2013 in films: Sequels and reboots abound, but new stories will hit the big screen, too
BY MICHAEL SMITH World Scene Writer
Friday, January 18, 2013
1/18/13 at 7:02 AM
No, you’re not seeing double — or triple, or quadruple, for that matter.
There are just that many sequels that make up the roster of the most anticipated movies of 2013.
There are familiar names and familiar faces, as well, and then there is a sprinkling of new material.
SEQUELS
“The Hunger Games:
Catching Fire” (November)
Katniss Everdeen must compete
in “The Hunger Games” yet
again, when past participants
must battle one another in an
“all-star” edition of the fight-tothe-
death event.
“Anchorman: The Legend
Continues” (December)
Stay classy, moviegoers: Ron
Burgundy and his pals and their
leisure suits are back to take you
to a gun show or read anything
put on their teleprompters.
“Star Trek Into Darkness” (May)
The 2009 reboot delighted
Trekkies and casual fans alike.
Expect more action-packed fun
when the crew faces a mysterious
terrorist (Benedict Cumberbatch).
“Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers”
(September)
Tulsa’s own Bill Hader again
voices Flint Lockwood in this
sequel to the surprise animated
hit. Expect more than meatballs.
“A Good Day to Die Hard” (February)
How do you say “yippi-ki-yay”
in Russian? Bruce Willis is back
as John McClane, helping his
son out of a jam and stopping a
nuclear threat.
“Iron Man 3” (May)
The “genius, billionaire, playboy,
philanthropist” must battle his
most powerful nemesis yet in
criminal mastermind the Mandarin
(Ben Kingsley).
“Red 2” (August)
RED stands for retired and
extremely dangerous agents.
That’s Bruce Willis, John Malkovich
and especially Helen Mirren
when she’s heavily armed.
“Despicable Me 2” (July)
There’s Gru, and there’s the
little girls, and there are those
wonderfully funny little minions.
All we need for a sequel is Al
Pacino. Hoo-ah!
“The Fast and
the Furious 6” (May)
The last one was the best one
in this series, revving up with
a heist storyline and Dwayne
Johnson. “The Rock” is back,
and the plot is under wraps.
“The Hobbit: The Desolation
of Smaug” (December)
It’s time to meet the dragon in
the second installment of director
Peter Jackson’s trilogy, with
the finale arriving in the summer
of 2014.
“Thor: The Dark World” (November)
When supervillain Malekith, leader of the
Dark Elves, threatens to turn the world to
darkness, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) must
save the day.
“The Wolverine” (July)
The story of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)
moves to Japan, for events taking place immediately
following the “Last Stand” movie
for the X-Men.
“Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” (August)
The son of Poseidon and his pals go in
search of the golden fleece in this return of
the mythological hero.
“The Smurfs 2” (July)
Don’t be blue, your Smurf friends return this
summer to battle the evil Gargamel. Can
you say Smurftastic?
“The Hangover III” (May)
There’s no bachelor party or wedding, but
there is a friend to console when the Wolfpack
helps Alan get over his dad’s death in
their own unique way.
FAMILIAR FACES
“Man of Steel” (June)
It’s another new start for the DC Comics
superhero. With Christopher Nolan (“The
Dark Knight”) as producer, will we get the
Superman we need now?
“Jack Ryan” (December)
Did it really take a decade for people to forget
the forgettable “The Sum of All Fears?”
Chris Pine of “Star Trek” takes over as Tom
Clancy’s novel protagonist.
“The Great Gatsby” (May)
The Jazz Age comes alive under the direction
of Baz Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge”),
who makes Leonardo DiCaprio his Jay
Gatsby and the film a 3-D spectacular.
“Oz the Great and Powerful” (March)
If you thought that “The Wizard of Oz” was
the whole story, you haven’t read L. Frank
Baum’s books. James Franco, Michelle Williams
and Mila Kunis star.
“The Lone Ranger” (July)
Armie Hammer: Lone Ranger. Johnny Depp:
Tonto. It sounds like “The Odd Couple” on
the prairie, but this is big-budget actionadventure
fare.
“Carrie” (October)
The Steven King classic is again adapted
for the big screen, with Chloe Moretz as
confused Carrie and Julianne Moore as her
wacko mom.
“Monsters University” (June)
Not a sequel, but a prequel, offering us a
look at the college days for Sully and Mike in
this summer’s annual Pixar release.
SOMETHING NEW
“World War Z” (June)
That’s Z as in
zombie, with Brad
Pitt playing a U.N.
employee seeking
out survivors of a
zombie war. Based
on the book by
Max Brooks.
“The Heat”
(April)
Two
women
in a
buddy-cop
movie
could be
a big hit
if the women are Sandra Bullock as an FBI
agent and Melissa McCarthy as a Boston
cop.
“To the Wonder” (April)
Filmed mostly in Bartlesville in 2010, the
romantic drama directed by Terrence Malick
and starring Ben Affleck arrives in theaters
soon.
“Pacific Rim” (July)
When aliens attack, humans fight back by
piloting gigantic robots into battle. Guillermo
del Toro directs this summer blockbuster.
“Monuments Men” (December)
George Clooney stars in and directs this
World War II story of art experts working to
save masterpieces stolen by the Nazis.
“The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” (March)
Steve Carell is a magic man, and so is Jim
Carrey, in this comedy about competing Las
Vegas magicians in a battle to stay on top.
“Elysium” (August)
Neill Blomkamp follows up “District 9,” his
Oscar-nominated hit debut as a director,
with another politically motivated sci-fi tale
starring Matt Damon.
“The Croods” (March)
Dreamworks Animation goes prehistoric
with a family discovering the world around
them when their cave home is destroyed.
Nicolas Cage and Emma Stone provide
voices.
“Oblivion” (April)
Tom Cruise returns to science-fiction, playing
one of the last remaining men on an
evacuated Earth who discovers a secret he
was not meant to learn.
“Ender’s Game” (November)
Orson Scott Card’s young-adult sci-fi book
comes to the big-screen starring Asa Butterfield
(“Hugo”) and Harrison Ford as a
space-age military mentor.
“42” (April)
That jersey number belonged to Jackie
Robinson, whose story is told in this biopic
about the man who broke the color barrier in
Major League Baseball.
“Gravity” (October)
Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are
astronauts stranded in space, trying to get
home in this sci-fi thriller from director
Alfonso Cuaron.
“Beautiful Creatures” (February)
Another young-adult novel is the inspiration
for this Southern-set supernatural drama
about a teen girl and boy with a strange connection
between them and their families.
“After Earth” (June)
Will Smith brings along his “Karate Kid” son
Jaden Smith to land on a post-apocalyptic
planet Earth.
“The Host” (March)
“Twilight” novelist Stephenie Meyer takes
forbidden fantasy love from vampires to
aliens in this adaptation of her book. Saoirse
Ronan stars.
“Olympus Has Fallen” (March)
The White House comes under attack in this
action-packed thriller. Starring Gerard Butler
and Aaron Eckhart.
“White House Down” (June)
Tell us if this sounds familiar: The White
House comes under attack in this actionpacked
thriller. Starring Channing Tatum and
Jamie Foxx.
Original Print Headline: Return Engagements
Michael Smith 918-581-8479
michael.smith@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
“Despicable Me 2” is one of many sequels filling this year’s movie calendar. Courtesy photos
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