With 2019 now over, we take a look at the biggest movie news stories of the year. While there are always major developments in the entertainment industry, 2019 felt like a more significant year than usual. A number of beloved pop culture franchises celebrated endings with emotional final chapters, Disney continued to add to their already extensive media empire, seemingly unbreakable box office records fell, and the streaming wars reached full tilt with the debut of a number of new services. Obviously, 2020 will have its fair share of events, but it looks like it (mercifully) won’t be as jam-packed as the past 12 months.
So much has happened since 2019 began, notable headlines that dominated discussions in the spring and summer feel like they happened ages (not months) ago. Before cinephiles await what the new year (and a new decade) have in store, it’s time to take a look back at all the craziness that took place between January - December 2019. Here are our picks for the biggest movie news stories of the year, organized chronologically.
James Gunn Rehired For Guardians of the Galaxy 3
In 2018, Disney fired director James Gunn from Guardians of the Galaxy 3 after the filmmaker’s old offensive tweets resurfaced. Almost immediately, there was a passionate campaign calling for Gunn to be rehired, with a number of fans and members of the Guardians cast expressing their disappointment with Gunn’s dismissal. Nearly a year later, those wishes were answered when it was announced Gunn would indeed call the shots on Guardians of the Galaxy 3, which he would work on after completing The Suicide Squad for DC (a job he picked up in his time away from Disney). It later came out the Mouse House never actively looked for Gunn’s replacement, suggesting they intended to bring him back all along.
Disney’s Fox Purchase Becomes Official
The long process of Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox’s entertainment assets finally became official this past March. To say that’s an unprecedented seismic shift in the industry would be an understatement; one of the major studios was bought by another one. While viewers rejoiced in the fact the X-Men and Fantastic Four could now become part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are a number of serious ramifications many find concerning. Disney wasted no time leaving their mark on Fox, canceling projects and shutting down subdivisions as they reorganized the slate. The most powerful studio in the business only got bigger, threatening to become a monopoly. Time will tell what kind of impact this has on Hollywood as a whole.
Emperor Palpatine Returns in The Rise of Skywalker
Since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, secrecy has been a key component of Star Wars marketing campaigns. However, they took things to another level when it came time to promote this year’s sequel trilogy finale. The film’s official title - The Rise of Skywalker - wasn’t revealed until the teaser trailer at Celebration Chicago and that wasn’t the only surprise the preview contained. It ended with Emperor Palpatine’s iconic laugh, confirming the fabled Star Wars villain was back for one more round. Since Lucasfilm did an excellent job keeping Palpatine’s role in Rise of Skywalker under wraps, this came as quite a shock and helped raise anticipation for the tentpole.
Sonic the Hedgehog’s Last-Minute Redesign
The infamous first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog earned very mixed reactions, as many viewers took issue with Sonic’s character design. There was something off-putting about the way Sonic looked, and in response to the criticism, it was announced the speedy hedgehog would undergo a last-minute redesign. Paramount delayed the film to give the now-defunct visual effect studio ample time to update the film and unveiled the results in a new preview back in November. Fortunately, the new movie Sonic resembles his video game counterpart much more closely, and Sonic the Hedgehog looks like it could be a silly, entertaining time at the movies next year.
Ben Affleck Officially Leaves Batman; Robert Pattinson Cast
In the aftermath of Justice League’s critical and commercial failure, rumors about Ben Affleck vacating the role of Batman began to swirl. Speculation only intensified when he stepped down from writing and directing a Batman solo movie, passing those responsibilities on to Matt Reeves. At long last, the saga ended in May when it was reported Robert Pattinson would play Bruce Wayne in Reeves’ upcoming film (which hits theaters in June 2021). Affleck’s roller coaster tenure in the cape and cowl is now officially over, freeing him up to pursue other projects, such as spring’s The Way Back.
