We take a look ahead to the movies due for release in 2013
We survived the Mayan Apocalypse – unless reality is now a fevered dream in the mind of M. Night Shyamalan, in which case, god help us all – so it is time to turn our sights to the movies to look forward to in the coming year.
Brogen Hayes has painstakingly gone through the cinema releases announced so far, and chosen just some of the films to keep an eye out for in 2013.
Gangster Squad (January)
Ruben Fleischer’s delayed gangster flick hits our screens in January, and tells the tale of the LAPD and their fight against mafia crime in the 1940s and 50s. Starring Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Josh Brolin, the film looks dark and slick and incredibly bloody. We’re looking forward to it already!
Django Unchanined (January)
Quentin Tarantino is back behind the lens, and brings us a dark and twisted tale from the Deep South in the era of slavery. Chrisoph Waltz and Jamie Foxx star as unlikely allies who take on the might of plantation and slave owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) in a fight for justice and true love.
Antiviral (February)
Brandon Cronenberg’s debut focuses on the not too distant future where fans can be infected with their favourite celebrity’s illnesses in a bid to be closer to them. Caleb Landry Jones stars as Syd March, a man who must find the truth behind a young starlet’s death before the virus kills him as well.
Cloud Atlas (February)
The Wachowski siblings team up with Tom Tykwer to tackle David Mitchell’s beloved novel and bring it to the big screen. We are told that the film will explore how people’s actions impact others in the past, present and future. It sort of sounds like The Butterfly Effect, but the trailer is intriguing and the film promises to be daring and impressive. Cloud Atlas boasts an incredible cast, including Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess and many, many more.
The Host (March)
Our own Saoirse Ronan proves that she is all grown up as she stars as Melanie Stryder, a young woman who has an alien soul injected into her body, but instead of trying to take over the Earth as the alien race has planned, Wanda – the alien – forms bonds with those around her and sets out to help those who the alien race has not infected. Based on Twilight author Stephenie Meyer’s 2008 novel and directed by Andrew Niccol – whose last film was In Time – The Host is bound to be one of the many blockbusters of 2013.
The Place Beyond The Pines (April)
Ryan Gosling’s second film of 2013 also stars Bradley Cooper. The pair go head to head as a bank thief (Gosling) and a cop (Cooper) who both have everything to lose. Director Derek Cianfrance also directed Blue Valentine, so The Place Beyond The Pines promises to be a tense and emotional film.
Iron Man 3 (April)
Following on from last year’s wonderful Avengers Assemble, Iron Man 3 sees Tony Stark face his biggest challenge since seeing off Loki. Ben Kingsley is sure to ramp up the evil as The Mandarin and, with Shane Black taking over as director, Iron Man 3 is sure to have an incredible script and be much darker than the films that have gone before. We can’t wait!
Star Trek Into Darkness (May)
So now that we know that Benedict Cumberbatch’s villain is a former Starfleet Captain named John Harrison, and we also know that the IMAX 3D footage looks fantastic (read our report here), it is time to start getting excited at the prospect of Captain Kirk leading a manhunt to capture the man who threatens to throw the world into chaos. JJ Abrams is back behind the camera and Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Karl Urban and Zachary Quinto et al resume their roles from the 2009 hit.
The Great Gatsby (May)
There is already speculation in Movies.ie Towers that The Great Gatsby will open the 2013 Cannes Film Festival since Baz Luhrmann is no stranger to the French Riviera, and we are definitely looking forward to seeing what the director does with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wonderful and beloved story. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the enigmatic Gatsby whose parties are legendary, but whose life remains a secret. Expect tragedy, obsession, stunning visuals and a fantastic anachronistic soundtrack.
World War Z (June)
Brad Pitt’s long delayed zombie apocalypse finally hits our screens in 2013. Based on Max Brooks’ novel of the same name, the film follows a UN employee who is battling to save the world from a deadly Zombie pandemic. Reshoots aside, the trailer looks great and the fact that the zombies seem to be intelligent brings a whole new level of fear to the walking dead.
Despicable Me 2 (June)
Details on the story are still vague, but with Steve Carrel, Russell Brand and Kristen Wiig returning to the franchise, the promise of many more hilarious minion moments as well as Al Pacino voicing Gru’s nemesis, what’s not to look forward to?