2023 – A Look Ahead

As we start the new year, it’s time to have a look ahead at some of the highlights “coming soon” in 2023.

February – Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.  After a fairly quiet January in terms of major releases, the blockbusters kick-off in February with the first film in “Phase 5” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is set to feature Jonathan Majors’ first “proper” appearance as new big-bad, Kang.  February also sees M. Night Shyamalan’s intriguing Knock at the Cabin, and the insane-looking Cocaine Bear.

March – John Wick: Chapter 4.  There are a bunch of great films coming out in March, but personally, I’m probably most excited about the next instalment in the bone-crunching John Wick series.  In terms of more family-friendly material, there’s the superhero sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods, as well as the far-less family friendly Scream VI, the sequel to 2022’s surprisingly excellent legacy sequel.  Michael B. Jordan also makes his debut as a director with Creed III, featuring Jonathan Majors’ second appearance as an antagonist in a major film in as many months.

April – Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves.  It’s fair to say that no one was excited about the prospect of a new attempt to bring D&D to the big screen … until the trailer dropped and we all saw this possibly brilliant blend of humour and fantasy adventure.  Based on the trailer, this has the potential to be an unexpected joy.

May – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.  The final chapter in James Gunn’s intergalactic trilogy arrives in May, and based on the recent trailer, it looks like it could pack an emotional punch.  May should also see the release of Fast X (aka Fast & Furious 10), although we’ve not had a trailer yet, so I’d take that release date with a pinch of salt.

June – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.  We’ve been burnt before, but the trailer for the final Indy film looked like it might just recapture the magic of the original trilogy – so for now, I’m quietly optimistic.  June will also (allegedly) see the release of the long-delayed The Flash, as well as Pixar’s latest Elemental.  But most exciting is the prospect of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the sequel to the joyous Into the Spider-Verse.  Originally planned as one film, the story is so big it’s being split into two parts, with Beyond The Spider-Verse following in 2024.

July – Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (Part One).  Given how good Fallout was, I really can’t wait to see where Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie go next – it looks like this could be the first half of an epic conclusion to the series.  July also sees Greta Gerwig’s intriguing take on Barbie, Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels, and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.

Later in 2023 – September sees Denzel Washington reunite with Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning in The Equaliser 3, and then November brings us Dune: Part Two, which concludes the story started in one of my favourite films of 2021, as well as the unexpected prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.  In December we have the chocolate-factory-prequel Wonka from Paddington director Paul King, and if everything stays on track, the sequel to 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife.  Finally, December should also see the long-delayed release of the Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom.

So that’s a selection of what to look out for in 2023 and in the meantime, I’ll be working on my cinematic highlights from 2022...