10. Raya and the Last Dragon

Release date: 5th March

A Disney animation film is always an event to look forward to, but even more so for this one, as it will focus on South-Eastern Asian heroine, voiced by Kelly Marie Tran. Throw in the voice talent of Awkwafinha, and I’m sold.

9. Promising Young Woman

Release date: February 12th

Originally slated for an April 2020 release date, this directorial debut from Emerald Fennell has been generating a lot of buzz on social media from those in the States that have had a chance to catch this film already. A lot of that buzz being directed towards Carey Mulligan’s performance, with her being very heavily tipped to be nominated for an Oscar. Carey Mulligan’s name alone could sell a film, and having not seen a single trailer, and having only read the synopsis on IMDB, I’m eagerly anticipating a chance to see this.

8. Last Night in Soho

Release date: October 22nd

The mere mention of certain directors can be enough to generate anticipation, and Edgar Wright is certainly one of those names. After directing the fast paced, and extremely entertaining Baby Driver, his next project as a director is being teased as a psychological horror film set in 1960s London with a cast that includes includes Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith and the late Dame Diana Rigg, in her final film role.

7. A Quiet Place: Part II

Release date: 20th March

For years, John Krasinski was most likely known from his role in the US version of The Office, but then he transitioned into a film director, and an excellent one at that. As far as first films go, A Quiet Place was a masterfully well mad, super intense horror film, that placed a real emphasis on sound.

The plot once again features real life wife Emily Blunt leading the Abbot family and her children, who have discovered some useful information that could defeat the terrifying sound monsters that have ravaged the planet. If this film can rebuild that tension that the first part was able to capture so masterfully, another horror gem could be on our hands. But, best be quiet about it.

6. Mission: Impossible 7

Release date: 19th November

Since Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, the MI franchise has somehow managed to find ways to keep going and just get better and better with every new instalment. This is no small part due to the willingness of the franchise’s star Tom Cruise to keep doing absolutely jaw-dropping and insane stunts. I never thought the Burj Khalifa scene would ever be topped as the most batshit insane stunt this franchise could pull off, but with the most recent entry Fallout, that was proven very wrong.

While plot details remain unknown, all of the familiar faces seem to be back in action, and the franchise has added some very exciting talents including Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementioff, Esai Morales and Shea Whigham. Shooting back to back with a sequel, based on the above picture, expect more insane stunts and some thrilling action sequences.

5. No Time to Die

Release date: 8th October

Poor old James Bond. After what feels like an absolute eternity, and amid constant speculation as to whether Daniel Craig would hand back his license to kill, the actor’s final outing as 007 was supposed to debut in cinemas back last April, before the release date shifted a couple of times due to the pandemic. The film had a problematic production to say the least, most notably being original director Danny Boyle being forced to drop out, as well as an injury to Craig on set, new director Cary Joji Fukunaga has an almighty mission to deliver the goods.

Mixed in with the usual faces are an intriguing crop of new cast members including Lashana Lynch as a new 00 agent, Ana De Armas as a CIA operative, and Rami Malek as the villainous Safin. After two great films, one alright film, and one very underwhelming under his belt, Daniel Craig will be aiming to bow out on a high note.

4. Black Widow

Release date: 1st May

SPOILER ALERT if you’re one of the very few people who didn’t see Avengers: Endgame, but said film sadly marked the heroic demise of Natasha Romanoff as she sacrificed herself to help the Avengers gather the Infinity Stones to save the universe. For a long time now, fans have clamoured to see her get her own film, especially given the success of Captain Marvel. While it is a little strange that this film has come now, given her Endgame fate, it is great to see it finally happening.

Rumoured to be set between the events of Civil War and Infinity War, it teases more of her back story that has been so often the subject of fleeting mentions in previous MCU films, so to see Scarlett Johansson back in this role is undeniably exciting. Add in a top drawer cast that includes Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, and David Harbour, everything is in place to ensure that this off Phase Four of the MCU with a bang.

3. The Suicide Squad

Release date: 6th August

It is no secret that the original Suicide Squad film that came out back in 2016 had an overall very negative reaction towards it. At the time of release, I wasn’t quite sure if the film deserved the hate it got. However, while it has some very obvious flaws, I don’t hate the film like an overwhelming majority of the population does. Though clearly DC believes enough in these characters and so they’re having another crack at bringing them to the big screen.

One thing the film got absolutely perfect was the casting of Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, and a few faces from the previous film are also returning , such as Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. Though with that considerable backlash, fans may be somewhat cautious about this new film. However with James Gunn on board as the film’s director, he knows a thing or two about making a film that features some criminals-turned-good-guys. Let’s hope he can recapture that Guardians of the Galaxy magic.

2. Untitled Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel

Release date: 17th December (USA)

After much wrangling over the rights to everyone’s favourite neighbourhood web-head, Tom Holland is once again back as Peter Parker/Spider-Man for the third film in his Spider-Man trilogy, and based on the casting announcements that have been announced so far, it is quite possible that we have Marvel Studios attempting to bring a live action Spider-Verse to the big screen.

Previous villains like Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) and Electro (Jamie Foxx) set to reprise their roles, along with the return of the Sorcerer Supreme himself Doctor Strange. There’s been no official confirmation of the return of previous web slingers Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, but my spider-sense is telling me that there’s a good chance that they will feature. Though given how quite brilliant the animated Spider-Verse film is, it’s a tall order for Marvel to match those standards.

And, my #1 most anticipated film of 2020 is.

.

1. Dune

Release date: 1st October

Yep, proving my status as a Villeneuve aficionado, Dune is my most anticipated film of the year (for the second year in a row). In a similar vein to Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve is another director whose name just captures the attention. Having hit a hot streak with Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve has proved himself to be one of the best directors working today, and if that first brilliant trailer is anything to go by, Dune promises to be one almighty spectacle.

With arguably the most stacked cast of the entire year that includes Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Rampling, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Jason Momoa. Fans of the novel can have hope that this masterful director can do Frank Herbert’s story justice, which given that this is reportedly the first of two films, offers much promise.

Thus concludes my picks for the most anticipated films of 2020, What are your most anticipated films for this year? Let me know on any of the following platforms: Twitter, Facebook or Letterbox’d.