Calling all superheroes: Take off your masks, hang up your capes and trust that no CGI cities will be razed over the next four months, because summer blockbusters are behind us and Oscar season has begun. (Fear not, crusaders -- James Bond, Katniss Everdeen and a galaxy far, far away will hold down the multiplex while you hibernate.)
It's too early to tell which of this fall's many enticing releases will translate to awards gold, so let's put that aside for now to gab about which movies look the most promising. If it's anything like the summer, we could be staring at a very lucrative few months, especially given what's in store, which includes the sci-fi epic "The Martian," a new Steve Jobs biopic, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's latest, a Brad and Angie affair, Tina and Amy playing sisters, and Quentin Tarantino's buzzy Western. Without further ado, here is The Huffington Post's fall movie preview.
Directed by Scott Cooper • Written by Mark Mallouk and Jez Butterworth
Starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons and Peter Sarsgaard
What to expect: We're hoping for a Johnny Depp comeback, because let's face it: We've had enough of pirates, Tontos and Mad Hatters. Here, he's playing organized crime boss Whitey Bulger. The first reviews out of the Telluride Film Festival signal a promising year for dear ol' Eddy Scissorhands. If only we could say the same for Sienna Miller. [Trailer]
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur • Written by William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy
Starring Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright and Keira Knightley
What to expect: It's a big year for Jake Gyllenhaal, but what isn't? In addition to "Southpaw" and the Toronto Film Festival opener "Demolition," he stars in a depiction of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster that also formed the core of Jon Krakauer's popular book Into Thin Air. [Trailer]
Written and directed by Nancy Meyers
Starring Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, Andrew Rannells, Adam DeVine and Linda Lavin
What to expect: Nancy Meyers' first movie in six years puts a spin on her signature rom-coms with the tale of a May-December friendship between the head of a fashion site and the senior citizen who becomes her intern. We've seen this charmer already, and it is delightful. [Trailer]
Directed by Ridley Scott • Written by Drew Goddard
Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Sebastian Stan, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Peña and Kate Mara
What to expect: This adaptation of Andy Weir's debut novel strands Matt Damon on Mars after the rest of his crew flees a dust storm. Them's the breaks, but he's quite the resourceful botanist and engineer, so hopefully Jessica Chastain and the rest of his earthbound cohorts can provide rescue. Fox has been marketing this one all summer, plus it's a space epic in the vein of "Apollo 13" and "Interstellar," so expect a sizable box-office orbit. [Trailer]
Directed by Danny Boyle • Written by Aaron Sorkin
Starring Michael Fassbender, Steve Rogen, Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels, Katherine Waterston and Michael Stuhlbarg
What to expect: This biopic has shuffled through multiple directors (David Fincher) and actors (Christian Bale, Leonardo DiCaprio) -- not to mention backstage fracas and the fact that Ashton Kutcher played the Apple co-founder in a widely detested film a mere two years ago. But favorable early reviews out of Telluride indicate none of that matters. "Steve Jobs" is sure to be one of fall's buzziest titles. [Trailer]
Directed by Joe Wright • Written by Jason Fuchs
Starring Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara, Amanda Seyfried and Cara Delevingne
What to expect: "Pan" was on our summer blockbuster preview until Warner Bros. postponed the film to avoid box-office competition and to hone its visual effects. Assuming that doesn't bode iffy things for the final results, this Peter Pan origin story could be one of the season's most enchanting family offerings. [Trailer]
Directed by Lenny Abrahamson • Written by Emma Donoghue
Starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen and William H. Macy
What to expect: We have high hopes for this adaptation of Emma Donoghue's acclaimed novel, which is gripping, climactic, thoughtful and a slew of other qualities that should translate well on the big screen. Brie Larson plays a mother whose young son knows nothing outside of the room in which they've been held hostage for several years. The story follows their attempt to escape and its aftermath. [Trailer]
Starring Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam and Jim Beaver
What to expect: The latest from horror/sci-fi marshal Guillermo del Toro, "Crimson Peak" is the long-anticipated tale of a young author whose new marriage is besieged by a gothic home full of ghostly apparitions. [Trailer]
Written and directed by James Vanderbilt
Starring Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett, Elisabeth Moss, Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid and Bruce Greenwood
What to expect: Longtime news anchor Dan Rather stepped down from the CBS desk after an imbroglio over a disputable "60 Minutes" story that questioned President George W. Bush's service in the Vietnam War. His downfall, as well as that of producer Mary Mapes, who wrote a 2005 memoir about the incident, forms the centerpiece of this enticing political drama. [No trailer avaialble]
