The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2013

Hollywood has a lot to live up to in 2013. Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Times reported that domestic ticket sales reached the highest number ever in 2012, tallying a whopping $10.8 billion. That's great news, considering that the same figures for 2011 brought box office statistics to a 16-year low. Credit goes to juggernauts like The Avengers (domestic gross: $623 million), The Dark Knight Rises ($448 million), The Hunger Games ($408 million), Ted ($219 million), and Skyfall ($292 million, and counting).

Should moviegoers expect another record-breaking stretch of flicks? To keep it real, skepticism is more realistic. Looking ahead at the next 12 months, there certainly won't be a shortage of interesting, exciting motion pictures, but very few jump out as the next Avengers. And, truthfully, it's all good. As long as films on par with the 25 best of 2012 debut, passionate cinephiles won't care much about dollar signs, nor should they. Instead, concern yourselves with The 50 Most Anticipated Movies of 2013.

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RELATED: The 35 Greatest Movies of 2013

Written by Matt Barone (@MBarone)

50. The Hangover Part III

Director: Todd Philips
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, John Goodman, Jamie Chung, Mike Epps
Release Date: May 24

Last summer, as Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises concluded, the emotions were high, due to the realization that there won't be anymore Nolan-helmed Batman movies. When The Hangover Part III wraps up this summer, deuces shall be thrown up and sighs of relief will happen in rapid succession. Why? Because anyone with even a shred of common sense still can't get over the laziness and sheer unfunniness of 2011's The Hangover Part II.

To say that director Todd Phillips has a lot of making up to do would be an immense understatement. To his and the second sequel's credit, the plot reportedly switches away from the first two movies' next-morning mystery approaches and focuses more on Zach Galifianakis' character's struggles following his father's death. More of that and less Ken Jeong would benefit Phillips and company greatly.

49. Jack the Giant Slayer

Director: Bryan Singer
Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ian McShane, Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, Ewan McGregor, John Kassir, Eddie Marsan
Release Date: March 1

Expectations are sky-high for the special effects in Jack the Giant Slayer, from director Bryan Singer (X-Men and X2). This time last year, the expensive fairy tale adventure was scheduled to hit theaters March 22, but Warner Bros. pushed the release back a full year to finish the visuals and, one would assume, to avoid pulling a John Carter.

Now, there's no reason for Jack the Giant Slayer not to blow viewers' eyeballs open with beanstalk-tall monsters and other CGI scene-stealers. Nicholas Hoult (Beast in X-Men: First Class) stars as a nondescript farmhand who reluctantly plays the hero against a gang of oversized ogres in order to save his homeland and a hottie princess (Eleanor Tomlinson).

As for Hoult, his team better hope Jack the Giant Slayer isn't, you know, 2013's John Carter—since, like that movie's star, Taylor Kitsch (also in Battleship)—Hoult leads two risky genre movies this year, this and the romantic zombie comedy Warm Bodies.

48. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Director: Francis Lawrence
Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright
Release Date: November 22

Good news: Finally, we're in a year without a new Twilight movie. In that teenybopper franchise's place is the much better, far more respectable The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the second installment of the action series based on Suzanne Collins' popular books. This bodes well for youngsters everywhere, folks.

How so? Because, now, they'll be invested in the performances of top-shelf young actors (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson), in the hands of a talented director (Francis Lawrence), and surrounded by first-class character actors (Philip Seymour Hoffman, Woody Harrelson, Jeffrey Wright). The toned down Battle Royale violence is just icing on the cake.

47. A Good Day to Die Hard

Director: John Moore
Stars: Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Cole Hauser, Sebastian Koch, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Yuliya Snigir, Amaury Nolasco
Release Date: February 14

Seriously, why is anyone surprised that John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back in a fifth movie? Dude's franchise is called Die Hard—these flicks will keep getting made until Willis himself dies old.

Here, in A Good Day to Die Hard, McClane teams up with equally badass son (Spartacus: Blood and Sand actor Jai Courtney) in Moscow, Russia, to foil a new terrorist's game plan, kick tons of ass, and blow a lot of shit up. And you know you'll be right there on line come February 14, convincing your Valentine's Day date that "Yippee ki-yay" means "I love you" in some foreign language.

46. G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Director: Jon M. Chu
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki, Channing Tatum, D.J. Cotrona, Lee Byung-hun, Ray Park, Ray Stevenson, Jonathan Pryce, Arnold Vosloo, RZA, Elodie Yung, Joseph Mazzello, Walton Goggins
Release Date: March 29

If things had gone as originally planned, audiences would've already seen G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the sequel to 2009's lackluster G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Hell, it'd probably be on DVD/Blu-ray by now, since the initial release date was July 29, 2012. But, as the story goes, it needed more Channing Tatum, who, it seems, died early into the first cut.

Now scheduled for a late March 2013 release, G.I. Joe: Retaliation will have more C-Tates for the viewer's buck, as well as fresh Joe faces Dwayne Johnson (who's apparently the guy you call to revitalize a meandering action franchise) and Bruce Willis (who's the guy you call do anything if Samuel L. Jackson isn't available).

45. 21 and Over

Director: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
Stars: Skylar Astin, Miles Teller, Justin Chon, Sarah Wright
Release Date: March 1

It's inevitable that any raunchy comedy about a bunch of dudes getting into high-concept trouble will be sold as "the next Hangover," so expect plenty of Wolf Pack comparisons once the marketing for 21 and Over kicks into gear. Or, to be more specific, "a younger Hangover," since it's about a college student's (Justin Chon) drunken escapades with two friends (Skylar Astin and Miles Teller) on his 21st birthday.

Here's one case where parallels to The Hangover at least have some credence: 21 and Over's first-time directors, Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, wrote the 2009 blockbuster's screenplay. Whether they're able to strike comedic gold twice remains to be seen.

