New images from Force Awakens, concept art for Civil War and Suicide Squad unveiled

Marvel (makers of The Avengers, X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy), DC (makers of The Dark Knight, Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice) and Star Wars (makers of Empire Strikes Back, The Force Awakens and Rogue One) are all competing for press attention today with a load of material released from all three.

The latest issue of Vanity Fair has debuted with a plethora of reveals for the seventh Star Wars film: The Force Awakens. The shots show off returning characters Harrison Ford (Blade Runner, Raiders of the Lost Ark) as Han Solo and Peter Mayhew and Chewbacca but more interestingly we get to see Adam Driver (Girls, This is Where I Leave You) as Kylo Ren – the broadsword wielding villain we got to see in the trailers who is now unmasked. He’s accompanied by the new style of snowtrooper. The snow backdrop may be Hoth but we’ve been wrong footed before when what we thought was Tatooine was in fact Jakku.

Additionally we get to have closer looks at Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones’ Brienne of Tarth) as conflicted antagonist Captain Phasma, Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Ex Machina) as Resistance pilot Poe Dameron and Oscar winner Lupita Nygon’o (12 Years a Slave) is revealed to be providing motion capture for the alien pirate Maz Kanata. There’s also on set footage of awesome practical effects aliens and fan hero JJ Abrams (Star Trek Into Darkness, Super 8) directing newcomer Daisy Ridley as speeder-biker Rey.

The Force Awakens will also star Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally), Mark Hamill (Kingsman: The Secret Service) and Max Von Sydow (Minority Report).

DC are set to shift their focus towards their villains with the instalment Suicide Squad. Director David Ayer (Fury, End of Watch) has tweeted the latest look at the team. From left to right there’s: Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers) as Slipknot, Jai Courtney (Divergent) as Captain Boomerang, Cara Delevigne (Anna Karenina) as Enchantress, Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Joel Kinnaman (The Killing) as Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street), Will Smith (Men in Black) as Deadshot, Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje (Thor: The Dark World) as Killer Croc and Scott Eastwood (Gran Torino) as El Diablo. The cast also includes Jared Leto (Panic Room) and Viola Davis (The Help).

Finally, we have some leaked concept art for the superhero sequel Captain America: Civil War and shows the titular hero battling it out with Iron Man. The Winter Soldier directors Anthony and Joe Russo return to helm the cast of Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), Robert Downey Jr (The Judge), Scarlett Johansson (Her), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau), Elizabeth Olsen (Godzilla), Chadwick Boseman (Get on Up), Sebastian Stan (Black Swan), Frank Grillo (The Purge: Anarchy) and Daniel Bruhl (Rush).

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – December 18th

Captain America: Civil War – April 29th 2016

Suicide Squad – August 5th 2016

Battle of the trailers: Dawn of Justice vs The Force Awakens

A few years ago, DC were beating Marvel off with the brilliance of their Dark Knight trilogy but their now lagging far behind the development of Marvel’s cinematic universe. The franchise’s newest chapter, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, is now beginning its advertising campaign with the very first trailer but it already has a new rival.

Said rival is Disney’s sci-fi adventure sequel Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens which has simultaneously launched its own teaser.

In terms of which trailer is the most effective, we’d have to go in the favour of Star Wars. While Dawn of Justice looks undeniably stylish and thrilling, DC have already made the film redundant with the announcement of Justice League – we already know that the Bat and the Man of Steel be on the same side in the near future. The Force Awakens meanwhile has still left everything a mystery.

Dawn of Justice is directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) and stars Henry Cavill (Stardust, Immortals), Ben Affleck (Argo, Gone Girl), Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious), Amy Adams (American Hustle, The Master), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Zombieland), Jeremy Irons (The Lion King, Reversal of Fortune), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Mystic River), Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones), Tao Okamoto (The Wolverine), Scoot McNairy (Monsters, 12 Years a Slave), Diane Lane (Unfaithful, Hollywoodland) and Holly Hunter (Broadcast News, The Piano, The Incredibles).

The Force Awakens is directed by JJ Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness) and stars Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Toast of London), Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Adam Driver (Tracks), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Max Von Sydow (Minority Report) and Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) with the returning cast of Mark Hamill (Kingsman: The Secret Service), Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally) and Harrison Ford (Blade Runner).

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – December 18th

Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice – March 25th 2016

The 2015 Preview Issue

2015 is the new 2012 (The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, The Hunger Games, The Hobbit), which itself was the new 1999 (The Sixth Sense, The Phantom Menace, The Matrix, Two Story 2). Its releases should not only be huge financial successes but promise to be delightful watches as well. Here’s what we reckon will be topping the year’s box office in twelve months time.

1. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Director: Joss Whedon – $1.7 billion
2. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – JJ Abrams – $1.4 billion
3. Spectre – Sam Mendes – $1.2 billion
4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Francis Lawrence – $925 million
5. Furious 7 – James Wan – $875 million
6. Minions – Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin – $800 million
7. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – $775 million
8. Inside Out – Pete Docter – $725 million
9. Mission: Impossible 5 – Christopher McQuarrie – $700 million
10. Ant-Man – Peyton Reed – $675 million
11. The Good Dinosaur – Peter Sohn – $625 million
12. Ted 2 – Seth MacFarlane – $600 million
13. Terminator Genisys – Alan Taylor – $575 million
14. The Fantastic Four – Josh Trank – $550 million
15. Tomorrowland – Brad Bird – $525 million

We reckon The Avengers sequel will edge Star Wars seeing as the former series’ commercial success is actually growing. Pixar’s double-billed return to original storytelling with Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur should score them impressively but Minions will triumph on the animation front. The only other original work we expect to see doing well is sci-fi adventure Tomorrowland. The race in the new crop of reboots will be won by Jurassic World, beating off competition from Terminator and Fantastic Four. Close to gracing the Top 15 will be sequels to YA franchises (The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, Insurgent) and there might be an upset for Chris Columbus/Adam Sandler comedy Pixels and Joe Wright/Hugh Jackman fantasy adventure Pan. Should it finally get a major release, The Interview may well be a smash hit.

Now here are our top twenty to one most anticipated releases of the year.

20) The Fantastic Four

Director: Josh Trank
Writers: Josh Trank, Simon Kinberg, Jeremy Slater, TS Nowlin
Starring: Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, Michael B Jordan, Toby Kebbell
Premise: For a very long time, next to nothing had been revealed about Fox’s Fantastic Four reboot. Star Wars took a similar approach and that sent fans running wild with speculation but no such hype surrounded the FF, exposing a serious lack of interest. Still, Chronicle’s Trank is a promising hope and the the high-end castings of Teller (Whiplash), Bell (Bill Elliot), Mara (House of Cards), Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Jordan (Fruitvale Station) ought to liven things up.
Release: August 6th

19) Everest

Director: Baltasar Kormakur
Writers: William Nicholson, Mark Medoff, Justin Isbell, Lem Dobbs, Simon Beaufoy
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, Jason Clarke, Elizabeth Debicki, John Hawkes, Emily Watson
Premise: An absolute first-rate cast from two teams who embark on an expedition to the peak of the world’s highest mountain, where they also face the world’s toughest terrain. The stills so far reveal some spectacular drama.
Release: October 2nd

18) Mission: Impossible 5

Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Writers: Drew Pearce, Will Staples
Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Alec Baldwin, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Ving Rhames
Premise: It’s hard to get excited when all we have to go on is a few on-set snaps but we can still expect a high-end spectacle of action. Uniting Cruise and McQuarrie (star/writer of Edge of Tomorrow) is a solid move and the returning cast of Ghost Protocol (Pegg, Renner, Patton) hints at more franchise continuity than before.
Release: December 26th

17) The Man From UNCLE

Director: Guy Ritchie
Writers: Guy Ritchie, Lionel Wigram, Jeff Kleeman, David Campbell Wilson
Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Hugh Grant, Elizabeth Debicki, Jared Harris
Premise: Bond and Hunt are both set in stone in their nationalities but spy reboot The Man From UNCLE pitches a teaming up of the American Napoleon Solo (Cavill) and the Russian Illya Kuryakin (Hammer). With Sherlock Holmes/Snatch director Guy Ritchie helming it ought to be a truly gripping thriller.
Release: August 14th

16) Child 44

Director: Daniel Espinosa
Writers: Richard Price
Starring: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Paddy Considine, Jason Clarke, Dev Patel, Joel Kinnaman, Charles Dance
Premise: In Stalin-era Soviet Union, a detective investigates a series of murder, the complication is that the state believes crime doesn’t exist. The cast alone is enough of a reason to get interested and Daniel Espinosa proved his action credentials in Safe House.
Release: April 17th

15) Minions

Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
Writer: Brian Lynch
Starring: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton
Premise: There are very few well favoured comedy spin offs but the first trailer for Despicable Me’s spawn the Minions looked promising.
Release: June 26th

