Film File - Blockbusters to look forward to
It's the end of an era with this franchise as Tom Cruise hands over the reins to his successor, Jeremy Renner. The cast also includes Paula Patton and Josh Holloway in his first outing since 'Lost' finally came to an end. It's directed by Brad Bird, and you can expect the same high tension drama and serious pyrotechnics. COWBOYS & ALIENS A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution in 1873. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Directed by Jon Favreau and starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Sam Rockwell, this one looks the strangest theme of the year, but with such a good cast, who knows what to expect? SCREAM 4 Ghostface hasn't done his slice and dice routine since 2000 - an 11-year break that's clearly made him thirsty for more blood. Lots of it. This fourth in the franchise will reintroduce the three survivors from the original trilogy and have them join forces with Jill, Ghostface's newest target. Wes Craven again directs, with Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette and Emma Roberts. TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON Supposedly the final instalment in director Michael Bay's trilogy, this one needs to up its game considerably to atone for the sins of 'Revenge Of The Fallen'. Supposedly centred around the Moon landings in the 1960s, this one should finish the series with a serious bang. It stars Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson. CARS 2 After the success of 'Toy Story 3' last year, this next Pixar sequel again introduces to those game motors from the American heartland - but this time around, Lightning McQueen and his best bud, Mater, are going all over the world where they find themselves mixed up in spy action with a plentiful spinning of wheels. New characters Finn McMissle and Holly Shiftwell have been added. This looks like another first across the finish line. The voices of Owen Wilson and Michael Caine are directed by John Lasseter. SUPER 8 Already being heralded as 2011's 'Inception', this latest from sci-fi maestro JJ Abrams is supposed to focus on the transportation of a 'package' from Area 51 to another top secret location - a journey it never completes. Instead, the folk in a small town called Lillian find themselves coping with a whole new reality….or is that unreality? Elle Fanning and Noah Emmerich star. THE HANGOVER 2 How to top the super successful first one? How about adding Liam Neeson and Bill Clinton to the cast? For the sequel, the gang have gone from Vegas to Thailand, a place that didn't really work well for 'Bridget Jones 2' but should offer 'the lads' lots of scope for strange morning after carry-on. Todd Phillips directs Bradley Cooper, Zack Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Justin Bartha. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES Jack's back and he's brought some new friends. In an effort to prolong the life of this hugely successful franchise to the max, Disney have come up with a plotline centred around the Fountain of Youth. With Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley having taken early retirement, newcomers Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz have come aboard. But Johnny Depp is still doing his Keith Richards thing, so another fair wind in the sails is expected. Rob Marshall directs. HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2 This is really the end of an era - and what a trip it's been. After 10 years watching Harry, Hermione and Ron grow from precocious kids to young adults, it's finally time to say goodbye. Not only will the film conclude with the ultimate battle of good versus evil but it looks like Ron and Hermione will also do the decent thing. One of the longest-running and most successful franchises in film history, 'nuff said CONTAGION An action-thriller centred on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the Centre for Disease Control to deal with the outbreak. Director Steven Soderbergh marshalls a serious cast, including Matt Damon, Kate Winslett, Jude Law and Gweneth Paltrow for this scary look at what kind of flu bugs we'll have to cope with in the future. THOR The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic realm of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders. Directed by Kenneth Brannagh, 'Thor' stars Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston. THE LINCOLN LAWYER A lawyer conducts business from the back of his Lincoln town car while representing a high-profile client in Beverly Hills. Adapted from the Michael Connelly novel, it stars Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, William H Macy and Josh Lucas. KUNG FU PANDA 2 Po joins forces with a group of new kung-fu masters to take on an old enemy with a deadly new weapon. Jack Black is the irrepressible panda, this time backed up by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan and Seth Rogen. What's not to like? THE MUPPETS Kermit the Frog and his muppet pals put on a show to save their old theatre. The cast is top-notch, with Amy Adams, Ricky Gervais, Zack Galifinadis, Jason Sigel, Jack Black and Katy Perry. Another chance to see Jim Henson's iconic creations is one not to be missed, though you'd wonder how they've all aged?