DUBAI: From fortune-making franchises to family-friendly fun, here are some of the biggest films coming out in the next few months.
‘Snow White’
Director: Marc Webb
Starring: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Andrew Burnap
The latest in a flurry of live-action remakes of classic Disney animated movies (see also “Lilo & Stitch,” due out in late May) sees Zegler take on one of the most iconic fairytale princesses from the company’s considerable catalogue. Disney has certainly invested wisely in its writers — the musical fantasy was penned by Erin Cressida Wilson (“Secretary”) and Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird,” “Barbie”) — and with a nostalgia-hungry audience pretty much guaranteed to turn up in theaters, this will likely be one of the year’s biggest hits with families.
‘Paddington in Peru’
Director: Dougal Wilson
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer
This third instalment of the hugely popular franchise based on Michael Bond’s children’s books sees Paddington and his adoptive family, the Browns, head to Paddington’s homeland of Peru, where — they have learned — Paddington’s Aunt Lucy is pining for him. When they arrive, though, Aunt Lucy has gone missing in the jungle, and during their search for her, Paddington and the Browns are separated.
‘Captain America: Brave New World’
Director: Julius Onah
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas
Onah says this fourth installment in the “Captain America” film series will show Sam Wilson (previously The Falcon) “stepping up to be the leader as Captain America” having been handed the iconic shield by Steve Rogers in “Avengers: Endgame.” When Wilson finds himself at the center of an international incident involving the president, he must use everything he’s learned about being a hero to put things right.
‘Mickey 17’
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette
This long-delayed feature from acclaimed South Korean director Bong Joon-ho (whose 2019 black comedy “Parasite” picked up Best Picture and Best Director Oscars) keeps the dark humor, but shifts to a sci-fi setting. It stars Robert Pattinson as the title character, an ‘expendable’ space traveler sent on a dangerous mission to colonize an ice planet. When one Mickey dies, another is cloned with most of his memories intact. But when the titular 17th iteration accidentally survives, problems naturally arise.
‘Black Bag’
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela
Modern indie cinema pioneer Soderbergh has become one of the planet’s finest crime-thriller directors, so giving him actors of the caliber of Blanchett and Fassbender for this spy thriller about a pair of married intelligence agents — George and Kathryn Woodhouse — should pay off handsomely. When Kathryn is accused of betraying her country, George’s loyalties are tested to their limits.
‘The Amateur’
Director: James Hawes
Starring: Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitriona Balfe
British director Hawes helms this adaptation of Robert Littell’s 1981 novel. It’s a thriller about a CIA cryptographer Charles Heller (Malek) whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack. Realizing that his bosses are paralyzed by conflicting priorities, Heller blackmails them into training him as a field agent, then sets out to exact his revenge on those responsible for his wife’s death.
‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames
Ethan Hunt and the gang return (and, despite the title, probably not for the last time) in this direct sequel to 2023’s “Dead Reckoning — Part One.” It continues the story of Hunt's battle against the Entity, a rogue AI capable of controlling Earth’s defense and financial networks. Cruise will be hoping that the relatively disappointing box-office performance of “Dead Reckoning” was just a blip in the long-running franchise’s success.
‘A Minecraft Movie’
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Emma Myers
Given the success of films based on video games or board games in recent years, a movie based on “Minecraft” — the pop-culture phenomenon sandbox game that has sustained its popularity for more than a decade now — was all but inevitable. The resulting adventure comedy centers around a team of misfits who are “pulled through a mysterious portal into the Overworld: a bizarre cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination,” according to a Warner Bros. synopsis. “To get back home, they’ll have to master this world … while embarking on a magical quest with an unexpected, expert crafter.”
