Red Sparrow

Director Francis Lawrence

Genre Thriller

Cast Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Mary-Louise Parker, Matthias Schoenaerts

Rating R

Release Date March 2nd, 2018

“Ballerina Dominika Egorova is recruited to ‘Sparrow School’ a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. But her first mission, targeting a CIA agent, threatens to unravel the security of both nations.”

From director Francis Lawrence (Constantine, I Am Legend, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1), Red Sparrow is a spy thriller about a Russian intelligence officer assigned to target a CIA agent, creating a whirling of trouble. The cast includes Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Mary-Louise Parker, and Matthias Schoenaerts. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Red Sparrow:

• This would be the 3rd time for Jennifer Lawrence and Francis Lawrence to work together. The Hunger Games series (2013-2015) and The Dive precede this project.
• Film debut of Ukranian ballet dancer Sergei Polunin.
• Jennifer Lawrence got into a bar fight in Budapest while filming this movie.

Death Wish

Director Eli Roth

Genre Action | Crime | Drama

Cast Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, Camila Morrone

Rating R

Release Date March 2nd, 2018

“Dr. Paul Kersey is an experienced trauma surgeon, a man who has spent his life saving lives. After an attack on his family, Paul must embark on his own mission for justice.”

From director Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel, The Green Inferno), Death Wish is a revenge thriller about a man forced into becoming a violent killing machine. The trailers are pretty intense and Roth is known to push the envelope with his movies so I am looking forward to this. The cast includes Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Elisabeth Shue, and Jack Kesy. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Death Wish:

• Actors considered for the role of Paul Kersey included Liam Neeson, Russell Crowe, Matt Damon, Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, Will Smith, and Brad Pitt. Bruce Willis was chosen to star in the end.
• Originally conceived by Joe Carnahan in 2012, the film was set to star The Grey (2011) leads Liam Neeson and Frank Grillo. However, Carnahan withdrew from production when the studio preferred casting Bruce Willis in the role of Paul Kersey over Neeson.

Atlanta: Robbin' Season

Genre Comedy | Drama

Cast Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere March 1st, 2018 10:00 PM EST (FX)

“Earn and his cousin Alfred are trying to make their way up in the world through the rap scene. Along the way they come face to face with social and economic issues touching on race, relationships, poverty, status and parenthood.”

Created by star Donald Glover, Atlanta is a comedy drama series on FX that is unique in a variety of ways, but most importantly it is extremely entertaining. The cast includes Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz. Check out the official trailer for the upcoming 2nd season below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, FX's Atlanta:

• Paperboi's hit song "Paperboi" is performed in real life by Donald Glover's brother, Steve G. Lover.
• According to Donald Glover, the show is "Twin Peaks with rappers."

The Looming Tower

Genre Drama

Cast Sullivan Jones, Kelly P. Williams, Katie Flahive, Jenny Paul

Rating TV-MA

Series Premiere Wednesday, February 28th, 2018 (Hulu)

“Tracing the rising threat of Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, it takes a controversial look at how the rivalry between the CIA and FBI inadvertently might have set the stage for the tragedy of 9/11 and the war in Iraq.”

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower is a drama chronicling the discord between the FBI and CIA that may have inadvertently lead to the tragic events of 9/11. The cast includes Sullivan Jones, Kelly P. Williams, Katie Flahive, and Jenny Paul. Check out the official trailer for the Hulu original series below!!

They Remain

Director Philip Gelatt

Genre Thriller

Cast William Jackson Harper, Rebecca Henderson

Rating Unrated

Release Date March 2nd, 2018 (Limited)

“Two scientists who share a romantic history are tasked with investigating unnatural animal behaviour on the site of a Manson Family-style cult’s compound.”

From director Philip Gelatt, They Remain is a thriller about two scientists investigating reports of unnatural animal behavior on the grounds of a Manson-Family style cult compound. The cast includes William Jackson Harper and Rebecca Henderson. Check out the official trailer below!!

Like Me

Director Robert Mockler

Genre Crime | Drama

Cast Addison Timlin, Ian Nelson, Larry Fassenden, Jeremy Gardner

Rating Unrated

Release Date February 20th, 2018 (Limited & On-Demand)

“A young woman sets out on a crime spree that she broadcasts on social media.”

Written and directed by Robert Mockler, his directorial and writing debut, Like Me is a uniquely twisted and visually satisfying film about a young woman who sets out on a crime spree and broadcasts the entire thing on social media. The cast includes Addison Timlin, Ian Nelson, Larry Fassenden, and Jeremy Gardner. Check out the official trailer below!!

Foxtrot

Director Samuel Maoz

Genre Drama

Cast Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Yonaton Shiray, Shira Haas

Rating Unrated

Release Date March 2nd, 2018 (Limited)

“A troubled family face the facts when something goes terribly wrong at their son’s desolate military post.”

