As an exciting year of movies fades to black, we look forward to some of the most highly-anticipated films for 2010. The crop is expansive, with plenty for fans of all genres to get excited about. Sequels en masse tend to rotate every other year or so. Next year will continue this trend with such follow-up films as Iron Man 2, Toy Story 3, and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Though newer fare, like Valentine’s Day, Shutter Island, and Inception, will also compete for moviegoers’ attention. Here’s a preview of just 15 films that are slated for 2010 releases (listed in order of release).

What are you looking forward to most? Is there something we missed that deserved our attention? Comment below and tell us what you think.

Since many of the films previewed below are still in production, all information is subject to change.

The Wolfman

by Daniel Quitério

Director: Joe Johnston
Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving
Release Date: February 10
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Genre: Horror, Thriller

The night his mother died is the night Lawrence Talbot’s life changed forever. After having left his home decades earlier, Talbot’s brother’s fiancée locates him and enlists his help in finding her future husband, who’s gone missing. After returning to his home to help with the search, Talbot discovers that some ravenous beast has been killing the villagers. While trying to make sense of the situation, he learns of an ancient curse that begins to unravel the mystery.

This film is a remake of the 1941 horror flick, The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney. For the 2010 version, six-time Oscar winning makeup artist Rick Baker works his magic to transform Benicio Del Toro from Lawrence Talbot into the Wolfman. The process took about three hours, and a wig, dentures, and “laid” hair were used. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Baker said, “It’s [laid hair] actually loose hair that we apply little bits at a time with glue to his face. It’s very much the way the Wolfman was done in the original.” Baker credits The Wolf Man and Frankenstein as the most important films of his childhood that inspired him to become a makeup artist. He said, “What I would say to fans is that at least you know that the guy who’s doing the makeup in the movie is coming from the same place they are - as a fan. I have a real appreciation for the old Universal classics.” Baker previously worked on Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) and The Nutty Professor (1996).

Valentine’s Day

by Daniel Quitério

Director: Garry Marshall
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Julia Roberts, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Garner, Emma Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Jamie Foxx, Topher Grace, Joe Jonas, Eric Dane, Queen Latifah, Shirley MacLaine, George Lopez, Hector Elizondo, Taylor Lautner
Release Date: February 12
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Genre: Romantic Comedy

The veteran director of Pretty Woman flexes his romantic comedy muscle in Valentine’s Day, a film that focuses on the importance and stresses of the holiday to couples and singles in the City of Angels.

Perhaps making this movie was an easy decision for New Line Cinema/Warner Bros., as their all-star ensemble Valentine’s 2009 release, He’s Just Not That into You, grossed about $94 million. According to The New York Times, the studios’ success earlier this year was enough to prompt them to work on a 2010 release, capitalizing on the same success.

Valentine’s Day marks the first movie for which aunt and niece, Julia and Emma Roberts, share screen credits.

Shutter Island

by Janice Perez

Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Emily Mortimer, Max von Sydow
Release Date: February 19
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Action, Thriller

Ashecliffe Hospital, a maximum-security psychiatric hospital on Shutter Island, becomes the setting of a high-profile investigation by US Marshal Teddy Daniels and his partner Chuck Aule after the disappearance of one of the hospital’s most notorious patients. Daniels and Aule soon discover that Shutter Island’s operations may involve more heinous methods than just radical treatments for the criminally insane.

Escape from Shutter Island turns futile for the deputy marshals as a hurricane leaves them stranded and more dangerous criminals start to vanish, one by one. Amid all the chaos, Daniels uncovers more puzzling, outrageous clues that soon take him on a downward spiral, with chances of survival getting slimmer and bouts of disbelief raging louder by the minute.

Acclaimed novelist Dennis Lehane, whose bestsellers Mystic River and Gone Baby Gone were made into award-winning films, strikes oil for a third time with the adaptation of his novel into a psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese. Similar to his other novels, Shutter Island is set in the Boston area, only this time, much of the story revolves around the fictitious island located in Boston Harbor.

To simulate the look and feel of Boston in 1954, production took place in some of the historical districts of Massachusetts, namely the old industrial buildings in Taunton’s Whittenton Mills Complex, the old Medfield State Hospital, Peddocks Island, and Nahant for the lighthouse scenes. To amplify the somber and misty texture of the film, Scorsese explained that one of his biggest influences on the film was Orson Welles’s film The Trial (1962), with the heavy uses of corridors, tunnels, angular lenses, and claustrophobic ceilings, leaving the viewer that paranoid feeling of never finding any way out.

Alice in Wonderland

by Daniel Quitério

Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Michael Sheen, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Mia Wasikowska, Crispin Glover, Christopher Lee, Stephen Fry, Timothy Spall
Release Date: March 5
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

In his re-imagining of Lewis Carroll’s beloved children’s story, visionary filmmaker Tim Burton returns a 17-year-old Alice back to Wonderland, a fanciful locale she last visited 10 years earlier.