Avengers: Endgame Breaks Avatar’s Box Office Record
James Cameron had been king of the global box office ever since Titanic set the mark in the late ’90s, but his reign is over (for now). Avengers: Endgame, a once in a generation cinematic event, came blistering out of the gates with a $1.5 billion opening weekend, putting together one of the most incredible runs in history. Several months and one strategically-time re-release later, Endgame edged Cameron’s Avatar off the top spot on the all-time charts, ending with $2.797 billion globally. In all likelihood, Avatar will retake the #1 position in due time, but it’s amazing Marvel was able to top a seemingly unbreakable record.
Marvel Studios Confirms Phase 4 Lineup
On the same day Endgame officially passed Avatar at the box office, Marvel Studios held their highly-anticipated San Diego Comic-Con 2019 panel, where they unveiled their Phase 4 slate. The new era of the MCU doesn’t just consist of new feature films like Black Widow and Thor: Love and Thunder, but also Disney+ TV shows such as The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and Loki. All in all, Marvel has a lot of exciting projects planned, finding a nice balance between returning faces and newcomers (Eternals) that’ll help expand the universe even more. It’ll be a long time (if ever) before Marvel has another Endgame, but they’re not going to slow down any time soon.
The MCU Loses (And Then Regains) Spider-Man
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Marvel in 2019. Back in August, Spider-Man left the MCU, after Sony and Disney couldn’t come to terms on a new deal. This news was highly upsetting and disappointing for fans, especially since it came on the heels of Far From Home’s jaw-dropping post-credits plot twist. For a while, it looked like Spider-Man’s adventures on the big screen would continue without Marvel Studios involved, but the Disney/Sony split was mercifully temporary. About a month later, the two studios reached a new agreement, which includes Spider-Man: Homecoming 3 (due in 2021) and another MCU appearance from Tom Holland.
The Martin Scorsese/Marvel Movies Controversy
Martin Scorsese is arguably the greatest living American filmmaker, but he found himself in hot water during the fall when he said he didn’t consider Marvel movies to be cinema, comparing them more to theme park rides. Given how popular comic book adaptations are these days, just about everyone had their thoughts on Scorsese’s comments, with many choosing the high road of respectfully disagreeing with his opinion. Scorsese isn’t alone in his feelings about superhero films, but his thoughts generated more of a conversation than others. He attempted to elaborate on his initial statement with an op-ed, and thankfully this discussion seems to have died down in the past couple of months.
David Benioff & D.B. Weiss Leave Star Wars
Lucasfilm’s poor track record retaining creatives is a running joke at this point, with Benioff & Weiss serving as the latest examples. The Game of Thrones creators were hired in 2018 to develop a new Star Wars film series and were said to be working closely with Rian Johnson (who’s working on his own trilogy) to plan the next 10 years of Star Wars content. However, pesky creative differences got in the way, and Benioff & Weiss left Star Wars in late October. The duo’s first movie was penciled in as Star Wars’ 2022 film, so now Lucasfilm has to figure out what’s next.
Joker Is First R-Rated Film To Gross $1 Billion
Few 2019 films were as polarizing as Joker, which emerged as a bona fide awards contender after winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Some felt it was a work of art that transcended its genre, while others felt it was a dangerous film that could inspire real-world violence. That controversy didn’t deter people from seeing Joker in the theater, as the film exceeded commercial expectations and broke box office records. The most noteworthy mark Joker set was becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all-time, passing the $1 billion plateau (despite not playing in China). This proved Joker was worth the risk WB took, potentially paving the way for more intriguing, unique comic book adaptations.
Snyder Cut Movement Gains Massive Support
By now it’s no secret Zack Snyder’s original vision for Justice League was completely changed when Joss Whedon took over the project (after Snyder left due to a personal tragedy) and oversaw a plethora of reshoots that fundamentally altered the project. After the Frankenstein’s monster of a theatrical cut was released, #ReleaseTheSnyderCut became a rallying cry for the DCEU fans who wanted Snyder to see his initial plan through. For the past two years, the Snyder Cut movement has only grown in prominence, and this year got some massive support from celebrities - including Justice League actors like Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot. WB still has no plans to release the Snyder Cut, but home still remains - especially because it exists.
More: The Biggest Movie News Stories of the Decade
