The summer film season has come to an end and we head into the autumn with some fantastic movies on the horizon.
The Girl With All The Gifts
September is going to be another great movie month with a whole host of films that you really cannot afford to miss. We take a look at some of the standout movies over the next few weeks.
- Morgan - released 2nd September
This week Morgan is set to hit the big screen and is one of the science fiction films not to miss this September if you are a fan of the genre.
The movie marks the feature film directorial debut for Luke Scott - son of Ridley Scott - as he makes the leap from television and short film projects.
The filmmaker has brought together an impressive cast as Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rose Leslie, Michael Yare, Toby Jones, Michelle Yeoh, Brian Cox, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Paul Giamatti are all set to star.
This is another major role for Taylor-Joy, who saw her star rocket earlier this year for her central performance in The Witch - it is good to see her back and tackling a very different role.
A corporate troubleshooter (Mara) is sent to a remote, top-secret location, where she is to investigate and evaluate a terrifying accident. She learns the event was triggered by a seemingly innocent 'human,' who presents a mystery of both infinite promise and incalculable danger.
Luke Scott is set to be one of the up and coming filmmakers to keep an eye on over the next few years and Morgan is set to be a solid start to his film career.
- Blair Witch - released 15th September
There are quite a lot of horror movies on the horizon throughout the autumn, but Blair Witch is perhaps the most talked about.
Blair Witch is a direct sequel to The Blair Witch Project and was a film project that was kept quiet by Lionsgate and director Adam Wingard - called The Woods when it went into production.
Wingard has brought us movies such as What Fun We Were Having and You're Next and Blair Witch is his first feature film since The Guest in 2014.
James Allen McCune takes on the central role of James, who sets out to find out what happened to his sister twenty years earlier. McCune is joined on the cast list Corbin Reid, Wes Robinson, Valorie Curry, Callie Hernandez, and Brandon Scott.
It's been 20 years since James's sister and her two friends vanished into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland while researching the legend of the Blair Witch, leaving a trail of theories and suspicions in their wake. James (McCune and his friends Peter (Scott), Ashley (Reid) and film student Lisa (Hernandez) venture into the same woods each with a camera to uncover the mysteries surrounding their disappearance.
At first, the group is hopeful, especially when a pair of locals Lane (Robinson) and Talia (Curry) offer to act as guides through the dark and winding woods. But as the endless night wears on, the group is visited by a menacing presence. Slowly, they begin to realize the legend is all too real and more sinister than they could have imagined.
There is now a lot of buzz surrounding this film but it has a lot to live up to and will be instantly compared to The Blair Witch Project, which was released back in 1999.
- Bridget Jones's Baby - released 16th September
It was back in 2001 when Renee Zellweger took on the role of Bridget Jones for the first time in Bridget Jones's Diary with the sequel following three years later.
Over a decade on, and Zellweger is back as Bridget Jones's Baby is set to hit the big screen this month.
The movie is based on the characters created by author Helen Fielding and she has teamed up with Emma Thompson and Dan Mazer to pen the film's screenplay.
Bridget Jones's Diary filmmaker Sharon Maguire returns to the director's chair for the latest film; it is her first feature since Incendiary back in 2008.
Zellweger is not the only familiar face on the cast list as Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones, Shirley Henderson, and Sally Phillips are all back.
Patrick Dempsey and Emma Thompson are the big new additions to the cast list as they will be introduced as Jack Qwant and Dr. Rawling for the first time.
After breaking up with Mark Darcy (Firth), Bridget Jones's (Zellweger) 'happily ever after' hasn't quite gone according to plan. Fortysomething and single again, she decides to focus on her job as a top news producer and surround herself with old friends and new.
For once, Bridget has everything completely under control. What could possibly go wrong? Then her love life takes a turn and Bridget meets a dashing American named Jack (Dempsey), the suitor who is everything Mr. Darcy is not.
So far, the Bridget Jones franchise has grossed $544 million at the global box office and this latest instalment could be the most successful film to date.
- The Magnificent Seven - released 23rd September
The Western is not a film genre that we see an awful lot of but, in recent years, it has been enjoying something of a resurgence. This September, The Magnificent Seven is the latest Western to hit the big screen.
The movie is a remake of the 1960 film of the same name, which was a remake of Seven Samurai, and sees Antoine Fuqua back in the director's chair for the first time since Southpaw.
The Magnificent Seven sees Fuqua reunite with Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke, with whom he worked on Training Day. This is his third feature with Washington - the duo also teamed up for The Equalizer.