44. Oblivion

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Stars: Tom Cruise, Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Morgan Freeman, Melissa Leo, Zoe Bell
Release Date: April 19

Tom Cruise is many things: short, unimposing, a bit crazy, and someone whose handlers recruit his love interests in some kind of weird, pre-arranged Scientology scheme. But there's one congratulatory thing about Mr. Cruise that's undeniable: He's a reliable action star.

Story-wise, Oblivion seems like pretty generic science fiction: Cruise plays a drone repairman working on a desecrated Earth who runs afoul of resistance fighters after rescuing a pretty girl (Olga Kurylenko). He's one of two reasons why director Joseph Kosinski's (Tron: Legacy) latest film is so promising. The other is the beautiful Kurylenko, a knockout who's proven to be a convincing action star (Centurion) in her own right.

43. Warm Bodies

Director: Jonathan Levine
Stars: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Dave Franco, John Malkovich, Analeigh Tipton, Rob Corddry, Cory Hardrict
Release Date: February 1

Romeo & Juliet by way of Night of the Living Dead? Yeah, Warm Bodies isn't going to be your run-of-the-mill romance. Even if everything about it screams "It's the zombie Twilight."

Based on author Isaac Marion's 2011 novel, the undead rom-com Warm Bodies tells the story of R, a walker who falls in love with the beautiful girlfriend (Teresa Palmer) of a guy whose brains he's just eaten—sure beats telling people you met her on Match.com, right? It's an awkward setup primed for necrophiliacs, true, but the film's trailer suggests a goofier, smarter comedy in the vein of Zombieland.

42. The Wolverine

Director: James Mangold
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Will Yun Lee, Brian Tee, Svetlana Khodchenkova
Release Date: July 26

The less said about 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the better. OK, let's say one thing: With disposable side heroes (Will.i.am as Wraith—seriously?), dull action, and a muddled script, it's arguably the worst superhero movie of the last decade.

But, hey, comic book fans are suckers for the clawed Logan's ass-kicking ways, so there will always be room for some talented filmmaker to give Hugh Jackman's Wolverine the standalone movie he deserves. Fingers crossed that James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma)—who'll bring Wolverine to Japan for a one-off adventure—is that guy.

41. World War Z

Director: Marc Foster
Stars: Brad Pitt, Mirielle Enos, James Badge Dale, Lucy Aharish, Matthew Fox, David Morse, Bryan Cranston
Release Date: June 21

Bibliophiles who've been smart enough to read Max Brooks’ engrossing, stellar 2006 novel World War Zare well aware of the kind of epic live action entertainment it could yield if given the right, expansive platform.

Written as an exhaustive and multi-story line oral history of an undead apocalypse, it's one of those grandiose, dense, and endlessly riveting books that demands a TV miniseries, at the least—how in George A. Romero’s name could anyone successfully condense it into a two-hour movie? Especially director Marc Forster, the guy responsible for the disappointing action flicks Quantum of Solace (2008) and Machine Gun Preacher (2011).

The answer, unfortunately, isn't one fans of the book were hoping for, at least based on World War Z's problematic trailer. The story seems to have been boiled down to one man's experience, a guy played by a seemingly out-of-place Brad Pitt. And those awful swarms of CG, fake-looking zombies? The folks who worked on I Am Legend's creature effects aren't even impressed.

Are we looking at 2013's biggest must-watch train wreck here? Probably, but a pleasant surprise would be emphatically welcomed.

40. The ABCs of Death

Director: Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Ernesto Diaz Espinosa, Jason Eisener, Bruno Forzani, Héléne Cattet, Adrián García Bogliano, Xavier Gens, Lee Hardcastle, Jorge Michel Grau, Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Malling, Anders Morgenthaler, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Banjong Pisathanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srdjan Spasojevic, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalando, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, Yudai Yamaguchi
Release Date: January 31, VOD; March 8, theatrical

It doesn't get more gleefully sadistic than this. Made by 26 directors, each one assigned a different letter of the alphabet to use as inspiration for a four-minutes-or-less, demented short film about one kind of fatal demise, The ABCs of Death is a short film program straight out of Hell. In other words, it's a depraved, sickening blast of morbid curiosities.

And you can't be mad at the filmmakers who've taken part in the project, a who's who of international genre craftsmanship including Canada's Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun), England's Simon Rumley (Red, White & Blue), fellow Brit Ben Wheatley (Kill List), Argentina's Adrián García Bogliano (Cold Sweat), and Mexico's Jorge Michel Grau (We are What We Are). Featuring demises triggered by everything from Bigfoot to Nazis and even a toilet, The ABCs of Death shows no shame whatsoever. Thank the cinematic gods for that.

39. Inside Llewyn Davis

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Stars: Oscar Isaac, Justin Timberlake, Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, John Goodman, F. Murray Abraham, Stark Sands, Adam Driver
Release Date: To be determined

Say that a movie is written and directed by the Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) and all cinephiles will instantly stand at attention. That's what happens when your filmographies boast masterworks like Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men. So, naturally, the reclusive, esteemed siblings' latest, Inside Llewyn Davis is a shoe-in for any "Most Anticipated Movies" list on general principle.

Given its subject matter, though, the film is their most intriguing one in years, being that it sounds quainter and less heavy than 2009's A Serious Man and 2010's True Grit. Oscar Isaac—a steadily working actor who's ready to infiltrate the mainstream consciousness—headlines Inside Llewyn Davis as the title character, a folk musician coming of age alongside other singers and songwriters (played by Justin Timberlake and Garrett Hedlund, amongst others) in 1960s-era New York City.

Expect strong acting, intelligent storytelling, and a killer, vintage soundtrack.

38. 42

Director: Brian Helgeland
Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie, Christopher Meloni, T.R. Knight, Lucas Black
Release Date: April 12

Watching Moneyball in 2011, something dawned on us: Hollywood needs to make more great baseball dramas. Films like The Natural and A League of Their Own poignantly tapped into our nation's love for its greatest pastime, but, for the most part, the film industry has ignored the diamond in recent years.

