Now comes the moment of truth for George Clooney, Guillermo del Toro, Angelina Jolie and many more. Now comes the real start of awards season.
While awards contenders have been released so far this year — including “Get Out,” “The Big Sick,” “War for the Planet of the Apes,” “Detroit” and especially “Dunkirk” — the season really arrives with the Venice, Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals, which hit back-to-back-to-back and bring with them dozens of movies that hope to be in the awards conversation from now until Oscar night.
Venice, which began on Wednesday, was the first out of the gate, and it launched with Alexander Payne’s “Downsizing,” a sci-fi-ish comedy starring Matt Damon that immediately won rave reviews.
Venice will also showcase Damon in George Clooney’s “Suburbicon,” a comedy written by the Coen brothers that figures to contain their usual dark wit. And it’ll show a pair of genre films that might be far more than generic, Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” which has as much advance buzz as any film coming into the season, and Darren Aronofsky’s “Mother!” a horror film starring Jennifer Lawrence.
The festival will also screen “Victoria & Adbul,” which reunites director Stephen Frears with his “Philomena” star Judi Dench; Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” the latest bit of black comedy from the Irish playwright and director; Paolo Virzi’s “The Leisure Seekers,” starring Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland”; and Andrew Haigh’s “Lean on Pete,” with Charlie Plummer and Chloe Sevigny.
On Friday, Telluride kicks off in the mountains of Colorado. The four-day boutique festival doesn’t announce its lineup ahead of time, but it is expected to world premiere Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ “Battle of the Sexes,” about the 1973 tennis match between Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) and Billie Jean King (Emma Stone); Joe Wright’s “Darkest Hour,” starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill on the eve of World War II; Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” starring Saoirse Ronan; Scott Cooper’s period western “Hostiles,” with Christian Bale; and Angelina Jolie’s “First They Killed My Father,” a young girl’s story from the murderous Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia that was shot in that country and is entirely in Cambodian.
The Toronto International Film Festival, which begins on Sept. 7, three days after Telluride ends and three days before Venice ends, will have many of those same films, providing a bigger platform of viewers and international press than the contenders received at the more rarefied fests.
Its own world premieres will include Andy Serkis’ “Breathe,” with Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy; Aaron Sorkin’s “Molly’s Game,” with Jessica Chastain as the woman who ran a high-stakes, star-studded poker game in Los Angeles for years; Susannah White’s “Woman Walks Ahead,” which also stars Chastain, this time as the white woman who became one of Sitting Bull’s chief confidants; Hany Abu-Assad’s “The Mountain Between Us,” a survival story with Kate Winslet and Idris Elba; David Gordon Green’s Boston Marathon bombing drama “Stronger,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal; Neil Burger’s “The Upside,” a remake of the French hit “The Intouchables” with Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart; Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s “The Current War,” with Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison and Michael Shannon as his rival George Westinghouse; and “Kings,” “Mustang” director Deniz Gamze Erguven’s look at the 1992 Los Angeles riots, starring Halle Berry and Daniel Craig.
Other TIFF premieres include Ben Lewin’s “The Catcher Was a Spy,” Haifaa Al Mansour’s “Mary Shelley,” Richard Eyre’s “The Children Act,” Mike White’s “Brad’s Status,” Craig Gillespie’s “I, Tonya,” Wim Wenders’ “Submergence” and Angela Robinson’s “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women,” the timely tale of William Moulton Marston, the creator of the Wonder Woman character.
Rumors persist that “Nightcrawler” director Dan Gilroy will come to Toronto with his upcoming drama “Roman Israel, Esq.,” although that Denzel Washington film has yet to be announced.
Most of those films have yet to be screened in any significant way, and will come out of the festivals with their awards credentials either burnished or tarnished. If history serves, there will be more of the later than the former.
Still, “Downsizing” got awards season off to a positive start, and the films that from this vantage point seem likeliest to join it in the Best Picture race could be “The Shape of Water,” “Darkest Hour,” “Battle of the Sexes” and “Suburbicon.”
If you’re looking for dark horses, they could come in the form of “First They Killed My Father,” which would be the first foreign-language film since “Amour” to contend for Best Picture; “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” which McDonagh’s history suggests would be blacker and more violent than the usual best-pic fare; and Woody Allen’s “Wonder Wheel,” which closes the New York Film Festival in October and could capitalize on lingering affection for the controversial director and on what is reportedly a powerhouse performance from Kate Winslet.
Richard Linklater’s “Last Flag Flying” is also a potential sleeper out of NYFF, a sequel of sorts to “The Last Detail” starring Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne.
And after New York, the stragglers will continue to be released until Christmas Day. The 800-pound gorilla of that bunch is clearly Steven Spielberg’s “The Post,” his story of the Washington Post’s battle with the government over the Pentagon Papers; a serious Spielberg movie about conflict between the press and the presidency could hardly be timelier, even if it is set in the early 1970s.
