I’ve dragged myself away from Turkey, Chocolates and Whiskey for a few hours to provide a few highlights for the next 12 months. Where possible (in most cases) there is also a trailer for you to savour in some of the awesomeness that awaits, in the year that we’re all supposed to kick it. In some cases, there might not be trailer, but look, its better than not getting an iPhone 4S for Xmas!
Movie: The Grey
Look, its got Liam Neeson taping broken bottles to his fists taking on a wolf. What more do you want from a movie?
Trivia Bit: Bradley Cooper was originally cast but was replaced with Liam Neeson.
Starring: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney
Director: Joe Carnahan
Synopsis: In Alaska, an oil drilling team struggle to survive after a plane crash strands them in the wild. Hunting the humans are a pack of wolves who see them as intruders.
Released: January 27th IRE & UK / USA
Movie: Haywire
I swear its nothing to do with the fact that part of Haywire was shot in Ireland. Sure, its another ass-kicking chick on the loose, but with a solid cast and a solid director, Haywire is shaping up incredibly well!
Trivia Bit: Dennis Quaid was cast but dropped out due to a scheduling conflict with Soul Surfer. Bill Paxton replaced him.
Starring: Channing Tatum
Director: Steven Soderbergh, Michael Fassbender, Gina Carano
Synopsis: A black ops super soldier seeks payback after she is betrayed and set up during a mission.
Released: 18 January IRE & UK / 20th January USA
Movie: Project X
Lets face it, The Hangover was enjoyable, and even its sequel which more or less was the exact same thing except in a different location brought the laughs. Its producer Todd Phillips is leaving new guy on the block Nima Nourizadeh loose in his directorial debut. I’d be very interested to see what new blood brings to a genre that essentially is exhausted. Fingers crossed!
Trivia Bit: Nima Nourizadeh is popping his directors cherry with Project X
Starring: Thomas Mann, Oliver Cooper
Director: Nima Nourizadeh
Synopsis: 3 high school seniors throw a birthday party to make a name for themselves. As the night progresses, things spiral out of control as word of the party spreads.
Released: March 2nd IRE & UK / USA
Movie: The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Sometimes, old school is best. Aardman animations are back at it again with a movie about a bunch of incredibly animated Pirates. I just love the attitude that this has. No doubt it’ll be a big hit with parents and kids alike. And any animated movie with leprosy limbs is a must see in my book.
Trivia Bit: Also known as The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
Starring: Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Salma Hayek
Director: Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt
Synopsis: In The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists, Hugh Grant stars in his first animated role as the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award. It's a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. Along the way they do battle with the pirate-hating Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a young Charles Darwin (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!
Released: 28 March IRE & UK / March 30 USA
Movie: The Avengers
When the trailer launched, the web nearly melted. How epic is it going to be do have Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow all tearing it up on screen?
Trivia Bit: Director Joss Whedon had earlier been considered to direct X-Men in the 1990s. A big fan of the X-Men, he even wrote a script, from which only two lines made it into the film.
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
Director: Joss Whedon
Synopsis:Marvel Studios presents in association with Paramount Pictures "Marvel's The Avengers"--the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, "Marvel's The Avengers" is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series "The Avengers," first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting event movie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when "Marvel's The Avengers" assemble in summer 2012. In "Marvel's The Avengers," superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy threatens global security.
Released: 27th April IRE & UK / 4th May USA
Movie: Snow White and The Huntsman
Thankfully there is a few months gap between this and the other Snow White movie, Mirror, Mirror. My money is on this one with K-Patz to do the business.
Trivia Bit: Production of the film was temporarily shut down in October 2011 after Kristen Stewarttore a ligament in her thumb during an attack scene with the dwarves. Stewart also suffered from a foot injury sustained on set.
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron
Director: Rupert Sanders
Synopsis: In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.
Released: 1st June IRE & UK / USA
Movie: Prometheus
This is shaping up to be one of the biggest movies of the year. Not only is it a welcome return to Science Fiction for Ridley Scott, it also ties in (loosely or otherwise, I don’t care) with one of cinemas greatest Sci-Fi horrors Alien.