Hopefully, 42 can change that. Starring newcomer Chadwick Boseman, it's the Jackie Robinson biopic die-hard baseball fans have been looking forward to for years, since Robinson's story is historically crucial: In case you're unaware, he was the first black player in the major leagues. And if Boseman has the chops to pull it off, 42 could simultaneously honor a sports legend and introduce audiences to the next bankable black leading man.

37. Kick-Ass 2

Director: Jeff Wadlow
Stars: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jim Carrey, Donald Faison, Lindy Booth, Robert Emms, Clark Duke, Augustus Prew, Morris Chestnut, Yancy Butler, Lyndsy Fonseca
Release Date: June 28

Kick-Ass, the 2010 superhero subversion based on Mark Millar's graphic novels, occupies a special place within Hollywood's current costumed avenger trend. Without much CGI or any supernatural powers, it's the blue-collar teenager's version of, say, Batman Begins, and one that proved to be a sleeper hit in a year where Iron Man 2 received the loudest praise.

And, naturally, like any decent superhero flick, it's ripe for a sequel. Thus, there's Kick-Ass 2, with a new director (Jeff Wadlow replaces Matthew Vaughn), the original cast returning (sans Nicolas Cage), and a slew of new self-made heroes and villains (including ones played Jim Carrey and Donald Faison).

As long as Chloë Moretz's badass Hit-Girl is still prominently featured, we're totally on board with this.

36. Room 237

Director: Rodney Ascher
Release Date: March 22

So, you're a big fan of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining, you say? Prepare to see the iconic director's Stephen King adaptation in all new, mind-bending ways, thanks to documentary filmmaker Rodney Ascher's bewildering, deconstructive knockout Room 237. Using the committed, albeit seemingly delirious, voice-overs from five Shining obsessives, Ascher's endlessly fascinating film pulls apart every minute detail within Kubrick's horror masterwork to present a series of crackpot theories that, by the picture's end, actually sound probable.

As in, The Shining was Kubrick's way to atone for staging the Apollo 11 moon landing; or, Kubrick's masked commentary on both the Holocaust and the genocide of Native Americans in our beloved USA. Sounds batty, right? With Ascher's stellar craftsmanship and slick editing to thank, Room 237 begs to differ.

35. White House Down

Director: Roland Emmerich
Stars: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Garcelle Beauvais, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, James Woods, Lance Reddick, Joey King, Rachelle Lafevre, Michael Murphy
Release Date: June 28

2013's most random cinematic trend: movies about terrorist plots against the White House. Before the summer's over, there will have been two films covering that subject matter, the first being director Antoine Fuqua's Olympus Has Fallen, starring Gerard Butler as a Secret Service Agent fighting against Korean baddies who've taken the President (Aaron Eckhart) hostage. But, no, that's not the one to anticipate.

The better choice: White House Down, directed by summer blockbuster veteran Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow). The plot is basically identical to Olympus Has Fallen, except that the villains here aren't Korean. But the cast is much cooler: Channing Tatum is the agent and Jamie Foxx is the president.

34. The Fast and the Furious 6

Director: Justin Lin
Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, Gina Carano, Luke Evans, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Joe Taslim
Release Date: May 24

If 2011's Fast Five would've simply followed the "cars, chicks, and one-liners" motif of the previous The Fast and the Furious movies, we wouldn't have been all that excited by it, frankly. But director Justin Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan wisely mixed things up, focusing less on whips and more on an Ocean's Eleven-styled heist gambit, and, as a result, Fast Five was one of the year's biggest surprises.

Unbroken formulas need not be fixed, so both Lin and Morgan are back in action for The Fast and the Furious 6, as is new franchise star Dwayne Johnson as the bruising Secret Service Agent. Not much is know about the plot's specifics, but let's venture to guess that Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, and the rest of their homes piss off the authorities while pulling fast ones on some crime boss. And newcomer Gina Carano looks hot knocking dudes to the ground. Works for us!

33. Insidious Chapter 2

Director: James Wan
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins, Leigh Whannell, Andrew Astor
Release Date: August 30

Out of nowhere, Saw director James Wan's Insidious debuted in April 2011 on a minimal budget ($1.5 million) and went on to become the year's most profitable movie (making $54 million domestically). And, for once, a financially successful, mainstream horror flick was actually good. Rather, excellent.

Hence, Insidious Chapter 2 is that rare scary movie sequel that's legitimately desired, even if we're not entirely sure how Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell will manage to continue the story of The Further since, you know, the first movie's characters didn't exactly go out with smiles. Whatever the filmmakers have cooked up, though, must be solid—the entire cast of Insidious is back, and stars Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne aren't the mindlessly paycheck-collecting types.

32. Sightseers

Director: Ben Wheatley
Stars: Steve Oram, Alice Lowe
Release Date: To be determined

Last year, the intensely disturbing horror flick Kill List solidified British filmmaker's Ben Wheatley's status as one of the movie game's most exciting on-the-rise talents, capitalizing on the promise he showed with his 2009 debut, the dark crime comedy Down Terrace. But cinephiles haven't seen anything yet. Sightseers, which played as one of Fantastic Fest's two "secret screenings," officially cements Wheatley's place atop the pile of currently working directors, nationality and experience levels aside.

Brilliantly written by stars Steve Oram and Alice Lowe, Sightseers exists in the same space as Natural Born Killers, though its morbid sense of humor and quirky characterizations are singularly unique. On a "holiday" road trip, a three-months-in couple (Oram and Lowe, both superb) work through their relationship's kinks while several others die gruesomely, from getting run over to having their heads bashed into a huge rock. And it's all in good, twisted fun, a dose of macabre humor from a totally in command Mr. Wheatley.