Chris Pratt, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Martin Sensmeier make up the Magnificent Seven while Haley Bennett, Peter Sarsgaard, Luke Grimes, Matt Bomer, and Cam Gigandet are also on board.
With the sleepy town of Rose Creek under the deadly control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns - Sam Chisolm (Washington), Josh Farraday (Pratt), Goodnight Robicheaux (Hawke), Jack Horne (D'Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Lee), Vasquez (Garcia-Rulfo), and Red Harvest (Sensmeier). As they prepare the town for the violent showdown that they know is coming, these seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.
The Magnificent Seven is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it will play on opening night, before opening worldwide. The movie will also close the Venice International Film Festival.
- The Girl With All The Gifts - released 23rd September
We are going to see a whole host of books adapted into movies this autumn and The Girl With All The Gifts is one that's not to be missed this September.
The movie is based on the book of the same name by Mike Carey - who has adapted his own novel into a screenplay - and sees Colm McCarthy in the director's chair.
The Girl With All The Gifts is the first feature film for McCarthy since Outcast back in 2010. He is best known for his television work with Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Peaky Blinders under his belt.
The director has brought together a great cast as Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close, and Paddy Considine are all set to star. We will also be introduced to Sennia Nanua, who will take on the central role of Melanie. The Girl With All The Gifts is her feature film debut and is a young acting talent to watch out for over the next few years.
The near future; humanity has been all but destroyed by a mutated fungal disease that eradicates free will and turns its victims into flesh-eating 'hungries'. Only a small group of children seem immune to its effects. At an army base in rural England, this group of unique children are being studied, subjected to cruel experiments by biologist Dr. Caldwell.
Despite having been infected with the zombie pathogen that has decimated the world, these children retain normal thoughts and emotions. And while still being subject to the craving for human flesh that marks the disease these second-generation 'hungries' are able to think and feel making them a vital resource in the search for a cure.
The children attend school lessons daily, guarded by the ever-watchful Sergeant Parks. But one little girl, Melanie, stands out from the rest. Melanie is special. She excels in the classroom, is inquisitive, imaginative and loves her favourite teacher Miss Justineau. When the base falls, Melanie escapes along with Miss Justineau, Sergeant Parks, and Dr. Caldwell. Against the backdrop of a blighted Britain, Melanie must discover what she is and ultimately decide both her own future and that of the human race.
- Free State of Jones - released 30th September
Free State of Jones is a movie that we have been talking about all year at FemaleFirst, and there are just a few more weeks to go until it finally hits the big screen.
The movie marks the return of Matthew McConaughey to a major leading role as he is set to play Newton Knight. The movie is based on the life of Knight, who led an uprising against the Confederate army during the American Civil War.
Free State of Jones sees Gary Ross in the director's chair for the first time since The Hunger Games - he has also penned the film's screenplay. The movie also marks the filmmaker's first collaboration with McConaughey.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali, Keri Russell, Christopher Barry, Sean Bridgers, Jacob Lofland, and Thomas Francis Murphy all join the Oscar-winner on the cast list.
Free State of Jones is an epic drama set during the American Civil War and tells the story of a defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight (McConaughey), and his extraordinary rebellion against the Confederate States Army.
Bringing together an unlikely band of poor white farmers and runaway slaves, Knight launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi, to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones.
McConaughey is one of the best actors around and this is another meaty role for him to get his teeth into. I can't wait to see him in action.
- Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children - released 30th September
Another book adaptation to watch out for this September comes in the form of Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children.
The movie is based on the book of the same name by Ransom Riggs and sees Tim Burton back in the director's chair for the first time since Big Eyes.
There is a gothic and mysterious feel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and is right up Burton's street - I am looking forward to seeing the world that he has created. Jane Goldman has adapted Riggs' novel into a screenplay.
Eva Green, who takes on the title role of Miss Peregrine, reunites with Burton for their second film project together. Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Allison Janney, Judi Dench, Chris O'Dowd, Rupert Everett, Ella Purnell, and Terence Stamp are some of the other names that are on the cast list.
When his beloved grandfather leaves Jake clues to a mystery that spans different worlds and times, he finds a magical place known as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
But the mystery and danger deepen as he gets to know the residents and learns about their special powers... and their powerful enemies. Ultimately, Jake discovers that only his own special 'peculiarity' can save his new friends.
Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children is one of the September films that I am looking forward to the most as I am a big Burton fan - I get the feeling that he is not going to disappoint with this latest movie.
Other movies not to be missed include, Cafe Society, Brotherhood, Sausage Party, Ben-Hur, and The Infiltrator.