It’s another borderline-dead week at the movies.
Hey, maybe the horror flick “Winchester” will prove to be great — after all, it features the great Helen Mirren — but they’re not showing it in advance to critics, at least not in Northeast Ohio, as far as I can tell.
Things will pick up shortly, if not with “15:17 to Paris” — based on a 2015 train attack and for which director Clint Eastwood cast the real-life heroes for the film but also not being screened for reviews — on Feb. 9 and “Black Panther” — the year’s first entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and starring Chadwick Boseman as the cat-inspired hero — on Feb. 16. That movie is enjoying tremendous early buzz.
Let’s take a quick look at 18 movies slated for 2018 that, for one reason or another, are highly anticipated, familiar or otherwise intriguing, starting with one related to “Black Panther” …
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (May 4)
Disney-owned Marvel Studios’ aforementioned MCU allows for superhero team-ups, and we’ve already seen a few big ones. This summer blockbuster — directed by Cleveland natives and brothers Joe and Anthony Russo, who helmed the previous two “Captain America” flicks for Disney-Marvel — brings together the Avengers you’ve come to expect. Among them are Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Cap (Chris Evans),as well as crowd faves the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and company). Oh, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be slinging and swinging, of course. All the good guys will take on big Marvel bad Thanos, portrayed by Josh Brolin. Seriously, this movie’s cast list is nuts.
2. ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (May 25)
Disney-owned Lucasfilm Ltd. finally fulfills its goal of a summertime release for a “Star Wars” movie, this one, like 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars” story, is a stand-alone tale set in the years between parts three and four of the saga. It stars Alden Ehrenreich (“Rules Don’t Apply”) as a young version of everyone’s favorite galactic scoundrel, Han Solo. (Man, good luck to Ehrenreich, who has the unenviable task of trying to honor the early work of Harrison Ford with the character while not mimicking it.) He’ll be supported in the film by Woody Harrelson, as a mentor figure; Emilia Clarke, of “Game of Thrones” fame, as a likely love interest; and the highly talented Donald Glover, as fellow scoundrel Lando Calrissian. And Joonas Viljami Suotamo continues on as Chewbacca, continuing to inhabit the iconic Wookie formerly associated with Peter Mayhew. Lucasfilm has had a highly publicized habit of running afoul with directors, this film being no exception, with the venerable Ron Howard (“Apollo 13”) taking over for “The Lego Movie” tandem of Phil Lord and Chris Miller after filming had begun. Lucasfilm recently released a pretty ordinary synopsis for the movie, so hopefully a somewhat revealing trailer is around the corner.
3. ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ (Nov. 16)
While the production weathers a controversy surrounding allegations of abuse against cast member Johnny Depp by ex-wife Amber Heard, we’ll simply focus on what to expect from this sequel to 2016 “Harry Potter” prequel “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” That film introduced us to Eddie Redmayne’s good-hearted but awkward Newt Scamander and Katherine Waterston’s by-the-books witch Tina Goldstein, who are among the returning players, Depp was revealed (spoiler alert) to be playing infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald at the end of the film. Like its predecessor, “Crimes of Grindelwald” is from an original script by “Harry Potter” scribe J.K. Rowling and is directed by “Potter”-verse veteran David Yates.
4. ‘The Incredibles 2’ (June 15)
My ongoing wish for Disney-affiliated Pixar Animation Studios is for wholly original and emotionally stirring films. Buuuuut … if they are going to give something another go-round, I’m all for a tale bringing back superheroes Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson), wife Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) and kids Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Dash (Huck Milner), as well as pal Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). We don’t know too much yet about the plot — seems like Mr. Incredible at first will be spending time at home watching youngest son Jack-Jack discover his superpowers, but the gang ultimately will face new villain The Underminer (John Ratzenberger). We do know that Brad Bird returns to direct, which is great, if not incredible, news.
5. ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ (June 7)
I was a little underwhelmed by 2015 digital-dinosaur-powered megahit ‘Jurassic World,’ but I am high on the director of the follow-up, J. A. Bayona (“The Impossible,” “A Monster Calls”). He takes over for Colin Trevorrow — in the news in recent months for his parting of ways with Lucasfilm over the direction to take the ninth episode of “Star Wars,” now to be helmed by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” director J.J. Abrams — who co-wrote this fifth saga in the “Jurassic” franchise. While “World” stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return, another familiar “Jurassic” face — that of Jeff Goldblum, back as the character he played in the first two films — should liven things up.
