Will 2009 be the year that 3-D movies finally come of age and captivate audiences? Will old-school characters like Robin Hood and Sherlock Holmes bury comic book characters at the cineplex, or will sci-fi and superheroes continue to slap the box office upside the head?
And who the heck is Sam Worthington? (Hint: He stars in two of the year's most-anticipated movies.)
Wired.com's 2009 Movie Guide takes a look at 13 intriguing flicks due out next year, including J.J. Abrams' younger, faster Star Trek (pictured above, lower left); James Cameron's long-awaited 3-D epic Avatar; Hugh Jackman's return as the title character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine (above, upper right); the first Arnold-free Terminator film; Wolfman as re-fanged by Benicio Del Toro; Kate Beckinsale-in-a-parka Antarctic crime flick Whiteout; and Spike Jonez's reworking of Where the Wild Things Are (above, lower right).
As always, release dates may change, especially in the case of Watchmen (pictured above, upper left), Warner Bros.' highly anticipated superhero movie that must clear a huge legal hurdle to make its slated March 6 screen date. The potentially fascinating movies listed below appear in chronological order according to their currently scheduled release dates.