Paul Thomas Anderson has been less of an Academy favorite since “There Will Be Blood,” but his untitled (and reportedly steamy) film about the fashion industry could obviously be a major player, as could Michael Gracey’s P.T. Barnum biopic “The Greatest Showman,” Denis Villeneuve’s “Blade Runner 2049” and Ridley Scott’s “All the Money in the World,” a crime drama about the 1973 kidnapping of John Paul Getty III.
So who’s got the inside track? Who knows? At the moment I could see a best-picture lineup that includes “Dunkirk,” “The Post,” “All the Money in the World,” “Downsizing,” “The Shape of Water,” “Darkest Hour,” “Battle of the Sexes,” “Roman Israel, Esq.” and “Suburbicon” — but only one of those films has been seen by more than a handful of voters, so we’re still firmly in the “nobody knows anything” phase of awards season.
Check back in two weeks, though. The landscape is about to change, quickly and dramatically.
34 Fall Movies to Obsess Over, From 'Justice League' to 'Wonder' (Photos)
Coming in hot -- and in arguably much higher volume than this past summer -- are a slew of autumn movies to be psyched about this year. From Halloween-time horror to Oscar hopefuls, browse through for TheWrap's lengthy list of 34 fall movies worth obsessing over.
"IT" (Sept. 8)
This horror remake, based on the Stephen King book of the same name, has been at the top of our must-see list for a long while. Starring Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise the Clown, "It" will finally hit theaters on Sept. 8 (and scare the bejeezus out of all of us).
Initially shrouded in secrecy, this Darren Aronofsky thriller stars Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as a couple whose relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home. The film also features performances from Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris.
Paramount
"First They Killed My Father" (Sept. 15)
Angelina Jolie directs this film based on Loung Ung's memoir of the same name. It is the Cambodian author's personal account of her experiences during the Khmer Rouge era, from the late 1960s to the late 1990s -- when the communist group rose to power.
Netflix
"Kingsman: The Golden Circle" (Sept. 22)
The first "Kingsman" brought in more than $414 million worldwide. Now, its sequel sees protagonists of the spy series return, also welcoming new faces with Elton John and Channing Tatum.
Fox
"Victoria & Abdul" (Sept. 22)
Judi Dench stars as Queen Victoria in this fall drama, also featuring Ali Fazal as Abdul Karim, a young clerk who finds favor with the Queen herself.
Focus Features
"Battle of the Sexes" (Sept. 22)
Emma Stone and Steve Carell star in the film about the 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Fox Searchlight
"American Made" (Sept. 29)
Tom Cruise in another action movie? Sign us up! In this one he plays a CIA agent intertwined in the birth of the Reagan-era Medellin drug cartel.
Universal
"Blade Runner 2049" (Oct. 6)
1982's "Blade Runner" underperformed when it first opened, but has since become a cult hit. Its long-coming sequel is highly anticipated -- and Ryan Gosling in the lead can't hurt, either. (Yes, Harrison Ford, star of the original, returns, too.)
Warner Bros.
"Florida Project" (Oct. 6)
This Cannes favorite follows six-year-old Moonee as she lives at a motel in Florida with her rebellious mother.
A24
"Goodbye Christopher Robin" (Oct. 13)
"Goodbye Christopher Robin" stars Margot Robbie and Domhnall Gleeson in a biographical account f A. A. Milne and his son, Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired Milne to write the book which became known as the Winnie the Pooh stories.
Fox Searchlight
"Happy Death Day" (Oct. 13)
Simply put: This movie just looks epic. A horror film a la "Groundhog Day," where a girl is stuck in a time loop and must find her killer -- who tries to murder her every. single. day.
Universal
"The Snowman" (Oct. 20)
Michael Fassbender plays detective Harry Hole in this thriller about a serial killer who murders women. It also stars Charlotte Gainsbourg and J.K. Simmons.
Universal
"Wonderstruck" (Oct. 20)
Todd Haynes' drama featuring two, intertwining stories about different children, set 50 years apart, has been highly anticipated among film buffs for a while, now.
Amazon Studios
"Suburbicon" (Oct. 27)
George Clooney directs this upcoming crime comedy, in which Matt Damon, Oscar Isaac and Julianne Moore star.
This coming-of-age drama stars Margaret Qualley and Dianna Agron and had its world premiere at Sundance. It follows a young nun in training who struggles with issues of faith and sexuality in the 1960s and marks Maggie Betts' narrative feature directorial debut.
Sony Pictures Classics
"Professor Marston & The Wonder Women" (Oct. 27)
A true story about the life of William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans), who created Wonder Woman in 1941, this film follows his wife and fellow inventor Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall). Bella Heathcote stars as Olive Byrne, a former student of Marston’s, with whom the married couple had a polyamorous relationship. The log line adds that Marston was the inventor of the lie detector and that the inspiration behind Wonder Woman was his wife and Byrne.
Annapurna
"Thor: Ragnarok" (Nov.3)
Marvel and Chris Hemsworth. Enough said. Oh, Queen Cate Blanchett stars as the villain and Tessa Thompson ("Creed," "Dear White People") has a part, too.
