If you’re tired of the constant cycle of reboots, remakes, re-imaginings, prequels, sequels and adaptations that plague the Hollywood film landscape, and would like a film based on an original idea, then this is the list for you. It’s not a complete, definitive list of the original film options this movie season, but it’s a starting point. Check out the list below for more.
White Boy Rick – September 14th
Directed by: Yann Demange
Written by: Andy Weiss, Logan Miller and Noah Miller
Genre: Biopic, Crime, Comedy-Drama
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie.
Synopsis: Set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, White Boy Rick is based on the moving true story of a blue-collar father and his teenage son, Rick Wershe Jr., who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, before he was abandoned by his handlers and sentenced to life in prison.
Night School – September 28th
Directed by: Malcolm D Lee
Written by: Kevin Hart, Harry Ratchford, Joey Wells, Matt Kellard, Nicholas Stoller and John Hamburg.
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Rob Riggle, Taran Killam, Romany Malco, Keith David and Loretta Devine.
Synopsis: Follows a group of misfits who are forced to attend adult classes in the longshot chance they’ll pass the GED exam.
Bad Times at the El Royale – October 12th
Written and Directed by: Drew Goddard
Genre: Thriller
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Hemsworth, Dakota Johnson, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Cailee Spaeny, Lewis Pullman and Nick Offerman.
Synopsis: Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe’s El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption… before everything goes to hell.
Serenity – October 19th
Written and Directed by: Steven Knight
Genre: Neo-noir, Thriller
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, Djimon Hounsou and Jason Clarke.
Synopsis: From the creative mind of Oscar nominee Steven Knight comes a daringly original, sexy, stylized thriller. Baker Dill (Matthew McConaughey) is a fishing boat captain leading tours off a tranquil, tropical enclave called Plymouth Island. His quiet life is shattered, however, when his ex-wife Karen (Anne Hathaway) tracks him down with a desperate plea for help. She begs Dill to save her – and their young son – from her new, violent husband (Jason Clarke) by taking him out to sea on a fishing excursion, only to throw him to the sharks and leave him for dead. Karen’s appearance thrusts Dill back into a life he’d tried to forget, and as he struggles between right and wrong, his world is plunged into a new reality that may not be all that it seems.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fz8nNAZ61y0
Bohemian Rhapsody – November 2nd
Directed by: Bryan Singer and Dexter Fletcher
Written by: Anthony McCarten
Genre: Biopic
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech and Mike Myers.
Synopsis: Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury’s lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music. In the process, cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like a family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.
Nobody’s Fool – November 2nd
Written and Directed by: Tyler Perry
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Tiffany Haddish, Tika Sumpter, Amber Riley, Omari Hardwick and Whoopi Goldberg.
Synopsis: Trying to get back on her feet, wild child Tanya (Tiffany Haddish) looks to her buttoned-up, by the book sister Danica (Tika Sumpter) to help her get back on track. As these polar opposites collide — with hilarious and sometimes disastrous results — Tanya discovers that Danica’s picture-perfect life — including her mysterious boyfriend — may not be what it seems.
Overlord – November 9th
Directed by: Julius Avery
Written by: Billy Ray and Mark L. Smith
Genre: Horror, War
Starring: Jovan Adepo, Wyatt Russell, Jacob Anderson, Pilou Asbæk, Iain De Caestecker, John Magaro and Bokeem Woodbine.
Synopsis: On the eve of D-Day, a group of American paratroopers are dropped behind enemy lines to carry out a mission crucial to the invasion’s success. But as they approach their target, they begin to realize there is more going on in this Nazi-occupied village than a simple military operation.
Outlaw King – November 9th (Netflix)
Directed by: David Mackenzie
Written by: David Mackenzie, Bathsheba Doran, James MacInnes, Mark Bomback and David Harrower
Genre: Action, Drama, Historical
Starring: Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh, Billy Howle and Tony Curran.
Synopsis: The untold, true story of Robert the Bruce who transforms from defeated nobleman to outlaw hero during the oppressive occupation of medieval Scotland by Edward I of England. Despite grave consequences, Robert seizes the Scottish crown and rallies an impassioned group of men to fight back against the mighty army of the tyrannical King and his volatile son, the Prince of Wales.
Instant Family – November 16th
Directed by: Sean Anders
Written by: Sean Anders and John Morris
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Octavia Spencer, Isabela Moner, Tig Notaro and Margo Martindale.
Synopsis: When Pete (Mark Wahlberg) and Ellie (Rose Byrne) decide to start a family, they stumble into the world of foster care adoption. They hope to take in one small child but when they meet three siblings, including a rebellious 15 year old girl (Isabela Moner), they find themselves speeding from zero to three kids overnight. Now, Pete and Ellie must hilariously try to learn the ropes of instant parenthood in the hopes of becoming a family.
At Eternity’s Gate – November 16th
Directed by: Julian Schnabel
Written by: Jean-Claude Carrière, Julian Schnabel and Louise Kugelberg
Genre: Drama
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac, Mads Mikkelsen, Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner and Niels Arestrup.
Synopsis: A journey inside the world and mind of a person who, despite skepticism, ridicule and illness, created some of the world’s most beloved and stunning works of art. This is not a forensic biography, but rather scenes based on Vincent van Gogh’s (Willem Dafoe) letters, common agreement about events in his life that present as facts, hearsay, and moments that are just plain invented.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs – November 16th (Netflix)
Written and Directed by: Joel Cohen and Ethan Cohen
Genre: Anthology, Western
Starring: James Franco, Brendan Gleeson, Zoe Kazan, Liam Neeson, Tim Blake Nelson and Tom Waits.
Synopsis: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a six-part Western anthology film, a series of tales about the American frontier told through the unique and incomparable voice of Joel and Ethan Coen. Each chapter tells a distinct story about the American West.
The Favourite – November 23rd
Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos
Written by: Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara
Genre: Drama
Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz.
Synopsis: At the center of the story is the Queen herself (Olivia Colman), whose relationship with her confidante, adviser and clandestine lover Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz) is turned upside down by the arrival of the Duchess’s younger cousin Abigail (Emma Stone). Soon the balance of power shifts between the women as they jockey for influence with the Queen and the court.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqYlnvghV-U
Under the Silver Lake – December 7th
Written and Directed by: David Robert Mitchell
Genre: Neo-noir
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Zosia Mamet, Jimmi Simpson, Luke Baines and Patrick Fischler.
Synopsis: Sam, an affable but aimless young man, becomes an unwitting detective who quickly finds himself in over his head as he investigates the mysterious disappearance of his beautiful neighbor, with whom he has fallen in love. As he combs through Los Angeles searching for any kind of clues he can find, he stumbles upon a larger, more sinister conspiracy than he ever imagined, involving billionaires, celebrities, urban myths, and even pop culture as we know it.