Directed by Steven Spielberg • Written by Matt Charman, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda and Austin Stowell
What to expect: Steven Spielberg's first collaboration with Tom Hanks since 2004's "The Terminal" focuses on the true story of a lawyer who finds himself in the thick of the Cold War after the CIA recruits him to negotiate the rescue of a detainee in the Soviet Union. If you need more A-listers to rope you in, keep in mind that the Coen brothers co-wrote the script. [Trailer]
Directed by Sarah Gavron • Written by Abi Morgan
Starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw and Anne-Marie Duff
What to expect: The season's primo feminist paean is "Suffragette," which zeroes in on the women's rights movement that spread through Great Britain in the late 19th century. [Trailer]
Directed by Barry Levinson • Written by Mitch Glazer
Starring Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Kate Hudson, Zooey Deschanel and Danny McBride
What to expect: A recent "Rock the Kasbah" screening in the Hamptons turned into an after-party with Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton and Paul McCartney in attendance, so we are quite enticed indeed. Not that we needed it. Bill Murray plays a washed-up rock manager who shepherds a talented young Afghan girl to fame. [Tailer]
Directed by John Wells • Written by Steven Knight
Starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Omar Sy, Matthew Rhys, Alicia Vikander, Emma Thompson, Uma Thurman and Lily James
What to expect: B. Coop is a nice draw, but look at this cast of A-list ladies. (Congrats on not being cut out of this one, Sienna Miller.) That squad is what we really want to see in "Burnt," a drama about a down-and-out chef determined to redeem himself with a new Michelin-hopeful restaurant. [Trailer]
Directed by Jay Roach • Written by John McNamara
Starring Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Diane Lane, Elle Fanning, John Goodman and Louis C.K.
What to expect: The Academy loves movies about Hollywood, so carve out some Oscar space for this biopic about Communist screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, who was responsible for "Spartacus" and "Roman Holiday." Helen Mirren is on hand as gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, which sounds like just the right blend of camp and prestige. [Trailer]
Directed by Sam Mendes • Written by John Logan, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade
Starring Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Monica Bellucci and Dave Bautista
What to expect: Expect a $350 million behemoth whose third act needed an 11th-hour rewrite, according to leaked Sony emails indicating the movie ran over budget. In other news, the latest Bond installment will revisit the titular criminal agency for the first time since 1971's "Diamonds Are Forever." [Trailer]
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke • Written by Morwenna Banks
Starring Toni Collette, Drew Barrymore, Dominic Cooper, Jacqueline Bisset, Tyson Ritter and Paddy Considine
What to expect: At last, Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore are on the same screen. Make sure to bring tissues: They play longtime besties who discover one has cancer. We're already relying on "Miss You Already" for our cathartic pre-winter tearjerker. [Trailer]
Directed by Steve Martino • Written by Craig Schulz, Brian Schulz and Cornelius Uliano
Featuring voice work by Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez, Hadley Belle Miller, Francesca Capaldi and Noah Johnston
What to expect: Charlie Brown and Snoopy only have eyes for the lady folk in the first "Peanuts" feature film in 35 years. Gestating since 2006, the movie trades in the comic strip's hand-drawn illustrations for 3-D computer animation. [Trailer]
Directed by Tom McCarthy • Written by Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy
Starring Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Brian d'Arcy James, Liev Schreiber and Stanley Tucci
What to expect: The title of this movie refers to the Boston Globe's investigative reporting unit, which won a Pulitzer in 2003 for its coverage of sexual abuse at the hands of several Catholic priests. The first "Spotlight" reviews out of last week's Venice Film Festival were mixed, but Michael Keaton's lead performance won raves. [Trailer]
Directed by John Crowley • Written by Nick Hornby
Starring Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters
What to expect: "Brooklyn" won some of Sundance's finest reviews in January, with many pointing to another Oscar bid for "Atonement" star Saoirse Ronan. Regardless, bibliophiles should flock to this one, as the acclaimed Colm Tóibín novel on which it's based was shortlisted for the 2009 Man Booker Prize. [Trailer]
Written and directed by Angelina Jolie
Starring Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Mélanie Laurent
What to expect: In their first collaboration since 2005's fateful "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt play a 1970s couple who vacation in a European seaside town in hopes of salvaging their marriage. Thankfully, sometimes life does not imitate art. [Trailer]
Directed by Patricia Riggen • Written by Mikko Alanne, Craig Borten and Michael Thomas
Starring Antonio Banderas, Lou Diamond Phillips, Jacob Vargas, Mario Casas, Naomi Scott, Rodrigo Santoro and Juliette Binoche
What to expect: Fox released this movie across Latin America in August, prompting mixed reviews from critics. Still, there's obvious appeal in seeing the horrid story of the 33 stranded Chilean miners play out on the big screen. [Trailer]
