Movies to Look Forward to in 2020

Happy New Year! Some movies to look forward to in 2020:

Remakes, sequels and updates

Bad Boys for Life: Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as wisecracking buddy cops.

Dolittle: The man who talks to the animals is back, this time played by Robert Downey, Jr. Not the musical version with Rex Harrison or the updated version with Eddie Murphy, it is set in Victorian times, and it features an all-star voice cast for the CGI animals.

Downhill: An American remake of the acclaimed Swedish film “Force Majure,” about a man who shocks his family by impulsively running to save himself, leaving them behind, in an avalanche. Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus play the couple who take their family on a ski vacation that goes very wrong. The screenplay is by “The Descendants” writers Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.

Call of the Wild: Another version of the Jack London classic, this time starring Harrison Ford.

Mulan: The live-action version of the Disney classic about the brave young woman who becomes a soldier in ancient China. The director is “Whale Rider’s” Niki Caro.

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway: James Corden returns to voice the classic Beatrix Potter character, with Rose Byrne and Domnhall Gleason returning as his human companions.

No Time to Die: Bond (Daniel Craig) is back. Expect cool gadgets, exotic locations, and saving the day just in time. There’s a rumor there might be a new 007 as well.

Legally Blonde 3: Reese Witherspoon is back. No word on Bruiser.

Trolls World Tour: The animated characters with the pouffy hair return, with the voice talents of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Jamie Dornan, Sam Rockwell, Rachel Bloom, and Chance the Rapper.

The Personal History of David Copperfield: One of my favorite books, adapted and directed by “Veep’s” Armando Iannucci with an all-star and racially diverse cast including Dev Patel in the title role as well as Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Ben Whishaw, and Peter Capaldi.

Dune: Another try at the massive fantasy novel with a very impressive cast: Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Zendaya

Ghostbusters — Afterlife: The grandchildren of the character played by Harold Ramis in the original film discover where grandad stored the ghosts and demons and have to learn about busting themselves.

Fast and Furious 9: What more do you need to know?

Top Gun — Maverick: What more do you need to know?

Godzilla vs. Kong: Come on. What more do you need to know?

Bill and Ted Face the Music: The Wyld Stallyns are back and the Keanussance continues with this return to one of Keanu’s most beloved characters. This time they are visited by someone from the future.

Coming 2 America: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, and the rest are back for an update on the story of the African prince who married a girl from Queens.

The Many Saints of Newark: A Sopranos prequel, starring the son of James Gandolini as a younger version of Tony Soprano.

Comic Book Characters

Birds of Prey: Margot Robbie returns as Harley Quinn, this time joined by Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Black Canary), Rosie Perez (Renee Montoya), and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Huntress). The villain: Ewan McGregor as the Black Mask.

Black Widow: Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) finally gets her own movie and it looks great, with her sister played by 2019’s breakthrough star Florence Pugh.

Wonder Woman 1984: Chris Pine is back! Kristen Wiig is the villain! And Gal Gadot returns as Wonder Woman in Washington DC near the end of the Cold War.

Morbius: Jared Leto plays the vampire Marvel villain.

Eternals: Will this be the new Avengers? A bunch of powerful beings played by an all-star cast: Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, and Brian Tyree Henry.

For the Whole Family

Onward: Pixar’s latest stars Tom Holland and Chris Pratt as brothers who live in a fairy tale world. When they have the chance to use magic to bring back their late father for one day, what could go wrong?

Scoob: Ever wonder how Scooby-Doo and Shaggy first met? You’ll find out in this animated story with voices from Will Forte and Zac Efron.

The SpongeBob Movie — Sponge on the Run: Denizens of Bikini Bottom Spongebob and Squidward embark on a rescue mission to recover Gary, who has been taken by Poseidon.

Artemis Fowl: The popular fantasy novel about a young criminal mastermind is brought to the screen by director Kenneth Branagh.

Soul: Pete Docter who had us all sobbing at “Inside Out,” is back with this story of a jazz musician (Jamie Foxx), who finds himself in a place where new souls are provided for babies. Bring a handkerchief, maybe two.

Jungle Cruise: The movies based on Disney World attractions have not been very good with the notable exception of the first “Pirates of the Caribbean.” But this one, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, looks promising.

Raya and the Last Dragon: Disney’s next animated feature has Awkwafina — as the dragon.

And Especially Intriguing

The Lovebirds: Director Michael Showalter and his “Big Sick” star Kumail Nanjiani are back, this time with what looks like a romantic comedy/mystery about an estranged couple who have to solve a crime to clear themselves.

In the Heights: Lin-Manuel Miranda’s pre-Hamilton Broadway musical hit is brought to the screen by Jon M. Chu, who directed “Crazy Rich Asians,” but, even more significantly my favorite in the series “Step Up 3.”

BIOS: Tom Hanks plays an ailing inventor in a post-apocalyptic world.