2018 Preview: Movies

Written by Jon Williams

Happy New Year from all of us here at Midwest Tape! We’ve hit the ground running in 2018, and we’re excited to continue to bring the best in media to you, your libraries, and your patrons. With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the most anticipated movies to watch for the in the year to come.

Marvel’s Cinematic Universe kicked off ten years ago with 2008’s Iron Man, and it’s still going strong. First up, in February, is a solo adventure from Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, who first appeared in Captain America: Civil War. That leads into May’s mega superhero team-up flick, Avengers: Infinity War, which unites all Marvel’s standalone heroes and promises to bring the Guardians of the Galaxy into the mix as well. Then in July comes Ant-Man and the Wasp, the follow-up to 2015’s Ant-Man starring Paul Rudd. But that’s by no means all for comic book movies. Another Marvel favorite, the sequel to the acclaimed Deadpool is expected in June. In November, X-Men: Dark Phoenix will continue that franchise where Apocalypse left off. And the DC Comics franchise continues in December with Aquaman, the first installment since Justice League.

A big year for adaptations kicks off next month with Fifty Shades Freed, the third installment of the trilogy adapted from E.L. James’s hugely popular book series. A month after that, on the opposite end of the spectrum, comes a new version of A Wrinkle in Time, based on Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved Newbery Medal winner. March will also see Steven Speilberg’s adaptation of Ernest Cline’s rollicking near-future bestseller Ready Player One roll into theaters. In October, The Girl in the Spider’s Web goes from the page to the screen, picking up the Millennium Series where David Lagercrantz took over following Stieg Larsson’s passing. And although not technically an adaptation, the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, coming in November, will expand the wizarding world set forth in J.K. Rowling’s classic Harry Potter novels.

Then there are the sequels and reboots. One of the biggest will be May’s Solo, the second standalone Star Wars story after 2016’s Rogue One, this time detailing the backstory of everyone’s favorite scoundrel and scruffy-looking nerfherder, Han Solo. In June, Ocean’s 8 will bring an all-female crew to the beloved heist movies. Later that month, the long-awaited sequel to Disney Pixar’s The Incredibles finally arrives, and the next Jurassic World installment will wreak its havoc as well. The Purge horror series gets an origin story with The Purge: The Island, due on Independence Day. In October, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga feature in a new iteration of A Star Is Born. Michael B. Jordan returns for a second Creed film, an offshoot of the Rocky franchise, in November. Then, on Christmas Day comes Mary Poppins Returns, a sequel to the 1964 Disney classic starring Emily Blunt as the titular nanny and Lin-Manuel Miranda as her sidekick.

That’s just scratching the surface of all the big movies coming our way in 2018. Next week we’ll take a look at what else we have to look forward to in pop culture. In the meantime, let us know what you’re looking forward to the most, and count on us to keep you informed on when all these blockbusters—and everything else the new year has to offer—will be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD.