Fall films: Everything old is new again

Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series.

Everything old is new again this fall. We have a film being remade a fifth time, another that is the 10th attempt to cover the story, and yet another currently in development that is one of 10 versions of a character!  But the fall box office is also a time in which more prestige pictures are released in time for awards season as well as blockbusters to cash in on the holiday breaks for families. Here’s a guide to some of the more notable titles ready to hit screens:

Nov. 16

Windows: Oscar-winner Steve McQueen returns with a sort of “Ocean’s 4” all-star heist film concerning four women (led by Viola Davis) who combine forces when their con-men husbands all die in an attempted robbery.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: The sequel to 2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” once again features Eddie Redmayne as Hogwarts dropout Newt Scamander who lands in the middle of an internal wizarding war. J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay for the film, which also stars Jude Law and Johnny Depp as the notorious wizard supremacist Gellert Grindelwald.

Nov. 21

Creed II: Fresh off his role in “Black Panther,” Michael B. Jordan reprises his role as Adonis Creed, who, in keeping with the apparent micro-universe of boxing sequels, squares off against Viktor Drago, the son of Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago, who killed his father Apollo Creed in Rocky IV.

Ralph Breaks the Internet: “Wreck-it Ralph” continues its meta-laughs when Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly), Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), and their video game buds embark on a new adventure after finding a Wi-Fi router in their arcade.

Robin Hood: Another year, another take on the “Robin Hood” legend. In this outing, Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, and Ben Mendelsohn look to take a more gritty, realistic approach to the well-trodden tale.

Nov. 30

If Beale Street Could Talk: After winning an Oscar for “Moonlight,” Barry Jenkins follows by filming this James Baldwin novel, a 1970s Harlem-set love story. The film stars Stephan James, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Michael Beach, Dave Franco, Diego Luna and Regina King.

Dec. 7

Mary, Queen of Scots: Forget a match between Venus and Serena, this was the original family feud, with Saoirse Ronan playing the title character and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth, the cousin she tries to overthrow.

Under the Silver Lake: “It Follows” director David Robert Mitchell turns to the noir genre, albeit with a comedic touch. Andrew Garfield plays an amateur sleuth searching for his missing neighbor who happens into a more complex conspiracy.

Dec. 14

Roma: Visionary director Alfonso Cuarón (“Gravity,” “Children of Men”) also produced, co-edited and co-photographed this semi-autobiographical film starring Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Marco Graf and Daniela Demesa. Set in the early 1970s in Mexico City, it follows the life of a middle-class family and its live-in housekeeper.

Aquaman: The DC Cinematic Universe attempts to expand once again with the a stand-alone film featuring the submerged superhero (played by Jason Mamoa) who must save the kingdom of Atlantis from destruction.

Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse: As part of the deal Sony reached with Marvel in sharing the Spidey character, this animated film gives us another universe in which Peter Parker is not our hero, but rather Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore). 

Dec. 19

Mary Poppins Returns: Now that siblings Jane and Michael Banks are all grown up with their own children, their former nanny (now played by Emily Blunt) returns to give them a little assistance. Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Angela Lansbury, and Dick Van Dyke round out the musical’s cast.

Dec. 21

Bumblebee: Hailee Steinfeld stars in this Transformers spinoff, set in the late ‘80s, dedicated to the lovable Transformer sidekick who’s on the run from the government agency trying to capture him ... again.

Welcome to Marwen: Robert Zemeckis (“Back to the Future,” “Forrest Gump”) is known for being innovative with special effects. Here, Steve Carell plays a man responding to a violent assault by constructing a miniature village in his backyard, into which he escapes in his imagination.

Holmes & Watson: Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly reunite (after “Step Brothers”) for a comedy about the legendary​ super sleuths, in their later years.