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The following story was written by a student on the staff of The Jaguar Times as part of Hilliard Bradley High School’s Journalism Course.
by Wali Warsame
Section Editor
Over the past year we’ve witnessed the revival of Barbie in a new form, a different side to the Hunger Games story, and met Elvis once again, through the eyes of Priscilla. The year of new perspectives, to best put it.
The new year beginning means the annual questions of what the year has to offer arise: what travels will be taken, what opportunities will come knocking, and most importantly: what the big screen has to offer.
'Mean Girls' (Jan 12)
The original "Mean Girls" film released in 2004 starred Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett and Rachel McAdams. The updated comedy takes place in the world of a 16 year old girl, Cady Heron, through high school in suburban Illinois.
The box office hit was adapted into a Broadway musical in 2018 and played through 2020. And now, 20 years after the original release, the Tony-nominated musical is getting its film adaptation starring Reneé Rapp as Regina George. Although Rachel McAdams will not be returning to the set of "Mean Girls," there will be familiar faces such as Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, and Lindsay Lohan.
As people made their way to the theater for the first screening, there was confusion over it being a musical amongst viewers due to the lack of mention in the marketing.: X (formally Twitter) user, @percyscovey posts, “‘The new 'Mean Girls' movie is a musical??’ did you think Regina was singing her name for fun?”
'Dune: Part Two' (March 1)
"Dune: Part One," starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, was released in theaters October 2021. The film received six Oscars and stands as one of the highest grossing movies during the pandemic. Its sequel, "Dune: Part Two," was set to release in early November of 2023 but was then moved to March 15, 2024 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. It follows Paul Atreids (Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya) on their journey to seek revenge against the conspirators.
Challengers (April 26)
The romantic sports comedy announced in February of 2022 began filming in May of that year and finished in June of 2023. In this Luca Guadganino-directed and Justin Kuritzkes-written film, Zendaya plays the role of Tashi, a tennis player-turned-coach who finds herself in a love triangle with her husband and former boyfriend. Mike Fast plays her husband, Art Donaldson, and Josh O’Connor as Patrick Zweig, her once boyfriend. "Challengers" will be one of the two known film releases for Zendaya this year, following "Dune: Part Two."
'Wicked Part 1' (November 27)
The Tony-winning prequel to a "Wizard of Oz," "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," is making its big screen debut this fall. According to Elle, the talks over a film adaptation originally began in 2012. Following steps of development and pushback during Covid-19, the cast was announced in November of 2021. The film gained much attraction after fans of the pop-star Ariana Grande found out she will be playing Glinda the Good Witch. The Tony and Grammy-winning actress and singer Cynthia Erivo will be playing Elphaba, the wrongfully deemed “wicked” witch.
'Nosferatu' (December 25)
The silent 1920s German horror-drama that has left a long lasting influence on cinema will be getting its remake that is set to release in December. Bill Skarsgård will be playing Count Orlok, the vampire tormenting a haunted woman, Ellen Hutter, played by Lily-Rose Depp. In an interview with IndieWire, Willam Dafoe, who will be playing Profession Albion Eberhart, says, “I saw some footage when we were shooting, and I can honestly say, visually, it was like unlike anything I have seen… the look of it and how it was shot was extraordinary.” The film will feature other familiar names like Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich Harding and Nicholas Hoult as Thomas Hutter.
'Mickey 17' (No Release Date)
Screenwriter and Director Bong Joon-Ho's most recent film Parasite was a hit. The thriller comedy won four Oscars in 2020 and became the first non-English language film to win Best Picture and first South Korean film to win an Oscar. "Mickey 17" is an adaptation of the novel Mickey 7, written by Ashten Edwards. Although many details about the film are still under wraps, we will see appearances from Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette and Steven Yeun. Although the film was originally planned to be released on March 29, it was recently postponed indefinitely. The film is rumored to premiere at the 77th Annual Cannes this May, Film Daze reports.
'The Crow' (No Release Date)
There are some other films making their way to theaters this year with no set release date. A re-imagined fifth installment of the original 1994 film will star Bill Skarsgård, best known for his role as Pennywise in the "It" franchise. Fka Twigs, the British singer-songwriter who has made her acting debut in the 2019 film "Honey Boy," will be co-staring.
Taking a look at the films coming this year, 2024 can be considered the year of remakes, prequels and sequels. We will be taking a look back at treasured stories as they are either retold with a new take, or the pages continue as the stories carry on.
The view on this genre of film from movie-goers can vary. “I am not a fan of the majority of remakes especially when they have nothing new to add,” Noha Abu, a senior at Bradley shared. “Now with some remakes, like the 'Mean Girls' musical, I find it would be fun and interesting because while it is the same story there is a new element,” she added.
Here is a list of some other films releasing this year, including release dates:
"Lisa Frankenstein" (Feb. 9)
"Madame Web" (Feb. 14)
"Bob Marley: One Love" (Feb. 14)
"Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" (March 29)
"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" (March 29)
"Fall Guy" (May 3)
"Back to Black" (May 10)
"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" (May 10)
"Furiosa" (May 24)
"Garfield" (May 24)
"Inside Out 2" ( June 14)
"Bad Boys 4" (June 14)
"A Quiet Place: Day One" (June 28)
"Deadpool 3" (July 26)
"Beetlejuice" (Sept. 6)
"Saw XI" (Sept. 27)
"Joker: Folie à Deux" (Oct. 4)
"Smile 2" (Oct. 18)
"Venom 3" (Nov. 8)
"Gladiator 2" (Nov. 22)
"Sonic the Hedgehog" (Dec. 20)
"Mufasa: The Lion King" (Dec. 20)
Release dates for these films are subject to change.
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