Promtheus 2 retitled

Alien revolutionised sci-fi and horror in 1979 with stars Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt and Ian Holm while small time director Ridley Scott was given the boost to go on to films such as Blade Runner, Black Hawk Dawn and Gladiator.

Aliens gave Sigourney Weaver an Academy Awards nominated return as Ripley in 1986 with iconic co-stars Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn and Bill Paxton while director James Cameron (Terminator 2, Avatar, Titanic) turned the series into an epic action masterpiece.

Alien3 gave the director’s chair to rookie David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac, Gone Girl, Social Network) with poor results for the 1992 directorial debut. Weaver and Henriksen returned with Paul McGann and Charles Dance.

Alien: Resurrection saw Weaver and Winona Ryder team up with director Jean Pierre Jeunet and flopped, seemingly killing off the franchise in 1997.

Prometheus saw Ridley Scott’s return in 2012. The prequel – starring the new lineup of Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba and Michael Fassbender – proved to be immensely polarizing and underrated but gave a new lease of life to the series.

The follow up to Prometheus has confirmed that it’ll be connecting with its franchise again with the new title. Alien: Paradise Lost. Ridley Scott confirmed the title while promoting this month’s The Martian. Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave, X-Men: First Class, Steve Jobs) and Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, A Game of Shadows, The Drop) reprise their roles.

We’re still not sure what effect – if any – this announcement will have on Neill Blompkamp’s (District 9) planned Ripley-based sequel.

Alien: Paradise Lost – May 30th 2017

Bale, Carell, Gosling and Pitt in The Big Short trailer

With a change of release date, Paramount’s The Big Short may now be entering the Oscar race. Adam McKay – writer of Anchorman, Step Brothers, The Other Guys and Ant-Man – is stepping up with a high-stakes drama about the men who made millions from the global meltdown.

Starring Christian Bale (The Dark Knight, American Hustle), Steve Carell (Foxcatcher, Crazy Stupid Love), Ryan Gosling (Drive, The Ides of March), Melissa Leo (The Fighter, Prisoners), Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler, The Lincoln Lawyer), Karen Gillan (Oculus, Guardians of the Galaxy), Rafe Spall (Life of Pi, Prometheus) and Brad Pitt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Fight Club) – a cast with 14 Oscar nominations.

The Big Short – December 15th

Woody Harrelson joins War of Planet of Apes and first Jungle Book trailer

Rise starred James Frano, Freida Pinto, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, John Lithgow and David Oyelowo
Dawn reinvented the cast with Gary Oldman, Toby Kebbell, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit McPhee, Judy Greer and Jason Clarke.
War of the Planet of the Apes has now signed on Woody Harrlelson as its lead villain.

The reboot trilogy’s cast has been bolstered by the signing two time Oscar nominee Woody Harrelson (No Country for Old Men, The Hunger Games, Zombieland, Cheers, Seven Psychopaths, True Detective) as a new human villain, currently being referred to as Colonel. This suggests that he will play the leader of the military forces that arrive at the end of Dawn. The other cast information we currently know is that Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings) will reprise his role as franchise figurehead Caesar. Its unclear if there will be a third new cast or Dawn’s main characters will return. Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) directs.

When Warner Bros and Disney both announced rivalling adaptations of The Jungle Book, it was the WB/Andy Serkis version that had far more hype. However, Disney’s version will be gaining some new fans from the surprisingly impressive first trailer. However much of the voice work isn’t shown alongside the on screen animals which makes us worry that the two will clash in the film.

Jon Favreau (Iron Man) directs while the cast includes Scarlett Johansson (Avengers Assemble, Lost in Translation), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, Prometheus), Bill Murray (Ghost Busters, Moonrise Kingdom), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, The Force Awakens), Neel Sethi (Diwali), Giancarlo Esposito (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, The Usual Suspects), Ben Kingsley (Shutter Island, Gandhi) and Christopher Walken (Catch Me If You Can, The Deer Hunter).

