Be in the KnowThe Hottest Movies Set to Hit Theaters in 2018

Fifty Shades Freed (Feb. 9, 2018)

Is it just us or does this image from Fifty Shades Freed just feel out of place for a series that got its start under very different circumstances? In any case, Christian Gray has married Anastasia Steele and are experiencing married life. Unfortunately, Ana's life is threatened by her ex-boss, Jack Hyde (Eric Johnson), and there are further complications from Christian's former domninant, Elena Lincoln (Kim Basinger). Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson reprise the roles of Christian and Ana for the third and final time.

Black Panther (Feb. 16, 2018)

Introduced on film in Captain America: Civil War, the character is getting ready for his first solo big screen adventure, with Chadwick Boseman returning in the dual role of T'Challa, the king of Wakanda, and his alter ego, Black Panther. Also starring is Michael B. Jordan (Creed) as his enemy, Erik Killmonger. Marvel describes the film as follows: "T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king — and Black Panther — is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life." Three months after this film, the character will be back in Avengers: Infinity War.

Red Sparrow (March 2, 2018)

It's not just your imagination, because, yes, Jennifer Lawrence seems to enjoy moving from one type of movie to another, having already taken on superheroes (X-Men), sci-fi (The Hunger Games), dramas (most of her other credits) and horror (Mother!). Now, with Red Sparrow, she’s moving on to the world of spies. Based on the novel by former CIA agent Jason Matthews, the film sees her cast as Russian Dominika Egorova, a former ballerina who, following a career-altering injury, ends up becoming a spy. Over the course of the events of the film, she falls for CIA agent Nathaniel Nash (Joel Edgerton), and begins taking on the idea of becoming a double agent.

A Wrinkle in Time (March 9, 2018)

Meg Murray (Storm Reid) turns to her super intelligent and a classmate to figure out a way to rescue her astrophysicist father who has been taken and held hostage by an evil force on a far distant planet. Helping them to achieve their goals are three beings described as "astral travelers" named Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Who. Most impressive are the actresses who are playing them, respectively Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling.

Tomb Raider (March 16, 2018)

This reboot film featuring the adventurer,directed by Roar Uthaug, stars Swedish actress Alicia Vikander in the role of Lara Croft. Her film roles include Ex Machina, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Jason Bourne, and The Light Between Oceans . In speaking to Hitfixx last year, Alicia commented, “They told me they were doing the film based on the reboot of the game from 2013. That is more of an origin story. You get into an emotional aspect of getting to know Lara hopefully in an in-depth way. So I hope that doing a film of that rebooted game will bring something new and fresh that’ll stand on its own two legs.”

Ready Player One (March 28, 2018)

From director Steven Spielberg, and based on the best selling novel of the same name, it's set in 2045 when the world is on the verge of collapse, and humanity's only really pleasure comes from the virtual reality world of THE OASIS. When its creator dies, he leaves behind word of an "easter egg" within OASIS, the finder of which will gain full control of that world. One of the participants is teen Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), from whose point of view the film is largely told. Look for all sorts of cameos or pop culture references, among them Back to the Future, The Iron Giant and the Joker and Harley Quinn from Suicide Squad. Kind of feels like a high-tech version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Avengers: Infinity War (May 4, 2018)

The ultimate Marvel superhero team-up movie! Infinity War features James Brolin as intergalactic baddie Thanos, who will go into battle with The Avengers, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain Marvel (who's being introduced in this film and will be played by Brie Larson) and the Guardians of the Galaxy in pursuit of "Infinity Stones,"a which will give him the power to bend reality to his will. The stakes have never been higher and we can't wait!

Solo: A Star Wars Story (May 25, 2018)

The plots of Star Wars movies are probably the best-kept secrets in the galaxy, and this one is no different. It's one of those "between Episodes" films, and all we really do know is that it's supposed to chronicle the adventures of the young Han Solo. Alden Ehrenreich steps into Harrison Ford's boots as the smuggler. His mentor, Beckett, is played by Woody Harrelson, with Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke as a character named Kira, Donald Glover as the young Lando Calrissian (played by Billy Dee Williams in the original Star Wars trilogy), Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, and Westworld's Thandie Newton in an unidentified role. If successful, it wouldn't be surprising to see this spawn a whole series of films of its own.

Deadpool 2 (June 1, 2018)

Here's the description that 20th Century Fox has offered up (which obviously has nothing to do with the actual plot): "After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Mayberry’s hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor — finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.”

Needless to say, Ryan Reynolds' subversive take on superheroes continues in this R-rated adventure that is unlike any other film set in the X-Men universe. Josh Brolin, fresh off of his stint as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, plays the mutant Cabel, who makes Deadpool's life just a little more complicated.

