Time really just keeps on ticking over, doesn't it? Somehow, we're here discussing the movies to look forward to in 2023. Meanwhile, I've barely recovered from all the Don't Worry Darling drama. It's time to stop living in the past, I guess, and turn our attentions to what lay ahead. Which as it turns out, is a heap of new films. Personally, I'm most excited for Greta Gerwig's Barbie, but there's plenty more movies on cards in 2023. Find a list of them, below.
1. Emily
Release date: January 12
Historical heroines are having their big Hollywood moment, and it appears Emily Brontë is next in line. Sex Education star Emma Mackey will lead Frances O’Connor's directorial debut which zooms into the life of the beloved author, specifically on the period she spent writing Wuthering Heights. Misfit, genius, rebel? You be the judge on January 12.
2. Eileen
Release date: January 21
The best thing about the adaptation of Eileen is that the script was also written by it's author Ottessa Moshfegh, and her husband Luke Goebel. Set in a bleak New England town in the mid 1960s, like My Year of Rest and Relaxation, the plot follows another female anti-hero: Eileen Dunlop. Eileen, played by Thomasin McKenzie is a miserable 24-year-old secretary at a prison for boys who is stuck caring for her abusive, alcoholic father. She too drinks like a fish, eats little and is grossed out by her own sexuality. When the enchanting character of Dr. Rebecca Saint John (Anne Hathaway) is hired at the prison, Eileen is drawn in and becomes entangled in the counselors dark secret.
3. Cat Person
Release date: January 22
There's a reason Kristen Roupenian's short story for The New Yorker went gangbusters upon publication. It summed up the uncomfortable and grotesque aspects of modern dating perfectly. So we're riveted to see how this translates to the silver screen. Either way, with Nicholas Braun cast as Robert and Emilia Jones, Margot, you can tell they've nailed the relationship dynamic already.
4. Maybe I Do
Release date: January 27
What we all need right now is a good old fashioned romcom to soothe our burnt brains. Or at least, that's why I need. The good news is Maybe I Do is the salve you're looking for. Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey may be saddled with the lead roles, but let's not pretend for a second that they're the biggest drawcard of the film. What we're actually tuning in to see is the sizzling dynamic between Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, along with Diane Keaton and William H Macy, who have long since embarked on affairs with each other. Which reminds me, more about the sex lives of people over the age of 40 please!
5. Infinity Pool
Release date: January 27
Mia Goth is tapped to feature in Brandon Cronenberg's upcoming NC-17 rated sci-fi horror Infinity Pool. If that last name sounds familiar, it's because yes, David Cronenberg is Brandon's dad – and you can bet they share more than DNA. One look at the trailer for Infinity Pearl confirms that the Crimes of the Future director's love for body horror and tech thrillers has rubbed off on his son. The film follows James and Em Foster, an author and his rich wife who are on vacation at a resort on the fictional island of La Tolqa, in a vaguely eastern European setting. James is looking for inspiration for his next book, and you could say he finds it when the couple witness a fatal accident outside of the safety of the resort. The sci-fi horror part plays out from this point onwards...
6. Women Talking
Release date: February 13
What do we do with the perpetrators of sexual violence? Is the answer in rehabilitation, forgiveness, retribution? In the wake of Me Too, it's this question that we continue to grapple with, both inside and away from the culture. Sarah Polley's adaptation of Women Talking, the 2018 novel by Miriam Toews, centres this conversation. Each possible solution is reasoned and played out as several women gather to discuss a pattern of sexual abuse committed by the men in the small Mennonite community against its female citizens. It's a true story brought to the screen by formidable actors like Frances McDormand, Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Michelle McLeod and Judith Ivey.
7. Till
Release date: March 9
Emmett Till was 14-years-old when he was abducted, tortured and lynched while visiting his cousin's in Mississippi in 1955. Helmed by Clemency director, Chinonye Chukwu, Till focuses on the perspective of Emmett's mother Mamie Till-Mobley during her pursuit of justice in the days and months after her son's murder. Featuring Danielle Deadwyler, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jayme Lawson, this is not one to be missed.
8. A Good Person
Release date: March 24
A Good Person has been in the works since 2021, when the project was first announced. The plot details have been much the same since then, billing the movie as one that follows Allison, played by Florence Pugh, in the wake of a fatal accident where (we're assuming here) her partner dies. As Allison's life crumbles around her, it is the relationship she forms with her "would-be father-in-law that helps her live a life worth living", per Deadline. Zach Braff has masterminded the film. In case you weren't aware, Braff's past directing credits include Garden State and Going in Style, which explains how he landed Morgan Freeman to play Allison's would-be father-in-law.
9. Killers of the Flower Moon
Release date: May 2023
Martin Scorsese has set his sights on the third book of literary nonfiction from lauded journalist and staff writer at The New Yorker, David Grann. Killers of the Flower Moon narrows in on the Reign of Terror, a period during the 1920s in Oklahoma that was marked by bloodshed, as members of the oil-rich Osage Nation were murdered while authorities failed to pin down the killers. A host of big dog actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brendan Fraser, Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons are involved, we expect it will be a good one.