Written and directed by Samuel Maoz, Foxtrot is a drama about a family that is forced to face the facts when something goes terribly wrong at their son's desolate military post. The cast includes Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Yonaton Shiray, and Shira Haas. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Foxtrot:

• Israel's submission to the Foreign Language Film Award of the 90th Annual Academy Awards.
  According to Samuel Maoz, the film was concieved as three episodes: The first sequence should shock and shake, the second should hypnotise, and the third should be moving.

Game Night

Director John Frances Daley, Jonathan Goldstein

Genre Comedy | Mystery

Cast Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Jesse Plemons, Kyle Chandler

Rating R

Release Date February 23rd, 2018

“A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery.”

From directors John Frances Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, Game Night is a comedy mystery about a group of friends who meet for a regularly scheduled game night and end up knee deep in a murder mystery. The stellar cast includes Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Jesse Plemons, and Kyle Chandler. Check out the official trailers below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Game Night:

• This will be the second film that Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams star in together. The first was State of Play (2009).
• Filming location - RiRa Irish Pub, 1010 peachtree Street. NE, Atlanta, GA. APRIL, 4, 2017.

Annihilation

Director Alex Garland

Genre Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

Cast Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Oscar Isaac

Rating R

Release Date February 23rd, 2018

“A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.”

Co-written and directed by Alex Garland who had a successful directorial debut with the sci-fi thriller Ex Machina, Annihilation is an action adventure fantasy based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer, about a biologist who signs up for a secret and very dangerous expedition. The cast includes Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, and Oscar Isaac. Check out the official trailers below!!  

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Annihilation:

• Based on the first book in the Southern Reach trilogy.
• Oscar Issac and Sonoya Mizuno previously starred together in Ex Machina, written and directed by Alex Garland.

Mute

Director Duncan Jones

Genre Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Cast Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, Seyneb Saleh

Rating Unrated

Release Date February 23rd, 2018 (Netflix)

“A mute bartender goes up against his city’s gangsters in an effort to find out what happened to his missing partner.”

From director Duncan Jones (Source Code, Warcraft: The Beginning), Mute is a sci-fi thriller about a mute bartender who goes toe to toe with the city's gangsters in an effort to find out what happened to his partner. The cast includes Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, and Seyneb Saleh. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Mute:

• According to Duncan Jones, this movie is the first project he suggested to Sam Rockwell, but it was considered too big and thus "Moon" was made as the first movie.
• The film has been described by Jones as a "spiritual sequel" to his 2009 film Moon

Seven Seconds

Genre Crime | Drama

Cast Regina King, Russell Hornsby, Clare-Hope Ashitey

Rating Unrated

Series Premiere February 23rd, 2018 (Netflix)

“Tensions run high between African American citizens and Caucasian cops in Jersey City when a teenage African American boy is critically injured by a cop.”

Created by Veena Sud (Cold Case, The Killing), Seven Seconds is a crime drama about racial and political tension that boils over after a teenage African American boy is critically injured by a police officer in Jersey City. The cast includes Regina King, Russell Hornsby, and Clare-Hope Ashitey. Check out the official trailer below!!

The Cured

Director David Freyne

Genre Horror

Cast Ellen Page, Peter Campion, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Sam Keeley

Rating R

Release Date February 23rd, 2018 (Limited)

“A disease that turns people into zombies has been cured. The once-infected zombies are discriminated against by society and their own families, which causes social issues to arise. This leads to militant government interference.”

Written and directed by David Freyne, his feature film directorial debut, The Cured is a tense horror thriller about a zombie outbreak that is eventually cured, leading to a traumatic existence for those that survived the disease. The cast includes Ellen Page, Peter Campion, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, and Sam Keeley. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The Cured:

• Some of the scenes were filmed in the old Belfast victorian prison called the Crumlin jail.
• Lead actress Ellen Page bought the entire production crew pancakes on the final day of filming.

Every Day

Director Michael Sucsy

Genre Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Cast Angourie Rice, Justice Smith, Jeni Ross, Lucas Jade Zumann

Rating PG-13

Release Date February 23rd, 2018 (Limited)

“A shy teenager falls for someone who transforms into another person every day.”

From director Michael Sucsy (The Vow), Every Day is a drama romance  about a shy teenager that falls for someone who transforms into a different person every day. The cast includes Angourie Rice, Justice Smith, Jeni Ross, and Lucas Jade Zumann. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Every Day:

• This film is based off the young adult novel Every Day by David Levithan.
• Author David Levithan is the recipient of three Lambda Literary Awards, for his books Boy Meets Boy (2003), The Full Spectrum (2006), and Two Boys Kissing (2013).

Beast of Burden

Director Jesper Ganslandt

Genre Action | Crime | Drama

Cast Daniel Radcliffe, Grace Gummer, Pablo Schreiber, Robert Wisdom

Rating R

Release Date February 23rd, 2018 (Limited)

“Sean Haggerty only has an hour to deliver his illegal cargo. An hour to reassure a drug cartel, a hitman, and the DEA that nothing is wrong. An hour to make sure his wife survives. And he must do it all from the cockpit of his Cessna.”

