Year End Wrap Up: Most Anticipated Films of 2012

From the return to Middle Earth to the last Batman film from director Christopher Nolan, here is our staff's list of the films scheduled for theatrical release in 2012 they are most looking forward to.

"This award wining book series makes it way to the big screen this year with a talented young cast leading a film that has fans constantly gushing over every newly released image and bit of footage. It looks to be one of the few films that will not only do the books justice, but exceed readers' expectations."

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley, Paula Malcolmson, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Toby Jones

Director: Gary Ross

Release Date: March 23th, 2012

THE HUNGER GAMES will be directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Collins’ best-selling novel, which has over 3 million copies in print in the United States alone, is the first in a trilogy of science fiction/action novels which have developed a global following.

THE HUNGER GAMES chronicles a dystopic Capitol which requires its twelve subjugated districts to pay tribute in the form of a teenage boy and girl, forced to participate in the annual “Hunger Games,” a fight-to-the-death live televised event. Katniss Everdeen’s little sister is chosen in the lottery to participate and Katniss volunteers to take her place. Although persevering through hardship is commonplace for Katniss, she must start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love in order to win the games and return home.

"From book to stage to screen, this musical adaptation is led by musical aficionado Hugh Jackman in an adaptation of the longest running show in the world. Academy Award winning director Tom Hooper will attempt to match the success of the original musical and then some, as songs will be recorded live to hearken back to the original play and increase it's authenticity."

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen

Director: Tom Hooper

Release Date: December 7th, 2012

Les Miserables tells the story of unjustly convicted prisoner Jean Valjean, who has an uncanny level of physical strength. Determined to change his circumstances, the protagonist violates his parole, changes his names and becomes an industrious factory owner and eventually Mayor. In this new role, he becomes a champion of the oppressed, poor, and downtrodden. He saves a woman named Fantine, who has an illegitimate child, from a life of social exile and certain death. He also uses his considerable brawn to save a man from an overturned carriage. He can not escape his past however and is pursued by Javert, a police officer with an unflinching sense of justice. All this happens at a time of growing political revolution and unrest at the governments neglect of the common and poor.

"Road to Perdition, L.A. Confidential and The Untouchables are just a few gangster films that people bring up as solid examples of the Noir Crime sub-genre. Director Ruben Fleischer is following up his recent, modern day heist film 30 Minutes or Less with a trip back in time to 1940's California with an outstanding cast. The flurry of behind the scenes photos that inundated the net while filming was underway tease elegance, grit and lots of much needed action."

Starring: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Michael Peña, Nick Nolte, Anthony Mackie, Mireille Enos, Holt McCallany, Robert Patrick, Giovanni Ribisi

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Release Date: October 19th, 2012

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and—if he has his way—every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart.

"Based on the New York Times Best Selling novel author Max Brooks, the film is set to be a brain splattered adaptation that takes us on a zombie globe hopping trip around the world. To stay true to the novel, the film follows Brad Pitt's character, a UN Representative around as he interviews survivors of the vicious zombie war, their survival techniques, and their harrowing stories. It's also set for release on what conspiracy theorists call "Doomsday" - December 21st, 2012."

Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric West, Matthew Fox, David Morse, James Badge Dale

Director: Marc Forster

Release date: December 21st, 2012

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

"Finally, Bond is back! After shattering expectations with Casino Royale and facing what many see as a misstep in Quantum of Solace, Daniel Craig will help to further develop the yet-to-be-told early years of England's foremost weapon against villainy. Hardly anything about this film has been revealed, yet it's already caused quite a big stir."

Starring: Daniel Craig, Dame Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Berenice Marlohe, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw

Director: Sam Mendes

Release Date: November 9th, 2012

In SKYFALL, Bond’s loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

"After silencing naysayers who couldn't believe he would do justice to a World War II based film, Quentin Tarantino will now tackle the Spaghetti Western genre with Django Unchained. Said to be showing slavers and plantation owners in a horrendous way never seen before, this film is already set to break another mold and solidify him as one of today's most popular directors."

Starring: Jaime Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Kerry Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Dennis Christopher, Laura Cayouette, M.C. Gainey, Tom Savini, Anthony LaPaglia, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Remar

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Release Date: December 25th, 2012

Django Unchained is written and directed by Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill) and stars Jamie Foxx (Ray) as Django, a slave turned bounty hunter searching for his wife Broomhilda. Under the guidance of German gunslinger Dr. King Schultze (Christoph Waltz), the two begin their quest to find Django's wife, who is being held captive by the despicable Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his right hand man Steven (Samuel L. Jackson).

"Chris Nolan sparked new and well deserved life into a dead film franchise with Batman Begins. Movie goers around the world are now aching to find out if he can outdo the critical and financial success of it's sequel The Dark Knight. This being his last time in the director's chair of a Batman film, and introducing a quizzical choice for it's main villain, anticipation is at an all time high."

Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman​, Michael Caine​, Morgan Freeman​, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt​, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard​, Josh Pence, Daniel Sunjata, Diego Klattenhoff, Burn Gorman​, Nestor Carbonell, Alon Aboutboul​, Matthew Modine​, Tom Conti, Brett Cullen​, Chris Ellis

Director: Christopher Nolan

Release Date: July 20th, 2012

The Dark Knight Rises is the highly anticipated final installment of Warner Bros​ and DC Entertainment's new Batman film franchise. Christopher Nolan has returned to direct the film from a screenplay he wrote with Jonathan Nolan​, from a story by himself and David S. Goyer. Details about the film's storyline are scarce, but it has already been established that one of villains set to take on the Batman will be the powerhouse known as Bane. Selina Kyle, better known to comics fans as Catwoman, will also have a central role in the movie. The will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

"A decade of planning lead into this upcoming spectacle directed by cult favorite Joss Whedon. Once only thought of as a cinematic pipe dream, The Avengers will bring together heroes from five individual movies that will now share screen time for the first time in history; an achievement that hardly any comic book fan thought would come to pass so soon."

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlet Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Tom Hiddleston

Director: Joss Whedon

Release Date: May 4th, 2012

Based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series, first published in 1963, Marvel’s The Avengers brings together the mightiest super hero characters as they all assemble together on screen for the first time. Continuing the epic big-screen adventures started in Iron Man​, The Incredible Hulk​, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America​: The First Avenger, Marvel’s The Avengers is the super hero team up of a lifetime. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury​, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.

"When you hear fans of director Ridley Scott claim that he almost single-handedly defined the sci-fi movie genre, take it as fact. He now returns to Alien, one of the most popular franchises in cinema history, to bring his vision to a new generation."

Starring: Ben Foster, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Rafe Spall, Guy Pearce, Emun Elliott, Benedict Wong, Sean Harris, Logan Marshall-Green, Kate Dickie

Director: Ridley Scott

Release Date: June 8th, 2012

Visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to the genre he helped define, creating an original science fiction epic set in the most dangerous corners of the universe. The film takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life’s ultimate mystery.

"Part One of director Peter Jackson's much delayed prequels has done nothing but excite fans from his LOTR films while also inviting new viewers to take part in what will be a breath taking cinematic adventure. WETA is again behind bringing the sweeping landscapes and fantastical characters of this mythology to digital life with the added bonus of 3D."

Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, Elijah Wood, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Evangeline Lilly, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Stephen Hunter, Benedict Cumberbatch, Bret McKenzie, James Nesbitt, Luke Evans

Director: Peter Jackson

Release Date: December 14th, 2012

The HobbitLearn more follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.