List compiled by Eddie on 09/01/2023

After a lean few years, partly due to reasons outside of anyone’s control and partly due to poor development or lacklustre scheduling, 2023 is shaping up to be a mammoth year for film fans. 

Any year with films on the horizon from the likes of Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, Michael Mann and Denis Villeneuve is set to be an interesting one and while there are a few potentially great blockbusters heading our way too these are the type of filmmakers that are likely to provide a feature film with a difference as they showcase their skills in their medium. 

I look forward to the cinema world getting treated to more worthwhile content to head to the big screen for as the last little while hasn’t been kind to those wanting to get away from streaming at home and back into the big screen space but below are at least 10 films that should change that.

Here’s to a great 2023 for all. See you at the movies! 

Disclaimer – Plot summaries from IMDB

10. Wonka

Director: Paul King (Paddington)   Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson

The story will focus specifically on a young Willy Wonka and how he met the Oompa-Loompas on one of his earliest adventures.

Normally a film such as Wonka wouldn’t be one I was holding my breath for but there’s a very good reason why one should be excited for this new Willy Wonka tale and that reason is Paul “Paddington 1 & 2” King. The energetic director did such a great job with his marmalade loving bear films and has proven times before his got a wicked sense of humour that should make Wonka a wild and colourful ride worth jumping on board with. 

9. Air Jordan 

Director: Ben Affleck (Argo)   Cast: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jason Bateman 

Follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of sports: Michael Jordan.

Can anyone else smell Oscars? I’m sure long time buddies Ben Affleck and Matt Damon can with their based a true story dramedy that is likely going to stick to a specific playbook but that shouldn’t matter as a great subject and a loaded cast should make for enthralling, crowd-pleasing viewing. 

8. Enzo Ferrari 

Director: Michael Mann (Heat)   Cast: Adam Driver, Jack O’Connell, Shailene Woodley

The life story of Italian sports car entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari.

Michael Mann has been off the boil over the last few years but there’s great hope within the industry that his biopic of car making legend Enzo Ferrari returns him to the type of form that once saw him become one of the very best directors of Hollywood films. An intriguing cast and seemingly loaded subject matter gives him all the chances he can get to return to form. 

7. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 

Director: James Mangold (Logan)    Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Plot unknown at this time. 

You would be right in being pessimistic about another Indiana Jones adventure, especially after the last entry Kingdom of the Crystal Skull jumped the shark in a big way but despite the no show of long time series director Steven Spielberg, James Mangold has significant runs on the board with previous features and there’s a growing optimism that this supposedly final Jones romp is going to be a fitting farewell to a beloved character. 

6. Havoc 

Director: Gareth Evans (The Raid)   Cast: Tom Hardy, Timothy Olyphant

The story is set after a drug deal gone wrong, when a bruised detective must fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son, while unraveling a deep web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his entire city.

Ever since The Raid dropped many moons ago I knew I would always watch whatever director Gareth Evans put his hand too next and one suspects that this partnership with Netflix and leading man Tom Hardy is going to produce an action ride that won’t soon be forgotten. 

5. Beau is Afraid 

Director: Ari Aster (Hereditary)   Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Ryan

A decades-spanning portrait of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.

Directing some of the most unforgettable films of the last decade in the form of Hereditary and Midsommar, director Ari Aster seems to be taking things away from pure horror with his new Joaquin Phoenix starring epic that remains a mystery but should at the very least provide a unique and masterfully put together tale of one mans quest to keep his head above water. 

4. The Killer 

Director: David Fincher (Fight Club)  Cast: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton 

An assassin begins to psychologically crack as he develops a conscience, even as his clients continue to demand his skills.

With its star Michael Fassbender looking too bounce back from a career lull over the last few years and a director looking to return to form after the disappointing Mank from a few years ago, The Killer could be the knock out both creatives need to remind us once more of their significant talents. 

3. Oppenheimer 

Director: Christopher Nolan (Interstellar)   Cast: Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh 

The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

For anyone that loves cinema a chance to see a new Christopher Nolan film is the type of treat we all long for and with a cast that can only be described as one of the most loaded you will ever see, there’s every chance Oppenheimer is one of the biggest and most spectacular films yet of the beloved directors new faultless career. Could be both a major box office and awards season player. 

2. Killers of the Flower Moon 

Director: Martin Scorsese (The Departed)   Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Brendan Fraser 

Members of the Osage tribe in the United States are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s sparking a major F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover.

It feels like the last few years have seen me tell everyone how excited I am to see Martin Scorsese’s latest dramatic effort but here’s hoping 2023 is finally the year where this long in the making feature hits our screens. Planned to be an Apple TV release, I hope for everyone’s sake we get a chance to see the spectacle sporting masters newest and potentially one of his last films on the big screen. 

1. Dune: Part Two 

Director: Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)   Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya

This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavours to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

There’s no reason not to think that Dune: Part Two is going to be every bit of epic and amazing as Denis Villeneuve’s first outing that stunned cinemagoers from around the world in 2021. Ever since I first caught Part One in IMAX I have been counting down the days to my return to Arrakis to continue Paul Atreides’s journey.  

Best of the Rest – 

11. Poor Things 

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)  Cast: Margaret Qualley, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe

The film will be a Victorian tale of love, discovery and scientific daring, Poor Things tells the incredible story of Belle Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by an eccentric but brilliant scientist.

12. Peter Pan & Wendy 

Director: David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon)  Cast: Jude Law, Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson 

Live-action adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s classic tale of a boy who wouldn’t grow up and recruits three young siblings in London to join him on a magical adventure to the enchanted Neverland island.

13. Asteroid City

Director: Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)  Cast: Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks, Steve Carell 

The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.

14. The Way of the Wind

Director: Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line)  Cast: Mark Rylance, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ben Kingsley 

A retelling of several episodes in the life of the Christ.

15. Civil War

Director: Alex Garland (Men)  Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Jefferson White

Plot under wraps. 

16. Napoleon 

Director: Ridley Scott (Gladiator)  Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby 

The film is an original and personal look at Napoleon Bonaparte’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine.

17. Blitz

Director: Steve McQueen (Hunger)  Cast: Harris Dickinson, Stephen Graham, Saoirse Ronan

Follow the stories of a group of Londoners during the events of the British capital bombing in World War II.

18. The Bikeriders

Director: Jeff Nichols (Mud)  Cast: Michael Shannon, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy 

It follows the rise of a Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members.

19. Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part 1

Director: Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher)  Cast: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby 

Seventh entry in the long-running Mission: Impossible series.

20. Rebel Moon 

Director: Zack Snyder (Watchmen)  Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Sofia Boutella, Anthony Hopkins 

A young woman seeks out warriors from other planets to fight the tyrannical armies terrorizing her peaceful colony.

What films are you looking forward to in 2023? Let me know in the comments below!