14) Untitled Steven Spielberg Cold War Project

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Matt Charman, Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring: Tom Hanks, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Mark Rylance
Premise: We know nothing more than the title suggests but another collaboration between Spielberg (Jaws, ET, AI, Minority Report, Schindler’s List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park) and Hanks (Forrest Gump, Captain Phillips, Cast Away, The Green Mile, Road to Perdition) is a huge attention grabber. The pair’s previous collaborations are Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal and Saving Private Ryan.
Release: October 9th

13) Chappie

Director: Neill Blomkamp
Writers: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Hugh Jackman, Dev Patel, Sigourney Weaver
Premise: The director of District 9 takes on a slightly more light hearted venture as Chappie, a discarded robotic cop, us taken under the wing of a group of scientists who teach it. Soon, others realise that Chappie is potentially dangerous.
Release: March 6th

12) The Walk

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Robert Zemeckis, Christopher Browne
Starring: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale
Premise: As chronicled in the Oscar winning documentary Man on Wire, stuntman Philippe Petit begins his ultimate accomplishment by wire walking from one Twin Tower to the other. This is the first teaming up of the duo Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Cast Away) and Joseph Gordon Levitt (Looper, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception).
Release: October 2nd

11) Ant-Man

Director; Peyton Reed
Writers: Gabriel Ferrari, Andrew Barrer, Adam McKay, Edgar Wright
Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Judy Greer

10) Inside Out

Director: Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen
Writers: Michael Arndt, Pete Docter
Starring: Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Mindy Kaling, Lewis Black, Kyle MacLachlan, Diane Lane
Premise: Pixar’s second release of 2015 is the brilliantly madcap concept of emotions, symbolised as the characters above, controlling the emotions within our mind. Unlike The Good Dinosaur, this has a Pixar regular, Pete Docter (Monsters Inc, Up), at the helm as well as Toy Story 3 writer Michael Arndt.
Release: July 24th

9) Jurassic World

Director: Colin Trevorrow
Writers: Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, Omar Sy, Judy Greer, Jake Johnson, Vincent D’Onofrio
Premise: We’re well prepared for a sequel that won’t live up to the original’s same magic. Still, Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) and his new set of leads – Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), Howard (The Help), Robinson (The Kings of Summer) and Simpkins (Insidious) – look set to give a fresh rebranding.
Release: June 12th

8) Tomorrowland

Director: Brad Bird
Writers: Damon Lindelof, Brad Bird
Starring: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Judy Greer
Premise: One f the year’s most secretive releases comes from Pixar protogee Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and, while it is a fairly original prospect, it’s in fact roughly based upon Walt Disney’s own bright and bold vision of the future.
Release: May 22nd

7) Mad Max: Fury Road

Director: George Miller
Writers: George Miller, Brendan McCarthy, Nick Lathouris
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Zoe Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult
Premise: Pleasing the die hard fans of the original will be a tough task but the footage so far revealed for this sequel is phenomenal. It’ll be massively entertaining to see Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Locke) in a rawer action role.
Release: May 15th

6) The Martian

Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: Drew Goddard
Starring: Matt Damon, Jessican Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kirsten Wiig, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Michael Pena, Jeff Daniels, Sean Bean
Premise: The film’s tone, either epic or dramatic, has yet to have been established but it sees Damon’s astronaut stranded on the red planet. Still, we’re immediately excited to see what legendary Brit director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Black Hawk Dawn, Alien, Blade Runner) can bring next.
Release: November 27th

5) Spectre

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: John Logan, Neil Purvis, Robert Wade
Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Dave Bautista, Monica Bellucci, Andrew Scott, Ben Whishaw, Rory Kinnear, Jesper Christensen
Premise: After Skyfall became one of the undisputedly great Bond films (rivalling Dr No, Goldfinger, GoldenEye and Casino Royale) and its follow up is hoping to be just as successful. In this new adventure, Bond (Craig) tracks a mysterious signal from a previous mission and finds a secret organisation, led by Waltz’s Oberhauser.
Release: October 23rd

4) In the Heart of the Sea

Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Charles Leavitt, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Charlotte Riley, Tom Holland, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson
Premise: Fresh off of smash hit racing drama Rush, Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) returns with a period thriller based on the true story that inspire Moby Dick. Hemsworth’s whaling crew are stranded in the see for weeks on end as the most fearsome whale they have ever witnessed haunts them. The trailer is awesome, terrifying and truly monstrous.
Release: March 13th

