2018 has so far been an incredible year for superhero movies but 2019 is shaping up to be even bigger. For starters, we have Avengers 4 and Captain Marvel's big screen debut, at least two DC Comics adaptations, and the Fox movies - Dark Phoenix and The New Mutants - which were supposed to come out this year. Needless to say, we'll have plenty to talk about here on ComicBookMovie.com!
Looking at everything we know about all of 2019's big comic book movie adaptations, we've decided to rank them from least to most highly anticipated and we think you'll find this interesting reading.
We also take a look at the movies which have been cancelled or delayed after setting 2019 release dates, not to mention taking an in-depth look at the good and bad points about those still happening. So, to see if you agree with this ranking, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button.
8. X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Even if that Fox/Disney merger wasn't on the cards, does anyone really care about this movie? Simon Kinberg already dropped the ball with the storyline when he penned X-Men: The Last Stand and his work on Fantastic Four when he helmed those reshoots proved that he's not only an inexperienced filmmaker but a borderline incompetent one as well.
Regardless of whether or not that leaked plot breakdown was legit, there's very little in this movie to get excited about as it appears to be a far cry from the comic books and looks as uninteresting and bland as pretty much every other X-Men movie. There's no real reason to be excited and seeing as there's an extremely high chance that this adaptation will once again fail to do the storyline justice, Dark Phoenix being scrapped so Marvel can reboot the characters come 2020 would be no bad thing.
7. Hellboy
A lot of fans are excited about a Hellboy reboot and while Neil Marshall is definitely a good director, it's fair to say this one could go either way. Yes, it has a solid leading man in David Harbour but the addition of actors like Ian McShane and Milla Jovovich aren't exactly worth getting excited about, especially as they'll sign on to star in literally anything and everything.
As a result, it's easy to imagine Hellboy ditching the nuances and imaginative storytelling Guillermo Del Toro brought to the table in preference of generic action scenes and comic book movie cliches. There is, of course, a chance it could end up being the biggest surprise of 2019 but until we see something which points to that being the case, I'm predicting that this will be a critical and commercial flop.
6. The New Mutants
Originally set to be released back in April, the first trailer for The New Mutants was a definite disappointment because it looked more like your standard haunted house movie than the adaptation these characters deserve. However, it's been reported that a large chunk of the movie is being reshot to bring it more in line with the source material and to add some new characters, so that's ultimately either going to help or hurt it.
The changes could turn this into a much better movie or make it a mess along the lines of Fantastic Four; we just don't know. What is clear is that Fox doesn't currently have much faith in the project and with that merger looming, it's entirely possible this one will never see the light of day. With any luck, it will exceed expectations but we'll just have to wait and see.
5. Shazam!
I almost feel a little bad placing Shazam! so low on this list but there's simply too much we don't know about this one right now. Those set photos didn't look great as it appeared Zachary Levi was wearing a superhero suit which had literally been inflated around him to make the actor appear bigger! However, if we've learned anything in the past, it should be not to take those too seriously because a lot can change in the post-production process.
There's a lot of really good talent involved in this one and it definitely has the potential to set the DCEU on the right track. Ultimately, it all boils down to whether or not Warner Bros. has embraced the character's roots and are fully committed to exploring Shazam's mythology and setting the stage for Black Adam to make his long overdue big screen debut. If this is just a simple action adventure, it could run into problems.
4. Spider-Man: Homecoming 2
As I'm such a huge Spider-Man fan, I'm a little surprised at myself for not placing the sequel higher, especially following the news that Jake Gyllenhaal is being eyed to play Mysterio. That's a villain with the potential to shake up the wall-crawler's world in a significant way and with an international setting and the possibility of the Sinister Six showing up, we have a lot of spectacular reasons to be excited.
Perhaps my biggest issue here is whether or not the sequel is going to finally put the spotlight on classic Spider-Man elements like The Daily Bugle and his spider-sense. Those have been ignored on the big screen for too long now and while they're not a deal breaker, they would make the follow-up a whole lot more enjoyable. Regardless, there's no reason to suspect that the sequel will be anything less than amazing based on its predecessor.
3. Wonder Woman 1984
Wonder Woman exceeded everyone's expectations and with the same creative team working on the sequel, it could very well be 2019's best blockbuster. Why isn't it higher then? Well, I'm simply not that thrilled about seeing Diana Prince in the 1980s, especially as a present-day adventure would be immensely more satisfying after Justice League dropped the ball with that. After all, it would be awesome to see the hero finding her place in today's world rather than during the Cold War!
However, there's no denying that's a setting with a lot of potential and fleshing out the DCEU's history is no bad thing. With the origin story out of the way, Wonder Woman 1984 could really embrace this character and deliver an adventure even better than what Patty Jenkins did last year. We'll just have to hope the filmmaker is able to do something special with the movie's setting as well.
2. Captain Marvel
Sorry, Wonder Woman! Captain Marvel may not have the most experienced filmmakers at the helm but Marvel Studios has proved again and again that they know how to steer a movie in the right direction and this one has unlimited potential. With Oscar-winner Brie Larson playing Carol Danvers and an amazing supporting cast made up of names like Samuel L. Jackson and Jude Law, the ingredients are all there for this movie to be nothing short of incredible.
Throw in the fact that we're going to get a fascinating glimpse into the MCU's past and it's fair to say that this movie will be just what's needed to bridge the gap between Infinity War and Avengers 4 while also putting Captain Marvel on the map. I can see it exceeding expectations in a lot of ways and having a cultural impact almost as significant as Black Panther did back in February.
1. Avengers 4
What else was it going to be? Avengers: Infinity War ended on a huge cliffhanger and seeing as an argument could be made that that was the greatest superhero movie of all-time, you just know Marvel will be pulling out some big surprises for the sequel.
All we know about this one right now are rumours and speculation but don't be surprised if this is even better than it's predecessor because Avengers 4 is not only ending the current era of the MCU but adding Captain Marvel to the team and setting the stage for Phase 4. That alone makes it potentially ground-breaking and it reply can't get here soon enough.
The only question is, will we be able to forgive Marvel after even more deaths, many of which are likely to be permanent?
Cancelled: The Crow
This movie was supposed to start shooting literally any day now but some behind the scenes issues between Sony and the remake's financiers brought a swift end to that and director Corin Hardy and star Jason Momoa quickly took to social media to confirm they were no longer involved. Now, The Crow remains stuck in development hell and that's likely to remain the case for the foreseeable.
Delayed: Gambit
Remember when Gambit was supposed to be released in 2016? Well, it's been delayed again and again since then and while it was dated for 2019 for a while, it's now pretty clear that it won't be finished in time for next June. It doesn't have a director or cast right now and while producers have been quick to claim it's still happening, we obviously shouldn't bank on that with the Disney merger looming.
Unknown: Untitled Fox Marvel Film
It's become commonplace for studios to bookmark release dates for untitled movies well in advance but there's no way Fox is going to have something ready in time for next November unless they have a huge surprise in store for us. Doctor Doom appears to be on hold so we know it won't be that and unless production on X-Force begins almost immediately, that could end up slipping into 2020.
Which of these superhero movies are you most excited to see next year? Do you agree with this ranking? As always, let us know your thoughts on that in the comments section down below.