While a guest at a party in an affluent estate, Alice comes to realize that a wealthy gentleman is about to propose marriage. Perhaps frightened, she runs off, only to follow a white rabbit into a hole, leading her to the place she last visited as a youth; though despite her previous visit, Alice doesn’t remember anything. While in Wonderland, Alice is entrusted by the land’s colorful natives to slay the Jabberwock, which guards the Red Queen’s empire. Her ultimate goal: to free Wonderland’s inhabitants by the Red Queen’s reign of terror.

The coveted role of Alice goes to 20-year-old native Australian Mia Wasikowska (Amelia). According to an interview with Buzzine.com, Burton states that he chose the ingénue because there’s “a simple kind of power to her that we really liked. Not flamboyant, not very showy, but just somebody that’s got a lot of internal life to her.”

In the same interview, Burton explained his interest in the adaptation. He said, “I think any kind of thing that has strong, dreamlike imagery that stays with you is important to your subconscious and thinking and creative mind. I just felt like trying to do it a different way, because I’ve never really seen any movie version that I really liked.”

The film marks the latest collaboration between Burton and Oscar nominees Johnny Depp (as The Mad Hatter) and Helena Bonham Carter (as The Red Queen). The trio previously worked on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Corpse Bride (2005), and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). In addition to the standard 2-D format, Alice in Wonderland will be released in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3-D.

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

by Janice Perez

From TheHollywoodNews.com

Director: Oliver Stone
Cast: Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon, Charlie Sheen
Release Date: April 23
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Genre: Drama

June 2008. The world is about to face the impending collapse of the reigning financial behemoth that is Wall Street. Twenty years earlier, Gordon Gekko (portrayed by Michael Douglas, for which he bagged the Oscar for Best Actor in 1987) was at the zenith as the ruthless corporate raider to whom the young Bud Fox initially aspired to be, and eventually helped imprison for a scandalous deal that shook Wall Street.

Two decades turn and Gekko is released from prison. His attempts to forewarn Wall Street of an imminent stock market crash go unheard. So instead, he spends his newfound freedom rebuilding his relationship with his daughter, Winnie. She shuts him out completely and blames him for the suicide of her brother. Their only shot at reconciliation lies with Jacob Moore, Winnie’s fiancé and a budding Wall Street trader. Jacob offers to help Gekko reconnect with Winnie in exchange for the financial wiz’s hand in Jacob’s plot of revenge towards Bretton James, the hedge fund manager he believes caused the unexpected death of Lewis Zabel, his beloved mentor.

Oliver Stone, who didn’t latch on to the project until writer Allan Loeb, a licensed stock broker himself, came on board, says of Gordon Gekko’s unforgettable character, “He’s a quintessentially American story, and seeing how he manages to survive in this new shark tank 22 years later is a fascinating and challenging proposition. So much has changed. Not just Gordon Gekko. The world, too.”

Iron Man 2

by Stephen Morrissey

Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson
Release Date: May 7
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Action

Marvel Studios brings us the next chapter in its successful Iron Man saga with Iron Man 2, set for a May release. While the full plot has been kept under wraps by the studio, we do know that the movie sees Tony Stark once again donning the red and gold armor to save the world as Iron Man.
The world knows his secret and Tony Stark has no issues with this, thriving on the public adoration and attention. But this time around, Iron Man will need a little assistance as he battles the villain Whiplash, who seems determined to take down Iron Man while also dealing with scrupulous businessman Justin Hammer, who poses a threat to Stark Industries. Toss in a red-headed Russian spy who loves leather and a second suit of armor worn by Stark’s best friend, and the combination is sure to prove explosive.

Robin Hood

by Janice Perez

From MovieCultists.com

Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Russell Crowe, Matthew Macfadyen, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Max von Sydow, Eileen Atkins
Release Date: May 14
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Genre: Action, Drama

Originally conceptualized with the title, “Nottingham,” this gritty retelling of the anti-hero portrays the expert archer whose self-preservation principle comes into question when he takes it upon himself and his band of rogues to bring equality and peace back to crumbling Nottingham.

After combating with King Richard Lionheart’s army as a bowman in the Third Crusade, Robin Hood returns to his village that’s being tyrannized by the despotic Sheriff of Nottingham. Leading the mercenary Merry Men of Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood salvages Nottingham while unexpectedly falling for the spirited widow, Lady Marian. She is intrigued by this crusader from the trenches of the forest, but remains skeptical of his identity and motivations. Robin’s rise to infamy among the English aristocrats leads many to question, even to those closest to him, if he is indeed a hero or a bandit.

