Starring: Anna Kendrick, Danielle Brooks, Jim Gaffigan, Rupert Friend, Denis O’Hare
Director: Chris Morris
Out: TBC 2019

Legendary British satirist Chris Morris (TV’s ‘Brass Eye’ and ‘The Day Today’) writes and directs his second feature film after 2010’s brilliant mocking of Islamic terrorism, ‘Four Lions’. Nothing is known yet, except that it seemingly stars Anna Kendrick (‘Pitch Perfect’), who was pictured on Instagram on set wearing FBI uniform, a bulletproof vest and holding a rifle. She’s joined by the likes of Kayvan Novak (‘Four Lions’), Rupert Friend (‘Death Of Stalin’), Danielle Brooks (‘Orange Is the New Black’) and Jim Gaffigan (‘The Jim Gaffigan Show’). It was filmed in the Dominican Republic and Florida. Rumours are the dark comedy will involve a botched FBI operation and hostage situation, with Kendrick playing an agent who comes into conflict with her superiors. Regardless it’s safe to assure it’ll tie into current events and will prove controversial in some way.

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Jeremy Piven, Robert Downey Jr, Eva Longoria, Gerard Butler
Director: Jamie Foxx
Out: TBC 2019

Two tow-truck driving buddies are die-hard basketball fans, but while one worships LeBron James (Foxx), the other idolises Steph Curry (Piven). Their rivalry hits new heights when they get a break from their job to attend the NBA All-Star game. En route they’ll encounter a mysterious woman (Longoria), an outrageous Mexican (Downey Jr), a white racist cop (Foxx again), a Russian who loves gymnastics (Butler) and a crazy tattoo artist (Benicio del Toro), leading to a life-or-death situation for both themselves and their heroes… Cameos will include DJ Khaled, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Floyd Mayweather Jr and probably LeBron and Step themselves. Jamie Foxx’s directorial debut will stand out for, yes, Robert Downey Jr playing a Mexican. Downey was genius as an Australian playing an African-American in ‘Tropic Thunder’, somehow skirting controversy in the process. Will he get away with it again? Oh and then there’s Foxx playing a white racist cop. If Foxx can transfer his natural energy to directing duties it could be a great (politically incorrect) time, even if it’s too American sports-focused to travel well.

Starring: Logan Miller, Alexandra Daddario, Amy Forsyth, Johnny Knoxville
Director: Marc Meyers
Out: TBC 2019

It’s 1988 and people are terrorised by a nationwide rash of apparently Satanic murders, which appear to be connected to kids who go to heavy metal concerts. Three girls in their early 20s (inc Alexandra Daddario, ‘Baywatch’ and Amy Forsyth, ‘Hell Fest’) meet three guys (inc Logan Miller, ‘Scouts Guide Apocalypse’) at such a concert and go back to a vacant country house, where the boys learn to their horror that the girls are not the enthusiastic heavy metal fans they seem to be, but something much more terrifying… This comes from the director of ‘My Friend Dahmer’ which was well acted, mature and skillfully characterised. ‘Summon The Darkness’ doesn’t have the same brilliant graphic novel source material, but instead originates from the screenwriter of the ho-hum ‘Burying My Ex’. It’s also far more lighthearted than ‘Dahmer’, at least I’m assuming so since Johnny Knoxville is cast as a pastor. The last horror-comedy made about heavy metal, ‘Deathgasm’, was an overlooked gem.

Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Robert Shafer, Janie Tompkins, Peter Dinklage, Keanu, Ed Helms
Director: Scott Aukerman
Out: TBC 2019

Movie version of Zach Galifianakis’s awkward online talk show, funded by Netflix. The original Funny Or Die series had Galifianakis, playing an exaggerated version of himself, interviewing big names such as Barack Obama, Brad Pitt and Jerry Seinfeld in a slow-paced, uncomfortable and haphazard way, with (seemingly) ill-thought out questions that were often poorly researched, offensive, but also sometimes verbalised the inappropriate thing we’d all like to ask or comment we’d all like to make. As he insulted and demeaned his sad-faced get-me-out-of-here A-list celebrity guests on a cable-access set, it was all making a point about the fatuous nature of celebrity interviews. The movie version is being directed by the series co-creator who filmed many of the segments and has lined up Peter Dinklage, David Letterman, Keanu Reeves and old ‘Hangover’ buddies Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper as either interviewees or characters. Since the project is near secret, it’s not known how much will be narrative. Netflix don’t exactly have a good track record producing feature comedies, and it’s not clear this concept can survive a stretch to 90 minutes, but it’ll certainly have some killer putdowns.

Starring: Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Uma Thurman, Jane Seymour, Rob Riggle
Director: Tim Hill
Out: TBC 2019

Coming-of-age family comedy about a boy who is forced to lose his beloved bedroom when his recently widowed grandfather (De Niro) moves in. To reclaim it, he devises a series of outrageous pranks with the help of his friends, to force his grandpa to surrender. But Grandpa turns out to be tougher than expected, capable of pranking back, and all-out war ensues… Based on the 1984 children’s book by Robert Kimmel Smith, which captured the anger and frustration that accompanies a child’s inability to control his life. Christopher Walken and Eugene Levy play Grandpa’s pals. Which means De Niro and Walken are reuniting for the first time since ‘The Deer Hunter’ (1978), though the material says much about their careers today. The director’s been making poorly-received family films for a long time, including ‘Hop’, ‘Garfield 2’ and ‘Alvin And The Chipmunks’, which suggests this will probably veer too childish and lowbrow. As a production of the scandal-destroyed Weinstein Company it has been stuck on the shelf for over a year.

Starring: Roman G. Davis, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi, Rebel Wilson
Director: Taika Waititi
Out: TBC 2019

Jojo, is a young boy living during World War II who longs to be part of the Hitler Youth and whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler. When he discovers a Jewish girl living in his attic he initially tries to find ways to get rid of her, but gradually begins to see her as a human, one who challenges his naive patriotic beliefs… Scarlett Johansson plays Jojo’s mother, who is secretly working for the resistance. Sam Rockwell plays a Nazi captain who runs a Hitler Youth camp (brave choice), Stephen Merchant plays another Captain, Rebel Wilson is Fraulein Rahm and director Taika Waititi portrays Adolf Hitler (braver choice). Waititi has quickly established himself as probably the best comic director around after the brilliant ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, the wonderful ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’, and making Thor hilarious in ‘Ragnarok’. He wrote ‘Jojo’ seven years ago, adapting Christine Leunens’ powerful novel ‘Caging Skies’. Expect intelligence, daring, heart and darkly comic laughs.

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