3) Crimson Peak

Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Writers: Guillermo Del Toro, Matthew Robbins, Lucinda Coxon
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, Doug Jones, Burn Gorman
Premise: The masterful Mexican Del Toro, director of Pan’s Labyrinth and Pacific Rim/writer of The Hobbit trilogy, returns to properly gothic horror as aspiring author Edith Cushing (Wasikowska) moves into a new home with her sinister new husband Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston). If it’s what it promises to be, we could have a chilling masterpiece on our hands.
Release: October 16th

2) The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Director: Joss Whedon
Writer: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, James Spader, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Samuel L Jackson, Andy Serkis, Cobie Smulders, Don Cheadle, Stellan Skarsgard, Hayley Atwell, Thomas Kretschmann
Premise: Stark’s robot peacekeeping program gets out of hand as his creation begins its own global dominations. Marvel’s other properties (Inhumans and Doctor Strange) are being set up elsewhere but this is sowing the seeds of Civil War, Black Panther and Infinity War. Still Whedon’s superhero sequel will be darker, bolder, bigger and better.
Release: April 24th

1) Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Director: JJ Abrams
Writers: JJ Abrams, Lawrence Kasdan
Starring: Andy Serkis, Max Von Sydow, John Boyega, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong’o, Gwendoline Christie, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Warwick Davis, Christina Chong, Iko Uwais, Maisie Richardson Sellers
Premise: Besides the setting (30 years on from Return of the Jedi) we know almost nothing but how could anything else be number one? Perhaps it would have been lower down before that trailer landed but it just blew 90% of our worries out the water. We’re equally terrified and excited to what JJ will produce. Others may be surefire hits but this is the one we hope for the most.
Release: December 18th

Review of the year – The Five Biggest News Stories of 2014, including Spectre, Doctor Strange, The Interview and more

5) The Force awakens for Star Wars

It was mysterious and secretive right up until it didn’t want to be and JJ Abrams’ (Super 8, Lost, Star Trek) new Star Wars sequel has become the year’s biggest hype monster. We new nothing until the entire cast were announced in one swoop. Newcomers to the series Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), John Boyega (Attack the Block), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Adam Driver (Tracks), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Max Von Sydow (Minority Report) and Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings) will rub shoulders with the original crew of Mark Hamill (The Big Red One), Carrie Fisher (The Blues Brothers), Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Warwick Davis (Willow) and Harrison Ford (Blade Runner, The Witness, Raiders of Lost Ark).

The Force Awakens was revealed as the title and this phenomenon of a trailer was released.

4) The Interview – when Hollywood enters world politics

We continue proceedings with the most recent and easily the most controversial scoop of the year. The Interview began harmlessly as a Sony comedy project poised to be the directorial follow up for This Is the End Team Evan Goldberg (Superbad) and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, 50/50) with regular collaborator James Franco (Spider-Man, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 127 Hours). Lizzy Caplan (Cloverfield, Masters of Sex) was recruited to star but things kicked off when the film’s full extent was revealed.

The Interview would see extravagant broadcaster Dave Skylark (Franco) and producer Aaron Rapaport (Rogen) are enlisted by the FBI to infiltrate North Korea, via an interview with their real-life leader Kim Jung-Un (here played by Randall Park), and assassinate him. Production went swimmingly but the release is where trouble was aroused. To provide some political context, Kim Jung-Un is the successor of Kim Jung-Il. This dynasty, responsible for the atrocities or just the face of the oppression, are allegedly conducting massacres of their own people but the (and I know this is a woeful understatement) tightly regulated press cannot confirm any story of the like.

North Korea’s potential response was always dreaded but it was only in the past month that events spiralled. The country seemed placid enough until declaring it an act of war. The first aggressive move was made when Sony were mysteriously hacked and numerous stories (a clean slate for Spider-Man?) and entire films, including The Interview, were leaked online. North Korea denied responsibility for the hack but the methods bared great similarity to another attack on the South Korean government. The nation then made the grave threats of 9\11 style attacks on all cinemas showing the film – not even Team America prompted this sort of retaliation.

And so Sony had to pull the release. It’s still unclear if they plan to postpone or entirely cancel the film, if the latter Sony will have suffered losses of $40 million on budget, $30 million on marketing as well as whatever money they claimed from the box office. You can see why Sony would be keen to negotiate some form of release. If so cult stardom awaits.

Not only this film was pulled (Oscar hopeful Foxcatcher, starring Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum, has suffered delays) due to the attack and this isn’t the only film of this year to have caused major political impact; action sci-fi sequel The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 was forced to scrap its Taiwan release, worried that the rebellious themes would stir public unrest.