STX's "Bad Moms" received mixed reviews but ended up grossing $183 million worldwide, so a sequel was greenlit pretty quickly. The movie will star Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell and Kathryn Hahn again in the role of three mothers who bond together... again.
STX
"Murder on the Orient Express" (Nov. 10)
Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad and Michelle Pfeiffer round out the stars in this remake based on an Agatha Christie novel.
Fox
"Justice League" (Nov. 17)
After the success of "Wonder Woman," we can hardly wait to see Gal Gadot kick a-- alongside Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa. How will the multiple rumors, reshoots and director switch-ups impact the movie? We'll all just have to flock to the theater to find out.
Warner Bros.
"Wonder" (Nov. 17)
If the trailer hasn't broken your heart, you have no soul. Plus, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Jacob Tremblay star in this movie about Auggie Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade in a mainstream elementary school for the first time.
Lionsgate
"Molly's Game" (Nov. 22)
Jessica Chastain stars as Molly Bloom in Aaron Sorkin's directorial debut. Bloom was a former skier who found herself running the world’s biggest underground poker game at a young age. Bloom catered to Hollywood’s elite, which included hordes of famous actors and directors, as well as mobsters and business moguls.
STX
"Death Wish" (Nov. 22)
Eli Roth is directing the remake of 1974's "Death Wish," in which Bruce Willis stars as a New York man-turned-vigilante, looking to find his wife's killers. Plus, the last time we saw Willis was in -- SPOILER ALERT -- "Split."
MGM
"Coco" (Nov. 22)
“Coco” stars Anthony Gonzalez as Miguel, a Mexican boy who longs to be a musician like his idol and great-great-grandfather, Ernesto De La Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), despite his family’s ban on music. He gets whisked away to the Land of the Dead, where he meets a trickster named Hector (Gael Garcia Bernal) and uncovers the reason why his family no longer allows music. The film is written and directed by Lee Unkrich, who won an Oscar as director of "Toy Story 3."
Pixar
"The Current War" (Nov. 24)
This retelling of the rivalry between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Shannon, Tom Holland and Katherine Waterston. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon directs the film, set in the late 1880s.
The Weinstein Company
"Call Me by Your Name" (Nov. 24)
After receiving rave reviews at Sundance earlier this year, the film starring Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet is finally heading for a Nov. 24 release. It follows an American teenager(Chalamet) living in Italy with his family. They take in a handsome American student (Hammer), who serves as an academic assistant. The two men fall into a sumptuous romance against the backdrop of the gorgeous Italian countryside.
Sony Pictures Classics
"The Disaster Artist" (Dec. 1)
A movie about one of the worst movies ever made? "The Disaster Artist" stars James Franco, who also directs and produces. It chronicles the making of Tommy Wiseau's 2003 cult film "The Room," and has been one of the most anticipated movies since it was announced in 2014.
A24
"Wonder Wheel" (Dec. 1)
Woody Allen is back with "Wonder Wheel," which stars Justin Timberlake, Kate Winslet, Juno Temple and Jim Belushi. It is set in the late 1950s at Coney Island. It's about a lifeguard who tells the story of a middle-aged carousel operator and his beleaguered wife.
Guillermo del Toro is back with yet another fantastical film. The gorgeous looking “The Shape of Water” tells the story of a mute janitor who befriends a mysterious sea creature being studied in a lab. It stars Michael Shannon, Doug Jones, Octavia Spencer and Sally Hawkins.
Do we really need to explain why you might be obsessed with this movie? After "The Force Awakens" became the third highest grossing film globally and the highest domestic grossing film, we can't wait to see what "The Last Jedi" brings to the table.
Although fans weren't too stoked about a remake of Robin Williams' "Jumanji," Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson squashed all fears by telling fans it won't be a reboot, but rather a continuation of the story. And let's be honest, we're all in when it comes to The Rock. It also stars Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Kevin Hart.
Footage shown at CinemaCon about this film -- starring Kristen Wiig and Matt Damon -- was met with excitement. It follows a couple as they decide to downsize -- literally, become smaller. It is written and directed by Alexander Payne, whose credits include "The Descendants."
David Ayer and Max Landis team up for "Bright," set in a world where mystical creatures live side-by-side with humans. Will Smith and Joel Edgerton star. The movie is highly anticipated among Ayer fans, since "Suicide Squad" kind of -- well -- bombed in the eyes of his devotees.
Hugh Jackman stars as P.T. Barnum — the man behind the game-changing Barnum & Bailey Circus -- in "The Greatest Showman." Footage of the movie, also starring Zendaya and Zac Efron, got a glowing response at CinemaCon earlier this year -- sure to round out a great slate for the fall movie season.
The season starts with ”It“ and ends with a bang in ”The Greatest Showman“
Coming in hot -- and in arguably much higher volume than this past summer -- are a slew of autumn movies to be psyched about this year. From Halloween-time horror to Oscar hopefuls, browse through for TheWrap's lengthy list of 34 fall movies worth obsessing over.