William Mullally runs through the box-office blockbusters coming your way in the next few months.
‘Doctor Sleep’ (November 7)
Since Jack Nicholson’s scene-stealing performance in 1980’s “The Shining,” horror fans have never truly checked out of the Overlook Hotel. Derided even by the book’s author Stephen King at the time, Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece is now generally recognized as one of the finest horror movies of all time. “Doctor Sleep,” based on King’s 2013 book, tells the story of the child hero of “The Shining,” Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor), as he navigates adulthood, helping to save a child with special abilities like his own from the clutches of a monstrous collective of vampiric nomads — led by the charismatic Rose the Hat (Rebecca Ferguson) — who suck the life from those who ‘shine.’ More dark fantasy than horror, the film returns once more to the haunted hotel that Danny never really escaped.
‘Frozen 2’ (November 20)
Six years after Disney’s “Frozen” became an instant high-water mark of Disney’s animated pantheon (and barely six minutes after humanity finally got its smash-hit song “Let It Go” out of our heads), Elsa, Anna, Kristof and the snowman Olaf have returned. While the first film found direct inspiration in Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tale “The Snow Queen,” its follow up is an original story that digs deeper into the world that “Frozen” created, following sisters Elsa and Anna as they go on a journey to discover what happened to their parents, venturing far into the snowy north above their kingdom of Arendelle.
‘The Irishman’ (November 27)
Who killed Jimmy Hoffa? Director Martin Scorsese’s latest film has the answer. Based on the book “I Heard You Paint Houses,” which acted as a confessional for mafia hitman Frank Sheeran, “The Irishman” is a decades-spanning tale brought to life by legendary names from the genre, including Robert De Niro as Sheeran, Al Pacino as the legendary labor leader Hoffa, and Joe Pesci as crime boss Russell Bufalino. Using state-of-the-art ‘de-aging’ technology that allows the actors to play their characters at different points in their lives, the film is not just a thrilling crime saga, but a harrowing, meditative reflection of regret and consequence that makes it possibly Scorsese’s most mature film to date. It will appear exclusively on Netflix in the Middle East.
‘Le Mans 66: Ford vs. Ferrari’ (November 28)
After pushing the boundaries of the superhero genre with 2017’s “Logan,” director James Mangold has moved his camera to the racetrack, bringing to life the true story of car designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale). Enlisted by Henry Ford to build a car that could outrace the long-dominant Ferrari, the two try to defy the odds, culminating at the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race that turned the duo into automotive legends. Originally set to star Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise, the long-in-development film has been praised for its stunning racing sequences and strong performances from its stars.
‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ (December 4)
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” (2017), a continuation of the beloved 1995 Robin Williams film, exceeded every expectation and cemented Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Kevin Hart as the premiere on-screen comedy duo of the age. It also broke box-office records for a Hollywood film across the Middle East. So its follow up has a lot to live up to. It sees the entire cast and crew, including stars Jack Black and Karen Gillan, returning to the same conceit of a magic video game that transports its players inside it — and into the bodies of the character they select. This time around, comedy stalwarts Danny DeVito and Donald Glover inhabit the bodies of Johnson and Hart.
‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ (December 17)
Shortly after George Lucas completed the first “Star Wars” film in 1977 and began to map out where the story might go next, he realized that he had actually just told part four of a nine-part saga, chronicling the Skywalker family’s rise, fall, and rise once more a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. The final film in the third trilogy is set to be perhaps its most debated (and hopefully its most admired) with director JJ Abrams returning, along with stars and characters from all three trilogies. Carrie Fisher, who died in 2016 and was originally slated for a prominent role in the film, will return as Princess Leia through previously unused footage.
‘Bad Boys For Life’ (January 16)
1996’s “Independence Day” may have been Will Smith’s breakthrough moment as a blockbuster star, but 1995’s “Bad Boys,” which saw Smith team with actor Martin Lawrence as detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, has proved more beloved, with fans clamoring for a third film since the last installment in 2003. A true passion project for Smith, who had a billion-dollar hit in 2019 with Disney’s “Aladdin,” the long-delayed film will also feature Palestinian-American musician DJ Khaled in an acting role as Manny the Butcher, along with new music from The Black Eyed Peas and J Balvin. While it remains to be seen how the film will fare without the stylistic flare of director Michael Bay, the stars themselves have positioned the film as a return to form.
‘It Must Be Heaven’ (TBC — January)
It’s been 10 years since the Palestinian writer, director and actor Elia Suleiman last chronicled his homeland in “The Time That Remains,” a semi-autobiographical drama that traced Palestine from the founding of the Israeli state. “It Must Be Heaven,” shares the tragicomic tone of Suleiman’s acclaimed 2002 film “Divine Intervention,” Playing himself (and never speaking a word), Suleiman travels from Paris to New York, observing how the struggles and realities that he found in Nazareth have found their way to the rest of the world as well, and asks if you can ever really leave your home behind.