6. ‘Ready Player One’ (March 30)
Sure, his Academy Award hopeful, “The Post,” is still in theaters, but director Steven Spielberg soon will be back in theaters with this mishmash of digital effects and pop-culture references. The story, set in a dystopian near future, centers on Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) of Columbus — which, we are told, in 2045 is the fastest-growing city on earth. Watts, like others, escapes his bleak reality by slipping into a virtual one, where he uses the name Parzival. There, it would seem, awaits a high-stakes adventure, one you can guess will have ramifications in the real world. Also in the cast are recent Spielberg collaborator Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies,” “The BFG”) and Ben Mendelsohn (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), playing a villain — because that’s what he does.
7. ‘Deadpool 2’ (May 18)
Just about everyone who doesn’t have a delicate set of ears ate up 2016’s “Deadpool,” in which Ryan Reynolds portrayed an extremely foul-mouthed version of the Marvel Comics antihero existing — sort of — in 20th Century Fox’s “X-Men” movie universe. It’s surprising, if only because the movie made well more than 10 times its budget at the box office, that director Tim Miller did not return to helm the sequel. (The usual “creative differences” were cited.) In his place is the action-gifted David Leitch (“John Wick,” “Atomic Blonde”). Also new to the mix is the aforementioned Josh Brolin, portraying mutant soldier Cable.
8. ‘Creed 2’ (Nov. 21)
Not too much is yet known about the sequel to stirring 2015 boxing drama “Creed,” which saw star Michael B. Jordan successfully take over the “Rocky” franchise from Sylvester Stallone, who was terrific as an aged Rocky in a supporting role. Both actors are said to be back for this sequel, which will dig into the enduring popularity of 1985’s “Rocky IV,” with Jordan’s Adonis Johnson fighting Vitor Drago (the recently cast Florian Munteanu), son of Rocky’s old nemesis Ivan (a set-to-return Dolph Lundgren). One cause for concern: Talented director Steven Caple Jr., who helmed the uneven Cleveland-set 2016 drama “The Land,” takes over for the highly talented Ryan Coogler, who directed “Black Panther.”
9. ‘Ocean’s 8’ (June 8)
Here’s hoping this female-powered version of a familiar franchise gets the high-quality script it deserves. (Yes, I’m throwing shade at you, 2016 “Ghostbusters.”) Seriously, the lineup of stars for “Ocean’s 8” is a murderers’ row: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Mindy Kaling and Helena Bonham Carter. In this spin-off to the “Ocean’s Eleven” series, Bullock plays Debbie Ocean — the estranged sister of George Clooney’s Danny — and, of course, leads the women through a big heist. Gary Ross (“Seabiscuit,” “Big,” “The Hunger Games”) directs. This really should be a good one, but we’ll have to wait and see if Mr. Clooney makes a cameo.
10. ‘Mary Queen of Scots’ (Nov. 2)
This list is, admittedly, short on dramas. (Don’t worry — there will be plenty, many flooding theaters in the last part of the year, vying for Oscar attention as always.) This historical drama, based on writer John Guy’s “My Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots,” sees “Lady Bird” star Saoirse Ronan play the controversial ruler of Scotland in the mid-1500s, while Margot Robbie (“I, Tonya”) — like Saoirse, a nominee for the best-actress prize at the upcoming Academy Awards — portrays Mary’s cousin, English Queen Elizabeth I. Directing is Josie Rourke, who has extensive experience in theater, not film.
11 ‘Aquaman’ (Dec. 21)
I’ll admit the idea of a big-screen adventure for the fish-friendly DC Comics hero has stayed with me since the fictional storyline on HBO’s “Entourage” when director James Cameron made one starring series hero Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier). The real thing is directed by James Wan (“The Conjuring,” “Furious 7”) and stars Jason Momoa (“Game of Thrones”), who established his portrayal of the half-Atlantean Arthur Curry in last year’s “Justice League.” Momoa’s Aquaman wasn’t the center of that film’s story, but the actor has a big, bad screen presence that intrigues. In his solo adventure, he must deal not just with arch nemesis Black Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), but also with his nefarious half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), aka Ocean Master, whom Wan calls the film’s main antagonist.