The Jungle Book – April 15th 2016

War of the Planet of the Apes – July 21st 2017

Sam Smith to sing for Spectre, first Bourne 5 shot and Christopher Nolan’s latest announced

Widely hailed as the most celebrated director of this century, Christopher Nolan nine stunning feature films include acclaimed masterpieces including Interstellar, Inception, Memento and The Dark Knight. Since 2006, Nolan has consistently produced a new film every two years but his newly announced upcoming project will leave a three year gap as it has confirmed that his new film will land in July 2017.

So far literally no announcements or rumours have been made regarding plot, genre or cast but we do know that Warner Bros are behind it and it’s competition on that weekend includes Luc Besson sci-fi Valerian (Cara Delevingne, Dane DeHaan, Clive Owen) and comedy musical sequel Pitch Perfect 2 (Anna Kendrick, Hailee Steinfeld, Rebel Wilson). The blockbuster friendly July release date suggests that we won’t be expected a low key noir thriller/drama such as Memento, Insomnia, Following or The Prestige.

Having visited superheroes three times already in The Dark Knight trilogy we can rule that genre out. It seems unlikely that WB would put another sci-fi film to compete with Valerian so we reckon Nolan is moving into a genre he’s yet to mine. Fantasy adventure? Historical epic? Horror? Either way, its almost certain that six-time collaborator Michael Caine will almost certainly star.

Meanwhile, it was also announced that British singer Sam Smith – Stay With Me, Money on My Mind, Lay Me Down – will be singing the theme song for the upcoming James Bond sequel Spectre (succeeding the likes of Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, Duran Duran, Paul McCartney, Jack White, Louie Armstrong and Adele). The track is titled Writing’s on the Wall. The reveal was mildly surprising after strong rumours that the job would go to Ellie Goulding or Radiohead. Our own pick would be Florence and the Machine.

Spectre is directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road Perdition) and stars Daniel Craig (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Monica Bellucci (Irreversible), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Colour), Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas), Naomie Harris (28 Days Later), Rory Kinnear (The Imitation Game), Andrew Scott (Sherlock) and Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy).

Spectre – October 26th

Nolan 10 – July 21st 2017

Warner Bros and Nolan making Akira?

A live action adaptation of the classic sci-fi animation Akira has been for tortuously long developed at Warner Bros. The latest rumour is suggesting that a new Akira trilogy is on the way and Warner Bros golden boy Christopher Nolan will be involved. There’s so far no proof of the Inception/The Dark Knight/Interstellar director is in any way connected but this news comes shortly after the announcement of Nolan’s mystery 2017 project (which may turn out to be Akira). While it’s possible that Nolan’s secrets have been leaked, others suggest that Nolan will produce and oversee Akira – like he did with Man of Steel – while pursuing his separate 2017 film.

Nolan 10 – July 21st 2017

Akira – 2018?

Rebecca Furguson rumoured for Captain Marvel

The Phase 1 Avengers lineup (Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner) was added to in Phase 2 (Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd). We know that Phase 3’s additions include Chadwick Boseman, Tom Holland and Benedict Cumberbatch but Marvel’s new major female hero Captain Marvel has been elusive to cast.

Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones), Katee Sackhoff (Oculus), Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road), Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street), Alice Eve (Star Trek Into Darkness) and Emily Blunt (Looper) had previously been mentioned or rumoured but now Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation and The White Queen’s Golden Globe nominated actress Rebecca Ferguson is reportedly in line for the role.

Sadly, Ava DuVernay (Selma) ruled out directing so there currently isn’t a serious candidate for directing. However, some rumours have included Angelina Jolie (Unbroken), Adam McKay (Anchorman) and Joss Whedon (Serenity).

Captain Marvel – October 26th 2018

Orphan Black star in Star Wars rumour and Vincent Cassel joins Bourne

The Bourne series already has a fantastic extended cast including Chris Cooper, Brian Cox, Joan Allen, Clive Owen, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn and Albert Finney. Another addition has been made to the franchise’s ensemble with Vincent Cassel. The French star of La Haine, Irreversible, Ocean’s Twelve, Eastern Promises, Trance and Black Swan will play a new villain in the fifth Bourne instalment.

Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips, United 93) directs while the cast includes Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, The Departed), Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You, Silver Linings Playbook), Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina, The Man From UNCLE) and Tommy Lee Jones (The Fugitive, No Country For Old Men).

The upcoming Star Wars instalments – sequel The Force Awakens (JJ Abrams – Harrison Ford, Andy Serkis) and spin-off Rogue One (Gareth Edwards – Felicity Jones, Forest Whitaker) –  have made major casting announcements but the so far untitled Episode VIII hasn’t been deterred from secrecy. However, we now know that there are three candidates for the new female lead.

Firstly, the Golden Globe winning star of TV’s Jane the Virgin: Gina Rodriguez.

Then, Olivia Cooke – the star of indie smash hit Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Finally, Tatiana Maslany – the lead of TV’s smash hit Orphan Black.

All three are reportedly taking reads with the Force Awakens star John Boyega (Attack the Block, Imperial Dreams), confirming that his character (Finn) will return for Episode VIII. Rian Johnson (Looper, Brick), will direct the sequel which’ll also star Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Ex Machina, A Most Violent Year) and Benicio Del Toro (Traffic, Guardians of the Galaxy, Sicario).

We might also expect Harrison Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Daisy Ridley (Toast of London), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Max Von Sydow (Minority Report), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Mark Hamill (Kingsman), Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally), Adam Driver (Girls) and Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings) to star.

Bourne 5 – June 29th 2016

Star Wars: Episode VIII – May 26th 2017

Matt Damon in Martian poster and Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer team up

Legendary director Ridley Scott (Alien, American Gangster, Black Hawk Down, Blade Runner, Gladiator, Thelma & Louise, Prometheus) is back with his newest sci-fi epic The Martian, the new poster for which is above. The cast includes Matt Damon (The Bourne Identity, Good Will Hunting), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty, The Tree of Life), Kristen Wiig (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Bridesmaids), Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Children of Men), Kate Mara (Fantastic Four, Transcendence), Sebastian Stan (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Black Swan), Michael Pena (Ant-Man, American Hustle), Mackenzie Davis (What If, Halt and Catch Fire), Donald Glover (Community, Mystery Team), Jeff Daniels (Looper, The Newsroom) and Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones).

Amy Schumer has quickly becoming the biggest rising star of film comedy this year after the smash hit Trainwreck, in which she collaborated with comedy legend Judd Apatow. Her newest collaboration will be with Oscar winning actress Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle, The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, X-Men: First Class) on a project which the pair are both writing and starring in.

The Martian – September 30th

Amy Schumer/Jennifer Lawrence project – 2017?

New Star Wars 7 images

The production of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens had kept almost everything under wraps for what seemed like years. There were no official cast announcements (only rumours) until the SW brain trust decided to lift the lid on production and similarly there was no official material from the film until the first trailer. With the recent D23 Expo unveiling a lot more, the latest Empire edition is also previewing some awesome stuff from the film, including this shot of new villain Kylo Ren. The issue is released later this week.

The Force Awakens is directed by JJ Abrams (Super 8) and stars Daisy Ridley (Silent Witness), Adam Driver (Frances Ha), Harrison Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), Mark Hamill (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally), Max Von Sydow (Shutter Island), John Boyega (Attack the Block) and Domhnall Gleeson (About Time).

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – December 18th

Disney’s D23 announcements – The Force Awakens, Toy Story 4, Doctor Strange, Finding Dory and more!

If you felt that Comic-Con didn’t lift the lid on Disney’s upcoming works enough than D23 is for you. The expo of all things Disney enlightened us on all of their properties from Star Wars to Pixar to Marvel and all of the studio’s very own animated and live action features. Sadly there’s been no word on the likes of in the works projects such as Wreck-It Ralph 2, Frozen 2 or proposed remakes of Dumbo and Pinocchio. Firstly…

Pixar!

