boasts a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics praising Glass' portrayal of a young woman's spiritual descent into madness. According to IndieWire's David Ehrlich, "Saint Maud transmutes a young woman's spiritual crisis into such a refined story of body horror that genre fans might feel like they're having a religious experience."

Antlers — TBA

Set in a small Oregon town, Antlers tells the story of an elementary school teacher (Keri Russell) who takes in a troubled young boy (Jeremy T. Thomas) with a dark family secret that follows him to his new home. The film is based on the short story "The Quiet Boy" by Nick Antosca, and is being produced by Guillermo del Toro. Scott Cooper, best known for decidedly non-horror films like Crazy Heart and Hostiles, jumps into the genre for the first time here as Antler's director. Cooper spoke with Collider in 2018, saying that it was precisely his inexperience with horror that appealed to del Toro, who told the director that it was his ability to create "horrific moments" in his films that made him stand out.

So what can we expect from Antlers? According to Cooper, the film takes notes from a number of horror heavyweights. "I was so influenced early on by the work of John Carpenter, like Halloween, or certainly The Exorcist which is a favorite of mine, or even Tarkovsky's Stalker," he told Collider. "So I'm able to bring all of that into one film which is exciting."

An exact release date for Antlers is currently TBD, as its intended April 17 bow was scuttled by the coronavirus.