Many of Hollywood’s elite, including The Secret Life of Walter Mitty star Ben Stiller, criticized Sony’s response for caving in and not exercising freedom of speech. US President Barack Obama himself condemned Sony but I doubt he’d have been so critical if a matter so trivial as a farcical comedy film were to bring harm to others.

3) Marvel’s Third Phase – difficulty casting Strange and creative power struggle for Ant-Man

Four films based upon Marvel comics dominated the financial skyline of this year: Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($708 million – 6th highest grossing film of the year), Fox’s X-Men: Days of Future Past ($746 million – 4th) and the official Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714 million – 5th) and Guardians of the Galaxy ($772 million – 2nd). After next year’s Avengers sequel Age of Ultron, the MCU are advancing with its third phase. It was confirmed all in one massive, mid-week presentation.

Captain America (starring Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr) and Thor (starring Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston) are receiving their third films (Civil War and Ragnarok respectively; Guardians of the Galaxy is getting the sequel treatment; the Avengers will return in a two part event titled Infinity War and the new properties of Black Panther (starring Chadwick Boseman), Captain Marvel and Inhumans will be put into production.

One of Marvel’s most promising projects was Ant-Man, a sci-fi that Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Scott Pilgrim VS The World) had been developing for years. The casting of Paul Rudd (Anchorman), Corey Stoll (House of Cards), Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug), Michael Pena (American Hustle) and Michael Douglas (The Game) went swimmingly but Wright’s departure sent the film spiralling. There was a scramble for a replacement saw comedy veterans Rawson Marshall Thurber (We’re the Millers) and Adam McKay (Anchorman) in consideration but Peyton Reed, still best known for Yes Man, got the job. Annoyingly the decision has all the signs of a last minute filler job.

Doctor Strange had an easier time picking its helmer in the form of Sinister’s Scott Derickson. Casting was far trickier. Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) and Benedict Cumberbatch were the first to be rumoured for the role in a long chain of names featuring Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), Jack Huston (Broadwalk Empire), Edgar Ramirez (Deliver Us From Evil) and Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) with the persisting, if far fetched, claims of Adrien Brody (The Pianist) and Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean). In the summer Joaquin Phoenix (Her, Walk the Line, Inherent Vice) was revealed to be in talks but didn’t immediately sign on and he seemed reluctant to be joining.

Indeed he was and his departure left the casting process at square one. After this a host of actors were mentioned in connection: Matthew MacConaughey (Interstellar), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise), Ewan MacGregor (Transpotting), Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March). Eventually Marvel circled back to Golden Globe nominee Cumberbatch (Sherlock, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 12 Years a Slave, The Imitation Game). Despite these delays the franchise is interlocking into place.

2) Homegrown talent triumphs at Oscars

Besides Spike Jonze’s awful robo-romance Her, 2014’s Academy Awards Best Picture selection was phenomenal. The strong contenders were American Hustle (’70s set hustler drama starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Jennifer Lawrence), Captain Phillips (hijacking thriller with Tom Hanks), Gravity (spaceship disaster action with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney), Philomena (Steve Coogan written comedy/drama starring Coogan and Judi Dench) and Scorcese’s modern crime flick The Wolf of Wall Street.

Unsurprisingly it was the thoroughly acclaimed period drama 12 Years a Slave that triumphed. While it is a largely American production, the film, depicted a harrowing account of slavery through the story of Solomon Northup, but has an immense amount of British. The film’s grand ensemble (including Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Sarah Paulson, Scoot McNairy, Quvenzhane Wallis, Paul Giamatti and Brad Pitt) picked up three acting nominations: Brit Chiwetel Ejiofor for Best Leading Actors; Irish-Germanic star Michael Fassbender for Best Supporting Actor; Mexican-born unknown Lupita Nyong’o won for Best Supporting Actress.

The ceremony’s most important victor was Steve McQueen. Although the Brit lost out on Best Director to Gravity’s Alfonso Cuaron his work became the first Best Picture winner to have been directed and produced by a black filmmaker. This year, 12 Years a Slave made film history.

1) Spectre-falls

Spectre triumphs as our most exciting news story of 2014. The mega-announcement revealed the title of the twenty fourth Bond instalment as well as the cast and some plot details. Sam Mendes’ (Road to Perdition, Revolutionary Road, American Beauty) follow up to the billion dollar success of Skyfall sees James Bond tracking down a mysterious signal that leads him to uncovering a hidden organisation. The cast includes Daniel Craig (Munich), Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained), Lea Seydoux (Blue is the Warmest Colour), Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Andrew Scott (Sherlock), Dave Bautista (Guardians of the Galaxy), Naomie Harris (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom), Jesper Christiansen (Melancholia), Rory Kinnear (The Imitation Game) and Ben Whishaw (Cloud Atlas).