After critical and commercial triumph of Inside Out, the studio is rolling out its slate of six upcoming movies. The Good Dinosaur will tell the story of an alternate reality where humans are the Earth’s secondary species and dinosaurs still rule. It comes from director Peter Sohn (Partly Cloudy) and stars Anna Paquin (X-Men), Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale), Steve Zahn (Dallas Buyers Club) and Frances McDormand (Burn After Reading). November 25th 2015

Thirteen years after Finding Nemo, Finding Dory will pick up with the characters of the previous instalment when Dory finds herself in a marine study institute. Newly announced cast members include Hayden Rolence (Whom I Fear), Ed O’Neill (Modern Family) and Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) and Angus MacLane (Toy Story of Terror) direct the cast of Ellen DeGeneres (Ellen), Albert Brooks (Drive), Diane Keaton (The Godfather), Eugene Levy (American Pie), Ty Burrell (Modern Family), Dominic West (The Wire), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim) and Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man). June 17th 2016

Toy Story 4 is also on the way and a teaser poster graced and it was revealed that it will focus on a love story between Woody and Bo Peep. John Lasseter (Toy Story 1-2) and Josh Cooley (George and AJ) direct while we expect Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump), Joan Cusack (Say Anything) and Tim Allen (Galaxy Quest) to star. June 16th 2017

Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 3) has long been developing a film centred on the Mexican celebration of The Day of the Dead. It has finally been given a release date and a title, Coco. No casting announcements have yet been made. November 22nd 2017

Another sequel on the way is Cars 3. No plot details were offered but we do know that John Lasseter (Cars 1-2) will write and we’d expect Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers) and Larry the Cable Guy (Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector) to reprise their roles as Lightning McQueen and Mater respectively. June 15th 2018

The sequel Pixar fans have actually asking for will finally come out, 15 years after they asked for it. Assuming that the studio don’t want two sequels in the same year, The Incredibles 2 will head for a 2019 release. Brad Bird (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation) will direct while we’d expect Craig T Nelson (Poltergeist), Holly Hunter (The Piano) and Samuel L Jackson (Avengers Assemble) to star.

Next up…

Disney Animation!

Disney’s latest animation Zootopia will portray a metropolis populated by mammals. Jason Bateman (Arrested Development), Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon a Time) and Alan Tudyk (Serenity) were already set to star but the latest addition is pop star/actress Shakira. The directors are Byron Howard (Tangled), Rich Moore (Wreck-It Ralph) and Jared Bush (behind the creative team of Big Hero 6). March 4th 2016

Next, the team behind Aladdin, Hercules and The Princess and the Frog arrived to unveil more from their latest work, Moana. Dwayne Johnson (Fast Five) and Alan Tudyk (Serenity) will star in the story of a plucky young woman who is assisted by a demi-god to reach a fabled island. November 23rd 2016

The newest announcement was Gigantic. Tangled‘s Nathan Greno will collaborate with Frozen’s songwriters, Robert and Kristen Lopez to bring the story of Jack and the Beanstalk to Spain in the age of exploration. March 9th 2018

Following that was…

Disney live action (aka Worlds, Galaxies and Universes)

True life disaster thriller The Finest Hours will depict the struggle for survival of a group of sailors in 1952. Craig Gillespie (Million Dollar Arm) directs with a cast including Chris Pine (Star Trek Into Darkness), Ben Foster (Lone Survivor), Casey Affleck (Gone Baby Gone), Holliday Grainger (Cinderella) and Eric Bana (Munich). January 29th 2016

The latest adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book was promoted by director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) as well as Oscar winning stars Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and newcomer Neel Sethi. The classic story of an orphan raised by the animals of the jungle also stars Scarlett Johansson (Avengers Assemble), Idris Elba (Pacific Rim), Bill Murray (Ghostbusters), Giancarlo Esposito (The Usual Suspects) and Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter). April 15th 2016

