Over the course of this year's CinemaCon in Las Vegas last week, we got a glimpse of what the blockbuster business of the seven biggest studios will bring us in the coming years. As expected, the menus were packed with remakes, reboots, sequels and spin-offs. However, there were also a few surprises - especially newcomer Amazon-MGM, which was represented for the first time this year and showed some genuinely exciting, fresh-looking projects. But more on that later.
Here's a selection from the presentations:
SONY
The convention kicked off with Sony on Monday, and the Japanese company set the bar high for the rest of the week.
The absolute highlight was arguably the announcement of the title of the fourth Tom Holland Spider-Man film: »Spider-Man: Brand New Day«. The unveiled logo and title point toward a soft reboot of the series after the end of the »Home Trilogy« and we could even be getting a brand-new trilogy. We'll get to see »Spider-Man: Brand New Day« in July 2026, between »Avengers: Doomsday« and »Avengers: Secret Wars«.
But that wasn't all - Sony had some real surprises up its sleeve like an »Anaconda« reboot with Jack Black and Paul Rudd and not just one, but four (!) Beatles biopics directed by Sam Mendes. Paul Mescal, Harris Dickinson, Barry Keoghan and Joseph Quinn will portray Paul, John, Ringo and George respectively in the films of the same names, premiering simultaneously in April 2028.
We finally also got a release date for the long-anticipated sequel »Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse«: On June 4, 2027, Miles Morales will face off against himself - as Spider-Man and as The Prowler.
Other interesting announcements included »Klara and the Sun«, an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's dystopian novel directed by Taika Waititi with Jenna Ortega in the lead role, and »Grandgear«, the first English-language film by »Godzilla Minus One« director Takashi Yamazaki. Lastly, new footage from the upcoming film »Karate Kid: Legends« was shown - and early buzz suggests it may very well live up to the 1980s classics.
LIONSGATE
Lionsgate had a clear central theme: John Wick! That the spin-off »From the World of John Wick: Ballerina« with Ana de Armas in the lead role would be coming soon was expected - but the revelation that Keanu Reeves would play a significantly bigger role than just a cameo was not. In addition, »John Wick 5«, an animated prequel series about the killer's origins, and another spin-off focusing on Caine were announced.
We were also intrigued by the presentation of the sequel »Now You See Me: Now You Don't«, continuing the action-packed magician heist franchise. A remake of »American Psycho« was also announced, which we approach with great skepticism in view of Christian Bale's iconic portrayal of Patrick Bateman. Also in the pipeline: another prequel to the »Hunger Games« franchise titled »Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping«, which will focus on Haymitch Abernathy's backstory.
WARNER BROS.
Warner Bros. didn't have a true showstopper this year, but there were still some interesting presentations. As expected, James Gunn's »Superman« was the centerpiece - though no major new details about the film or the rest of the DC universe were revealed. A cool announcement was the animated film »Dynamic Duo«, which will explore the stories of the two Robins Dick Grayson and Jason Todd, and features a unique animation style that mixes live-action/motion capture, puppetry/marionettes, and CGI.
A potentially exciting remake is »The Bride!«: Maggie Gyllenhaal is directing a horror musical based on »Bride of Frankenstein« (1935) - with Christian Bale, Jessie Buckley, and Penélope Cruz in the lead roles. The first images radiate a punk atmosphere reminiscent of the Sex Pistols.
In this context, we'd also like to mention »One Battle After Another« - a thriller-comedy by star director Paul Thomas Anderson, in which Leonardo DiCaprio shines with a kind of hobo-coolness. We'll give you a closer look at the first trailer tomorrow.
UNIVERSAL
Universal treated CinemaCon guests to an early full screening of the live-action remake of »How to Train Your Dragon«, set to hit theaters this summer - and reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. For fans of Hiccup and Toothless, the good news kept coming: the sequel is scheduled to release just two years after the first installment.
The rest of Universal's panel revolved around the number two: The surprise 2021 action hit »Nobody« starring Bob Odenkirk is getting a sequel. Teasers and trailers were also revealed for »Five Nights at Freddy's 2«, »M3GAN 2.0«, »The Black Phone 2«, »The Bad Guys 2« and »Wicked for Good«.
Speaking of »M3GAN 2.0«: While the main film sees the robot girl pull a »Terminator 2«-style turnaround to become the vigilante heroine of an action comedy, the spin-off erotic splatter film »Soulm8te« promises to be much more "adult" and bloody.
AMAZON-MGM STUDIOS
As mentioned earlier, the Amazon-MGM panel was bursting with surprises!
The biggest highlight was undoubtedly the live-action blockbuster »Masters of the Universe«. Director Travis Knight, who previously scored a hit for Mattel with »Bumblebee«, is at the helm. The cast includes Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and, most notably, Jared Leto as Skeletor. Early costume footage shown at CinemaCon was widely praised.
»Project Hail Mary« is the adaptation of author Andy Weir's (»The Martian«) third novel. Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller star in this absurd philosophical sci-fi story involving imminent doom, unlikely friendship, memory loss, and loads of quantum physics fantasy. We're definitely curious about this one - especially since cinematographer Greig Fraser (»The Batman«, »Dune«) is behind the camera. Epic space imagery is pretty much guaranteed!
We were particularly impressed by Amazon's thriller lineup: With »Verity«, »After the Hunt«, »Mercy«, »Crime 101«, and »Is God Is«, Amazon is serving up five thrillers that all seem fresher and bolder than most of what mainstream cinema usually delivers.
PARAMOUNT
The highlight of Paramount's panel was definitely the announced remake of »The Naked Gun« starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the legendary character played by Leslie Nielsen. The first short
teaser is already packed with slapstick and dark humor.
Also featured: new material from the upcoming »Mission: Impossible« franchise finale »The Final Reckoning«, which could end up being one of the year's biggest films. Other announced highlights included a remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic »The Running Man«, an animated theatrical film based on the »Avatar: The Last Airbender« series, and a sequel to »Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem«.
DISNEY
As we approach the release of »Thunderbolts*« and »The Fantastic Four: First Steps«, it's becoming increasingly clear that these two films might represent some of the best MCU material in years. That's likely due in part to the fact that, after »Avengers: Endgame«, Kevin Feige's team found itself in a kind of limbo without a clear direction. Now, with the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom, it seems like a solid plan is finally taking shape - and this year, we'll begin to see that plan materialize.
Outside of the MCU, Disney's biggest upcoming stories include the live-action remake of »Lilo & Stitch«, which is already being received far better than the recent »Snow White«, as well as »Tron: Ares« featuring Jared Leto in a major role, and the third installment of James Cameron's »Avatar« series titled »Avatar: Fire and Ash«, which will show us a fire tribe and an air tribe of the Na'vi.