By Clifford T. Hofferd
Hey it’s time for a flashback! To a time when people were looking forward to what 2013 had to offer. Others (like me) were looking forward to the summer movie season, and what Hollywood has to offer moviegoers. With that in mind I have decided to compile a list of movies by movie studio which are going to be released in the summer 2013 movie season ( you know, that window of the year that exists from the first weekend in May to the last weekend of July/mid-August). The movies on this list will come from one of the major movie studios. These include Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, Universal, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, and Columbia Pictures. These decisions are based off of Star Power, content, and how they fit in that specified window I described. Let’s start with Warner Brothers and their releases.
Warner Brothers opens the summer with the May 10th release of The Great Gatsby. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire and is set in 1920’s New York. It’s a story about the decade itself and how one man is drawn into the world of the super rich. May 24th sees the release of The Hangover Part 3. It’s a film where “The Wolfpack” (as they are called) embarks on a road trip from LA, to Vegas, to Tijuana with no wedding or no bachelor party. On June 14th Warner’s releases their Superman reboot titled Man of Steel. It stars Henry Cavil, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, and Lawrence Fishburne. Ignoring the five previous Superman Movies that came before it this movie follows Clark on his Journey to become Superman and his fights with General Zod. On July 12th Warner Brothers releases the movie Pacific Rim. It’s a film where humanity fights giant monsters with giant robots to fend off the end of the Human Race. On August 2nd 300: Rise of an Empire is released. Set after 300 it follows the efforts of a Greek general to unite all of Greece against the invading Persian army forces led by Xeres.
The Walt Disney Company’s releases begin with Marvel and their dependable movie franchises. On May 3 Walt Disney pictures will release Iron Man 3. It Stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, and Ben Kingsley. Set in the aftermath of The Avengers movie it deals with Tony Stark fighting The Mandarin while trying to protect those closest to him. On June 21st Disney Pixar will release Monsters University. It stars Billy Crystal, John Goodman, and Steve Buscemi. Set before the events of Monsters Inc the movie follows Mike and Sully when they first meet and how they became friends. On July 3rd Disney releases the Johhny Depp movie The Lone Ranger. Based off the pulp hero of the 1930’s this movie is from the same production team as the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and sees Johhny Depp star as Tonto and not The Lone Ranger.
Universal Studios upcoming releases include the May 24th release of Fast and the Furious 6 with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. On July 3rd they will release Despicable Me 2 which is the sequel to the animated movie Despicable Me from 2010. It stars Steve Carell and Al Pachino. On July 19th Universal will release R.I.P.D. (or Rest in Peace Department). Starring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges this supernatural crime comedy focuses on a recently killed police officer who is recruited to work for the R.I.P.D. and help find his killer.
Both 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures have few major releases during the summer compared to the other studios. 20th Century Fox’s upcoming releases include the May 24th animated Movie Epic with Beyonce Knowles and Colin Farrell. A troop of bugs try and save their garden from an evil spider-queen. On June 7th Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson star in The Internship. On July 26th 20th Century Fox will release Hugh Jackman’s The Wolverine. A follow up to X-Men Origins: Wolverine this movie sees Wolverine travelling to Japan and training under a samurai master. They close out the summer season with the August 16th release of Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. The follow up to Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief this movie follows the second novel in the Percy Jackson series. Paramount opens the summer with the highly anticipated Star Trek: Into Darkness on May 17th. The crew of the Starship Enterprise returns for a darker outing with Benedict Cumberbatch joining the cast as the main Villain. Peter Weller also joins the cast as a yet unspecified corporate CEO. On June 21st Paramount releases the Brad Pitt vehicle World War Z. This is a story about a worldwide zombie epidemic that is very loosely based off of a book by Max Brooks (the son of legendary entertainer Mel Brooks).
Columbia Pictures opens the summer with the June 7th release of After Earth. It Stars Will Smith and Jaden Smith as a father and son team that must survive on a hostile and alien Earth a thousand years after humanity abandoned it. On June 14th they will release This is the End by follows six friends trapped in a house while L.A. is devastated by Catastrophic events. Starring James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, and Seth Rogen this looks to be a star studded cast. On June 28th White House Down with Jamie Foxx and Channing Tatum will be released. The White House is invaded and Tatum’s character must free the president (played by Foxx) from a paramilitary group that has taken control of The White House. On July 12th Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Kevin James return in Grown Ups 2 which details the last day of school. On July 31st The Smurfs 2 will be released with Neil Patrick Harris and Sofia Vergara.
Well that’s a quick look at the movies for the summer 2013 movie season. If you see anything you like then go see it. I myself will see Iron Man 3, Star Trek: Into Darkness, Man of Steel, and Pacific Rim.
Clifford Taylor Hofferd is a University Grad living in Prince George. You can follow his blog at www.thengpblog.blogspot.ca