Alice Through the Looking Glass will build upon the established world built in the Lewis Carroll books and the Tim Burton’s 2010 billion dollar hit. James Bobin (The Muppets) directs a cast featuring Mia Wasikowska (Crimson Peak), Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean), Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises), Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech), Alan Rickman (Die Hard), Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), Andrew Scott (Pride), Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill), Toby Jones (Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Lindsay Duncan (About Time), Stephen Fry (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug) and Timothy Spall (Mr Turner). May 27th 2016

Next up was the family fantasy adventure Pete’s Dragon, about a young boy who seeks refuge from his family with a dragon. David Lowery (Ain’t Them Bodies Saints) directs while the film stars Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), Wes Bentley (Interstellar), Karl Urban (Dredd) and Robert Redford (Captain America: The Winter Soldier). August 12th 2016

Two films delivered no material as such but were teased or mentioned. Firstly, Queen of Katwe – a drama about a girl from Uganda who trains to become a world chess champion. Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and David Oyelowo (Selma) will star with director Mira Nair (The Namesake). 2016

Also, Disney’s new iteration of Beauty and the Beast was present. The reboot (telling the story of a relationship between a monstrous prince and a young woman) is directed by Bill Condon (Mr Holmes) and stars Emma Watson (Harry Potter), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Luke Evans (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Josh Gad (Frozen), Gugu Mbatha Raw (Belle), Ewan McGregor (Trainspotting), Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games), Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wonda), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks) and Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings). March 17th 2017

Finally, there was news from the fifth instalment of a legendary franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. This one will see Captain Jack in search of the trident of Poseidon. Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings) was announced to be returning as Will Turner for the first time since 2007. The duo of Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) direct an ensemble including Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands), Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech), Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner), Brendon Thwaites (Maleficent), David Wenham (300), Stephen Graham (This is England) and Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men). July 17th 2017

Marvel

We won’t include Marvel’s full extensive line up but two of their instalments next year. Because of the studio’s infamous secrecy, none of the material shown has made it to the public. Captain America: Civil War showed off its trailer to the D23 audience. Anthony and Joe Russo (The Winter Soldier) direct with a cast including Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau), Scarlett Johansson (Lucy), Daniel Bruhl (Rush), Sebastian Stan (Black Swan), Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy), Emily VanCamp (Revenge), Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock Holmes), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla), Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind), Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda), Tom Holland (The Impossible), William Hurt (Artificial Intelligence) and Martin Freeman (The Hobbit). April 29th 2016

Doctor Strange is another of Marvel’s latest. Scott Derickson (Sinister) directs the supernatural thriller of which the recent concept art many likened to Inception. Marvel head Kevin Feige (Iron Man trilogy) could neither confirm or deny the rumours of Rachel McAdams joining the film but we do know that Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave). November 4th 2016

Star Wars

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was heralded by this stunning poster from Drew Struzan – the legendary poster designer who craft iconic works for Back to the Future and Blade Runner. JJ Abrams (Star Trek Into Darkness) directs a cast including Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Mark Hamill (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally), Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Toast of London), Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Adam Driver (Frances Ha) and Max Von Sydow (Shutter Island). December 18th 2015

The first spin-off has had a full title announcement, cast reveals and first still. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story has added to its ranks Alan Tudyk (Serenity), Donnie Yen (Ip Man), Wen Jiang (Devils on the Doorstep) and Mads Mikkelson (Casino Royale). Gareth Edwards (Godzilla) will direct with the cast of Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Ben Mendelsohn (Killing Them Softly), Diego Luna (Elysium), Jonathan Aris (Sherlock), Riz Ahmed (Nightcrawler) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland). December 16th 2017

There wasn’t any news on Star Wars: Episode VIII – directed by Looper’s Rian Johnson and coming out May 26th 2017 – or the Han Solo spin off – directed by 21 Jump Street’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller and coming out May 25th 2018.

It was revealed that the third and final instalment of the new sequel trilogy (Star Wars: Episode IX) will be directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) but the returning cast members are yet to be announced!