Trivia Bit: Was originally intended as a prequel to Ridley Scott's Alien, but Scott decided to turn it into an original film with Noomi Rapace (who was already set to star in the prequel) still in the cast as one of five main characters. Some time later however it was confirmed that while the movie will take place in the same universe as Alien, and greatly reference that movie, it will, for the bigger part, be an original movie and not a direct prequel.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron
Director: Ridley Scott
Synopsis: Ridley Scott, director of “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” returns to the genre he helped define. With PROMETHEUS, he creates a ground-breaking mythology, in which a team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a thrilling journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.
Released: June 1st IRE & UK / June 8th USA
Movie: The Dark Knight Rises
Look, theres no point in saying anything about TDKR. Given the success and the absolute brilliance of Batman Begins and the mammoth juggernaut that The Dark Knight was, this will melt the box office on its release. You WILL see this.
Trivia Bit: According to Gary Oldman, Christopher Nolan told the actors the ending of the film verbally to avoid any leaks.
Starring: Christian Bale, Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Gary Oldman
Director: Christopher Nolan
Synopsis: Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing it and its police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent's crimes.
Released: July 20th IRE & UK / USA
Movie: Skyfall
As far as I’m concerned, Daniel Craig has been the best Bond for years. He brings an incredible intensity to a role that requires just that as opposed to the campiness and un realistic approach that Bonds of yore have had. That said here's hoping we get more Royale than Solace.
Trivia Bit: This James Bond movie is being released in 2012 after a four year hiatus from the previous picture, Quantum of Solace. This Bond movie represents the longest gap, four years, between films in the series which has not coincided with a casting change with the actor playing James Bond. Previous hiatuses between Licence to Kill and GoldenEyeand then between Die Another Day and Casino Royale were both accompanied by casting changes to the actor playing James Bond.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardiem, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Sam Mendes
Synopsis: Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
Released: 26th October IRE & UK / 9 November USA
Movie: The Hobbit
After much delay and union battles, The Hobbit is finally landing. With a number of decent video journals already in the bag (5 as of this writing) fans of Tolkien and movie fans in general are drooling at the thought of watching Martin Freeman once again take on Bilbo Baggins. Shot on Red cameras and in 3D, not to mention 48fps, The Hobbit will certainly be a treat for the eyes, and if Jackson and co keep true to the book, as they have done in the past with The Rings trilogy, I’d be thinking about buying tickets for this right now.
Trivia Bit: Daniel Radcliffe, David Tennant, Shia LaBeouf, James McAvoy and Erryn Arkin were all rumored to play Bilbo Baggins before Martin Freeman was cast.
Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman
Director: Peter Jackson
Synopsis: Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit, journeys to the Lonely Mountain accompanied by a group of dwarves to reclaim a treasure taken from them by the dragon Smaug.
Released: 14 Dec IRE & UK / USA
Movie: Django Unchained
Anyone remember what Quentin Tarantino did with Inglorious Basterds and the war genre? Well, this time Tarantino is gone west. Remember what he did with Basterds? Oh, so you do remember what he did? End of!
Trivia Bit: Will Smith, Idris Elba and Chris Tucker were considered for the role of Django.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sacha Baron Cohen
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Synopsis: With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.
Released: 25th December USA / 26th December IRE & UK
Movie: World War Z
Provided we all don’t die in the apocalypse on December 21st, World War Z is shaping up to be a great way to end 2012!
Trivia Bit: A total of 85 machine guns, rifles and pistols to be used on filming scenes in Hungary were confiscated by counter-terrorism customs officers in Budapest, Hungary after being flown in from London. The props, which are owned by an English company, were to be used in filming. The Hungarian authorities said the guns could be activated by simply removing screws filling the end of the barrels. Hungarian law requires weapons to be deactivated only if the process of making them live is irreversible. Weapons supervisor, Bela Gajdos, on the movie commented that a permit for the weapons had been issued by Hungarian police
Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric West, Matthew Fox
Director: Marc Foster
Synopsis: A UN representative, writing a report on the great zombie war, interviews survivors in the wake of World War Z.
Released: 21st December USA / Jan 4th 2013 IRE & UK
So there you have it! And yes I know Chronicle isn’t there, nor is Hunger Games or The Amazing Spiderman, but hell if you’ve noticed that, you knew they were coming anyway!