Directed by Jessie Nelson • Written by Steven Rogers
Starring John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Amanda Seyfried, Alan Arkin, Olivia Wilde, Marisa Tomei, Ed Helms and June Squibb
What to expect: We're hoping for the next "Family Stone" with this star-studded Christmas comedy, which revolves around a clan whose holiday plans run afoul thanks to a pack of unexpected guests and Yuletide capers. [Trailer]
Directed by Todd Haynes • Written by Phyllis Nagy
Starring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Carrie Brownstein
What to expect: Based on the euphoric reception at the Cannes Film Festival, "Carol" is likely one of the year's best movies. From the director of "Far From Heaven" and "I'm Not There" comes the adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt, which revolves around a female retail clerk who begins a 1950s romance with an older married woman. The first reviews called the period drama "intoxicating," "beautiful" and "magnificently realized." [Trailer]
Written and directed by Billy Ray
Starring Julia Roberts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Nicole Kidman, Dean Norris and Michael Kelly
What to expect: Based on an Argentinian novel whose previous adaptation won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, "Secret in Their Eyes" finds Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman onscreen together for the first time. The thriller revolves around a new lead in the years-old case of an FBI investigator's murdered daughter. [Trailer]
Directed by Francis Lawrence • Written by Danny Strong and Peter Craig
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore and Donald Sutherland
What to expect: You'll have to find something else to do next Thanksgiving because unless Josh Hutcherson's claims prove to be true, this marks the final installment in the "Hunger Games" franchise. You probably don't need us to tell you that Katniss' final showdown with President Snow is looming, but "Mockingjay - Part 2" also carries the heavy weight of being Philip Seymour Hoffman's final screen appearance. [Trailer]
Directed by Peter Sohn • Written by Enrico Casarosa and Bob Peterson
Featuring voice work by Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, Sam Elliott and Anna Paquin
What to expect: Headlines labeled Pixar's revisionist dino tale "troubled" after its original director was removed from the project. But that move is par for the course for the studio's movies, and if all goes well, it's possible Pixar will have two of the year's most beloved films following May's "Inside Out." [Trailer]
Directed by Ryan Coogler • Written by Ryan Coogler and Aaron Covington
Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad and Tony Bellew
What to expect: It looks like we're in for another #OscarsSoWhite year, but perhaps Michael B. Jordan can provide some saving grace. He'll play the son of "Rocky" heavyweight Apollo Creed, who seeks out his father's old sparring partner for training. Yep, Sylvester Stallone is back. [Trailer]
Directed by Jonathan Levine • Written by Evan Goldberg, Kyle Hunter, Jonathan Levine and Ariel Shaffir
Starring Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan, Jillian Bell and Mindy Kaling
What to expect: This bro-tastic comedy centers on three childhood pals who reunite for annual Christmas Eve debauchery. Come for the hallucinogens, stay for the "Wrecking Ball" singalong. [Trailer]
Directed by Tom Hooper • Written by Lucinda Coxon
Starring Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Ben Whishaw, Amber Heard and Matthias Schoenaerts
What to expect: Get ready to hear a lot about this movie, which could be a heavy Oscar player. Its subject -- the first person to undergo successful gender-confirmation surgery -- is particularly timely, and Tom Hooper ("The King's Speech") and Eddie Redmayne are proven Academy favorites. Not to mention the promos boast sumptuous set pieces. [Trailer]
Directed by Ron Howard • Written by Charles Leavitt
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Benjamin Walker, Tom Holland, Brendan Gleeson and Ben Whishaw
What to expect: Ron Howard attributed this movie's nine-month delay to Warner Bros. thinking it was more of a "fourth-quarter, early-winter kind of feel in terms of the tone." The struggle will be finding box-office recognition opposite "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which opens one week later. But the disaster flick's trailer promises magnificent visuals. Just beware impending cannibalism with this one! [Trailer]
Directed by J.J. Abrams • Written by J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan
Starring John Boyega, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels and Andy Serkis
What to expect: If you're somehow oblivious to the "Star Wars" marketing saturation that Disney has employed since the first teaser dropped last November, then we're going to assume this movie isn't for you. Otherwise, expect what is estimated to supplant the box-office records that "Jurassic World" broke this summer. [Trailer]
Directed by Jason Moore • Written by Paula Pell
Starring Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ike Barinholtz, Maya Rudolph, Samantha Bee, Rachel Dratch, John Leguizamo, Dianne Wiest and James Brolin
What to expect: If anyone can go head-to-head with "Star Wars," it must be Tina and Amy, right? In their first film collaboration since 2009's "Baby Mama," the venerable comedy duo play siblings who throw one final party before their parents sell their childhood home.
