Check out our revealing, movie-related predictions for 2010

Posted Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 1:18 PM Central
Last updated Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 1:41 PM Central

by John Couture

It's a new year, a new decade (well not technically, but lay off math geeks) and that means it's time for outlandish predictions. Tim and I dusted off our crystal balls and looked into the future and were surprised by what we saw.

The future is always hazy and subject to change, so there's still a good chance that we might be wrong here, but if you're looking for insight into what the next year will bring, then you've come to the right place.

So, sit back and let us dazzle you with a look at the entertainment world of 2010. Then tell us what you think of our predictions or give us some of your own.

John's 2010 Predictions

• A young actress known for her innocence will announce a more adult project. This is my slam dunk, take it to the bank, stone-cold lead lock of all of my predictions. It's a tale as old as time itself. The easiest and quickest way for a young actress to announce herself as a serious, adult actress is to take on an edgier role, one that more often than not requires nudity. Recently, we've seen such stars as Evan Rachel Wood, Anne Hathaway and Anna Paquin shed their innocent personas by shedding some of their clothes.

  Whether it's right or not is a moral argument for another day, but I guarantee you that at least one young aspiring star will choose this road to instant grown-up star. I'm not talented enough to predict which one, but here's a pool of likely suspects based on their tame fare up to this point or their recent transgressions that point towards taking on a revealing role:

  Michelle Trachtenberg
  Mischa Barton
  Amanda Bynes
  Ashley Greene
  Hilary Duff
  Hayden Panettiere
  Kristen Stewart
  Emma Watson
  Emma Roberts
  Miley Cyrus

• Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise will regain A-list status. Both of these mega-stars of the past have seen their crowns become tarnished over the years either from alcohol-infused rage sessions with the authorities or bizarre behaviors brought on by fringe religions. Whatever the case may be, both of these stars are banking on 2010 to be a big bounce back year for them and if trailers for their new movies are any indication, then the outlook is mighty good.

  Mel is back with Edge of Darkness, a movie that returns him back to the type of role he perfected in the 1990s. You can check out the trailer here. Meanwhile, Tom is back in a comedy-action role that will capitalize upon his strengths in Knight and Day. You can peep the trailer here.

• Kevin Smith will be attached to direct a comic book movie. If there's anything that would go together as nicely as chocolate and peanut butter, it would be Kevin Smith making a comic book movie. He's been attached (briefly) to various projects in the past, but he's always bowed out due to his belief that he's not a visual enough director to handle the grand landscape that such a comic book movie would require.

  Smith has worked pretty much equally for the big two, Marvel and DC so it's anyone's guess what project he would tackle. Although, he recently directed Cop Out for Warner Bros. (the first movie he directed in which he didn't also write the screenplay) which is more in bed with DC given its ties to Superman and Batman. So, given that, I wouldn't be surprised to see him tackle a Green Arrow movie, a book that he previously breathed new life into a few years ago.

  So, if Cop Out is as huge a success as everyone is thinking it will be at this point, I could see Smith's confidence being buoyed to the point where he might consider taking on his dream job of directing a tent-pole comic book movie.

• George Lucas will announce Star Wars episodes 7-9 will be made using computer generated renderings of the original actors from the original trilogy. You know Lucas is sitting at home at his ranch green with envy that James Cameron has one-upped him with Avatar. And what better way to get his revenge than to use Cameron's own technology to give fans the movies that they've always wanted.

  Of course, we wanted the movies 20 years ago when George could've simply filmed them with the actual actors instead of using CG to render them. Of course, he can still have them voice their parts, but it's just not going to be the same. There are just enough rumblings escaping Skywalker Ranch that make this one more plausible than not at this point.

• Robert Downey, Jr. will end up in rehab, again. I think Leonardo Dicaprio said it best when he claimed in Titanic that he was "the king of the world." And we all know what happened next, the ship sank and he died.

  Yep, when you're on top, there's usually only one way to go. Hollywood's past is littered with explosive flame-outs and sadly RDJ has a track record that says this could likely happen. With the current success of Sherlock Holmes and the upcoming Iron Man 2 already penciled in as a box office goliath of 2010, it's quite possible that Robert Downey, Jr. could find himself thrust back into the world that he's already tangled with on numerous occasions.

  Don't get me wrong, I truly hope that he is clean for life this time, but temptation will there for him in spades this year and it just wouldn't shock me to see him end up in rehab.

Tim's 2010 Predictions

• A movie will break The Dark Knight's opening weekend record of $158 million. The Twilight Saga: New Moon came darn close this year to breaking The Dark Knight's box office record. It fell just over $15 million short. With rising ticket prices in general and premium 3D and IMAX showings, the record is sure to fall in 2010. The only question becomes which one will do it. Iron Man 2 and the next Twilight film are best bets.
• Marvel characters will appear alongside Disney characters for the first time (most likely in a video game mashup). When the Mouse House bought up Marvel Comics in 2009 everyone feared the inevitable mix of the two universes. Disney execs have already said Marvel characters will make their way to Disney theme parks. I think 2010 will be the first time the two bases intermingle in media form, probably in the shape of a "Kingdom Hearts"-like video game.
• The original Star Wars trilogy will be released on Blu-ray. For many, myself included, this is the hi-def Holy Grail. The seminal series was released on DVD in 2004. The un-altered films were released for DVD in 2007. It's time for Lucas to go back to the well. This time repackaging the trilogy for a super-deluxe Blu-ray edition. A related prediction: I will be first in line to buy it.
• The long-awaited new VideoETA web site will be introduced and warmly received. I hate to admit how long this project has been in development. It's been way, way too long. Considerable work is already done and, damn it, it will make the light of day in 2010. I promise it. Sincerely this time. Of course it's just my hope that you all will like it. (But it is pretty cool so far.)
• Blu-ray will outsell DVD in the second half of 2010. The previously forecasted release of Star Wars on Blu-ray will be the tipping point for Blu-ray. Couple that with the downward trend of DVD sales and slow rise of digital downloads and you have the makings for a big six-month period for Blu-ray. I won't go so far as saying it will be big growth for the hi-def format; just that it will edge out the declining DVD medium.