9 Upcoming 2019 Movie Performances That Will Blow You Away

With 2018 inching towards completion and only a handful of notable releases left to come, it's only natural that we start looking ahead to the year in front of us.

An important part of the Hollywood machine is the hype and anticipation leading up to a movie's release, and in that sense, it's never too early to start looking forward to a particular film, or even an individual performance.

And in that area, 2019 is shaping up to be an embarrassment of riches. With superstars like Leonardo DiCaprio returning to the big screen, respected greats like Joaquin Phoenix doing something a little outside their comfort zone, and plenty of potential career-defining or breakout roles, the next year could very well gift us a handful of characters that will be remembered for decades to come.

Sure, hype can sometimes result in raw disappointment, but when a performance truly delivers - Josh Brolin as Thanos, Bill Skarsgard as Pennywise - it justifies those high expectations. On that front, 2019 contains several performances that have the potential to delight us, surprise us, and absolutely blow us all away.

Idris Elba has been a James Bond fan-pick for quite some time now, and while it doesn't look like he'll get to don the 007 moniker anytime soon, he'll still get to play a slick action-man in 2019's Hobbs & Shaw.

As the devious Brixton, Elba will be pitted against Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw, a battle Johnson described as the "showdown of all showdowns" when he officially unveiled the first picture of Elba in character. The actor is no stranger to action movies or antagonist roles (having played the bad guy in Star Trek Beyond and The Jungle Book), but considering the strength of his opponents in Hobbs & Shaw, Brixton should be his most calculated, relentless villain role yet.

Elba has this unnatural ability to always come off as the man in charge, no matter what character he plays. He oozes authority and has charisma for days, and acting opposite the equally-charming Johnson and Statham means Elba will have to bring his absolute A-game. That in mind, we're in for a dominant acting showcase here, and based on how calmly determined Elba looks in that black-and-white image reveal, Brixton is a villain that you don't want to mess with - even if you're The Rock - but will remember long after the film is over.