2024 Heavyweight Overseas Films Coming (Episode 5)

Gladiator 2

Release Date: November 22 (North America)

Director: Ridley Scott

Starring: Paul Maska / Pedro Pascal / Denzel Washington / Connie Nielsen / Joseph Quinn

Ridley Scott brought Napoleon in 2023, and 2024 will bring Gladiator 2.

Released in 2000 and starring Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix in the story of a great general's descent into gladiator status during the Roman Empire and his subsequent vengeance, Gladiator was an Oscar favorite that year, taking home two heavyweight awards for Best Picture and Best Actor.

Ridley Scott showed his love for epic themes and masculinity in Gladiator, so what kind of story and style will Ridley Scott bring to Gladiator 2 after so many years and nearly 70 years?

Specific details about the film are still unclear, and judging by the release date, the movie may be another favorite to win the next Oscar.

The Wicked Witch.

Release Date: November 27 (North America)

Director: Chu Ho-wai

Starring: Ariana Grande / Cynthia Erivo / Michelle Yeoh / Jonathan Bailey / Jeff Goldblum

The Wicked Witch, the new film from "The Gold Rush" director Chu Ho-wai, is scheduled for release at the end of this year.

Based on one of the most successful musicals in Broadway history, the movie features the witches Evelba and Glinda, who start out as best friends at the same school but end up taking different paths, with Glinda becoming the Good Witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz, and Evelba the so-called "Wicked Witch of the West".

The gorgeous fantasy adventure stars "A-listers" Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo (Genius season 3), joined by Michelle Yeoh. It will also be made into two parts, with the second part set to hit theaters in 2025.

THE NEW LONGWAY BOYS

Release Date: December 13 (North America)

Director: Jonathan Entwistle

Starring: Jackie Chan / Ralph Macchio

Announced some time ago by Jackie Chan to begin casting, "The New Dragon Willy Kid" is currently slated for a late 2024 release.

Released in 1984 and already remade as Kung Fu Dreams in 2010, The Kid With The Dragon Power tells the story of a young kid who finds strength in life by learning kung fu from his elders.

With a good mix of teenage growth, East-meets-West fusion, and entertainment, the first two films did well at the box office, and finding the right actor for the reboot is indeed a top priority.

With the casting and production details of the movie still unclear, we look forward to seeing Jackie Chan back on the screen once again.

The Lion King Prequel: Mufasa

Release Date: December 20th

Director: Barry Jenkins

Starring: Aaron Pierre / Kevin Harrison Jr / Seth Rogen / Billy Eichner / John Carney

The year-end finale of the animated masterpiece, Disney's "The Lion King Prequel: Mufasa".

After facing considerable controversy following 2019's "real lion version" of The Lion King, Disney has put its faith in the new technology and visual effects, and this prequel continues to utilize the real-life animation techniques of its predecessor.

The new film will feature Mufasa as the protagonist of the perfect king's exploits, and the movie looks back on the life of the great leader and grandfather from the perspective of Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nana, and is a great opportunity for fans of the story to get a rare and in-depth look at Mufasa.

Fesnolatu.

Release Date: December 25 (North America)

Director: Robert Eggers

Starring: Bill Skarsgård / Nicholas Hoult / Lily-Rose Depp / Willem Dafoe / Aaron Taylor-Johnson

What to watch at Christmas? Horror movies, of course! Christmas 2024 has been planned for you with the new production of the horror classic Fessnolatu.

A film and television classic, best known for the 1922 silent version directed by Maunau, Fessnoratus is a masterpiece of cinematic history that has had a huge impact on the horror-thriller genre for generations to come, as well as on film composition and the use of light.

After 100 years, Nosferatu will be "resurrected" with a new technology to tell the story of a vampire count who brings chilling terror to 19th century Germany.

Directed by Robert Eggers, who previously produced the unique "The Lighthouse," the film stars Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe.

Japan and Korea

The Golden Boy

Release Date: March 8 (Japan)

Director: Shusuke Kaneko

Starring: Shozo Okada / Kurokiwa / Hitoshi Hashimura / Anna Hoshino / Uno Maedede

Adapted from Bad Boys and Hidden Corner, Golden Boys is perhaps the most talked about Japanese movie in China this year.

Whether the movie can convey the spirit of the original work by arranging a complex story in a two-hour length, and what new additions the Japanese tradition of deduction can bring to the movie, are worth waiting for.

The Undertaker 0

Release Date: April 19th (Japan)

Director: Tsugumako Sato

Starring: Kenneth Yamazaki / Shota Someya / Nao / Masanobu Ando / Hiromaro Murakami

This year's big Japanese movie production, with an all-star cast, is the highly anticipated "Underworld 0".

The movie tells the story of Abe Haruaki's younger days. Abe Haruaki, who had no aspirations of becoming a yin-yang master, is accidentally caught up in the turmoil of evil conspiracies and curses in Heian-kyo in the process of solving strange events, and his fantasy adventures begin.

Starring Kenneth Yamazaki, Shota Someya, Nao, and Masanobu Ando.