10. Asteroid City
Release date: June 16
Shot in Spain and, for the most part, kept under wraps, a new Wes Anderson flick is headed our way in 2023. So what's Asteroid City about? Given Anderson’s films famously don’t have linear, traditional plots (excluding The Grand Budapest Hotel), any logline would probably do it a disservice, which is how we're digesting the fact that there isn't one as of yet. In the latest addition to his cinematic palmarès, expect to see Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Tony Revolori and Bryan Cranston, alongside newcomers Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson and Maya Hawke. Bill Murray will also make his tenth appearance in an Anderson film.
11. Barbie
Release date: July 21
If we’re honest, we always knew that there would come a time when Barbie would get its long-awaited live-action debut. Frankly, we thought that it would have come sooner, given how keen Hollywood is at the moment on the idea of adapting any and all animations into real-life cinematic… masterpieces? Unlike the others, this one has promise. Greta Gerwig is behind the camera, meanwhile Margot Robbie has take on the title role, Ryan Gosling, Emma Mackey, Simu Lu, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Nicola Coughlan and Connor Swindells round out the star-studded cast.
12. Oppenheimer
Release date: July 21
If there's one thing we know with certainty about any Christopher Nolan film, it's that it's going to be big. The film will be based on American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The book actually won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005, so we're guessing, like all Nolan films, that the storyline will be fairly intricate. Add Cillian Murphy and Emily Blunt into the mix, and watch us struggle to decide whether to watch Barbie or Oppenheimer first.
13. Challengers
Release date: August 11
Zendaya and Luca Guadagnino? Someone out there must love us. Challengers follows Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, who turns her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. Tashi enters her husband in a "Challenger” event, a low level tournament on the pro tour. There, he finds himself facing off against Patrick: his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. Expect a love triangle with a distinct queer undercurrent. This looks to be a plot filled with love, loss, and likely betrayal, all what Guadagnino does so well. Zendaya will take the role as Tashi, while Mike Faist will play her husband, with Josh O’Connor from The Crown and Mothering Sunday completing the cast as Patrick.
14. Dune: Part 2
Release date: November 3
Dune director Denis Villeneuve has rallied a cast to end all casts for the blockbuster's sequel. To all the Dune-obsessed, it will please you to know that Villeneuve has finally found a Lady Margot Fenring, tapping our dream girl Léa Seydoux for the critical role. Seydoux will join Hollywood heavyweights like yes, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. But also, Florence Pugh who was selected for the role of Princess Irulan, Christopher Walken who is onboard as Princess Irulan's father, Emperor Shaddam IV, and Austin Butler, who is intended for the role of Baron Harkonnen's evil nephew. Then there's the lineup from the first film who have all confirmed their return to Dune: Part 2, which includes the likes of Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, and heartthrob, Javier Bardem.
15. The Iron Claw
Release date: TBC
If you, like every other person who watched The Bear recently, have the horn for Jeremy Allen White, you'll be glad to know his on-screen presence didn't end with his dirtbag chef role. The Shameless actor is onboard to play the role of Kerry Von Erich in The Iron Claw, an upcoming A24 movie about the American wrestling family dynasty. We're not in the business of pretending we know really anything about the sport, but what we do know, is that some very tiny shorts were worn during Von Erich's time in the ring, and we can only hope the same for Allen White, respectfully. Other things we do know include: three generations of Von Erichs were wrestling champions, and in 2009 they made it into the WWE Hall of Fame, but due to the family's history of a very bad spin of luck, were subjects of rumours that they were the victims of a curse. Also Lily James will be joining Zac Efron and Harris Dickinson as other members of the Von Erich family.
16. The Crow
Release date: TBC
For her second appearance in film, FKA Twigs is onboard the remake of 1994 cult classic The Crow and we rather think the unearthly style suits her. Based on James O'Barr's comic book saga of the same name, the film is an offbeat revenge fantasy. When Eric Draven is brutally murdered together with his fiancée, a crow resurrects him on the anniversary of their death so that he may avenge his would-be wife and make their assailants pay. The Crow was intended as the triumphant debut of Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee, however it would be marred by tragedy as Brandon Lee was shot with a faulty prop gun while filming. In the modern remake Bill Skarsgård has been selected to play Eric Draven. While it's not yet clear what role FKA Twigs will take on, we assume she's onboard as Draven's fiancée Sarah.
17. Strangers
Release date: TBC
Queer British director Andrew Haigh is lining up Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott to play lovers in an adaptation of Strangers, the award-winning 1987 novel by Japanese author, Taichi Yamada. For those who haven't read Yamada's novel, that's completely fine, Haigh has only loosely based Strangers off the source material. However if you're looking for an indication of what to expect plot-wise, according to Variety, the film revolves around Andrew Scott's character, Adam, who is a screenwriter living alone in London. Following a chance encounter with his neighbour Harry (Mescal), Adam becomes rapidly besotted and as the pair grow close, Adam is drawn to his childhood home where he discovers that his parents, both long dead, are in actual fact still alive and look the same age they did thirty years prior.
18. Maria
Release date: TBC
Pablo Larraín has decided that mining the lives of famous and complicated women works for him and his movies. Jackie and Spencer are set to become a crowd with the addition of Maria, a biopic based on the influential American-Greek soprano, Maria Callas. Angelina Jolie will star, and Pablo Larraín will begin his story of Maria Callas at the end of her life; opening the film on her final days in Paris. Much of his work pivots off the most distressing points of these women's time on earth; with Jackie Kennedy it was just after the assassination of JFK, with Princess Diana, the end of her marriage to Prince (and now King) Charles.
