Following two years of fairly weak autumn releases owing to Covid-19, Hollywood is back flexing its big guns.
With two highly anticipated sequels of record blockbusters — Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of the Water — hoping to help end 2022 with bang, the upcoming schedule is also filled with industry award contenders and family favourites.
Here are 10 Hollywood films to look forward to at the cinema this autumn and winter:
'See How They Run'
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson and David Oyelowo
Release date: September 8 in the UAE; September 16 in the US
With an excellent acting ensemble and an intriguing storyline, which doesn't seem to take itself seriously, this whodunnit stars Rockwell and Ronan as detectives in 1950s London. The pair investigate the murder of an American film producer (played by Brody) who arrives in the city to adapt a play. As bodies pile up, so does the number of suspects.
'Ticket to Paradise'
Cast: George Clooney and Julia Roberts
Release date: September 15 in the UAE; October 21 in the US
Already proven as a hit pairing, with four movies together, the Clooney-Roberts combo will be put to the test again, this time in a romcom. They play divorced parents who set off to Bali to sabotage their daughter's impending marriage to a man she's just met.
Directed by Ol Parker, best known for the musical Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, this one promises a light and fun family-friendly ride.
'The Woman King'
Cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, John Boyega and Sheila Atim
Release date: September 16 in the US (No UAE date yet)
A fierce-looking Davis is front and centre in this action film, about a group of 19th century female warriors called Agojie who fight to protect their land from invaders. Set in the Kingdom of Dahomey, in present-day Benin, the story is based on actual events with Davis playing a general who leads her troop in the fight of their lives.
'Don't Worry Darling'
Cast: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll and Chris Pine
Release date: September 22 in the UAE; September 23 in the US
Interest in this psychological thriller has been huge mostly because it sparked a romance between director and star Olivia Wilde and the film's lead Styles. Wilde, who comes off her acclaimed directorial debut Booksmart (2019) sets her next film in the 1950s and follows a young couple, played by Styles and Pugh, who live a seemingly perfect life somewhere in California.
When the wife begins to raise suspicions about the nature of her husband's work, cracks begin to form in their relationship as well as within their idyllic community.
'Tár'
Cast: Cate Blanchett and Mark Strong
Release date: October 7 in the US (No UAE date yet)
It will have its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival with Blanchett making another strong case for glory during the awards season as a genius music conductor. The acclaimed actress plays fictional character Lydia Tár in the film, which also marks the the return of Todd Field as director after 16 years. While little is known about its plot, the trailer for Tár references the pandemic as well as un upheaval in the classical music industry.
'Amsterdam'
Cast: Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington, Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldana, Mike Myers, Taylor Swift, Rami Malek and Robert De Niro
Release date: October 7 in the US (No UAE date yet)
Acclaimed director David O Russell (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle) returns with a stacked cast of Hollywood elite for this murder mystery set in the 1930s. Three friends, played by Bale, Robbie and Washington, witness a murder, become suspects and then end up uncovering one of the most outrageous plots in American history.
'Black Adam'
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Noah Centineo, Viola Davis, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari and Pierce Brosnan
Release date: October 20 in the UAE; October 21 in the US
More than a decade in the making, Johnson's ambitious antihero flick is finally ready for the big screen. The DC Comics character Black Adam, played by Johnson, is a warrior who has been imprisoned for 5,000 years and is reborn into the modern world, gifted with godlike abilities.
Reuniting with director Jaume Collet-Serra whom he worked with in the hit Disney film Jungle Cruise, Johnson is also the producer of Black Adam, and officially signed on for the role in 2014.
“This film, this universe has been a gigantic passion project of mine for a very long time,” the actor said while unveiling the first look at the film in October last year. “The film has without question some of the biggest action sequences I have ever been a part of.”
'She Said'
Cast: Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan
Release date: November 18 in the US; November 24 in the UAE
Based on the book of the same name, which set the course for the #MeToo movement, She Said stars Mulligan and Kazan as New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor who exposed Harvey Weinstein's history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women.
In the book, Kantor and Twohey detail how they uncovered years of sexual harassment and sexual abuse by high-profile and powerful men including Weinstein amid mounting challenges. The pair won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their work.
'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'
Cast: Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Michaela Coel, Martin Freeman and Angela Bassett
Release date: November 11 in the US (No UAE date yet)
One of the most eagerly awaited films in years, Ryan Coogler's follow-up to his record-breaking 2018 film Black Panther brings back all of the Marvel film's beloved cast with one major exception, the late Chadwick Boseman. While trailer's also introduced a number of new characters, most notably Tenoch Huerta as Namor, the ruler of an underwater tribe.
Fan theories are circulating about who will succeed Boseman as Black Panther, with many suggesting, as per the comic books' storyline, that Michael B Jordan's Erik "Killmonger" Stevens could return to take on the mantle.
Either way, anticipation is high on this surefire blockbuster.
'Avatar: The Way of the Water'
Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Yeoh and Kate Winslet
Release date: December 15 in the UAE, December 16 in the US
A film that changed the course of cinema history in more ways than one, this sequel has been more 12 years in the making. The story too, is set a decade after events of the record-breaking 2009 epic Avatar.
The Way of the Water will follow Sully (Worthington), who gave up his human body to become a member of the Na'vi tribe in the first film, who will go to any lengths to keep his family and community safe. Also introduced in this film are Sully and Neytiri's (Saldana) three pre-teen children, played by actors Jamie Flatters, Britain Dalton and Trinity Bliss. Sully and Neytiri also adopt a human child, Miles Socorro, also known as Spider, who is played by Jack Champion.
— Release dates are subject to change. Check local listings for latest updates.
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