Upcoming movies 2019: best films to watch next year

The Favourite

In the new film by Greek master of mystery Yorgos Lanthimos, Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz run wild in a lustful story of 18th century royalty and loyalty. It's a universally acknowledged truth that three is crowd, but it's never looked like so much fun.

Beautiful Boy

Gearing up its lead actors for the awards race, Beautiful Boy tells a story of addiction and heartbreak in the hands of David and Nic Sheff, played by Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet respectively. Splintered storytelling takes risks that pay off, as ambition reflects the bravery with which the lives of David and Nic have been lived so far. It's a sight to behold, a film to truly cherish.

Colette

Keira Knightley goes against the norms of 19th century society in Colette as she takes on the role of Gabrielle Colette, now the most popular novelist in France. Sleeping with men, sleeping with women and writing stories that would enchant the world, the film operates with a gloriously rebellious spirit that bottles the scandalous excitement of the era.

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Off the back of her endlessly charming debut The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Marielle Heller directs the story of a woman who could be considered problematic, unlikeable, difficult, with engaging charisma that lets you laugh only to make you cry by the end. Can You Ever Forgive Me? tells the story of Lee Israel, a woman whose identity encompasses literary forgery, alcoholic necessity and emotional vacuity in equal measure.

If Beale Street Could Talk

Tish and Fonny, the main characters in If Beale Street Could Talk, are in love, and there’s a lot that is trying to ruin this love. But, as director Barry Jenkins has learned throughout his career so far, trust is key. It might not change the world like the introspective portrait that won Best Picture, but If Beale Street Could Talk is a gift. James Baldwin and Barry Jenkins have put their trust in love on the line. We should be so lucky as to feel it for a little while.

Us

There is very little to go off regarding Jordan Peele's new film Us, but if the writer-director proved anything with Get Out, it's that we should never underestimate him. Starring Elisabeth Moss, Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Tim Heidecker and Moonrise Kingdom's Kara Hayward, details about Peele's new "social horror thriller" have been kept under wraps - all we have is a poster, and what the cast slowly reveals. Moss previously told IndieWire: "It's true to what Jordan wants to make, which are these thought-provoking popcorn movies".

High Life

For her first English-language feature, the spellbinding master of French cinema Claire Denis has gone stratospheric. She's taken Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Mia Goth and Andre 3000 with her in High Life, a portrait of sexual revolution and species-defining existentialism. It's quite unlike anything else you've seen for years.

Captain Marvel

Who you gonna call, when half the heroes are nowhere to be found? After the catastrophic consequences of Avengers: Infinity War, it's time to head way back to one of the only people who can save the world as we know it: Captain Marvel. Brie Larson gears up as the powerful hero in one of many superhero events of 2019.

The Lion King

It's difficult to know where to start with Jon Favreau's upcoming remake of The Lion King. Beyoncé. Donald Glover. James Earl Jones. Chiwetel Ejiofor. John Oliver. Seth Rogen. Enough? There's probably more.

An astounding number of names fills the bill for the star-studded event of Summer 2019, which has been described as 'technologically groundbreaking', in keeping with Favreau's 2016 version of The Jungle Book. Although it's impossible to detach the thought of live-action glamour, the upcoming film is said to use photorealistic animation. Stay tuned for Beyoncé's new look then – she's rarely one to disappoint.

Midsommar

Hereditary was easily one of the best and most traumatic films of 2018. Ari Aster's directorial debut was no fluke, and the indie darling has already prepared one of the most enigmatic titles of next year. Midsommar follows some similar themes, as a summer road trip turns sinister as a couple finds themselves in the hands of a pagan cult. Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor summer road-trip, Pagan cult. Kill List, Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Will Poulter and William Jackson Harper (The Good Place) star in a nightmare to remember.