20 movies to watch in 2020: Wonder Woman 1984, Tenet, James Bond and more!
There are a ton of good movies coming out this year. Get your popcorn!
Note: This article was first published on 20 Jan 2020.
Wonder Woman is coming out this year! | Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
2019 was an absolutely insane year for movies. All you have to do is look at this year’s Oscar nominations to see how competitive a year in cinema it turned out to be! The bar has been raised, but what does 2020 have to offer?
I think there are just as many potentially great movies coming out this year, for every kind of popcorn-muncher. You have Marvel blockbusters like The Eternals and action movies like James Bond: No Time to Die out this year. If you’re not into big explosions, you can always tune into Edgar Wright’s next movie, or the upcoming star-studded Dune film.
There are a lot of cool movies coming out this year, but we've got you covered with this handy list. These are just some of the most exciting upcoming movies of 2020:
Onward (March 5, 2020)
Tom Holland and Chris Pratt star in this Pixar movie as two brothers on a daring and magical quest. Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley Lightfoot (Chris Pratt) discover that they have a chance to spend one last day with their late father, who passed when they were too young to remember him. The movie was written and directed by Drew Scanlon, and based on his own experiences with his late father. You’re probably going to cry. A lot.
A Quiet Place: Part II (March 19, 2020)
If you’re a horror fan, you probably liked A Quiet Place quite a bit. The Abbotts have gained a baby and lost a father, which means certain death in a world where monsters track you down by sound alone. With Cilian Murphy of Peaky Blinders fame joining the cast, this could be every bit as good as its intense, thrilling predecessor. John Krasinski returns to direct this sequel.
James Bond: No Time to Die (April 9, 2020)
Daniel Craig has done a fantastic job as James Bond, but all good things must come to an end. After the events of Spectre, Bond has gone away with Madeleine Swann to live a peaceful life - but right on cue, Swann’s dark past comes back to haunt her. Feeling betrayed, he steps back into his old role as 007 and comes into conflict with Safin, played by Rami Malek. Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, this might be worth watching for its spectacular cast alone.
Wonder Woman 1984 (June 5, 2020)
Patty Jenkins returns to direct a sequel to what I consider one of DC’s better recent movie efforts. Gal Gadot stars as Diana Prince in the year 1984, who falls into conflict with two new villains: Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) and the Cheetah (Kristen Wiig). She also has to come to terms with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) suddenly coming back to life.
Top Gun: Maverick (June 25, 2020)
This is a sequel to the 1986 classic starring Tom Cruise, and involves Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Cruise) going back to train Top Gun graduates after more than thirty years. He even meets Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late best friend - Goose. They’ll all have to fly together in an extremely dangerous mission, while Maverick has trouble dealing with his past. Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer and Manny Jacinto also star.
In the Heights (June 26, 2020)
For those not in the know, Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote and starred in an incredible Broadway musical called In the Heights. If you’re a fan of musicals and getting your heart broken, trust me, this is the movie for you. Jon M. Chu brings the musical to the big screen - hopefully he can continue the winning streak he started with Crazy Rich Asians.
Free Guy (July 3, 2020)
Welcome to videogame: the movie. Ryan Reynolds stars as Guy, a non-player character (NPC) in an open world game - Free City. Real-life programmers Milly (Jodie Comer) and Keys (Joe Keery), along with publisher Antoine (Taika Waititi) put a code into the game that makes Guy realise that his entire world is just a game. He then embarks on a journey to become the hero, setting off a race against time to save the videogame before the developers shut the whole thing down.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife (July 10, 2020)
That 2016 Ghostbusters reboot? Never happened. A family of two children and a single mother move to a farm in Summerville, Oklahoma inherited from their late grandfather. After the town experiences a series of strange earthquakes however, the children realise they might be linked to the mythical Ghostbusters of old. All the original (living) Ghostbusters return for this, from Bill Murray to Ernie Hudson. Finn Wolfhard, Carrie Coon, Paul Rudd and more join the cast.
Tenet (July 16, 2020)
We know very little about Christopher Nolan’s next blockbuster mind-twister. A secret agent uses time travel to prevent World War 3 - but time travel seems to work a little differently in Tenet. John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Michael Caine, Martin Donovan and more join an insanely-talented cast, making this movie one to look forward to.
Bill and Ted Face the Music (August 21, 2020)
Be excellent to each other, and party on! | Image: United Artists Releasing
I mean, Keanu Reeves is in it. Do you need another reason? Many decades after Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, the duo now endures the boring monotony of middle-aged life, while raising their children - Billie and Thea. A visitor from the future warns them that they have to create a song that will save all life on Earth and the entire universe - so, no pressure. Bill and Ted are the exact kind of wholesomeness we need these days. Be excellent to each other, and party on!
The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It (September 11, 2020)
Did the devil make him do it? We're about to find out. | Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
The Conjuring movies have always been much, much better than their lacklustre spin-offs. In this one, Ed and Lorraine Warren fight for the soul of a young boy. This leads them into a case that made real-world headlines - when a murder suspect claimed demonic possession as a defense in court. Hence, The Devil Made Me Do It. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as the Warrens, while series newcomer Michael Chaves directs.
The King’s Man (September 18, 2020)
At this point, the Kingsman movies have turned into a full-blown franchise. This time, we get to see how the whole thing started. Enter this prequel to the Kingsman series, set in the 1900s. A group of ex-soldiers come together to form a spy agency, while trying to stop a criminal plot to bring about a massive war. Matthew Vaughn once again directs, while Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Charles Dance and more join the cast.