31. Lovelace

Director: Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, Juno Temple, Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick, Chris Noth, Adam Brody, Hank Azaria, Wes Bentley, James Franco, Eric Roberts, Chloe Sevigny, Bobby Cannavale
Release Date: To be determined

Tired of stuffy, self-serious, conventional biopics? Something tells us that Lovelace could be the necessary remedy. After all, it's based on Linda Boreman, better known as Linda Lovelace, the porno icon who starred in the 1972 skin flick Deep Throat. Any worries about its potential lameness were thankfully destroyed last month when star Amanda Seyfried, doing an interview on Conan, discussed how she simulated oral sex by sucking on ice pops. Let that visual simmer for a moment.

Back with us? Great, now sit back and eagerly anticipated the swarm of early reviews that'll pop up online later this month, when Lovelace makes its worldwide premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

30. Iron Man 3

Director: Shane Black
Stars: Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau, Wang Xueqi, Ashley Hamilton
Release Date: May 3

When you've gone as big as superhumanly possible in The Avengers, where does that leave Robert Downey, Jr.'s Iron Man series? As it appears, Marvel's team has gone much darker for the hero's third adventure, a wise decision that bodes well for its chances of saving face from the slightly underwhelming, though still financially successful Iron Man 2.

This time, though, director Jon Favreau is out (he'll still co-star as Tony Stark's loyal chauffeur/bodyguard) and Downey, Jr.'s friend Shane Black (who wrote Lethal Weapon and directed the actor in the slept-on action-comedy Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) is in as the new shotcaller.

As for Iron Man 3's villain situation, hopefully Black (who also co-wrote the script) is able to pit RDJ against a memorable foe, unlike Iron Man's Jeff Bridges and Iron Man 2's underused Mickey Rourke. He's certainly gone in an interesting, three-headed-antagonistic route: Ben Kingsley is onboard as the Mandarin, Guy Pearce plays the malevolent background as Aldrich Killian, creator of the Extremis virus, and James Badge Dale plays Iron Man comic book regular Eric Savin.

29. Gravity

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Stars: George Clooney, Sandra Bullock
Release Date: To be determined

Nothing against Sandra Bullock…. OK, she in no way deserved that Oscar for The Blind Side—there, we said it. Now that we’ve gotten that off our chest, let it be known that we think she’s a gifted actress, but would she be our first choice to star in a supposedly one-woman-show flick about an astronaut who’s trapped inside a space station after a satellite crashes into it? Definitely not.

Still, we’re more than willing to give Gravity a full-hearted benefit of the doubt for one reason, and one reason only: director Alfonso Cuarón, the genius behind Y Tu Mamá También and Children Of Men. Co-written with his son, Jonas Cuarón, and TV veteran Rodrigo García (Six Feet Under, Carnivale), Gravity is Daddy Cuarón’s first directorial effort in six years; if it’s anywhere near as phenomenal as 2006’s Children Of Men, we’ll totally forgive Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side. Screw it, maybe even All About Steve, too.

28. You're Next

Director: Adam Wingard
Stars: Sharni Vinson, AJ Bowen, Barbara Crampton, Wendy Glenn, Ti West, Joe Swanberg, Rob Moran, Margaret Luney, Nicholas Tucci
Release Date: August 23

Every year, the various genre-heavy film festivals held across the world unveil the next big things in horror. Way back in 2011, the movie that had that kind of festival premiere impact was You’re Next, and since then, it's been at the top of horror fans' must-see lists. Questions of whether it'd ever get a release date or not were answered late last year when an August slot was announced by Lionsgate.

Now, we'll finally see if all of the hype is justified. Combining dark humor, home invasion intensity, and elaborate slasher movie gore, independent director Adam Wingard’s heavily buzzed about flick has bloggers and horror’s talking heads tossing out hyperbole to the tune of “it’s the new Scream!”

Whether it’s as revolutionary as Wes Craven’s tongue-in-cheek 1996 smash or not, though, shouldn’t be of anyone’s concern—You’re Next sounds like a blast. Take a look at those slick feline masks that the killers wear in the image above, which bring to mind The Strangers, in the best possible way. Or get a hard-on for gorgeous leading lady Sharni Vinson, who, according to critics, is primed for “iconic final girl in a horror movie” status. She’s already 10 times sexier than Neve Campbell.

27. Oz the Great and Powerful

Director: Sam Raimi
Stars: James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Zach Graff, Abigail Spencer, Joey King, Ted Raimi, Bruce Campbell
Release Date: March 8

Admittedly, we'd prefer to see Sam Raimi using that post-Spider-Man clout to bankroll and direct more original and highly credible horror flicks like Drag Me to Hell, but this will also work.

Going back to the grandiose special effects seen in his three Spidey movies, Raimi dives into the IMAX 3D world with Oz the Great and Powerful, a prequel to The Wizard of Oz starring James Franco as Oscar Diggs, the small-time magician who'll become the classic 1939 film's titular character.

After being whisked away to Oz in a hot air balloon, Franco/Diggs becomes a hero while mixing it up with a trio of beautiful women: Mila Kunis (playing the pre-evil Wicked Witch of the West), Michelle Williams (as a good witch), and Rachel Weisz (the currently active Wicked Witch). Wonder if he'll use his, um, magic stick. Considering that Oz the Great and Powerful is a Disney movie, don't count on it.

26. Now You See Me

Director: Louis Leterrier
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Melanie Laurent, Michael Caine, Michael Kelly, Common
Release Date: June 7

Did you watch Christopher Nolan's twisty magician flick The Prestige, love it, but wish there'd been more action? If so, Now You See Me should fulfill those requirements. Directed by Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans), it's about the Four Horsemen, a quartet of tricksters (Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, and Dave Franco) who pull off an insane financial stunt: They "magically" transfer a sleazy millionaire's funds into audience members' bank accounts.

