Ryan Gosling in First Man with Claire Foy
Claire Foy in Breathe with Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield in 99 Homes with Michael Shannon
Michael Shannon in Knives Out

Just like that, we’re already 1/12 the way through 2019. I’m back at it again with my (yearly) most anticipated movies list, and hopefully it’s the last list of its kind that you’ll have to read this year. Last year I listed Black Panther, Widows, Love, Simon, Incredibles 2 and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in my top 5. One is now a Best Picture contender, and the rest didn’t disappoint either.

There were also a few movies that made my list for 2018 that were pushed back to 2019. I’ve been waiting for them for so long now that they didn’t quite make the cut for this year:

The Nightingale (TBA) – From Babadook director Jennifer Kent.
Under the Silver Lake (April 19) – David Robert Mitchell’s movie starring Andrew Garfield.
Captive State (March 29) – A new sci-fi film from Rupert Wyatt.

What movies will surprise this year? And which ones will just be “meh”? Time will tell.

(Editor’s note: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part would have made my top 10 if it didn’t take me so long to write this list. Check it out! It’s awesome.)

Movies I can’t wait to see in 2019:

1. Knives Out (Nov 27)
Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and more
Since it was announced at the Toronto Film Festival in September, this mystery project has been at the top of my list. With each new cast addition, it’s clear that Rian Johnson’s self-penned script is attracting some of the best talent around. I personally was a big fan of Johnson’s foray into the Jedi galaxy, but hopefully this one won’t be as divisive as Episode VIII. Lionsgate releases this November.

2. Avengers: Endgame (April 26)
Directors: Joe and Anthony Russo
Cast: All your favorite Marvel heroes that survived The Snap
This one is likely at the top of most lists for 2019, but the way that the Russo Brothers set up this (very literal) Endgame in Infinity War has left most of America on the edge of their seats. The trailers have done a great job of building the hype for the movie so far, but have left most of the plot details under wraps. I can’t wait to be surprised in April.

3. Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 5)
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei and Jake Gyllenhaal
Spider-Man: EuroTrip! Even though most screamed “too soon” when we got our third Peter Parker with Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2017, Holland had a fresh take to the character and real chemistry with the rest of his castmate. Hopefully the (returning) Jon Watts sticks to the Hughesian formula that made Homecoming so wonderful. I have always had a special place in my heart for the Spider-Man movies, and this one looks like it won’t be an exception.

4. Annabelle 3 (July 3)
Director: Gary Dauberman
Cast: Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return to the franchise
Not much is known yet about the third Annabelle film, but Annabelle: Creation is one of my favorite horror movies of the past few years. With Wilson and Farmiga returning (and It and The Conjuring Universe scribe Dauberman in the director’s chair), all the right elements should be in place for a great threequel.

5. Us (March 22)
Director: Jordan Peele
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Elisabeth Moss
I’ve witnessed a lot of terrified crowds in theaters with the trailer recently, and it looks like Peele may be going full-on horror with this new nightmare. The stakes are high after Get Out, but I can’t wait see what twists are in store with Us.

6. Star Wars: Episode IX (Dec 20)
Director: J.J. Abrams returns
Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac
It’s a Star Wars movie that wraps up the Skywalker saga (I’m pretty sure). This one’s self-explanatory.

7. The Irishman (TBA on Netflix)
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci and a lot of others
Scorsese has been developing this movie for years, and we will finally get a chance to see how creepy a de-aged De Niro and Pacino look this fall (look for it in October).

8. The Laundromat (TBA on Netflix)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas and more
This one is Soderbergh’s Panama Papers movie, and with The Irishman also hitting theaters this year, Netflix should have a long (and exciting) awards season ahead of them.

9. Triple Frontier (March 15 on Netflix)
Director: J.C. Chandor
Cast: Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, Oscar Isaac and Garrett Hedlund
Chandor’s A Most Violent Year is one of the most underrated movies of recent memory, and with a staked cast (and a slick trailer) I couldn’t resist.

10. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Feb 22)
Director: Dean DeBlois
Voice cast: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Gerard Butler, Kit Harington and Cate Blanchett
I have a soft spot for the How to Train Your Dragon movies, and though I’m sad to see the trilogy come to a (supposed) end, you can catch me at the theater next weekend getting chills to Test Drive.

11. Captain Marvel (March 8) – It’s Her time.
12. The Lion King (July 19) – This could go either way, but Beyoncé and Donald Glover though!
13. It: Chapter Two (Sept 6) – A new all-star adult ensemble cast brings more weight (and expectations) to the second half of It.
14. The Curse of La Llorona (April 19) – A new horror movie from The Conjuring producers; are we sure it’s not part of The Conjuring Universe?
15. The Rhythm Section (Nov 22) – I’m excited to see what director Reed Morano (who won an Emmy for The Handmaid’s Tale) does with this.

16. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31) – A new cast of characters (and monsters) for the leadup to Godzilla vs. Kong in 2020.
17. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (July 26) – Because why not (but I still need to watch The Hateful Eight).
18. Henry Golding movies Last Christmas (Nov 15) & Monsoon (TBA) – Another romcom and a dramatic turn for the Crazy Rich Asians breakout.
19. Missing Link (April 12) – Laika’s news film so yeah.
20. Midsommar (Aug 9) – Hereditary‘s Ari Aster and A24 are back to creep you out.

21. Toy Story 4 (June 21) – This is only so low on my list because the ending of the third one was too perfect. Hoping for the best.
22. The Woman in the Window (Oct 4) – Joe Wright’s new movie with Amy Adams and Julianne Moore!
23. The Kitchen (Sept 20) – Like Widows, but with Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss.
24. Midway (Nov 8) – A stacked cast takes on the famous WWII battle.
25. Five Feet Apart (March 22) – Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson (from one of my favorites, The Edge of Seventeen) take on a YA romance and I’m so there.

(26.) Probably delayed until 2020: Chaos Walking (I guess Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley have busy schedules)

Honorable Mentions: Mister Rogers biopic A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Nov 22), Vox Lux but make it good Teen Spirit (April 5), Regina Hall and Black-ish’s Marsai Martin body swap Little (April 12), long-delayed X-Men horror movie The New Mutants (Aug 2), Sundance sensation Late Night (TBA on Amazon Prime), Netflix King Noah Centineo’s new romcom The Perfect Date (TBA on Netflix) and A24’s Sundance hit Native Son (TBA on HBO)

Cheers to some great films in 2019! Stay tuned to this space for my list of TV shows I can’t wait to watch in 2019 (editor’s note: check out the list here).