Meet the characters of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

The film began development years ago; director JJ Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness) secretly made his castings and unveiled them earlier this year; the phenomenal first teaser trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens dropped just weeks ago and we still didn’t know who any of the characters were!

Of course we know of the returning cast (Mark Hamill as Luke, Harrison Ford as Han, Carrie Fisher as Leia, Anthony Daniels as C-3P0, Kenny Baker as R2-D2, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca) but the new cast themselves, although announced, are yet to have their roles made official. Lucasfilm took to announcing a select number of these via some glorious, ’70s style trading cards.

Finn would be the name of Attack the Block and Imperial Dreams star John Boyega’s new role. He’s obviously in a helmetless Stormtrooper outfit; circulating rumours about this hint that he is either a reformed Empire warrior or is in fact a hero posing in a uniform (as Han and Luke did in 1977).

Next up is the new robot BB-8, who I doubt we’ll ever know as anything besides “Soccer Droid” (an adopted term).

The X-Wings on the lake is by far the trailer’s standout shot and one of those esteemed Alliance pilots is Poe Dameron. The presumed hero is played by the brilliant Guatemalan born Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Drive, The Two Faces of January, A Most Violent Year).

Not entirely debunking the rumours of Skywalker Jr is Rey, played by the British newcomer Daisy Ridley who can be seen in the speeder shots along the sands of Tatooine.

The most exciting revelation here is the identity of the hooded figure wielding the new “Light-broadsword”: both the character, Kylo Ren, and the actor, Adam Driver (Tracks, Girls). This confirms the long held suspicion that Driver will play the villain, although perhaps not the lead one.

The other stars yet to have their roles announced are Max Von Sydow (Minority Report, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time, Frank), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) and Andy Serkis (Rise/Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Prestige, The Lord of the Rings).

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – December 18th 2015

First trailer for Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens!

Warning: those attempting a complete media blackout on the film may not want to go any further.

People gather round, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the first trailer for JJ Abrams’ long waited sequel to Star Wars. The title itself, The Force Awakens, was announced to surprisingly little fanfare, perhaps overshadowed by the other major reveals of that week, but the trailer has the internet abuzz. We have to say this footage is mind blowingly awesome but there is the odd irregularity. The droid on a football seemed out of place (or have I misunderstood that entirely). Also the forest following shot is cool but does the strategy of teasing an alternate lightsaber remind you of anyone? One surprising feature is the lack of an appearance from any original trilogy characters.

It’s all new blood. Young Brit John Boyega (above) fills the opening shot and is probably the most lingered on character in the whole trailer (is he the lead?). Newcomer Daisy Ridley is seen shifting her speeder through the sand and I think the X-Wing pilot is Oscar Isaac. Andy Serkis is probably the most recognisable as the voice of the narrator, who’s initially sinister but the mention of “the light” hints that he’s either heroic or impartial to the events.

There still so much glorious footage to celebrate. The fleet of Stormtroopers are awesome; the upside-down Falcon sweep shot at the end is stunning but our personal highlight has to be the remarkably serene sight of the X-Wing gliding across the lake. This has us less enthused about the prospect of the spin offs but this is the ultimate source of excitement.

With writer/director JJ Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness), The Force Awakens stars Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, The Prestige), Adam Driver (Tracks, Frances Ha), Daisy Ridley, John Boyega (Attack the Black, Imperial Dreams), Max Von Sydow (Minority Report, The Exorcist), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, Drive), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time, Calvary), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Warwick Davis (Willow, Harry Potter) with Mark Hamill (Arkham, The Big Red One) as Luke, Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally, The Blues Brothers) as Leia and Harrison Ford (Blade Runner, Raiders of the Lost Ark) as Han Solo. Lincoln’s eight time Oscar nominee Kathleen Kennedy produces; Raiders’ four time nominee Lawrence Kasdan writes and John Williams, the five time winner/forty four time Oscar nominated genius behind Jurassic Park, ET, Harry Potter, War Horse, Saving Private Ryan, Superman, Indiana Jones and Jaws, composes. You can enjoy all the stills below.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – December 18th 2015

New images from Pan, Star Wars 7 trailer announced and Oscar Isaac is X-Men’s Apoclypse

