However on paper 2012 has the potential to be a barnstorming year for movies. The beginning has the usual Oscar friendly pictures out to make a name for themselves aka Shame, War Horse, J.Edgar and The Descendants to name just a few. The fantasy genre has a huge part to play this year with swords and sandal epics (Wrath of the Titans) and fairytale adaptations seem to be back in fashion (Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman amongst others). Lest we forget the return to Middle Earth for Peter Jackson, Bilbo Baggins et al in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. To have some sort of structure to this post and prevent any further case of exhaustion, it is the summer months in which I’m keen to focus on as I’ve compiled a list of the 12 most anticipated movies of 2012.
1. The Avengers
There’s nothing like a year in movies without Marvel and head honcho Stan Lee from rubber stamping their territory. You may have noticed, but Marvel have unveiled a number of standalone adaptations in recent years. Iron Man, Hulk and Thor all getting the spotlight and having their time to shine. But that’s just practise as come 27th April, they will be teaming up with Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D, Black Widow and Hawkeye to form The Avengers. The question of who will win in a fight between your favourite superheroes will be revealed as the Marvel heroes unite and go toe-to-toe with Tom Hiddleston’s evil Loki and, of course, attempt to save the world! I welcomed the latest rumour of Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull possibly making an appearance after new footage indicated a secondary villain to Thor’s step-brother Loki. I mean give the guy a break, he’ll need a hand against the rage machine that is The Incredible Hulk. Fight! Fight! Fight!
2. Prometheus
During the final weeks of last year director Ridley Scott was in teaser mode as he unveiled to the web images and the first trailer for his Alien prequel, Prometheus. I wouldn’t say I was the keenest of fans of the Alien franchise even though I thought James Cameron brought us one of the best sequels ever in Aliens. But from what I’ve come across so far I am very stoked for this new instalment. The cast is to die for headed up by Noomi Rapace’s Ripley like lead character with support from man of the hour Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and one of my current favourite’s in Idris Elba who seems to be conquering both sides of the pond these days. The trailer echo’s that of the original Alien and focuses on a team of explorers out to discover the origins of mankind but come across an evil force and save the Earth. Vague I know but this is the world that no one can hear you scream and Ridley Scott helped redefine the genre way back in the 70’s. This could well introduce a whole new fanbase come 1st June.
3. The Amazing Spiderman
After Sam Raimi’s dire and at times cringe worthy (Goth Peter Parker trying to act the player, helloooo) Spiderman threequel, a new direction was needed for the series to be resurrected. I just didn’t expect Marc Webb, the director of the anti rom-com 500 Days of Summer to bring back The Amazing Spiderman to his early days. Yet he has equipped himself with an impressive cast that has The Social Network’s Andrew Garfield battling teenage issues and of a more grown up nature after he is bitten by a genetically modified spider to gain spider-like abilities. The ever-likeable Emma Stone plays Parker’s love interest, Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans takes on the villain duties as Dr. Curt Connors aka The Lizard. Sally Field and Martin Sheen portray May and Ben Watson. Going back to Parker’s schoolboy days is, I feel a necessary direction in order to bring back the early success of the franchise and indications show the webcrawler could be back to his glory days. A sneak bit of footage of The Lizard would be welcomed to really get the fans spinning like a spider’s web.
4. The Dark Knight Rises
My excitement for Christopher Nolan’s third and final journey to Gotham City is now off the chart as 20th July doesn’t seem to far off and we will finally see The Dark Knight Rises and who comes face-to-face with Tom Hardy’s brute of a “movie monster” Bane. I found it fascinating to learn that Chris Nolan rounds off his Batman trilogy eight years after The Joker unleashed anarchy upon Gotham in The Dark Knight. Alongside the December release of his understated yet epic full trailer, it leaves a lot of open theories and questions, for example is Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle/Catwoman with or against the Bat? And why does it look like Bruce Wayne is back to his prison days seen back in Batman Begins? The movie master himself Christopher Nolan has all the secrets and answers and will no doubt tease the fans up until the release date.
5. The Bourne Legacy
A Bourne film is nothing without Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass – See The Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum if you don’t believe me. When I heard a fourth Bourne film was being made without those two big names, I was hesitant to say the very least. Effectively Jason Bourne brought us the spy genre back to life with nothing but a Bic pen and a magazine in his handy arsenal of weapons. But unfortunately they are out and Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) and Jeremy Renner are in for The Bourne Legacy. The story is still set within the world of Treadstone and the CIA but it’s crosshairs now point to Renner’s operative Aaron Cross. Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz round off the strong looking cast. After turns in The Hurt Locker, The Town and Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jeremy Renner looks set to be the new action hero and I think has the shoe size and capabilities to attempt at least to fill the large, dominant shoes of Matt Damon.
6. The Expendables 2
As if the average age of these (former) action heroes wasn’t high enough in the successful 2010 actioner The Expendables, new director Simon West deems it fit to bump it up a few years more. Not only is he reuniting Stallone, Statham, Li, Lundgren, Crews, Courture, Willis and Schwarzenegger **massive loss of breathing**, he has brought in the new face of Coors Light beer, Jean-Claude Van Damme and to crank up the saggy muscle mass, Chuck Norris to the table. There you have the testosterone fuelled sequel, The Expendables 2 which brings the boys back in town for another mission orchestrated by Bruce Willis’s shady Mr Church. Expect more bang for ya’ buck!
7. Argo
Ben Affleck can direct. See Gone Baby Gone and The Town for two solid examples of his transformation. The once panned actor has his third stint in the director’s chair and stars in CIA kidnap thriller Argo. Affleck stars as a CIA exfiltration specialist out to free six hostages from war torn Iran who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador. Affleck leads a strong cast that includes Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Kyle Chandler. If his previous directorial gigs are anything to go by, this is a film to be penned into your calander for 5th October.
8. Untitled Taken Sequel
5th October also launches a very different specific set of skills as Liam Neeson returns as ex-CIA agent Bryan Mills in the sequel to the shock smash hit thriller Taken. The tough nut Neeson is this time up against a vicious European ganglord who is out to avenge the death of his son who was killed by the spook on the freeways of Paris. Instead of setting off on a different mission entirely, this ties in neatly with its predecessor. If your European, don’t be a foot and stick around, cos you don’t want to be on the other end of the phone with Neeson coldly explaining, “I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you.” You’ve been warned Europe.
9. Skyfall
Bond is back and fighting on home soil. After a four year hiatus, Daniel Craig’s 007 is out to track down and destroy the threat that put M and MI6 under attack. Sounds tasty. Under the very British direction of Oscar winner Sam Mendes, he has equipped himself with a stellar and classy looking cast that includes Javier Bardem’s chief villain, Albert Finney, Ralph Fiennes (who recently confirmed he plays a government agent – a future M perhaps…), Helen McCory, Ben Whishaw heading up Q branch and the ridiculously good looking femme fetales Bérénice Marlohe and Naomie Harris. Mendes has promised all the ingredients to unveil the quintessential Bond movie and I for one cannot wait for its 26th October release.
10. Gangster Squad
Check this out for a cast: Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Giovanni Ribisi, Josh Pence, Anthony Mackie and Robert Patrick. Pretty swell yes! Now hell the heck has the director of zom-com Zombieland racked up this impressive cast?! Not that I’m complaining as Gangster Squad chronicles the battle between the LAPD and the East Coast Mafia headed by Sean Penn in 1940’s Los Angeles. This does ring a bell from Michael Mann’s superb and classy crime epic Public Enemies back in 2009. Little is known about this prospective little gem with only a couple of images including Penn and Brolin facing off looking rather sharp and mean. Cracking cast, cops Vs gangsters – early contender for Oscars 2012 perhaps. Awaiting it’s 9th November release avidly.
11. Django Unchained
Undoubtedly one of my most eagerly awaited movies of the year is Quentin Tarantino’s long-awaited Spaghetti Western, Django Unchained. One of my all-time favourite directors teaming up with my favourite actor Leonardo DiCaprio is the dream team of partnerships. DiCaprio is throwing away the good boy image and leading the cast as evil plantation owner, Calvin Candie holding slave-turned-bounty-hunter Jamie Foxx’s wife as hostage. A Tarantino film would never skim on his ensemble cast and Django is no different with support from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sacha Baron Cohen, Samuel L. Jackson, Christoph Waltz, Kurt Russell and Don Johnson. Expect extreme violence, black humour and a soundtrack finally fitting QT’s beloved genre.
12. Lincoln
Once upon a time director Steven Spielberg had an idea of a film, a biopic of the sixteenth President of the United States. He had Liam Neeson in mind for the lead role as Abraham Lincoln but it was never made. I wouldn’t necessarily say the Belfast actor would live happily ever after it was made official last year that double Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis took over the prized role for the 2012 release, Lincoln. In my eyes, this is the best and obvious piece of casting seen for years. The notorious method man will don the top hat as he guides the north to victory during the Civil War. Reports have suggested Day-Lewis has not dropped the character, not even the accent since March 2011. The man is as versatile as he is a genius. Sally Field plays his Mrs alongside Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jared Harris, Tommy Lee Jones and Jackie Earle Haley. Oscar may as well cancel other potential contenders for everything come 2013 because There will be Beard. Lincoln is set for a December 2012 release.
What do you make to the list compiled? Any you feel that have been wrongly missed out? Speak now forever hold your peace!
Written by Michael Cunneen