Way before the film began production, much speculation had arisen about this version’s singular portrayal of the characters of Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham. When Ridley Scott confirmed participation as director, the period-film specialist scrapped the initial premise and opted, instead, for an evolution of Robin Hood’s character as he emerges from the Crusades and settles back to his “normal” life in the village, only to face a more sinister adversary.

One thing audiences will not be seeing for this Robin Hood is those perennial green tights. According to producer Brian Grazer, “He’s [Crowe] got armor. He’s very medieval. He looks, if anything, more like he did in Gladiator than anything we’re used to seeing with Robin Hood.”
This film marks Crowe’s and Scott’s fifth collaboration.

Shrek Forever After

by Daniel Quitério

Director: Mike Mitchell
Cast: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Eric Idle, Paul McCartney, Larry King
Release Date: May 21
Distributor: DreamWorks Animation
Genre: Adventure, Comedy

In the latest installment of the Shrek franchise, the lovable ogre, who has committed himself to family life, longs for days gone by, when ogres were feared, and … well … not lovable. In short, he’s lost his edge, and now he has to find it again. Desperate for the way things were, Shrek makes a deal with the devil-and in the land of Far Far Away, the devil is a conniver by the name of Rumpelstiltskin (voiced by Paul McCartney). Thanks to a newly formed unholy pact, Shrek finds himself in an alternate version of Far Far Away, where everything is out of sorts and Rumpelstiltskin rules over all. Shrek now faces a world in which ogres are hunted and he and Fiona have never met. Realizing his mistake, Shrek must now save his family and friends and restore order to his world. What’s an ogre to do?

The fourth in the Shrek series, Shrek Forever After will be the first to be released in IMAX, in addition to the standard format. Mike Mitchell is a first-time director for the franchise. His previous work includes Sky High (2005) and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1994). Mitchell is the sixth director to work on the series of movies.

Get Him to the Greek

by Daniel Quitério

Photo Source: RAM/Fame Pictures

Director: Nicholas Stoller
Cast: Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Elisabeth Moss, Rose Byrne, Sean Combs
Release Date: June 11
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Genre: Comedy

Fans of Forgetting Sarah Marshall are surely looking forward to this spin-off, which is set for a June 2010 release. In Get Him to the Greek, Russell Brand reprises his role as recovering drug-addicted rock star Aldous Snow. Except in this film, Snow takes a flying leap off the wagon and finds himself once again entrenched in his former scandalous ways.

Just-out-of-college Aaron Greenberg lands a dream job at a record company. Things get interesting for him after he’s assigned the task of escorting the eccentric Snow from London to Los Angeles’s Greek Theatre for the first stop on Snow’s concert tour. Of course, it can’t possibly be that easy (or the movie would be quite boring). Snow’s journey to LA gets interrupted with side trips through worlds of drugs and orgies, all the while, Greenberg must keep focus on his goal to “get him to the Greek.”

This Judd Apatow-produced vehicle marks the sophomore effort by director Nicholas Stoller, who made his debut with Forgetting Sarah Marshall. (Stoller also penned the script for Greek.) Despite Brand reprising the popular role of the “Inside of You” crooner, Jonah Hill’s character in Greek is different from his character in Sarah Marshall.

Look for cameos by Katy Perry, Christina Aguilera, Pink, Meredith Vieira, and others.

Toy Story 3

by Janice Perez

Director: Lee Unkrich
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, Timothy Dalton, Laurie Metcalf, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Garlin, Whoopi Goldberg
Release Date: June 18
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios/Pixar Animation Studios
Genre: Adventure, Comedy

The third installment of Toy Story takes Woody and Buzz on their biggest adventure yet. Andy, the toys’ owner, is about to start a new journey of his own as a college freshman. Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the toys are going to be stored away in the attic as Andy leaves. An accident and a fateful ride on a garbage truck take the toys to a local daycare center, where they become the objects of frolic for a handful of hyper, pre-school tots.

It has been ten years since Toy Story 2 was released. Due to proprietary issues at both Pixar and Disney, the fate of Toy Story 3 was uncertain until January of 2006, when Disney formally acquired Pixar. Disney CEO Robert Iger announced that the newest installment’s production would be set into motion, with Pixar chiefs Edwin Catmull and John Lassetter in charge of all Disney animation. Lee Unkrich, co-director of other Pixar gems, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo, stepped in as sole director, with Little Miss Sunshine writer Michael Arndt helming the script. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were reunited to bring the inseparable odd couple, Woody and Buzz Lightyear, to life.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

by Stephen Morrissey

Director: David Slade
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Kellan Lutz, Dakota Fanning, Nikki Reed, Bryce Dallas Howard
Release Date: June 30
Distributor: Summit Entertainment
Genre: Fantasy, Horror

Unless you have been sleeping under a rock in a dark cave hidden in the center of the earth, you are well aware of the Twilight Saga that was created by author Stephanie Meyer. On June 30, the third film from the franchise will hit theaters. Eclipse sees vampire Edward reunited with his human soul mate, Bella, but their reunion is threatened to be short lived as they must face an evil vampire that is hell-bent on seeking her revenge.