In 2015’s plethora of blockbuster sequels (Avengers 2, Hunger Games 4, Fast and Furious 7, Terminator 5, Jurassic Park 4, Mission: Impossible 5, Ted 2, Star Wars 7, Minions), the reinvention of Peter Pan that’s to be released that year may well get washed away. It’s ramming in the marketing early with these new shots. Joe Wright (Atonement, Anna Karenina, Pride & Prejudice, Hanna) directs the cast of Hugh Jackman (The Prestige, X-Men), Rooney Mara (The Social Network, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Amanda Seyfried (Les Miserables, Dear John), Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy, Inside Llewyn Davis), Nonso Anozie (Ender’s Game, The Grey) and newcomer Levi Miller as Pan.

Guatemalan star Oscar Isaac is one of the decades’ biggest rising stars and yet is now getting the recognition of Hollywood royalty. Following supporting roles in Robin Hood and Drive, he’s blown big as the lead of Coens’ Inside Llewyn Davis as well as this year’s The Two Faces of January and A Most Violent Year before cropping up in the new Star Wars (more on that soon). His next major mainstream role will be as the central villain of the next X-Men film, Apocalypse. Idris Elba and Tom Hardy were rumoured to be in the running but Isaac, a Golden Globe nominee, has beaten them off.

Apocalypse is directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, Days of Future Past, Valkyrie) while Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave, Prometheus), Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook), James McAvoy (Atonement, Trance), Evan Peters (Kick-Ass, American Horror Story), Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, A Single Man), Channing Tatum (Foxcatcher, 21 Jump Street) and Hugh Jackman (again).

Finally, we know when we’ll get on hands on the very first footage from 2015’s most anticipated release: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. This Thanksgiving weekend, it’s reported that the teaser will be attached to most screenings in the holiday box office boost. JJ Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness) directs the returning cast of Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Mark Hamill (Arkham), Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Warwick Davis (Willow) and Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally) with the new batch Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Max Von Sydow (Minority Report), Adam Driver (Lincoln), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones) and John Boyega (Attack the Block) with newcomer Daisy Ridley in a lead role and Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, King Kong, The Lord of the Rings).

Pan – July 17th 2015

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – December 18th 2015

X-Men: Apocalypse – May 19th 2016

The title is officially revealed: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Midweek announcements seems to be becoming a thing: skipping over the traditional Comic Con tease in the Summer, Marvel decided upon a regular Tuesday to announce their next five years (nine films in total. Now, just as filming concluded, Star Wars: Episode VII has adopted its official subtitle. In 2015 The Force Awakens.

Well that couldn’t be more disappointing. The Force Awakens would be poor for a fan fiction novella but I don’t see Disney backing out of it now. JJ Abrams (Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness) directs and writes this sequel with Empire Strikes Back’s Lawrence Kasdan. The cast includes Andy Serkis (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, The Two Faces of January), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time, Frank), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, The Zero Theorem), John Boyega (Attack the Block, Imperial Dreams), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), Adam Driver (Tracks, Frances Ha) and Max Von Sydow (Minority Report) with the returning stars Harrison Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner), Mark Hamill (Arkham, The Big Red One), Carrie Fisher (When Harry Met Sally), Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Warwick Davis (Willow).

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – December 18th 2015

Game of Thrones star joins Star Wars and Stan Lee may have confirmed Black Panther

The casting process for Star Wars: Episode VII did seem to have come to a halt until the entire principal cast was announced at once. Since then a string of unknowns (Dixie Arnold, Crystal Clarke, Pip Andersen, Roman Bloodworth) have joined them and now JJ Abrams (Star Trek, Into Darkness, Super 8) has added to his ensemble. Miltos Yerolemou, best known as Syrio Forel in Game of Thrones, has been confirmed for yet another unspecified role.

Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Andy Serkis, Max Von Sydow, Domhnall Gleeson, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Gwendoline Christie, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Christina Chong, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew.

Stan Lee is widely celebrated as the Godfather of Marvel comics and it’s only right that and is now best known for the cameo appearances he makes in almost every Marvel film, game or TV series. He’s no longer directly involved in the production of the films, he acts as a form of spokesperson for the studio and sheds a few secrets he may not have supposed to. Today, when asked on whether a Scarlett Johansson led Black Widow film was on the cards, he let loose a little more than what we expected.

“The chances are she will have her own movie because eventually all the superheroes are going to have their own movies,” Lee elaborated. “They are already working on Ant-Man, Doctor Strange and the Black Panther, and there are others I am not allowed to talk about.” Some of the casting suggestions for Black Panther include Chadwick Boseman and John Boyega There are great hopes for there to be Thor 3, Captain Marvel and The Inhumans but currently the MCU schedule looks like this.