Being that it's all about the sleight of hand, Now You See Me has the potential to be the year's most brain-scrambling popcorn movie, albeit one made by the same guy behind The Transporter and Transporter 2. So, yeah, not as heady as Nolan's pic.

25. The To Do List

Director: Maggie Carey
Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Alia Shawkat, Rachel Bilson, Vlark Gregg, Andy Samberg, Connie Britton, Bill Hader, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Donald Glover, Johnny Simmons
Release Date: August 16

Some movies effortlessly sell themselves. Case in point: The To Do List, which stars the hilarious, quirky, and uniquely sexy Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) as a high school graduate looking to have as much sex as possible before college begins. And...well, that's pretty much it. Even if Plaza's character eventually falls in love with one of her jump-offs (and, let's face it, that's most likely going to happen), The To Do List's set-up promises both high-concept laughs and charmingly awkward sexual mishaps.

Bonus points are awarded for the film's loaded and uniformly funny co-star roster, including Adam Pally (Happy Endings), Bill Hader, Donald Glover, Andy Samberg, and Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development).

24. Maniac

Director: Franck Khalfoun
Stars: Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder, Liane Balaban, America Olivo, Jan Broberg
Release Date: To be determined

Talk about outside-the-box casting. For their remake of the infamously sleazy and hardcore 1980 horror flick Maniac, director Franck Khalfoun and producer/co-writer Alexandra Aja (High Tension, Piranha 3D) selected Elijah Wood to play a deranged guy who murders young women, removes their scalps, and places their bloody wigs on mannequins that he talks to as if they're alive. Yes, it's Frodo Gone Wild.

Think about Wood's quietly insane performance in Sin City, though, and it should become clear that he's perfect for the new Maniac. And if, for some reason, viewers can't accept the sight of Wood overpowering larger women, Khalfoun has them covered: Maniac is predominantly shot from a first-person POV, putting audiences directly into Wood's character's twisted mind as he stalks and kills.

Keep tabs on the release date announcements for this one—having seen it, we can confirm that Maniac is an early frontrunner for 2013's best horror movie. It's that good.

23. The Lone Ranger

Director: Gore Verbinski
Stars: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Barry Pepper, Ruth Wilson, Helena Bonham Carter, Mason Cook, James Badge Dale
Release Date: July 3

Of course Johnny Depp is playing Tonto in a big screen update of The Lone Ranger, the iconic gunslinger radio serial that inspired the popular 1950s TV series of the same name. It's the next logical step for the actor who scored Oscar nominations for his performances as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and who's apparently no longer interested in taking on roles outside of big-budget projects based on old TV shows or amusement park rides.

But damn if The Lone Ranger's first full trailer doesn't look incredibly exciting. Credit goes to director Gore Verbinski, the visually proficient filmmaker behind the first three Pirates films (a.k.a the good ones) who certainly knows his way around a massive, enthralling action sequence. And we're also not mad at the casting of Armie Hammer as the title character, a role that should make him a household name and capitalize on his great work in The Social Network.

22. Pain and Gain

Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Rebel Wilson, Rob Corddry, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Ken Jeong
Release Date: April 26

Deservedly, Michael Bay has earned a not-so-enviable reputation as being a shameless purveyor of hollow, glossy CGI orgies that lack character depth or any other byproducts of good screenwriting. Not that he really gives a shit, though, since he recently signed on to direct a fourth Transformersmovie. But there's definitely a part of Bay that'd love to silence the naysayers with a smaller, less computer-generated hit.

Enter Pain and Gain, an action-comedy that harkens back to Bay's Bad Boys movies and features Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, and Anthony Mackie hamming it up as three dim-witted and totally ripped bodybuilders on the run from the Miami Police Department. Sure, it's not going to win any awards, but tell us that the proposition of watching Wahlberg and The Rock playing bumbling steroid junkies doesn't sound, at the very least, entertaining.

21. Carrie

Director: Kimberly Peirce
Stars: Chloë Moretz, Julianne Moore, Gabriella Wilde, Judy Greer, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russel, Ansel Elgort, Cynthia Preston
Release Date: October 18

Do we really need a Carrie remake? Probably not, since Stephen King's 1974 novel is great enough to exist on its own and Brian De Palma's 1976 adaptation did a fine job of satisfying King loyalists and horror enthusiasts alike. Further complicating things for director Kimberly Peirce's (Boys Don't Cry) re-imagining is the casting of the button-cute Chloë Moretz, a seriously talented young actress who, there's no way around it, seems too attractive to play the awkward, undesirable, telekinetically gifted high school outcast Carrie White.

What's really piquing our interest about the Carrie remake, though, are the reports that Peirce's film will stick closer to the book than De Palma's. In this version, the narrative will derive from other characters' testimonies and recollections about Carrie's quiet, unexpected malevolence. In a real world terrorized by school shootings and bullied teens, commentary via a mainstream horror movie could be rather poignant, if handled properly.

20. Pacific Rim

Director: Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman, Robert Kazinsky, Max Martini, Clfton Collins, Jr., Diego Klattenhoff
Release Date: July 12

Before Peter Jackson reclaimed the throne to direct The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, fanboy favorite Guillermo del Toro (The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth) was, at the time, hard at work in pre-production to helm the current box office smash. When he stepped off the project, rather than go back to the world of Spanish-language indies, del Toro opted to give another Hollywood blockbuster a try, one that's basically Godzilla vs. Transformers.

Not that we're complaining. Although it reeks of familiarity, Pacific Rim has all the ingredients for a badass summer tentpole: first-rate CGI, wall-to-wall action, and a likable cast of gifted character actors (including Idris Elba, Sons of Anarchy duo Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia funnyman Charlie Day). And if anyone can turn a potential Transformers knockoff into something transcendent, it's definitely the ever-imaginative del Toro.

