4. Snowpiercer (TBA)
Boon Jong-ho's (The Host, Mother) adaptation of this French comic book is his much-anticipated English language debut, set on a future frozen Earth - after an experiment to prevent global warming ended up killing most of the world's population - where the remaining survivors are as a result forced to live on trains separated by class. Soon enough a revolt erupts from the back of the train, with the poor wanting to take over the front for themselves. Though clearly prepared to engage with socially relevant issues, Snowpiercer is reportedly being eyed by studios as a tentpole picture with the potential to become a sleeper hit, and above all else, this could be the cross-over pic Jong-ho needs to substantially heighten his profile.
3. The Prototype (TBA)
The Prototype is about a military robot warrior that manages to escape from an FBI facility and begins going on a rampage. After a proof-of-concept teaser was made, the film managed to receive funding to the tune of a stonking $40 million, which makes it clear that the backers have a lot of confidence with newcomer director Andrew Will moving forward. What's really impressive is about this one isn't just the immaculate style and visual effects in the teaser alone, but that it also seems to have a compelling story, and won't, as these movies so often are, just be a mindless run-n-gun flick. Given that a talented actor like Neal McDonough has signed on for the project, one has plenty of hope for a cult smash here.
2. Odd Thomas (TBA)
This much-anticipated adaptation of the popular Dean Koontz best-selling novel is sure to further raise the profile of the talented Anton Yelchin, who plays the titular character, a short-order cook living in a sleepy Californian desert town who has clairvoyant abilities. One day, a man enters the diner and brings with him some dark, shadowy spirit creatures, causing Thomas to follow his trail to work out what horror he might be bringing about the town. This one's been finished for a while - and even comes out on German DVD this week - so hopefully it'll find its way over to our shores soon enough, given how thoroughly interesting (and weird) it sounds.
1. In Your Eyes (TBA)
When Joss Whedon has written something, people are always going to be paying attention, regardless of whether it's a big-budget superhero romp, or something a little more quiet and intimate, as with his micro-budget paranormal romance In Your Eyes. Any director getting a script from someone as talented as Whedon is essentially getting a gift from God, so Brin Hill should count himself lucky that his sophomore feature has such a confident voice behind it. The premise revolves around a man and woman (Michael Stahl-David and Zoe Kazan) who live on other sides of the U.S., yet are somehow able to sense what the other is feeling. Inevitably, this will bring them heading towards one another on a mysterious collision course. And that's your lot! Which of these 44 films are you most looking forward to this year? Let us know in the comments below.