Ocean's 8 (June 8, 2018)

Ocean's 8 stands as a great expression of female empowerment, bringing together some of the biggest stars in the world, among them Rihanna, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, and Anne Hathaway. Serving as both a sequel to and spin-off of George Clooney's Ocean's trilogy — which grew from 11 to 12 to 13 — it casts Sandra as Debbie Ocean (sister to Danny), and sees her bringing together a gang to pull off a heist at the Met Gala in New York. In describing the premise of the film, Highsnobiety reports Sandra saying, "It’s a parallel story of another family member that was raised in the same family Danny Ocean was, and what happens when Debbie steps out of jail with all of these amazing, powerful women. We don’t want it to be just for women. This is not a man-hating. We love the men. There’s men in this movie. We love them. But this one heist needs women.”

The Incredibles 2 (June 15, 2018)

It's a classic Pixar adventure, and first sequel to 2004's The Incredibles (wow, has it really been 14 years?). While Helen Parr's Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter) is out fighting crime, Craig T. Nelson's Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible is staying home with the kids: Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huck Milner), and little Jack-Jack, whose power is starting to show itself. At the same time, all of them, along with Samuel L. Jackson's Frozone, are going to have to go into action against The Underminer (voiced by John Ratzenberger, Ham in the Toy Story films). Says returning writer/director Brad Bird, "One of the unique things about The Incredibles is it's really a story of a family set in the world of superheroes. This one carries on that theme. It's awesome, the idea we came up with — simple as that. We love to really look at our own lives and look at what's going on, and find themes that we know will resonate with the audience."

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (June 22, 2018)

By the time it reaches its 25th anniversary next year, the Jurassic Park movies will have surpassed every expectation anyone could have had. The release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will represent the fifth movie in the series, with Chris Pratt — most recently seen in Guardians Of The Galaxy, Vol. 2 — returns as dinosaur trainer Owen Grady, with Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing. Also returning to the franchise is Jeff Goldblum as mathematician and chaos theorist Ian Malcolm. Behind the scenes, Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow returns as producer and co-writer, with J.A. Bayona taking on directing responsibilities. As usual, Steven Spielberg serves as executive producer.

Not much is known about the plot, although in speaking to EFE Bayona offered, “It will be darker and scarier than the previous film. Obviously when you have Chris Pratt, it will also be very funny. But it will be darker. It is a second step in a trilogy, and the second step is always darker.”

Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018)

Yet a couple of more Marvel superheroes in what has become a seemingly endless line of adventures that are thrilling audiences around the world. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly star in the title roles. He's former petty criminal Scott Lang and she's Hope van Dyne, the scientist daughter of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer). The duo are sent on a mission by Pym to shrink into the "quantum realm" to rescue Hope, who is trapped there. It sounds pretty trippy, but the first film was so much fun.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (July 20, 2018)

In the original Mamma Mia!, Sophie Sheridan, played by Amanda Seyfried, has invited, unbeknownst to her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep), three men — Bill Anderson, Harry Bright and Sam Carmichael — to her upcoming wedding, having learned from her mom’s diary that one of then could be her father. In the end, Sam’s the man and, having been Donna’s true love, ends up marrying her. Sophie has her answer, everyone’s happy, they go off singing, and the story is finished. But what happened before? That is what’s explored in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, which, while starting off in the present, ends up going to the past to see how Donna, Sam, and Harry met and got to know each other. Playing the younger versions of the characters are Lily James as Donna, Hugh Skinner as Harry, and Jeremy Irvine as Sam. Plus we get Cher as Sophie's grandmother, Ruby. And, of course, more music from ABBA.

Mission Impossible 6 (July 27, 2018)

No mission is more impossible than trying to find out what any film in the franchise is about ahead of its release. What we do know is that Tom Cruise is back as agent Ethan Hunt and that the actor will be performing some more death-defying stunts. He's rejoined by Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, Michelle Monaghan as Julia Meade-Hunt, and Simon Pegg as Benjamin "Benji" Dunn. The villain of the piece is Superman…er, Henry Cavill. Christopher McQuarrie returns as writer/director.

Christopher Robin (Aug. 3, 2018)

Do you need a little more Pooh in your life? Oh stop giggling, we're talking Pooh as in Winnie. In a plot that seems remarkably similar to the Robin Williams film Hook, a now-adult Christopher Robin has gotten mired down by everyday life and lost his sense of imagination. Coming to the rescue is a live action/CG Winnie the Pooh and other residents of the Hundred Acre Wood to help him get it back. Sounds like fun, though we're not seeing Tigger in the cast list, which does not make us happy. Ewan McGregor is Christopher Robin, with Hayley Atwell as his wife, Evelyn.