19. Horns

Director: Alexandre Aja
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple, Max Minghella, Joe Anderson, Kelli Garner, James Remar
Release Date: To be determined

If nothing else, use this Horns placement as an excuse to kill multiple hours reading through author Joe Hill's entire bibliography. The son of Stephen King, he's a severely underrated writer of superb genre fiction, and the 2010 horror-fantasy novel Horns is his best work yet. Again, he's Stephen King's kid, so it's to be expected that Hill's stories would eventually be adapted into movies. Here's the first, and it has an assuring pedigree.

Directed by Alexandre Aja (the French horror favorite behind High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, and Piranha 3D), Horns follows the troubled protagonist Ig Perrish (Daniel Radcliffe), a young man who's mourning the rape and murder of his girlfriend (Juno Temple). He wakes up one day, after one hell of a drunken bender, with pointy protrusions sticking out of his head that make people tell him their nasty secrets and give him the ability to internalize their experiences upon touching them.

Combining crime drama, supernatural scares, and a tragic romance, Hill's novel is a unique, imaginative, and unpredictable character study. Orchestrated by Aja, a daring filmmaker who's not afraid to push the limits of good taste, Horns the movie could be a powerful, ghoulish head trip.

18. Side Effects

Director: Steven Soderbergh
Stars: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Vinessa Shaw
Release Date: February 8

After impressing the hell out of audiences as the icy yet vulnerable Lisbeth Salander in 2011's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Academy Award nominee Rooney Mara spent 2012 on movie sets rather than on big screens. The first result of that professional diligence is Side Effects, from the lauded, seemingly tireless director Steven Soderbergh, and its subject matter sounds just as dark as Dragon Tattoo.

She plays Emily Taylor, a woman on the verge of insanity, a descent into madness provoked by a dependence on prescription drugs as Emily waits for her lover (Channing Tatum) to get home from the clink. Side Effects could very well be Soderbergh's own Repulsion (the classic 1965 examination of feminine insanity from Roman Polanski). Well, one can only hope.

17. This is the End

Director: Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen
Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Michael Cera
Release Date: June 14

Judd Apatow must think about This is the End and feel like a proud father.

The super-producer and successful director of hits like Knocked Up, Pineapple Express, and Superbad isn't involved in it, but This is the End is a direct byproduct of the Apatow machine. A raunchy, joke-heavy look at the apocalypse, it's written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (who wrote Pineapple Express and Superbad), and stars a venerable who's who of Apatow alums: Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson.

Really, how can This is the End not be the year's funniest movie?

16. The Great Gatsby

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, Elizabeth Debicki, Adelaide Clemens
Release Date: May 10

Is there a better example of perfect casting in a 2013 movie than Leonardo DiCaprio playing Jay Gatsby in the latest adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel? We can't think of one at the moment, except for, perhaps, Vanessa Hudgens and Selena Gomez as hotties wearing bikinis in Spring Breakers, for obvious reasons.

Re-teaming 17 years later with his glamorously visual Romeo + Juliet director Baz Luhrmann, DiCaprio should body the Gatsby role, that of a notorious 1920s playboy who spends the summer of 1922 cavorting with his neighbor, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), and the beautiful Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan). Another plus for Luhrmann's high-stakes picture: It'll be the first movie-scoring project for Jay-Z, who was recently announced as the soundtrack's overseer.

15. Elysium

Director: Neill Blomkamp
Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Wagner Moura, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, William Fichtner
Release Date: August 9

First-time directors couldn't ask for a more auspicious and impactful debut movie than District 9, the 2009 Oscar-nominated, bloody sci-fi allegory from South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp. With such a triumphant introduction typically comes carte blanche to make whatever the hell you want for a sophomore picture, and, very easily, Blomkamp could've cashed out and taken on a major remake, reboot, or sequel. Instead, he pushed another one of his self-written properties through. Respect due.

He even nabbed Matt Damon to topline the flick, titled Elysium, and it looks like the A-list actor is about to get grittier than ever before. Set in the year 2159, Elysium finds Damon playing an ex-con in a world where wealthy people live in a luxurious space station while the less-fortunate reside on an overpopulated, resource-deficient Earth.

So, basically, it's George A. Romero's politically charged Land of the Dead, but with enormous weapons (like the gun in Damon's hands above) replacing flesh-eating zombies. Works for us.

14. The Lords of Salem

Director: Rob Zombie
Stars: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bruce Davison, Jeff Daniel Philips, Ken Foree, Dee Wallace, Judy Geesob, Patricia Quinn, Ernest Lee Thomas, Meg Foster, Maria Conchita Alonso, Barbara Crampton, Michaey Berryman, Sid Haig, Lisa Marie, Andrew Prine
Release Date: April 26

Love them or hate them, Rob Zombie's Halloween movies show a filmmaker who's surgical when it comes to providing horrific imagery and memorable kills, even if the films' scripts are messes. The horror-loving rocker turned director is at his best when he's handling self-created material, as in the demented House of 1,000 Corpses and its calmer but no less nightmarish follow-up The Devil's Rejects. And with The Lords of Salem, Zombie could deliver his sickest work yet.

Starring his wife (and go-to actress) Sheri Moon Zombie, The Lords of Salem follows a radio DJ who unknowingly awaken age-old witches after a record spins backwards live on the air. But, really, the movie's plot is secondary here.

Based on its batty trailer and haunting stills (like the one above), The Lords of Salem appears to be a visually stunning, image-driven callback to old-school Mario Bava and Dario Argento cinema, with welcome doses of occultism and anything-goes wackiness tossed in for good measure.

13. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Director: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller
Stars: Jessica Alba, Jamie Chung, Rosario Dawson, Dennis Haysbert, Jaime King, Michael Madsen, Mickey Rourke
Release Date: October 4

Frankly, we never thought we'd see this one come to fruition. Eight years after the inventive, underrated neo-noir omnibus Sin City, Robert Rodriguez and graphic novelist Frank Miller are back with a sequel, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. Like the first flick (as well as Miller's popular comics), it'll be set within the crime-ridden, black-and-white streets of a city populated by thieves, hookers, crooked cops, and freakish killers. But that's really all that's known about it, aside from word that stars Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, and Michael Madsen will all return.