12. ‘Annihilation’ (Feb. 23)
The mind-bendy artificial intelligence-powered tale “Ex Machina” was one of the best films of 2015, and its writer-director returns with this adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s well-received 2014 novel of the same name. In the story, a biologist (Natalie Portman) enters a mysterious environmental disaster zone in an attempt to save the life of her husband (“Ex Machina” star Oscar Isaac), who previously returned from it in bad shape. Expect more mind-bending science fiction from Alex Garland with this film that has caused some disharmony behind the scenes that’s led to an unusual distribution arrangement. Hey, I’m interested in a film one executive reportedly worries is both too “intellectual” and “complicated.” Let’s do it.
13. ‘A Star Is Born’ (Oct. 5)
This latest musical remake of the 1937 romantic drama stars pop star Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper and will see Cooper make his debut as a director. Cooper also had a hand in writing the film, which features supporting work by Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Elliott and Dave Chappelle.
14. ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2’ (Nov. 21)
The animated “Wreck-It Ralph” — about a video game villain who makes an unexpected friend he then must protect from dangers in the digital world — was a surprisingly emotional adventure, a little joy of a movie from Disney. We finally get a sequel, in which Ralph must spring into action after a Wi-Fi router apparently starts to wreak havoc with his world. John C. Reilly again voices the titular hero, while Sarah Silverman is back as his now-best pal Vanellope. Director Rich Moore is also back to make sure the second chapter isn’t a wreck.
15. ‘Sicario 2: Soldado’ (June 29)
“Sicario” arguably was THE underrated film of 2015, the film written by Taylor Sheridan (“Hell or High Water”) and directed by Denis Villeneuve (“Blade Runner: 2049”) somehow not receiving a nomination for best picture. Unfortunately, neither Villeneuve nor star Emily Blunt is back for this Sheridan-penned sequel, which reteams Josh Brolin’s CIA operative Matt Graver with Benicio del Toro’s undercover assassin Alejandro Gillick to try to thwart drug cartels importing terrorists into the U.S. Cleveland-raised Isabela Moner (“Transformers: The Last Knight”) plays a yet-to-be-revealed character, and Italian director Stefano Sollima (“Suburra”) is at the helm.
16. ‘X-Men: Dark Phoenix’ (Nov. 2)
Twentieth Century Fox’s “X-Men” franchise never has worried all that much about continuity — “Deadpool” and last year’s strong “Logan” showed that — but, if you’re scoring at home, 2014’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (not great) erased the events of 2006’s “X-Men: The Last Stand” (even worse). That allows for the franchise again to take on the storyline in which the powerfully telepathic and telekinetic Jean Grey, played recently by Sophie Turner of “Game of Thrones,” loses controls of her abilities and becomes the potentially villainous Phoenix. Returning “X-Men” players include James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, while Jessica Chastain joins the mix for first-time director Simon Kinberg, a prominent writer and producer.
17. ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ (Nov. 2)
The next piece of sumptuous live-action fairy-tale goodness from Disney (think last year’s gorgeous “Beauty and the Beast”) is this fantasy-film take on “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” and the enduring ballet “The Nutcracker.” Young Mackenzie Foy (“The Martian”) portrays Clara, while Hollywood heavyweights Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Morgan Freeman give the film some punch. The talented Lasse Hallström (“The Cider House Rules,” “Chocolat”) is in the director’s chair.
18. ‘Ant-Man and the Wasp’ (July 6)
With apologies to Transformers” spinoff “Bumblebee” (Dec. 21), sixth-in-the-series “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (July 27), a yet-to-be-titled third “Cloverfield” (April 20), video-game adaptation “Rampage” (April 20), reboot “Tomb Raider” (March 16) and myriad others, I’m giving this final, oh-so-coveted slot to another Marvel Studios film and another property tied to Disney. (My word, they own so many big properties, a situation that only will grow with the company’s acquisition last year of Fox’s film assets.) Returning from 2015’s enjoyable “Ant-Man” are Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly, as the titular shrinkable heroes, as is Michael Douglas. Director Peyton Reed, also is back, and the just-released trailer looks promising.