Whether you rate it as a
cult2 classic, or whether you're sensible enough to accept that it is one of the worst films ever made, David Lynch's Dune was not a triumph. Now Denis Villeneuve has made his version of Frank Herbert's
epic3 interstellar novel, and, judging by Villeneuve's last two science-fiction dramas, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, his Dune should be a lot more successful than Lynch's. One thing's for sure, the film Villeneuve is calling "Star Wars for adults" has 2021's most impressive cast. Timothée Chalamet is the messianic hero; the other big names include Javier Bardem, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Jason Momoa, Charlotte Rampling, Zendaya and Dave Bautista.
Released internationally on 1 October
Eternals《永恒族》
Even before Chloe Zhao's affecting, low-key Nomadland hit the festival circuit, she had moved on to a wildly different project, directing this instalment in the
Marvel4 franchise5. Angelina Jolie, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden and Brian Tyree Henry head the cast as Eternals,
immortal6 aliens who have hidden out of sight on Earth for thousands of years. They surface and unite to battle the evil Deviants. Nomadland displayed Zhao's eye for wide-scale images. Action and special effects are another story, but there's every reason to assume she will translate her vision to the superhero realm.
Released internationally on 5 November
With films including Pan's
Labyrinth8 and The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro is one of the most original, audacious directors today, his work fusing heart and horror. It will be fascinating to see what he does to reinvent Nightmare Alley, based on a novel that was adapted into the classic 1947 film noir of the same name. Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett star in the story of a
con9 man who teams up with a psychologist. The rest of the amazing cast includes David Strathairn, Rooney Mara, Toni Collette, Richard Jenkins and Willem Dafoe.
Released on 3 December in the US
West Side Story《西区故事》
Steven Spielberg's adaptation of Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim's classic Broadway musical was meant to be released last year, but when you're
dealing10 with such an
extravagantly11 beautiful source, a delay hardly matters. Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver) and the little-known Rachel Zegler are Tony and Maria, the star-crossed Romeo and Juliet caught in a gang war between the Sharks and the Jets in 1957 New York City. This film version was written by
playwright12 Tony Kushner, who also wrote Spielberg's Lincoln. Spielberg hasn't done a musical before but he starts with the advantage of some of the most gorgeous songs ever written in Maria and Tonight.
Released internationally from 9 December
The French Dispatch 《法兰西特派》
If the cast, vintage-style poster and title signal anything, this comedy, originally set for the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, is pure Wes Anderson,
stylish13 and
droll14, in the mode of his Grand Budapest Hotel. The setting is a
fictional15 city in France, among American journalists. Bill Murray plays a transplant from Kansas,
founder16 of a magazine called The French Dispatch, which Anderson modelled on The New Yorker of decades ago, full of eccentrics on staff. The cast features many other Anderson regulars, including Owen Wilson, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Benicio del Toro, Timothée Chalamet and Frances McDormand.
Released in 2021, date to be announced
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