Our Most Anticipated Films of 2013

As wonderful and amazing as the slate of films were this year, it's time to look to the future. Here's some of our most anticipated movies for 2013. Which films are you looking forward to seeing in the new year?

by Sean O'Connell & Derrick Deane

The tragic shooting at a Colorado movie theater meant Warner Bros. had to reconfigure a pivotal sequence in Ruben Fleischer's Gangster Squad. The period crime thriller was pushed back, and now it’s one of the hottest titles on our January calendar. Sean Penn plays seminal Los Angeles kingpin Mickey Cohen, who is the target of hard-hitting lawmen Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and Anthony Mackie.

Look who’s back: the fly in the ointment. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the backside of terrorists everywhere. And for his latest mission, rugged cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) teams with his oldest son (Jai Courtney) in Moscow to prevent a nuclear weapons heist. The last adventure, Live Free or Die Hard, banked more than $380 million worldwide, proving audiences still want to hear him scream “Yippee ki-yay” even if he’s doing it in Russia.

Somewhere over the rainbow, a wicked witch uses flying monkeys to terrorize a magical land. Three enchantresses have teamed to stop her, but they need help. Enter a Kansas magician (James Franco), who arrives in Oz courtesy of a hot-air balloon … giving us the opening scenes to the Wizard of Oz prequel we never thought we’d see.

If you can remember back to Stephen Sommers G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, a major villain had infiltrated the White House. Years later, audiences finally are going to find out what happens when C.O.B.R.A. manipulates the U.S. President and launches an attack on a major city. Channing Tatum leads the team, joined by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Bruce Willis, playing the original “G.I.” Joe. If that doesn’t get your patriotic blood pumping, nothing will.

The Twilight saga may have come to an end, but that doesn't mean Hollywood has stopped adapting Stephenie Meyer books. The latest stars Saoirse Ronan and Diane Kruger in a sci-fi thriller about a parasitic alien soul. Will the Twilight contingent turn out for this movie?

How do the Avengers pick up the pieces after the attack on New York City in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers? Iron Man 3 will be the first standalone Marvel movie to ask that question. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) contends with the fact that he almost died while protecting Manhattan. He’ll also face off with a classic comic-book antagonist in The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley).

Based on the amount of hype we’ve heard over the past few weeks, you’d think that J.J. Abrams’ sequel was due in theaters any minute (we wish). James Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) face a new foe played by the wonderful Benedict Cumberbatch, while Abrams and company will attempt to live up to Wrath of Khan – the movie they believe to be the strongest "second chapter" in Trek history.

Director Zack Snyder reportedly worked closely with producer Christopher Nolan to reimagine the Superman mythology for this summer blockbuster. And yet, we still don’t know if it’s an origin story – a reboot, like Nolan's Batman – or a continuation of the legend we’ve already seen on screen. Here’s what we do know: Henry Cavill will play Superman; Amy Adams is Lois Lane; Michael Shannon is evil General Zod; and Russell Crowe plays Jor-El, Kal-El’s dad.

Brad Pitt tries to save the world from zombies? Yeah, we’re in. Director Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace) works off an adaptation of the best-selling book by Max Brooks, which tells – via flashbacks – how select members of humanity survived a sudden, rapid zombie apocalypse. Pitt will be joined in the fight against the undead by Anthony Mackie, Mireille Enos and Bryan Cranston.

Normally, comic-book movies instantly get sequels. But no one knew, for sure, that Kick-Ass would earn a second feature because the first movie was so gritty, strange and deliriously off-putting. Thankfully, enough people dug the dark humor in Mark Millar’s amateur-hero adventure. All the stars return, but the big news is the addition of Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes, one of many newcomers who will be inspired by Kick-Ass to pick up the fight against evil.

Roland Emmerich loves destroying America’s landmarks, and here he’s going after a previous target – the White House – in this terrorist thriller that stars Channing Tatum as a Secret Service agent tasked with protecting the U.S. President (Jamie Foxx) after a paramilitary group infiltrates our country’s most prestigious address. Wolf down your hamburger, chug a Pepsi, and whoop it up in time for July 4th.

Despite all the talk about budget issues and script changes, Jerry Bruckheimer's latest big budget spectacle is set to arrive on Independence Day weekend. Gore Verbinski helms the popcorn flick which finds Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp starring in this adaptation of the classic '50 television series. So gather your friends, kick back and 'Hi-yo Silver awaaaay..."

Guillermo del Toro brings us this sci-fi action flick featuring giant robots and monsters doing battle and a band of heroic fighters led by Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and Rinko Kikuchi, who seek to prevent an apocalypse from occurring.

Hugh Jackman returns as the quick-tempered, adamantium-clawed mutant Wolverine as he journeys to Japan in James Mangold's adaptation of a Chris Claremont-Frank Miller story arc that sees Logan battling The Silver Samurai and ninjas.

Robert Rodriguez finally brings us the sequel to his 2005 cult hit, Sin City. Rodriguez has said the film will contain two original stories along with adaptations of A Dame to Kill For and Just Another Saturday Night. Jessica Alba, Roasrio Dawson and Mickey Rourke are among returning cast members who will be joined by newcomers Jamie Chung and Dennis Haysbert (filling in for the late Michael Clarke Duncan).

X-Men Origins: Wolverine director Gavin Hood helms this adaptation of Orson Scott Card's best-selling sci-fi series that counts Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley and Hailee Steinfeld among its cast. The film takes place 70 years after a horrific alien war, where an unusually gifted child is sent to an advanced military school in space to prepare for a future invasion.

The Marvel movie machine looks to shake up the holiday movie season with the return of Chris Hemsworth as Thor. Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor helms the sequel that co-stars Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba and Anthony Hopkins.

Is everyone ready for the Quarter Quell? Katniss, Peeta, Gale (and the rest of The Hunger Games cast that survived the first movie) return for this sequel that is expected to dominate Thanksgiving weekend. Francis Lawrence directs this adaptation of the second book in Suzanne Collins' trilogy of books.

Since Gandalf, Bilbo and the dwarves didn't stay on the giant birds and fly back home at the end of Unexpected Journey, we get this second movie which will find the crew taking on the gold-loving dragon Smaug. What new adventures will the group face and what kind of cliffhanger will Peter Jackson leave us with for the final Hobbit movie due in 2014?

Kenneth Branagh brings one of Tom Clancy's best known characters back to the big screen with Chris Pine in the title role. Keira Knightley stars as the love interest and Kevin Costner portrays William Harper in a story that finds Russian terrorists attempting to crash the U.S. economy with an attack. We can't wait to open this Christmas Day present!