With the holiday season movie rush coming to a close, our eyes are focused on the screens of 2018.
These past couple of months have been difficult ones for Hollywood, as the dream factory faces an industry-wide reckoning with longstanding practices that have enabled sexual assault, abuse, and misogyny over decades.
There is still much work to be done ahead, but the abscess is draining. Women of extreme courage have led the way for dozens of others to come forward and speak out against the injustice they face while trying to do their jobs on a daily basis. And so, what better way to start the year than to celebrate the upcoming successes by women both in front of and behind the camera?
2018 is shaping up to be a good year to do just that. From female-helmed blockbusters like A Wrinkle In Time, to action heroines front and centre in Proud Mary and Tomb Raider, women are going to kick ass. We're getting an all-women Ocean's 8(with Rihanna) , a reboot of A Star Is Born(with Lady Gaga), a Mamma Mia! sequel (with Cher), and witnessing the return of Mary freaking Poppins. Add in a spy thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence, a Natalie Portman and Tessa Thompson-led sci-fi epic, and a Dark Phoenix movie, and we've got the makings of a stellar lineup.
After all, there are so many great stories out there — it's about time women got to tell them.
Read These Stories Next:
The Viral Words You Need To Know
The Problematic SATC Scene No One Talks About
Every Time A TV Character's Death Just About Killed You
Sundance (January 18-January 28)
Every January, Hollywood's best and brightest head to Park City, Utah, to give us a glimpse of the year's upcoming cinematic gems.
Why we're excited: This year promises a number of female-centric projects, but at the top of our list of must-sees is Lizzie, a lesbian romance starring Chloe Sevigny and Kristen Stewart as axe-murderer Lizzie Borden and her maid-turned-lover.
Black Panther(February 2018)
Who's in it: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Forest Whittaker, Sterling K. Brown — need I really go on? Michael B. Jordan as a villain is pretty much all you need to know.
Why we're excited: Not only does this movie insert some much-needed diversity into the (so far) very white Marvel cinematic universe, it A) looks so badass, and B) does away with the lame rivalries that so often limit female characters. Wakanda is woke AF.
Annihilation (February 2018)
Who's in it: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Tessa Thompson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuva Novotny, and Gina Rodriguez.
Why we're excited: Too often, sci-fi is a man's game, with women as passive bystanders, wives, or sex objects. This movie, however, puts women at the forefront, as a group of soldiers and biologists who enter a shimmery bubble that appears to contain a growing environmental threat.
Proud Mary (March 2018)
Who's in it: Taraji P. Henson as Mary, a hit woman who has to sort out her priorities when a job goes awry.
Why we're excited: If Black action heroes are few and far between, Black female action heroes are an even rarer breed. Taraji kicking ass in stiletto boots? Yes, please!
Red Sparrow (March 2018)
Who's in it: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Mary-Louise Parker, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeremy Irons, Ciaran Hinds.
Why we're excited: JLaw plays Dominika Egorova, a ballerina who is recruited into the Russian secret service during the Cold War. As a "Sparrow" agent, her body is trained as a lethal weapon. If this sounds like an objectifying twist on the femme fatale trope, that's because it kind of is — but we're willing to give this film the benefit of the doubt, if only for the killer costumes.
A Wrinkle In Time(March 2018)
Who's in it: Storm Reid, Mindy Kaling, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Zach Galifanakis, and Chris Pine.
Why we're excited: As the first Black woman to helm a $100 million blockbuster, Ava DuVernay is quite literally making history. Add in a stellar cast of strong women, a literary classic, and the superior Chris? Sold!
Tomb Raider(March 2018)
Who's in it: Alicia Vikander, Hannah John-Kamen, Walton Goggins, Kristin Scott-Thomas, and Dominic West.
Why we're excited: Forget everything you thought you knew about Lara Croft. This reboot, starring Vikander (and her new, hard-won biceps) as the iconic character, focuses on her origin story: namely, just how Lara Croft, an heiress with a missing father, turned into the Tomb Raider, ass-kicking archeologist in a tank top and cargo pants.
Blockers (April 2018)
Who's in it: Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena, Kathryn Newton, Graham Phillips, June Diane Raphael, Hannibal Buress, and Sarayu Blue.
Why we're excited: What's up, pitches? This movie, about a group of parents who find out their daughters have made a sex pact on prom night, is Pitch Perfect writer Kay Cannon's directorial debut.
Disobedience (April 2018)
Who's in it: Rachel McAdams, Rachel Weisz.