Phase 2:

• 2015

The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Samuel L Jackson, Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Cobie Smulders, Paul Bettany, Don Cheadle, Stellan Skarsgard, Hayley Atwell, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis

Phase 3:

Ant-Man – Peyton Reed – Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Pena

• 2016

Captain America 3 – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan

Doctor Strange – Scott Derickson – Joaquin Phoenix

• 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – James Gunn – Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Josh Brolin

Black Panther – 2017/18?

Star Wars: Episode VII – December 18th 2015

Star Wars adds two cast members, Singer confirms X-Men director’s cut, first look at McKellen’s Holmes and first trailer for Exodus

Earlier this year, Days of Future Past, the fantastic seventh instalment in the X-Men franchise, became a phenomenal success critically and commercially; it’s easily the best of the series so far and the highest grossing of the year so far but those yet to see it may want to avoid the next SPOILER HEAVY paragraph.

You may well remember that Anna Paquin’s Rogue was initially set to return in the sequel/prequel/crossover as part of the 2023 team but she was completely cut bar the lineless cameo alongside James Marsden, Famke Janssen and Kelsey Grammer in the alternate future. Since then we’ve learned that the original plan was for Rogue to have been captured by the Sentinels prompting an attempted rescue by Magneto (Ian McKellen) and Iceman (Shawn Ashmore) whilst Wolverine is being sent back, a scene briefly glimpsed in the trailer. We’d love to see this scene in an extended cut of the film as it’d provide more screentime to the criminally underused McKellen.

Taking to Twitter for a Q&A, director Bryan Singer (X-Men 2, Valkyrie, The Usual Suspects) responded to a fan’s plea for a director’s cut with the above scene with “Yes! Coming later this year.” Hopefully out for Christmas, the director’s cut will star Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page, Evan Peters, Omar Sy, Fan Bingbing, Halle Berry and Ian McKellen.

Last year, the production of Star Wars: Episode VII took to the road across the UK holding numerous auditions with thousands turning up for the chance of a part. When the main cast was unveiled only young Brit Daisy Ridley seemed to have come from the auditions but now a pair of unknowns are confirmed as part of the new ensemble. The UK’s Pip Andersen and America’s Crystal Clarke have been selected for roles yet to be revealed by the new Star Wars brain trust, the writing/directing combination of Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Empire Strikes Back), Josh Trank (Chronicle), Gareth Edwards (Monsters, Godzilla), Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), JJ Abrams (Star Trek Into Darkness, Lost, Super 8) and Rian Johnson (Breaking Bad, Brick, Looper).

Episode VII will star Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Lord of the Rings), Domhnall Gleeson (About Time), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), Harrison Ford (Blade Runner), Mark Hamill (Arkham City), Carrie Fisher (The Blues Brothers), Adam Driver (Tracks), John Boyega (Imperial Dreams, Attack the Block), Daisy Ridley (Toast of London), Peter Mayhew (Killer Ink), Kenny Baker (Amadeus, Labyrinth), Anthony Daniels (The Lego Movie), Oscar Isaac (Inside Llewyn Davis, The Two Faces of January), Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave) and Max Von Sydow (The Exorcist, Minority Report, Shutter Island).

There have been countless on screen incarnations of Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary Victorian detective Sherlock Holmes but three are running simultaneously right now. Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law star in the blockbuster big screen adaptation, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman take the leads in BBC’s modern reinvention and Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu in the indirect US remake Elementary. Our perception of the character could well be rewritten with the new portrayal coming from two time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, X-Men, Apt Pupil).

Mr Holmes, previously titled A Slight Trick of the Mind, sees an elderly version of the detective retiring to a beekeeping home in the mid-twentieth century and recalling his one unsolvable case. Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, The Fifth Estate) also directs Laura Linney (Kinsey, The Truman Show, Mystic River. A first look at the film (above) was revealed earlier today.

The upcoming biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings is finally beginning to take shape. Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, American Gangster, Gladiator) directs the Oscar hopeful which may well be the grandest scale seen on film yet. If it’s as good as it promises there should be masses of box office interest. Get a very first glimpse at the film here and find the first poster below. Exodus will star Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley, Aaron Paul and Sigourney Weaver.

Exodus – December 26th

Mr Holmes – 2015

X-Men: Days of Future Past – The Director’s Cut – late 2014

Star Wars: Episode VII – December 18th 2015