We’re still a few days away from 2020, but we’re already looking forward to the movies premiering in the new year. Interestingly, there are several female-led films that are on a lot of people’s must-see lists.
First, a couple disclaimers: We’re excluding “Mulan” and “Wonder Woman 1984” in our list of female-led films we’re excited for. Liu Yifei’s support of the Hong Kong police and Gal Gadot publicly supporting Israel’s bombing of Gaza in 2014 don’t sit well with us. We’re also 50/50 on “Black Widow” because Scarlett Johansson is still defending alleged child predator Woody Allen, but we still included it because co-star Florence Pugh is a promising actress.
We see these upcoming films as a sign that empowered women are about to dominate 2020, which will continue the success of 2019 films like “Captain Marvel” and “Charlie’s Angels.”
“A Quiet Place: Part II”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbynQn2_0RU
Emily Blunt returns as Evelyn in the second installment of “A Quiet Place.” After the death of her husband, Lee (John Krasinski, who is also the director) in the first film, Evelyn is now the sole protector of their three kids in the dystopian world they’re living in. As of writing, only the teaser has been released and we still don’t know what’s going to happen. Are they going to kill all the monsters using Regan’s (Millicent Simmond) hearing aid and save everyone?
“Promising Young Woman”
This is an apt film in the #MeToo era. Carey Mulligan plays a woman who pretends to be super drunk at a bar so she can confront the predatory men who try to rape her. The trailer also hints at a potential revenge plot over a sexual assault case that happened when Mulligan’s character was still in college. It basically portrays what women are thinking when someone harasses us daily.
“Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)”
Let’s be real, “Suicide Squad” didn’t do well and the film wasn’t that great. But I’m happy to see Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) get her own spin-off movie sans her abusive ex-boyfriend Joker. Even better: Harley is going to form an all-female group to fight a crime boss in Gotham. I’ve said before that “Birds of Prey” is going to be Harley’s redemption arc and I do hope it does better than “Suicide Squad.”
“Black Widow”
As mentioned, we included “Black Widow” not because of Scarlett Johansson, but because of Florence Pugh who’s reportedly playing Yelena Belova. The film takes place before the events of “Avengers: Endgame” and we’ll get a glimpse at Natasha Romanoff’s past life, including new characters like other Black Widow agents (Pugh and Rachel Weisz) and Red Guardian (David Harbour). As early as now, there are already theories that Belova will take on Romanoff’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
“Respect”
Jennifer Hudson is about to blow us away again with her singing and acting prowess in the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect.” Franklin passed away in 2018 after battling pancreatic cancer. Her legacy as the Queen of Soul will live on forever through her songs and talented artists like Hudson paying homage to her.
“Barbie”
In January 2019, it was announced that Margot Robbie would be playing Barbie in a live-action film. It will be directed by Greta Gerwig (“Lady Bird”) and the screenplay will be by Noah Baumbach (“Marriage Story”). According to the “Barbie” IMDB page, Barbie will be expelled from her homeland and she will have to navigate through the real world. But this isn’t just going to be a regular children’s movie—Gerwig said “Barbie” will have a message of female empowerment.
Screengrab from “A Quiet Place: Part II” via YouTube
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Related stories:
Did the ‘Black Widow’ trailer just show who will replace Natasha Romanoff?
Carey Mulligan preys on predatory men in ‘Promising Young Woman’
Is Harley Quinn drunk in the ‘Birds of Prey’ teaser?
Margot Robbie is officially THE Barbie girl