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Scott Eastwood, Tom Wilkinson and Nicolas Cage
What to expect: Joseph Gordon-Levitt is on the hunt for his inaugural Oscar nod. First up is the Philippe Petit biopic "The Walk," and a few months later we'll see him play NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. But the likelier headlines will come from whatever tactics the notoriously political Oliver Stone employs, as was the case with previous features like "JFK" and "Nixon." [Trailer]
UPDATE:"Snowden" has been delayed until 2016.
Written and directed by David O. Russell
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Édgar Ramirez, Bradley Cooper, Diane Ladd and Isabella Rossellini
What to expect: Jennifer Lawrence's third project with David O. Russell is a sorta-biopic inspired by the life of Miracle Mop creator Joy Mangano. The actress denied rumors that she and the director were feuding on the set, and there was mass confusion about the movie's plot when the first trailer launched a few months ago. Hopefully this one remains as promising as the promos imply. [Trailer]
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu • Written by Mark L. Smith and Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson and Lukas Hsaas
What to expect: Alejandro Iñárritu nabbed the Best Director Oscar for "Birdman" earlier this year, and he looks poised to make 2016's shortlist for this 1820s-set Western starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a fur trapper seeking revenge against the men who've robbed him. [Trailer]
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth, Walton Goggins, Bruce Dern, Michael Madsen and Demián Bichir
What to expect: Tarantino's "Django Unchained" follow-up was almost shelved after Gawker leaked the script. Instead, he staged a live reading of the original version and redrafted the one that will now open in December. It's a Western set in the "racial aftermath" of the Civil War. [Trailer]
Directed by Sean Anders and John Morris • Written by Brian Burns
Starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Hannibal Buress and Paul Scheer
What to expect: December has several broad comedies in store, one of which is this romp in which a stepfather must make peace with his wife's ex-husband when he re-enters their lives. [Trailer]
*****
The list doesn't stop there. Here are other releases to look out for:
• Sept. 18: "Prisoners" director Denis Villeneuve proves he is a master at creating auras of suspense in the existential drug-cartel thriller "Sicario." [Trailer]
• Sept. 25: The 1969 gay-rights protests come to life in "Stonewall," which finds Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day," "The Day After Tomorrow") stepping away from big-budget spectacles for arguably the first time in his career. [Trailer]
• Sept. 25: The 2008 financial crisis forms the nucleus of the spellbinding drama "99 Homes," which stars Andrew Garfield as a single father forced to work for a corrupt real-estate broker. [Trailer]
• Oct. 2: In "Legend," Tom Hardy does double duty as both Kray twins, who were the 1960s' most notorious English gangsters. [Trailer]
• Oct 2: Julianne Moore and Ellen Page star in the gay-rights drama "Freeheld." [Trailer]
• Oct. 16: "Goosebumps" arrives on the big screen for the first time, with Jack Black portraying R.L. Stine. [Trailer]
• Oct. 30: The powerful 2005 documentary "Our Brand Is Crisis" gets the dramedy treatment, with Sandra Bullock and Billy Bob Thornton in the lead roles. [No trailer available]
• Nov. 13: Thirteen years after the original, "The Ring" gets another sequel in the form of "Rings." [No trailer available]
• Nov. 27: We'll follow Tom Hiddleston anywhere, especially to Hank Williams biopic "I Saw the Light." [No trailer available]
• Dec. 4: The titular creature in the horror-comedy "Krampus" is German folklore's evil antithesis of Santa Claus. Here, he goes up against Toni Collette, Adam Scott and Allison Tolman. [No trailer available]
• Dec. 4: Cannes audiences were polarized by "Youth," the latest meditation from "Great Beauty" director Paolo Sorrentino, starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel and Jane Fonda. [Trailer]
• Dec. 25: The already controversial NFL drama "Concussion" stars Will Smith as the doctor who uncovered the dangers that professional sports have on players' brains. [Trailer]
• Dec. 25: If you find yourself hungering for the type of blockbuster usually fit for summer, go see "Point Break." It's a remake of Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 action thriller. [Trailer]
Also on HuffPost:
Hottest Sundance 2015 Movies
For a constant stream of entertainment news and discussion, follow HuffPost Entertainment on Viber.