With reboots, sequels and sidequels, film buffs will see tonnes of their favourite stories this year
There are tales and characters that you can’t have enough of. It’s little wonder then that films enjoy a cult following among fans. There’s a plethora of Hollywood stories that has regaled the audiences, and looks like those are far from done when it comes to entertaining viewers. The year has a truckload of projects that have been reprised and presented as spin-offs or sequels to original outings. A look at some of them.
1. Reboots galore
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Child’s Play
After Pet Sematary (Stephen King’s horror novel that was adapted on screen in 1989), Chucky will send chills down the viewer’s spine in Child’s Play, after first doing the same in 1988. The sinister doll is all set to have a redux this year, with Mark Hamill lending his voice to it. Another plaything that will wreak a havoc is Annabelle in Annabelle Comes Home after 2014’s Annabelle and Annabelle: Creation (2017). There’s also the evil clown Pennywise in It: Chapter Two that the Losers’ Club must contend with in the sequel to the 2017 release.
After the third part of the Hellboy series was cancelled due to lack of funding, the original from 2004 is being remade as Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen. Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska will be seen in the third instalment of Charlie’s Angels that first released in 2000, followed by Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle in 2003. It’s been a 16-year gap and fans can’t wait! The untitled action-adventure comedy Jumanji sequel is all set to hit the screens this year after Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in 2018. Keanu Reeves returns as the super-assassin John Wick in John Wick 3: Chapter 3-Parabellum and has a bounty of $14 million on his head for killing a member of the international assassin’s guild.
2. Again and again... And again
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Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Book lovers, who cannot get over the awesomeness of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, are in for a treat. The Christmas release will be the latest version of the adaptation (starring Meryl Streep), which is the eighth time it’s being turned into a movie. If that says something about the text and movie’s popularity, then the story of Godzilla takes the cake. Godzilla II: King Of The Monsters is the 35th film in the franchise! It’s a sequel to Godzilla: King of The Monsters that released in 2014.
The popularity of the epic space drama Star Wars needs no introduction. George Lucas’ creation has been around since 1977. The ninth and final instalment of the cult series, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, is the third one in its sequel trilogy, after The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017).
Superhero film X Men: Dark Phoenix will have a date with cinemas, too. Game Of Thrones star Sophie Turner will play Jean Grey in the 12th edition of the series.
3. The old boys
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Terminator: Dark Fate
This year will have two macho men proving that age is just a number and they still got what it takes to pull off an actioner.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are septuagenarians (71 and 72 respectively); while the former returns with Terminator: Dark Fate, Sly will be seen in Rambo V: Last Blood. This is the sixth instalment for the Terminator franchise, which had its first release in 1984 and the fifth one for Rambo, which first came out in 1982.
4. Animation
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Frozen 2
Toy Story 4 will be the follow-up to Toy Story 3 (2010). Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) will embark on an adventurous road trip along with a new toy, Forky. Another adventure travel story will be the animated musical fantasy Frozen 2. Volume one, Frozen, hit the marquee in 2013 and became one of the most adored princess stories. Now, with the reboot, Elsa, Anna and friends will step outside their world of homeland Arendelle.
5. Animation to live action
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Lion King
In February this year, Tim Burton’s Dumbo (originally Walt Disney’s animated project from 1941, in turn based on a novel by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl) released as an adventure film. Now, one can also look forward to Simba’s adventures from the Lion King (1994) in the computer-animated photorealistic redux by the same name. While Matthew Broderick was the voice behind the protagonist in the original, this time, Donald Glover will reprise the character. There are 21 animated adventure films in the Pokémon media franchise but the urban fantasy mystery Pokémon Detective Pikachu (voiced by Ryan Reynolds) is the first live-action outing in the series. The 1992 blockbuster Aladdin has got a remake in non-animation format, directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Will Smith. The classic tale of Pinocchio is another animated project that has been turned into live-action. It will star Roberto Benigni of Life Is Beautiful fame. One can also expect a reversal with s, which will release as a 3D computer-animated outing.
6. Sidequels
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Joker
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith- starrer Men In Black series has a sidequel — Men In Black: International, which stars Emma Thompson (who was seen in the third edition) with Chris Hemsworth and Liam Neeson. They play London-based agents involved in alien attacks and travelling across the globe. Joaquin Phoenix will be seen as Batman’s nemesis Joker/Arthur Fleck in the standalone psychological thriller belonging to the DC Universe. If fans can’t have enough of the Fast & Furious franchise, they have some more thrill waiting for them. Hobbs & Shaw is a spin-off starring Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and Idris Elba, based on the two characters by the same name.