The Twilight craze has taken hold of both young and old, and with the release of Eclipse, Twilight fans will be holding their collective breath to see what’s in store for Bella and Edward. But let’s not forget that everyone’s favorite teen werewolf, Jacob Black, is as much a part of the saga. You can count on seeing the continuing struggle between the vampires and werewolves. Whose side are you on? Take your stand on June 30.

The Last Airbender

by Daniel Quitério

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Noah Ringer, Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, Nicole Peltz, Aasif Mandvi, Cliff Curtis
Release Date: July 2
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

There were four nations of the world - water, earth, fire, and air - and it was the Avatar’s role to keep them at peace with each other. It was the Avatar who had the ability to bend (or manipulate) all four elements … and then he disappeared. Over the course of the next century, the Fire Nation waged war on the other three, and it is now the responsibility of the new Avatar, 12-year-old Aang, to defeat the Fire Lord and bring peace to the world.
The Last Airbender is the live-action big screen version of the animated Nickelodeon television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. It will be the first film in a trilogy, with Shyamalan at the helm of each movie as writer, director, and producer.

The Asian-inspired film came under fire (pun totally intended) when an outpouring of critics protested the casting of white actors for all principal roles. (Singer Jesse McCartney was slated to play a part before scheduling conflicts lead to his backing out, thus making room for Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, who is of Indian descent.) In a January 29, 2009 article for the San Francisco Chronicle, “Asian Pop” columnist Jeff Yang criticized the casting choices. He said, ” … These casting decisions ring false to the show’s spirit; the very spirit that has transfixed millions of young fans and brought legions of Avatards together into a passionate community.”

Well, at least the director is Asian …

Inception

by Daniel Quitério

Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine
Release Date: July 16
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller

Geez, Warner Bros.! Why so hush-hush? There’s not much to be said about this film, since … well … there hasn’t been much said. It looks like movie fans will be fed the details in small doses. They begin with the following:

“A CEO-type becomes involved in a blackmailing scandal.”
- IMDb.com

“A contemporary science-fiction tale set within the architecture of the human mind.”
- Yahoo! Movies

And then there’s the trailer. (Look up.)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I

by Daniel Quitério

Director: David Yates

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, John Hurt, Miranda Richardson, Maggie Smith, Rhys Ifans, Brendan Gleeson, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton
Release Date: November 19
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy

In the first part of the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise, Harry, Ron, and Hermione venture out to find and destroy all of the lost Horcruxes, per Dumbledore’s urging. While on the quest, Harry is able to peer into Voldemort’s mind, and in doing so, he discovers that The Dark Lord is on his own quest to find a mysterious wand. Upon learning about the wand, Harry is lead to the story of “The Deathly Hallows,” which only brings about trouble and danger.

In this newest installment, Director David Yates tackles his third Harry Potter movie, after previously taking the helm of The Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince. Screenwriter Steve Kloves, who penned all Harry Potter films (save for Order of the Phoenix), returns for the final two installments. In a March 2008 Baltimore Sun article, Kloves revealed that the filmmakers considered splitting Goblet of Fire into two parts. The idea was scrapped, though it resurfaced in the late summer of 2007 for Deathly Hallows. He said, “I’m really excited about it because it should allow us to stretch a bit with the characters and give them the proper send-off. The story is highly emotional and those moments deserve time to breathe.”

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II is slated for a July 2011 release.

The Green Hornet

by Stephen Morrissey

Director: Michel Gondry
Cast: Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Jay Chou, Edward James Olmos, Tom Wilkinson, Christoph Waltz
Release Date: December 22
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Genre: Action

Can Hollywood handle another ordinary man playing a vigilante crime fighter? We’ll find out in December 2010 as Seth Rogen (yes, THAT Seth Rogen of Knocked Up and Superbad fame) dons a green suit, green fedora, and domino mask to play Green Hornet.

The movie tells the story of newspaper publisher Britt Reid, joined by his trusted sidekick Kato, solving the murder of the co-founder of The Daily Sentinel. Set against the backdrop of San Francisco, Green Hornet and Kato must put together the clues to solve the murder, while also getting to the bottom of a huge drug deal that may be connected to the murder. Can Green Hornet and Kato save the day? Will Green Hornet be able to save the girl?

Will the audience be able to buy Seth Rogen as a superhero? “Tune in” on December 22 to find out …