The Meg (Aug. 10, 2018)

This is one of those films that's going to go either way in the sense it's going to be great fun or a complete disaster. In development for near 20 years, it focus on Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham), a former Naval captain and expert diver, who becomes part of a deep sea mission to rescue Chinese scientists who are being attacked by what is essentially, a prehistoric shark, the Carcharodon megalodon (it's about 70-feet long!). The novel written by Steve Alten, opens in prehistoric times where a T-Rex, wandering too close to the ocean's edge in pursuit of prey, finds itself attacked and killed by Meg. Let's hope that sequence makes it way into the film!

A Star is Born (Oct. 5, 2018)

This is one on screen team-up that we can't wait to see: Country music star Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) discovers an unknown, but talented singer named Ally (the very known and extremely talented Lady Gaga) and pushes her towards the spotlight. As her career quickly takes off, he begins to recognize that his best days may be behind him. This is a premise that Hollywood can't let go of, remaking it periodically. The first version was released in 1937 with Fredric March and Janet Gaynor, the second in 1954 with Judy Garland and James Mason, and the third in 1976 with Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand. Bradley directs and co-wrote the script.

Venom (Oct. 5, 2018)

There's no denying that Tom Hardy movies bring with them that little something extra, and now, with news that Michelle Williams has joined the cast, this one is promising great things in the superhero genre —even though the title character is a Spider-Man villain. The character—an alien creature that physically bonded with Spider-Man who served as its host—eventually bonded with others, while maintaining a Spidey look (albeit a much darker version). Venom will be the first of a number of films that will take place in the Spider-Man universe, although, interestingly, it's not at all connected to this past July's Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The Grinch (Nov. 9, 2018)

You've seen the holiday classic on TV and you might have seen the live action Jim Carrey film, but now we're getting a CG version that will feature the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role. While we're expecting the usual story of the grumpy green guy who decides to ruin the holidays for the people of Whoville, apparently we're also going to see the Grinch as a kid and get a better sense of why he is the way he is (until, you know, his heart grows three times its size and he becomes a nice guy — sorry if we spoiled it for you).

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald (Nov. 16, 2018)

Self-proclaimed magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is back, recruited by Jude Law's Albus Dumbledore (younger version of the character from the Harry Potter films) to try and stop dark wizard Gellert Grindlewald (Johnny Depp), who is threatening the muggle world. David Yates (who directed four Harry Potter films and the first Fantastic Beasts) is back in the director's chair, with J.K. Rowling writing the screenplay (so glad she's finding work to make ends meet).

Creed 2 (Nov. 21, 2018)

Do you think there is anyone more surprised than Sylvester Stallone that Rocky Balboa — the underdog boxer he created just over 40 years ago — is still alive? And not just as a pop culture icon of the past, but a living, breathing creation that has defied the odds to star in six films, co-star in a seventh and preparing for an eighth. The latter is the sequel to Creed, for which he will co-star and likely co-write. Creed (2015) focused on Adonis Creed, son of Rocky’s opponent turned close friend Apollo, with Rocky coming out of retirement to serve as Adonis’ trainer, allowing Stallone to play a more textured version of the character who had to battle cancer at the same time. Rumored plot for the sequel will have Adonis going up against the son of Ivan Drago, the man who killed his father in the ring in Rocky IV.

Aquaman (Dec. 21, 2018)

Jason Momoa, who first played the title superhero in November's Justice League, gets a film of his own. Arthur Curry/Aquaman, reluctant ruler of the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, finds himself torn between land dwellers who pollute the oceans and his own people who want to invade the surface world. At the same time, he must deal with enemies from within Atlantis. Co-starring are Amber Heard as Atlantis' queen, Mera; Patrick Wilson as Ocean Master, Aquaman's half-brother who plans on dethroning him; and Nicole Kidman as Atlanna, Curry's mother and the former queen of Atlantis.

Mary Poppins Returns (Dec. 25, 2018)

It's the time of the Great Depression in England in 1935, the focus is now on the grown up Jane and Michael Banks, who, along with Michael's three children, find their hope restored (Michael learning to enjoy life again after the death of his wife) when nanny Mary Poppins returns to their lives, apparently not having aged a day. Co-starring is Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Bohemian Rhapsody (Dec. 25, 2018)

This biofilm of the band Queen spans a 15-year period between Freddie Mercury's formation of the group through the 1985 performance at Live Aid (ending six years before Mercury's death from AIDS). Remi Malek, the star of Mr. Robot, plays Freddie. They will, they will, rock us!