Why we're excited: This movie got a ton of buzz when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival back in September, and it's easy to see why. Weisz plays Ronit, a rabbi's daughter who has left the Orthodox Jewish community she grew up in, and lives a secular life. When her father dies, she must return to her old neighborhood, where she runs into her old flame Esti (Rachel McAdams), now married to Ronit's cousin. If the drama of forgotten love doesn't draw you in, know that there is a six-minute sex scene between Weisz and McAdams.
Photo: Courtesy of Bleecker Street Productions.Ocean's 8(June 2018)
Who's in it: Sandra Bullock, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Helena Bonham Carter.
Why we're excited: Turns out Debbie Ocean (Bullock), Danny's (George Clooney) sister, is also in the con business. Basically, this is an excuse to see eight women steal some fabulous jewelry at the Met Ball, all while clad in fantastic outfits. Done.
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (July 2018)
Who's in it: Lily James, Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Dominic Cooper, Jeremy Irvine, Cher, Julie Walters, Hugh Skinner, Josh Dylan.
Why we're excited: Do we even need a reason other than ABBA, Cher, and a backstory for one of the best musicals of all time? Actually, it's unclear whether or not the sequel will use different songs than the original, but would you really be disappointed in a "Waterloo" reprise?
The Spy Who Dumped Me(August 2018)
Who's in it: Kate McKinnon, Mila Kunis, and Sam Heughan.
Why we're excited: Directed by Susanna Fogel, this raunchy comedy follows two best friends who accidentally find themselves in the middle of an undercover operation after one of them finds out her ex-boyfriend is a spy.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images.
Barbie(Summer)
Who's in it: Okay, so it's not 100% confirmed, but after Amy Schumer dropped out due to a scheduling conflict, rumor has it that Anne Hathaway is in talks to take on the role of Barbie.
Why we're excited: Fun Mom Dinner director Alethea Jones has been linked to the project, which reportedly follows Barbie as she exits her plastic universe and into the real world, in pursuit of her dreams.
Photo: Getty Images.
The Darkest Minds(September 2018)
Who's in it: Amandla Stenberg, Harris Dickinson, Mandy Moore, Patrick Gibson, Skylan Brooks, Miya Cech, Gwendoline Christie, and Golden Brooks.
Why we're excited: As the Oscar-nominated director behind Kung Fu Panda 2, Jennifer Yuh Nelson was also the first woman to direct an animated movie for a major studio. Her latest film is an adaptation of a dystopian YA novel, in which teens who develop frightening new abilities are sent to rehabilitation camps.
Photo: David Crotty/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images.A Star Is Born(October 2018)
Who's in it: Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga), and Bradley Cooper.
Why we're excited: Bradley Cooper's directorial debut is a remake of the 1954 classic starring Judy Garland. Lady Gaga will play Ally, an aspiring singer whose relationship with country music star Jackson Maine (Cooper) starts to get strained as she starts to get famous, while his star wanes. Judging by this picture, we're going to get some killer musical numbers.
Can You Ever Forgive Me(October 2018)
Who's in it: Melissa McCarthy
Why we're excited: Based on the life of Lee Israel, a famous author later discovered to have been moonlighting as a master forger and thief, this is director Marielle Heller's first feature film since her 2015 debut, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, hit it out of the park.
Photo: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.X-Men: Dark Phoenix (November 2018)
Who's in it: Sophie Turner, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy.
Why we're excited: Forget Sansa Stark. Meet Jean Grey, the X-Men universe's most powerful psychic. Turner reportedly studied the symptoms associated with schizophrenia and dissociated identity disorder to prep for a character whose alter ego, Dark Phoenix, surfaces when she least expects it.
Mary, Queen of Scots(November 2018)
Who's in it: Saoirse Ronan, David Tennant, Joe Alwyn, and Margot Robbie
Why we're excited: Now that you know how to pronounce Saoirse Ronan 's name, get ready to forget it all over again as she sheds her movie star identity, and becomes Mary, Queen of Scots. Directed by Josie Rourke, and written by Beau Willimon ( House of Cards), the film follows the power struggle between Mary, ruler of Scotland, and her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I (Robbie) of England over the course of two decades.
Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features.Mary Poppins Returns (December 2018)
Who's in it: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Emily Mortimer, Ben Whishaw, and Meryl Streep.
Why we're excited: Of course, no one can ever replace Julie Andrews, but tell me you haven't watched the 1964 version and thought that it could use an update (That bank scene? Come on.) Emily Blunt looks perfect in her blue coat and red accessories as the magical nanny, who returns 20 years after the original to reunite with Jane Banks and Michael Banks, who now has a family of his own. Get your spoons and your sugar ready for some Christmas season sing-alongs.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
A Definitive Ranking Of All Rachel's Boyfriends On "Friends"