12. The Conjuring

Director: James Wan
Stars: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mackenzie Foy, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor, Shanley Caswell, Joey King
Release Date: July 19

The summer of James Wan will soon be upon us. In addition to the previously discussed Insidious Chapter 2, the Saw mastermind's two-sided stake at becoming the horror genre's biggest working director will kick off with The Conjuring. If early word can be believed, we're in for something truly special.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga star as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, a married couple who spent the late 1970s and early '80s collecting paychecks for digging into ghostly happenings from families living in haunted houses (they famously worked on the case that inspired The Amityville Horror). The Conjuring, specifically, is based on the book House of Darkness, House of Light: The True Story, written by Andrea Perron, whose Rhode Island home harbored spirits and who employed the Warrens back in the '70s.

As for that aforementioned "early word," The Conjuring originally had a somewhat dismissible January 25 release date, but ecstatic responses from test screenings prompted Warner Bros. to push the pic back to a prime-for-exposure mid-July date. How's that for a vote of confidence?

11. Stoker

Director: Park Chan-wook
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Dermot Mulroney, Jacki Weaver, Lucas Till, Alden Ehrenreich
Release Date: March 1

In 2013, two prolific South Korean directors will make their English-language debuts here in the States. The first is Kim Ji-woon, whose superb genre flicks like A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and I Saw the Devil (2010) paved the way for this month's Arnold Schwarzenegger comeback vehicle The Last Stand, which looks, well, not as good as I Saw the Devil (to put it lightly). The second filmmaker, though, has something far more interesting and better looking in store.

Park Chan-wook—the acclaimed director behind the "Vengeance Trilogy" (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance)—hits the states with Stoker, a very clearly Alfred Hitchcock-inspired (see: Hitch's Shadow of a Doubt), psychological horror film about a reclusive teenage girl (Mia Wasikowska) who becomes infatuated with an uncle (Matthew Goode). And the uncle is most likely a serial killer.

10. Oldboy

Director: Spike Lee
Stars: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel L. Jackson, Hannah Simone, James Ransone
Release Date: October 11

Who can blame folks for vehemently decrying the existence of an Oldboy remake? The 2003 original, directed by the excellent South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook, is a masterwork of unbridled violence and twisty, elegant storytelling. Watching it, one can't help but think that Hollywood would never have the proverbial balls to execute such a raw, uncompromising character study.

So why are we so excited about an American Oldboy? Because its director just so happens to be one of Hollywood's bravest, most unrestricted filmmakers. Though he's certainly not an obvious choice for the gig, Spike Lee's involvement with Oldboy bodes well for the producers' desires to not take the easy, predictable way out. They've also cast a fully capable leading man in Josh Brolin, who'll drop bodies and (possibly) self-mutilate as a wrongly imprisoned man who's now free and looking to destroy those responsible for ruining his life.

Still not happy? Consider this: Before Lee and Brolin, the Oldboy remake team consisted of the much safer pairing of Steven Spielberg and Will Smith.

9. Evil Dead

Director: Fede Alvarez
Stars: Jane Levy, Jessica Lucas, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Elizabeth Blackmore
Release Date: April 12

Prior to last year's New York Comic-Con, you would've been hard-pressed to find a horror film purist who'd gladly accept the notion of an Evil Dead remake. The 1981 original, directed by a young Sam Raimi and filled with wonderfully elaborate gore and a breakneck sense of wit, holds up as an undisputed classic of independently made genre cinema. Not to mention, recent horror remakes haven't exactly instilled widespread optimism.

But then director Fede Alvarez, star Jane Levy (Suburgatory), and producer/original Evil Dead hero Bruce Campbell premiered the reboot's first trailer at NY Comic-Con, and those in attendance went totally apeshit. As did everyone else who caught the footage once the preview hit the Internet, and rightfully so. Abound with tongue-slicing, extreme violence, and blood-splattered anarchy, the Evil Dead trailer loudly hints at a movie that's every bit as reckless as the original, but one made with an unexpected handle on quality control and admiration for its predecessor.

Plus, the poster really goes for broke via the tagline, "The most terrifying film you will ever experience." Chances are, that's horseshit, but you have to respect the confidence.

8. The World's End

Director: Edgar Wright
Stars: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Thomas Law
Release Date: October 25

While promoting their hilarious buddy cop comedy Hot Fuzz in 2007, director Edgar Wright and actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost talked up the fact that the film was the second installment in a planned trilogy of sorts, which started with the cult classic horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead (2004). Well, finally, here's the third part, and it sounds appropriately epic.

In The World's End (co-written by Wright and Pegg), five old friends reconnect as adults to go on a massive, beer-fueled pub crawl that they want to conclude inside the legendary bar The World's End. Where that leads exactly is being kept secretive by all involved with the movie, but word that the mission affects "mankind" (per the official plot synopsis) hints at a possible pre-apocalyptic conflict. Nothing, we're sure, an excessive number of pints can't solve.

7. The Place Beyond the Pines

Director: Derek Cianfrance
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Rose Byrne, Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta, Dane DeHaan, Bruce Greenwood, Ben Mendelsohn
Release Date: March 29

Leading up to its premiere at last September's Toronto International Film Festival, The Place Beyond the Pines was riding a strong wave of prestigious, pre-release hype. The main reason: It's the second team-up from independent writer-director Derek Cianfrance and your girlfriend's dream lover, Mr. Ryan Gosling, following 2010's emotionally devastating Blue Valentine. Also, Gosling's equally top-billed co-star Bradley Cooper is just as hot in Hollywood as the Drive leading man.

