Hello, and welcome back to my 2015 Watchlist! You can check out Part One here, just in case you missed it. Let's get things going, shall we?
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
Release Date: November 20, 2015 / Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Julianne Moore, Natalie Dormer, Jeffrey Wright, Jena Malone, Sam Claflin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Donald Sutherland
The young adult trilogy has been adapted into one of my favourite current cinematic franchises, and this coming November sees the release of the final chapter in the story. If Part 1 of Mockingjay was a bit too slow for you, then you're in luck - the action seriously ramps up this time around. Though the last half of book three is actually the weakest section of the entire series, director Francis Lawrence has proven his skill at improving upon the source, and I have a feeling he'll make this one work.
Ant-Man
Release Date: July 17, 2015 / Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Judy Greer
I’m a big Edgar Wright fan, so it was incredibly disheartening to me when he departed the project, with Marvel hiring a literal yes-man director [*winks at camera*] to film a script with material from at least half a dozen writers. However, the concept and cast of the film is what has still me excited — I’m hoping the two different generations of Ant-Man, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), uncover some unseen sides of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Batman: Arkham Knight
Release Date: June 2, 2015 / Genre: Action-Adventure / Developer: Rocksteady
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Now, this isn’t a film or a TV show, but seriously — it’s a next-gen current-gen Rocksteady Batman game. I can’t possibly put together a list of anticipated titles without it. I’ve written about this game at length many times before, so I’ll just list a few things that make it so exciting: open-world Gotham City, drivable Batmobile, return of excellent stealth and combat, incredible graphics, great characters, and a fascinating mystery: just who is the Arkham Knight? Probably the thing I’m most looking forward to in 2015.
The Peanuts Movie
Release Date: November 6, 2015 / Director: Steve Martino
Starring: Bill Melendez, Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller
As an avid reader of Peanuts throughout my childhood (plus watching the many animated specials), this is a property very near and dear to my heart. While the concept of a CGI feature film may sound worrying on paper, the movie (so far) very much looks and feels like Charles Schulz’s original strip. I love the way the characters have been translated from black-and-white lines to three-dimensional people, and hearing that music in the trailer really got to me. This is one of the few recent animated movies I’ve been really, really excited about.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Release Date: December 18, 2015 / Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Kenny Baker
C’mon, it’s a new Star Wars movie! You know by now whether or not you’re excited to see J.J. Abrams’ take on the biggest sci-fi series on the planet, so I’m not going to rabble on about it. But, uh… how good was that trailer, huh?
Marvel’s Daredevil
Air Date: May 1, 2015 / Developer: Drew Goddard / Showrunner: Steven DeKnight
Starring: Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll, Elden Henson, Ayelet Zurer, Rosario Dawson, Vincent D’Onofrio
The first of Marvel’s Netflix television shows just happens to be the one I’m looking forward to most; there’s something about the prospect of seeing The Man Without Fear in the MCU that fills me with anticipation. Be it the great cast, or the promise of a more gritty, street-level focus with visceral action sequences, or the potential of seeing blind-lawyer-cum-vigilante Matt Murdock don his iconic red duds… Daredevil is sure to be something special.
Secret Wars / Convergence
Published: May, 2015 / April, 2015 / Publisher: Marvel / DC
Also not a movie or a television show, but these are the two superhero comics to watch in 2015. It seems the futures of Marvel and DC lie in their past, as both companies are revisiting old storylines and continuities as part of their massive summer events. Secret Wars sees characters from different Earths and timelines face off, and Convergence sees characters from different Earths and timelines… face off. It’s interesting that the two are quite similar, both kicking off so close to each other; I have a wild, wild theory that there’s the potential for Marvel and DC to crossover, but that’s for another day. If you’re going to check out anything from the Big Two next year, it should be these — it’s got something for everybody.
And that wraps up my 2015 Watchlist! It's sure to be a great year, wherever your interests lie. Hopefully there's some great surprises on the way, as well as all the good-looking stuff I've listed over the past two days. So, parting question: what's your most anticipated movie/show/game/comic book for next year?