From director Jesper Ganslandt (The Ape, Blondie), Beast of Burden is a edge-of-your seat thriller about a man who has an hour to accomplish the impossible. The cast includes Daniel Radcliffe, Grace Gummer, Pablo Schreiber, and Robert Wisdom. Check out the official trailer below!!

Black Panther

Director Ryan Coogler

Genre Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Cast Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Martin Freeman

Rating PG-13

Release Date February 16th, 2018

“T’Challa, 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.”

From one of my favorite young up-and-coming directors Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed), Black Panther is the highly anticipated Marvel film that fans have been holding their collective breaths for. The more I look at images from the film the more excited I get, this is going to be so damn good. The cast includes Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, and Martin Freeman. Check out the official and admittedly AMAZING trailers below!! You're welcome.

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Black Panther:

• Actor Wesley Snipes was once attached to play the lead in Black Panther during the 1990s when it was in development at Columbia Pictures. Snipes even wrote a script treatment for the movie.
• The Black Panther was created in July 1966, two months before the founding of the Black Panther Party.
• This will mark Director Ryan Coogler's third collaboration with actor Michael B. Jordan after Fruitvale Station (2013) and Creed (2015).

Early Man

Director Nick Park

Genre Animation | Adventure | Comedy

Cast Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne, Maisie Williams, Richard Ayoade

Rating PG

Release Date February 16th, 2018

“Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, Early Man tells the story of Dug, along with sidekick Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth and his Bronze Age City to save their home.”

From director Nick Park (Chicken Run), Early Man is a animated comedy about a man named Dug who is trying to fight for his home during the dawn of time. The cast includes Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne, Maisie Williams, and Richard Ayoade. Check out the exclusive trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, Early Man:

• This will mark the first feature film that Nick Park will have directed by himself. Chicken Run (2000) and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) he directed alongside Peter Lord and Steve Box respectively.
• Timothy Spall, Mark Williams and Eddie Redmayne all have played characters in the "Harry Potter" universe. Spall played Peter Pettigrew, Williams played Mr. Weasley, and Redmayne played Newt Scamander(in "Fantastic Beasts", the prequel to the HP series).

The Boy Downstairs

Director Sophie Brooks

Genre Comedy | Drama | Romance

Cast Zosia Mamet, Matthew Shear, Deirdre O'Connell, Sarah Ramos

Rating PG-13

Release Date February 16th, 2018 (Limited)

“A young woman is forced to reflect on her first relationship when she inadvertently moves into her ex-boyfriend’s apartment building.”

Written and directed by Sophie Brooks, her directorial debut, The Boy Downstairs is a romantic comedy about a young woman forced to relive her first relationship after inadvertently moving in to her ex-boyfriends apartment building. The cast includes Zosia Mamet (Girls), Matthew Shear, Deirdre O'Connell, and Sarah Ramos. Check out the official trailer below!! 

Irreplaceable You

Director Stephanie Laing

Genre Comedy | Drama | Romance

Cast Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kate McKinnon, Claire Holt, Michael Huisman

Rating Unrated

Release Date February 16th, 2018 (Netflix)

“A couple who have known each other since 8 are destined to be together until death do them apart.”

From director Stephanie Laing, who served as a producer for HBO's Eastbound & Down, Veep, Vice Principals, and Divorce, Irreplaceable You is a romantic comedy drama about a couple that has been destined to be together since they were 8 years old until death threatens to rip them apart. The cast includes Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Kate McKinnon, Claire Holt, and Michael Huisman. Check out the official trailer below!!

Nostalgia

Director Mark Pellington

Genre Drama

Cast Jon Hamm, Katherine Keener, John Ortiz, Nick Offerman

Rating R

Release Date February 16th, 2018 (Limited)

“A mosaic of stories about love and loss, ‘Nostalgia’ explores our relationships to the objects, artifacts, and memories that shape our lives.”

Co-written and directed by Mark Pellington, Nostalgia is a drama that includes multiple stories that explore feelings and relationships that help shape our lives. Honestly, I have no idea what any of that stuff means BUT the cast includes Jon Hamm, Nick Offerman, and Bruce Dern, and the trailer looks pretty good, so count me in! The full cast includes Jon Hamm, Katherine Keener, John Ortiz, Nick Offerman, and Bruce Dern. Check out the official trailer below!!

The 15:17 to Paris

Director Clint Eastwood

Genre Drama | History

Cast Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Judy Greer

Rating R

Release Date February 9th, 2018

“Three Americans discover a terrorist plot aboard a train while in France.”

From director Clint Eastwood, The 15:17 to Paris is a drama based on true events telling the story of the attempted terrorist attack on a train bound for Paris. I am a huge fan of Eastwood's work behind the camera so I am looking forward to checking this one out. The cast includes the real heroes Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, and Alek Skarlatos, as well as Judy Greer. Check out the official trailer below!!

Ted Takes Fun Facts, The 15:17 to Paris:

• The film is based on the book The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes.
• On July 11, 2017, it was announced that Eastwood had cast Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone as themselves in the film which will "begin during their childhood and show their friendship leading up to the moment that changed their lives".