SUMMER 2015
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
(Marvel)
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson and more
Release date: April 24 (India)
About: Tony Stark’s peace-keeping programme Ultron backfires. Ultron decides to eradicate humans from Earth and only the Avengers may be able to stop him. Thor’s falling Mjolnir and Captain America’s broken shield don’t bode well for the heroes.
t2 take: Our favourite superhero team is back, intact. There is Hulk versus Hulkanator action and two new players — Quicksilver and Scarlett Witch — to look forward to.
ANT-MAN
(Marvel)
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Douglas and more
Release date: July 17 (US)
About: Michael Douglas is inventor Hank Pym and Paul Rudd his mentee Scott Lang, who dons the Ant-Man suit to help Pym keep the Ant-Man technology safe and carry out the biggest heist to save Earth.
t2 take: The subtle humour works in favour of the film and Rudd, surprisingly, seems like he just might be the perfect Scott.
FANTASTIC FOUR
(Fox)
Directed by: Josh Trank
Starring: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell and Toby Kebell
Release date: August 7 (India)
About: Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing in this reboot are much younger than the original. The tone of the film is much darker, making us wonder if “it’s clobbering time” will crop up
at all.
t2 take: Kate Mara’s Invisible Woman seems so much better than Jessica Alba, just from the trailer. We are hoping this will be true for the others as well. Except Human Torch, for who can replace Chris Evans?
2016
DEADPOOL
(FOX)
Directed by: Tim Miller
Starring: Ryan Reynolds
Release date: February 12
About: Ever since we saw Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, fans had been looking forward to him getting a solo film. And it was finally announced in 2014. When a rogue experiment leaves Wade Wilson with accelerated healing powers, he adopts the alter ego Deadpool to hunt down the man who destroyed his life.
t2 take: If the leaked footage was anything to go by, this is going to be one fun, wise-cracking ride.
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice
(Warner Bros.)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher
Release date: March 25
About: One of the most anticipated films around with its cast even paving the way for the Justice League film with Wonder Woman and Aquaman making their debut.
t2 take: Ben ‘Batman’ Affleck bashing has been the flavour ever since the casting was announced. So, if for nothing else, people will go to see how bad/not so bad Ben is as Batman.
Captain America: Civil War
(Marvel)
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Sebastian Stan, Chadwick Boseman
Release date: May 6
About: This will reportedly follow the storyline of the comic of the same name which sees superheroes polarised in two factions over an Act regulating all superhuman activities, one following Captain America and the other following Tony Stark.
t2 take: Cap vs Iron Man and the rumour that Spider-Man may make his way back to Marvel here has sent interest soaring.
X-Men: Apocalypse
(Fox)
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Starring: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence, Evan Peters, Oscar Isaac, Tye Sheridan, Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp, Rose Byrne, Ian McKellen, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Release date: May 27
About: The sequel to X-Men: Days of Future Past will see the X-Men go up against Apocalypse, probably the first mutant in existence.
t2 take: We are excited about the origin stories of favourite characters like Cycops, Storm and Jean Grey. And rumour has it that Channing Tatum as the card-throwing maverick Gambit may make an appearance.
SUICIDE SQUAD
(Warner Bros.)
Directed by: David Ayer
Starring: Will Smith, Joel Kinnaman, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney, Viola Davis, Cara Delevingne, Scott Eastwood
Release date: August 5
About: A special organisation of DC’s supervillains undertakes high-risk black ops missions to commute their sentences, under the guidance of Amanda Waller.
t2 take: Imagine a film that has all the supervillains who have plagued DC superheroes — we are talking Joker, Deadshot, Harley Quinn and more. What’s not to like about that?!
GAMBIT
(Fox)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Channing Tatum
Release date: October 7
About: Gambit is a mutant card-thrower who can charge cards with kinetic energy and turn them into explosives, is a pro at hand-to-hand combat and the use of a staff, is charming and has a dark past. Perfect candidate for a solo film outing.
t2 take: The third film in the X-Men world makes 2016 quite the X-Men year. We are excited about Tatum playing one of the most popular X-Men characters.
DOCTOR STRANGE
(Marvel)
Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch
Release date: May 6
About: Marvel delves into the supernatural with this film about a neurosurgeon-turned-magician who serves as the Sorcerer Supreme and the primary protector of Earth against magical dangers.
t2 take: We have seen Benedict Cumberbatch play human heroes with as much aplomb as he did a sci-fi villain, now we want to see how he fares in the role of a caped crusader.
2017
UNTITLED WOLVERINE FILM
(FOX)
Directed by: James Mangold
Starring: Hugh Jackman
Release date: March 3
About: Nothing much is known about the film as yet but we know it is to start shooting in 2016. We hear a rumour of Professor X being part of the film. If true, it would be one more big reason to make this unmissable.
t2 take: Hugh Jackman recently tweeted a picture of himself with Wolverine’s claws saying “one last time”. What will that mean for the film, we wonder.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2
(MARVEL)
Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper
Release date: May 5
About: We are not sure what the storyline will be or which of the secondary characters will be back, but Gunn let drop that we may see the dark side of some our favourite ones.
t2 take: The highest-grossing film of 2014, a runaway success and all of this on the shoulders of a bunch of misfits — “a thief, two thugs, an assassin and a maniac”. We can’t wait for round two.
