I’m behind with the trailer roundup this week so the write-ups may be brief, but there are a ton of trailers to get through so let’s do this thing! You will have noticed the red band at the top of this post so yes at least one of the trailers is rated R, which seems like a natural fit with the kids’ movies also in this post. Fun!

This doesn’t exactly look like a Michael Bay film but it also doesn’t not look like one, either. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence seem to be having a good time and Joe Pantoliano is there so how bad could it be? Wait, don’t answer that.

Bad Boys for Life is directed by Adil El Arbi & Bilall Fallah and will be in theatres in 17th January.

So let me just say: holy shit there’s a new Ip Man film. This line alone should be enough to sell you on buying a ticket for opening day. Did you notice Donnie Yen squaring off against Scott Adkins? Because he squares off against Scott Adkins in this. I’m into it.

Ip Man 4 is out Christmas Day, so start making up your reasons why it’s a Christmas movie now.

Apple recruited M. Night Shyamalan to make a series for their new streaming service and Servant is the result, in which a couple hire a nanny for their fake baby. Yes, really. That’s an out-there premise for sure but Mr Shyamalan has had a couple of hits lately and generally does well when things get weird.

Servant is a 10 episode series and will drop on 28 November.

Well, this looks visually stunning and a little bit emotionally ..,.. manipulative. That seems entirely on brand for a reimagining of the Peter Pan story told from the point of view of the guy who made Beasts of the Southern Wild, though. Still, this seems like an easy addition to the ol’ watch list based on the bonafides of director Benh Zeitlin. We’ll all find out if it’s any good on 20th February 2020.

Well this looks like it will melt your brain. The production team behind Mandy, with Nic Cage, and Richard Stanley’s first directorial effort in 23 years, all based on a mind bending Lovecraft story? Yeah, sign me up.

I look forward to my brain leaking out of my ears on 24 January.

It’s almost a foregone conclusion that Pixar will knock whatever they do right out of the park, but this looks particularly great. Directed by Pete Docter (of Up! and others) starring Jamie Foxx, Phylicia Rashad, Questlove, Tina Fey, and Daveed Diggs. Also with an original score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. And original jazz from Jon Batiste. This looks like a grand slam. Plus, I mean, just look at the detail in the animation.

If you could buy tickets for June 2020 already I would suggest that you do so.

Leigh Whannell was already on my radar as one of the guys who created the Saw franchise, but then last year he made Upgrade and officially was added to my I’ll watch whatever they do list. This take on The Invisible Man recast as a take on an abusive relationship is kind of inspired if you ask me, and this looks like it has plenty of the incredible action and camera work that I loved in Upgrade. Plus Elisabeth Moss, who is reliably great.

Mark 28th February on your calendars, people.

Does Scooby Doo need an origin story? I don’t think so, but that’s what this is going to be. I don’t really have any strong feelings about it. What do you guys think?

Scoob is out on 1th May.

Maybe a horror take on Fantasy Island is the movie I didn’t know I needed? Blumhouse keeps making interesting choices, and their hits outweigh their misses in my book. Plus, Michael Peña is in it so it can’t be all bad.

Fantasy Island will be out on Valentine’s Day, just in time for that romantic evening you have planned.

Sonic the Hedgehog

14 feb, holy shit redesign

Valentines Day also seems like a good time to release this delayed Sonic the Hedgehog movie, now with a redesigned Sonic the Hedgehog. When the first trailer hit I didn’t actually think it looked that bad but honestly this redesign is about a million times better.

Plus, while this looks like it might be Jim Carrey back in full blown overacting mode, that can be fun when it’s reigned in by the right director. Is Jeff Fowler that director? I don’t know, his filmography is kind of short.

So that’s a firm maybe, then.

I am not going to mince words, this looks like it might be a little predictable, but it also looks like Aaron Taylor-Johnson might be kind off great in it? This is another guy who has been putting in consistently good work the last few years and I look forward to seeing him in whatever he shows up in.

He also co-wrote this with his wife, Sam Taylor-Johnson, who also directed. The more interesting thing to me is that the original novel, a memoir by James Frey, turned out to be less a memoir than a total work of fiction, and there was some scandal about that. Still, it didn’t stop him from profiting off the book so I guess this is fair game, too?

Either way, A Million Little Pieces is due out on 6th December so we can all find out then.

Jean Seberg was an icon of French New Wave cinema and also target of the FBI for her support of the Black Panther Party. A story that’s ripe for the telling with an actress who is consistently putting in good work (yeah, Kristen Stewart is good!) seems like a surefire hit.

This one played at TIFF to middling reviews though, which almost makes me want to see it to see what went wrong because the setup seems so good.

Seberg will be in theatres on 13 December.