Last Night in Soho (September 25, 2020)
Edgar Wright's first horror outing. | Image: Edgar Wright
It’s actually hard to imagine a world where this turns out to be anything less than amazing. Director Edgar Wright has an absolutely flawless record of trying his hand at random genres and creating gold. A music-video-turned-movie? Baby Driver. Zombie movie? Shaun of the Dead. Buddy cop movie? Hot Fuzz. Aliens? The World’s End. Horror film? Last Night in Soho. This movie has an absurd cast, as well: Thomasin Mackenzie (last seen in Jojo Rabbit), Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp and more.
Venom 2 (October 2, 2020)
Hopefully the CGI gets a tune-up. Image: Sony Pictures Releasing
Venom made close to US$1 billion worldwide, so OF COURSE it’s getting a sequel. This will actually be the second of two movies set in Sony’s mini-Marvel universe coming out in 2020 after Morbius, but it’ll be interesting to see if the two connect. Carnage will be the main villain this time around - an alien symbiote similar to Venom, but red and possessing a serial killer by the name of Cletus Kassidy (Woody Harrelson). Andy Serkis directs, with Tom Hardy returning as Venom’s slightly less violent alter-ego, Eddie Brock.
Halloween Kills (October 29, 2020)
There is no better movie to watch this Halloween, than Halloween Kills. This sequel to Halloween (2018), which itself is a sequel to Halloween (1978) brings the whole cast back for another bloody faceoff with Michael Myers. The last time we saw Myers, he was burning to death in Laurie Strode’s hidden basement, but did we really expect him to die? Myers is a psychopathic force of nature - he doesn't die. Halloween (2018) was a fantastically fresh horror movie, which is rare to find these days. Hopefully, its sequel turns out the same way.
The Eternals (November 6, 2020)
An alien race living on planet Earth. So, just another Tuesday in the Marvel universe. | Image: Disney
This has a lot of potential to be Marvel’s next big franchise. Don’t count The Eternals out before they’ve had a chance to shine - after all, no one could have anticipated the Guardians of the Galaxy becoming such a huge franchise. This movie focuses on the Eternals, an immortal alien race who have been living on Earth in secret for over 7000 years. Director Chloé Zhao is working with some immense talent here: Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Salma Hayek, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan and more!
Godzilla Vs. Kong (November 20, 2020)
Let them fight. | Image: Warner Bros. Pictures
Two back-to-back Godzilla movies? Dreams do come true. At the end of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, we were teased that every kaiju on planet Earth was headed to Skull Island for one final, epic confrontation between Godzilla and his would-be usurper - King Kong. Adam Wingard directs, while Millie Bobby Brown and Kyle Chandler return from King of the Monsters. Also joining the cast are Alexander Skarsgård, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Jessica Henwick and Lance Reddick.
Dune (December 18, 2020)
Sandworms! | Image: Dune (1984), Universal Studios
This is going to be the movie of the year, mark my words. Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario) takes Frank Herbert’s legendary 1965 novel to the big screen for the second time. Its story is set in the far future, on the dangerous desert planet Arrakis - source of the most valuable substance in the universe, ‘the spice’. Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) takes control of the spice mining operation on the planet, but giant sandworms and bitter betrayals get in the way.
A massive cast has been put together for this film, with the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, David Dastmalchian and more. The film will also be scored by Hans Zimmer, who forgoed Christopher Nolan’s Tenet for this. Jeez, talk about talent. Villeneuve plans to do two Dune films, with the second one already in the works, as well as an upcoming HBO Max spin-off series. This could be a huge disaster… or the next big thing in pop culture. Time will tell!
The Personal History of David Copperfield (2020)
This is a movie directed by Armando Iannucci - that’s all I need to say. The mind behind Veep, The Death of Stalin, In the Loop and the upcoming Avenue 5 takes on a slightly less political story here: Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield. Dev Patel stars as Copperfield, in a cast that includes the likes of Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw and more. The film has already picked up a ton of accolades at festivals, and is sure to be a winner.
The French Dispatch (2020)
Wes Anderson's movies are pure eye candy. | Image: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fox Searchlight
A Wes Anderson movie? Automatic inclusion. The stylised director’s latest movie revolves around a group of journalists in an outpost of an American newspaper. The film takes place in a fictional 20th-century French city (which sounds like almost every Wes Anderson movie) with three storylines. If Wes Anderson isn’t enough to fill your heart with buzzing excitement, look at this cast: Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton and more names than you could fill a book with!
Mank (2020)
The creator of Mindhunter returns to Netflix for a movie. | Image: Mindhunter, Netflix
Everything David Fincher touches turns into gold. From movies like Fight Club to The Social Network, and shows like Mindhunter and House of Cards under his belt - it’s no wonder that Netflix brought him in to direct a movie for them. Mank is a biographical film about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, who battles with director Orson Welles over a screenplay credit for the legendary 1941 movie Citizen Kane. Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, Charles Dance, Tuppence Middleton and more star.
And there’s a lot more to come!
Who you gonna call? | Image: Sony Pictures Releasing
This is just a small slice of the massive slate of movies coming out in 2020. The point is, there’s always something out there on the horizon for you to watch and love this year. You can even watch 1917, which recently released in Asia and is insanely good. Have fun, popcorn-munchers!
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