FANTASTIC FOUR 2
(FOX)
Directed by: Josh Trank (rumoured)
Starring: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell
Release date: June 9
About: The sequel was announced even before they started shooting for the first one and we are still clueless what the film will be about.
t2 take: We hope that their faith in the franchise is not misplaced.
WONDER WOMAN 4
(WARNER BROS.)
Directed by: Michelle MacLaren
Starring: Gal Gadot
Release date: June 23
About: An Amazonian princess, who goes by the secret identity of Diana Prince, “comes to the man’s world” and becomes a superheroine.
t2 take: We have been waiting for a Wonder Woman film forever, especially since there is a dearth of female superheroes. We like how Gal Gadot looks as Wonder Woman, we only hope she can do the role justice.
SPIDER-MAN FILM
(SONY AND MARVEL)
Directed by: Not yet announced
Starring: Casting rumours say that Dylan O’Brien and Logan Lerman are in the running
Release date: July 28
About: The web-slinger is making his way back home, first with an appearance in (most probably) Captain America: Civil War and then with this solo film.
t2 take: We hope we don’t have to sit through yet another origin story.
THOR: RAGNAROK
(MARVEL)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston
Release date: November 3
About: Ragnarok, the apocalypse of Asgard, is nigh and Thor must “confront the gods to the gods to stop the inevitable”.
t2 take: Thor is one of our favourite Avengers and the additional promise of having Loki back will make it that much sweeter.
JUSTICE LEAGUE PART 1
(WARNER BROS.)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot and (maybe) Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher and Ezra Miller
Release date: November 17
About: It is DC’s answer to Marvel’s Avengers and will see superheroes like Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and more team up to fight evil.
t2 take: We are waiting to see if DC can replicate the success of the Avengers. We sincerely doubt it.
2018
THE FLASH
(WARNER BROS.)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Ezra Miller
Release date: March 23
About: Scientist Barry Allen gets super speed when struck by a freak lightning after which he takes on the name Flash.
t2 take: He is a fun superhero and we love his present TV outing. We hope the film is as good.
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PART 1
(MARVEL)
Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: (If they survive Age of Ultron) Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson
Release date: May 4
About: The movie will probably be the culmination of the series born in 2008. The Avengers are likely to take on Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet will be at the centre.
t2 take: We can’t wait for the Avengers to take on Thanos, and it is likely that more Marvel heroes may join this ultimate fight.
BLACK PANTHER
(MARVEL)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Chadwick Boseman
Release date: July 6
About: The first black superhero in mainstream American comics, T’Challa from Wakanda takes on the mantle of the Black Panther after his father is murdered.
t2 take: Marvel has made successes out of obscure superheroes and we are sure the same will be true for the Black Panther.
AQUAMAN
(WARNER BROS.)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Jason Momoa
Release date: July 27
About: He has the power of the water — he can breathe underwater, possesses superhuman durability and is invulnerable to machine gun fire. He also possesses superhuman strength and can swim at very high speeds.
t2 take: Not really a hero that most comic book lovers take seriously, we wonder if DC can pull it off.
CAPTAIN MARVEL
(MARVEL)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Not announced
Release date: November 2
About: Not much is known about the film except that it will be based on the original Ms Marvel, Carol Danvers. This will be the first solo Marvel movie featuring a female superhero.
t2 take: Fans have been waiting for this to happen for years. Marvel couldn’t go wrong with this.
2019
Shazam
(WARNER BROS.)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Dwayne Johnson
Release date:
April 5
About: Young Billy Baston is given the power to become an adult superhero in times of crisis, just with a magic word! Sounds super fun.
JUSTICE LEAGUE PART 2
(WARNER BROS.)
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot and maybe Jason Momoa, Ray Fischer and Ezra Miller
Release date: June 14
About: DC’s ultimate superhero team will be back for the second part of the Justice League film.
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR PART 2
(MARVEL)
Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: (If they survive Age of Ultron) Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Samuel L. Jackson
Release date: May 3
About: The second part of the mammoth finale will hit in the summer of 2019. Will this be the last we see of the Avengers?
INHUMANS
(MARVEL)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Not announced
Release date: July 12
About: A dozen of new superheroes could make their way into films with this movie about a superhuman race with increased strength, reaction time, speed and endurance.
2020
CYBORG
(WARNER BROS.)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Ray Fisher
Release date: April 3
About: Not the most well-known of superheroes in the DC universe, many were surprised by DC’s announcement of the solo Cyborg film. But we are looking forward to seeing the story of Vic Stone becoming Cyborg on screen.
GREEN LANTERN
(WARNER BROS.)
Directed by: Not announced
Starring: Not announced
Release date: June 19
About: The last Green Lantern outing with Ryan Reynolds in the role was disastrous, we hope this will meet a better fate.