Immediately after the film's TIFF debut, the positive reviews flowed throughout the Internet. And with the unveiling of the movie's eye-opening, excellent first trailer last month, The Place Beyond the Pines—about a motorcycle stunt driver (Gosling) who turns to robbery and the police officer (Cooper) on his trail—looks like an absolute slam dunk.

6. Star Trek Into Darkness

Director: J.J. Abrams
Stars: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, John Cho, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, Simon Pegg, Bruce Greenwood
Release Date: May 17

Excuse the laughable pun movie title. However unfortunate Star Trek Into Darkness may sound rolling off the tongue, the movie itself seems to be anything but silly.

Back in the director's chair, following the enormous success of his whip-smart 2009 Star Trek franchise reboot, the prolific J.J. Abrams is bringing the Enterprise crew into darker, more apocalyptic terrain with this sequel, and the early trailer is a real knockout. By the looks of things, Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the rest of the space-traveling team contend against an enigmatic terrorist (seriously on-the-rise British actor Benedict Cumberbatch) who's catastrophically attacked the Starfleet outfit.

Just who exactly Cumberbatch is playing (some people think it could be the infamous Star Trek villain Khan, or at least an iteration of him) and if Spock will bite the dust or not (another hot-button rumor) are questions that fanboys can't wait to have answered.

5. Only God Forgives

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kristin Scott Thomas, Tom Burke, Rathar Phongam
Release Date: May 23

The last time Ryan Gosling linked up with Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, they made the brilliantly progressive action flick Drive, our no-brainer choice for 2011's best movie. So, naturally, their next collaboration, Only God Forgives, immediately registers highly on the must-see scale. But thanks to its intriguing plot synopsis, Refn's latest sounds like it could be even crazier than Drive.

Gosling, once again playing against his pretty-boy swag, stars as a guy who runs a Thai boxing club in order to hide his family's drug smuggling hustles and has to track down and eliminate the people who've killed his brother. Check out his battered face up above—your boy Gosling is in for some real lumps. Anyone who's seen Refn's hypnotically brutal Bronson (starring a ferocious Tom Hardy) knows what could be in store. And needed to see Only God Forgives yesterday.

4. Spring Breakers

Director: Harmony Korine
Stars: Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine, James Franco, Heather Morris, Gucci Mane
Release Date: March 22

Harmony Korine's isn't known for making accessible movies, and that's not a bad thing. As unwelcoming as they seem, his previous films—the youth-in-decay breakthrough Gummo (1997), the celebrity impersonator romp Mister Lonely (2007), and the Jackass meets garbage fetish oddity Trash Humpers (2009)—are the singular byproducts of a warped, gifted mind happily working apart from Hollywood's confines.

So what's he doing working with Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens, and Pretty Little Liars star Ashley Benson? We're not sure, but we can't wait to see the results. In Spring Breakers, Korine's three bikini-clad, young actresses (along with his wife, Rachel Korine) play co-eds who meet a Riff-Raff-esque drug dealer named Alien (James Franco) in jail and start carrying out illegal jobs for him. All, mind you, while rocking swimwear and occasionally hooking up with one another.

If that doesn't sound like the greatest movie ever made to you, too, you may want to visit a different website.

3. Twelve Years a Slave

Director: Steve McQueen
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Adepero Oduye, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson, Alfre Woodard, Garret Dillahunt, Quvenzhane Wallis, Ruth Negga, Scoot McNairy
Release Date: To be determined

After the exceptional one-two punch of Hunger and Shame, Steve McQueen could direct an adaptation of The Babysitter's Club and astute film buffs would be salivating to watch it. Fortunately, the phenomenal British filmmaker chose a much loftier and compelling book to adapt for his third feature film: Solomon Northup's autobiographical Twelve Years a Slave, the harrowing, pre-Civil War account of his being sold into slavery and forced to work on a plantation while trying to see his family again.

And McQueen really has one hell of a cast backing him up. Alongside his frequent collaborator Michael Fassbender, there's the underrated Chiwetel Ejiofor (leading the way as Northup), Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Pariah breakout Adepero Oduye, and pint-sized Beasts of the Southern Wild M.V.P. Quvenzhane Wallis. Next year's Oscar season will no doubt get dominated.

2. Man of Steel

Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburne, Harry Lennix, Christopher Meloni, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer
Release Date: June 14

Can blockbuster champ Christopher Nolan do for Superman what he did for Batman with his Dark Knight trilogy? That's the central, pressing question surrounding Man of Steel, which Nolan both produced and shares story credit with screenwriter David S. Goyer (another Dark Knight veteran).

Looking to remove some of the DC Comics' character's campiness, the Man of Steel team (guided by 300 and Watchmen director Zack Snyder) have replaced the comic book playfulness of previous movies and gone full-on dark. One look at the moody, intense trailer proves two things: Henry Cavill already makes for a convincing Clark Kent (unlike, you know, Brandon Routh in the unsatisfying 2006 flick Superman Returns), and Christopher Nolan sure loves pairing superheroes with ominous soundtracks and man-on-the-edge themes.

Which worked out pretty well for him and Gotham City's caped crusader, didn't it?

1. Anchorman: The Legend Continues

Director: Adam McKay
Stars: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Steve Carell, Christina Applegate, Fred Willard, Chris Parnell, Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn
Release Date: December 20

It's the movie everyone's been dying for but nobody ever thought would really happen. Well, Anchorman: The Legend Continues is, finally, a reality, with expectation levels set higher than would feasibly seem possible to reach. So, can Will "Ron Burgundy" Ferrell, Paul "Brian Fantana" Rudd, Steve "Brick Tamland" Carell, and David "Champ Kind" Koechner do it again?

At this point, we're just happy that the Channel 4 news team has actually reassembled in the first place. Not to mention, Christina "Veronica Corningstone" Applegate will return from what we'd like to think was an eight-year sabbatical on Whore Island.