Just as Hollywood was beginning to recover from the COVID pandemic that shut down productions for much of 2020 and 2021, two major strikes hit the world’s film capital. Strikes of both Hollywood writers and actors hampered development and halted production of most major studios’ activities, dealing another blow to theatre chains who were still struggling to return to pre-pandemic levels of business.
Movie fans were left scrambling to fill the void caused by the slowdown in new content. Some headed for the Croco casino where they could play real money casino games online while others settled for reruns and old streaming content.
In November 2023, the strikes were settled and production resumed, giving fans hope that the films that they had been anticipating would be released in the near future.
What are some of those anticipated films?
Argylle
Argylle is an action comedy which is sure to appeal to young and older viewers alike. The film centers around Elly Conway, (Bryce Dallas Howard), a novelist who lives with her cat and seldom leaves her home.
Elly’s books are fiction but an underground syndicate comes across some of her plots and decides that they hit too close to home. Elly is befriended by Aiden (Sam Rockwell) who, it turns out, is a spy who becomes intent on saving Elly and her cat Alfie from the evil syndicate and its members who have determined that Elly would be better off dead.
The author of the book upon which Argylle is based is as much a mystery as is the plot of the movie itself. The author, Elly Conway (same name as the film’s protagonist) is in hiding and has not been available for contacts. Some social media users have stated that, based on several references in the book, the author is likely entertainer Taylor Swift but the film’s production staff strongly deny the assertion.
The film is to be released on February 2, 2024 by Universal Pictures. It will then move to Apple TV.
Kung Fu Panda 4
You don’t have to be in the under-10 set to be thrilled that the fourth film in the Kung Fu Panda series is about to be released.
The franchise, that centers around a fat panda who does martial arts, continues the Kung Fu Panda tradition of offering viewers a movie that’s both funny and heartfelt amidst the impressive fight scenes. In Kung Fu Panda 4, Po faces off against a sorceress-chameleon foe while searching for a new Dragon Warrior.
His new job as spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace has him questioning the need to fight but keeping the sorceress away from his Staff of Wisdom requires all of his expertise, both as a leader and a fighter. Kung Fu 4 introduces a quick-witted corsac fox who shows Po that heroes can be found everywhere.
Hollywood megastars continue to come out to do the voice-overs for the Kung Fu Panda movies with voice overs by Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman and others.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
If ever a title gave away a movie’s plot, this one is it. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a true story about Special Operations Executive, a secret British World War II organization founded by Winston Churchill with the goal of developing into a special kind of military unit that would spend little time considering the legalities of the actions that they would need to take to win the war.
It’s said that their irregular warfare against the Nazis gave birth to modern black operations while contributing significantly to the Allies’ win over Nazi Germany.
The film is based on Damien Lewis’s 2015 book The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: How Churchill’s Secret Warriors Set Europe Ablaze and Gave Birth to Modern Black Ops. Filming has finished and the film is expected to be released in the United States on April 19, 2024.
Wicked Part I
The smash Broadway hit Wicked, a Wizard of Oz remake for the modern era, is now about to appear on the big screen.
Based on a book by Gregory Maguire, the movie follows Elphaba, a passionate political activist who fights injustice and seeks to undo the mistakes of the past. Those personal tragedies and dark secrets shape the history of Oz which fans can understand today more than ever.
Bob Marley: One Love
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Bob Marley: One Love will be released this February as a musical biographic that tells the story of the life of reggae singer and songwriter Bob Marley. Marley was a Jamaican reggae singer, songwriter and guitarist who was considered one of the pioneers of the regge genre.
Marley was best known for his distinctive vocal and songwriting style where he fused elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady. Marley was immensely impactful on young people all over the world who learned about Jamaican culture and spiritual beliefs through Marley’s practice of Rastafarianism.
Beetlejuice 2
The cult classic Beetlejuice, which was released in 1989, combined horror and comedy in a story about a family living in the home of a recently deceased couple, the couple and a demonic presence who is trying to cause chaos.
Beetlejuice 2 takes up where Beetlejuice ended as the demon Beetlejuice returns. Not much more to say except that Michael Keaton once said that the only movie that he’d come back to do was a sequel of Beetlejuice and….here he is!