With the summer being the season of rom-coms, who knows what fall will bring. This summer’s film lineup was full of hit blockbusters, sequels and successful newcomers. Marvel carried the superhero genre with three dominant releases, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and Deadpool 2.
But, Marvel wasn’t the only franchise with returning favorites. Universal continued the long-running Jurassic Park film series, with the second installment of this generation’s Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom. Some of the debut films, such as Netflix’s To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Crazy Rich Asians, landed the summer of 2018 with the title of “The Summer of Rom-Coms.”
With such a successful season of film releases, one can’t help but wonder what this fall has in store.
Here are 10 of this fall’s upcoming and most anticipated movie releases:
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS
After the death of young Lewis Barnavelt’s parents, he is sent to live with his uncle Johnathon (Jack Black) in Michigan. Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) finds himself in a quaint old house but discovers his uncle is a warlock and is taken into a world of magical fantasy.
However, Lewis soon learns that magic is not limited to wondrous adventures and good people like his uncle. A sinister wizard named Issac Izard, who once lived in what is now Lewis’ new home, created a clock defiled with dark magic, that is counting down to doomsday. Lewis and his uncle must find a way to make the ticking stop, or it could be the end of the world as they know it.
The House with a Clock in its Walls was directed by the critically acclaimed and fan favorite Eli Roth. It will be released in theaters Sept. 21.
A STAR IS BORN
Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut is a highly anticipated drama that follows an established musician, Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), as he helps a young singer find her own voice and eventually fame. Ally, played by Lady Gaga, has almost given up on her dream of having a career in music when Maine entices her with what the spotlight could be like for someone with her sound.
As Ally’s voice continues to captivate crowds and carry her to success, her love affair with Maine begins to crumble as his own demons strengthen their grip on him.
The film was well-received at the Venice film festival. Positive reviews placed an emphasis on the romanticism between Cooper and Gaga, as well as their unique sound, that prevented the already re-made movie, from feeling like another attempt at a rehash.
A Star is Born will be released in theaters Oct. 5.
VENOM
The apparent alter ego of the legendary Spiderman is finally getting a solo film. Reporter, Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), gets a little too close to a “mad scientist’s” experiment with a strange living substance called symbiotes. Dr. Carlton Drake, who Brock accuses of malpractice, is convinced that the union between symbiote and human is key to humanity’s evolution. When a symbiote latches on to Brock, he must find a way to overcome his own dangerous alter-ego Venom.
Zombieland director Rueben Fleischer, made his Marvel directorial debut in Venom.
The film will be released in theaters Oct. 5.
FIRST MAN
This biographical film shows a dramatic angle of the seemingly impossible mission that put the first man on the moon. In First Man, Neil Armstrong, played by acclaimed actor Ryan Gosling, struggles to complete the groundwork to ensure a safe trip to the moon, as well as easing the minds of all of those who question his return.
Gosling’s performance as Armstrong attracted the attention of many film critics. Armstrong was known as a quiet person, so Gosling had to utilize and rely on facial expressions and body language — a challenge that has led some to already refer to First Man as the actor’s best performance to date.
The film reunites Gosling with La La Land director Damien Chazelle.
First Man will be released in theaters Oct. 12.
HALLOWEEN
From the producers of Get Out and Insidious comes the notorious masked murder, Michael Myers, 40 years following his killing spree on Halloween night. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Laurie Strode, who escaped Myers decades ago. Since his capture, Strode has spent years preparing for Myers’ return. It is even revealed in the trailer that she has been praying for the killer’s reemergence, so she can kill him.
For the fans who have been with the Halloween movies since its first installment in 1978, and even for those who have just recently gained interest, Strode’s final encounter with Myers is sure to bring the suspenseful thrill the iconic killer always has.
Directorial new-comer, David Gordon Green, assures fans that past director John Carpenter’s original work, is the foundation of the upcoming Halloween. While most are excited about the return of the crazed killer, this is some hesitation that the film will fall flat as a “soulless recycle” of the classic tale.
Halloween will be released in theaters Oct. 19.
BOY ERASED
This Joel Edgerton-directed coming age of film follows a young 19-year-old man, Jared (Lucas Hedges), the son of a Baptist preacher. When Jared’s parents (Nicole Kidman and Russel Crowe) learn of his sexuality, he is forcibly outed and then sent to participate in a church-supported gay conversion program.
Completely humiliated and at a loss for where to turn, Jared is faced with a choice, attend and complete the gay conversion therapy program or be shunned by his faith, friends and family.
Following multiple screenings at film festivals, some are already suggesting that Joel-Edgerton’s film radiates in Oscar vibes.
Boy Erased will be released in theatres Nov.2.
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
The 20th Century Fox distributed biographical drama, Bohemian Rhapsody, spotlights the evolution and struggles behind the legendary rock band, Queen. With a special focus on the band’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek), viewers are shown the darker side of the performer’s life that led him to leave the band in pursuit of his solo career.
Mercury suffers greatly without his acclaimed bandmates and receives a harrowing AIDS diagnosis. Despite his tribulations, Mercury manages to reunite Queen in time for Live Aid — one of the greatest performances in the history of rock and roll.
Director Bryan Singer explains that the film aims to not only show the band’s success and development but also Mercury’s groundbreaking rejection of societal expectations and conventions, that has left audiences inspired in years long after the 1975 album release of Bohemian Rhapsody.
Bohemian Rhapsody will be released in theaters Nov. 2.
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD
The sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Crimes of Grindelwald, has been long anticipated since the success of the first film. Fans rejoiced at the news that the series would be five parts and that the next installment would take viewers back to the place where it all began, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry Potter director, David Yates, returns to detail Grindelwald’s cause, the elevation of wizards above non-magical beings. Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) returns to help the legendary Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) defeat Grindelwald (Johnny Depp).
The Crimes of Grindelwald will be released in theaters Nov. 16.
CREED II
Michael B. Jordan reprises his role as son of the famous boxer Apollo Creed, Adonis, in the sequel to the Rocky Balboa spin-off film. In this sport-drama, young Creed is training for the fight of his life that happens to have family ties. With the help of Balboa, he must find a balance between his personal life and his career, in hopes of holding the opponent on the ropes.
Balboa takes Creed back to the basics and reminds him that no matter where he goes, he can’t escape his history.
The Creed sequel does have a new director, Steven Caple Jr., but with Sylvester Stalone returning as a screenwriter, fans of the franchise are comfortable with the change.
Creed II will be released in theaters Nov. 21.
RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET
In Disney’s unconventional 2012 release Wreck it Ralph, about a video game villain, want-to-be-hero, audiences became smitten with the developed relationship between the monstrous Ralph and the petite misfit, Vanellope — who shows how good of a guy Ralph really is.
Disney alums and directors of the film, Phil Johnston and Rich Moore, return to the Wreck it Ralph sequel, where Vanellope and Ralph discover a Wi-Fi router in the arcade, surging them into an adventure unlike anything they’ve seen, the internet. The trailer’s reveal that some of Disney’s most famous princesses will meet with the Princess of Sugar Rush, was enough to sell some fans on the second film installment.
Ralph Breaks the Internet will be released in theaters Nov. 21.