#character: rufus arquette.

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Below is a list of movies opening in the U.S. from September to December, organized chronologically by release date.

Among the movies of interest to theater lovers: Finn Wittrock (Death of A Salesman, Glass Menagerie) portrays Judy Garland’s fifth husband in “Judy,” a movie about her that bears great resemblance to a play that was on Broadway. Cynthia Erivo and Leslie Odom Jr.  (Tony winners for The Color Purple and Hamilton, respectively) star in “Harriet,” about Harriet Tubman. Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tracy Letts adapts a novel for the screen. And, Heaven help us, both Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen (as Gus The Theater Cat) in Cats, the movie version of the Broadway musical.

  Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman

Dame Judy dench in Cats

Renee Zellweger and Finn Wittrock and Judy Garland and her fifth husband in “Judy”

Leslie Odom Jr in Harriet

Meryl Streep in Little Women

Sir Ian McKellen as Gus the Theater cat in Cats

(Below, an asterisk is placed next to names of movie cast members that theatergoers can legitimately claim as legitimate stage artists now or at least originally. For example, Willem Dafoe, a familiar face on screen who is appearing  is appearing in two high-profile movies this Fall, is a founding member of the experimental theater company The Wooster Group.)

SEPTEMBER

September 2

Untouchable

Hulu Directed by: Ursula McFarlane Cast: Rosanna Arquette, Ronan Farrow, Paz de la Huerta

A documentary about Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement.

September 6

It: Chapter 2

Directed by: Andrés Muschietti Cast: Bill Hader, Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Bill Skarsgard

Twenty-seven years after the Losers Club’s terrifying encounter with Derry’s most notorious clown, they receive a phone call that brings them all back together again.

Also: Blink of an Eye Ms. Purple

  September 13

  The Goldfinch

Directed by: John Crowley Cast:  Ansel Elgort, Finn Wolfhard, Nicole Kidman, Ashleigh Cummings, *Jeffrey Wright, Aneurin Bernard, Sarah Paulson, Luke Wilson

Based on Donna Tart’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2014 novel from 2014 about one of the only survivors of a bombing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as he struggles to let go of his one connection to that day: a painting of a tiny bird, otherwise known as The Goldfinch.

Haunt

Directed by: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods Cast:  Katie Stevens, Will Brittain, Lauryn Alisa McClain

On Halloween, a group of friends discover a haunted house that claims to create thrills based on real fears.

Hustlers

Directed by: Lorene Scafaria Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Constance Wu, Lizzo, Keke Palmer, Julia Stiles, Lili Reinhart

Inspired by a 2015 New York Magazine article about a group of strippers stealing from their rich Wall Street clients during the financial crisis.

  Also (bear in mind it’s Friday the 13th)

Depraved Freaks Monos Moonlight Sonata

September 20

Ad Astra

Directed by: James Gray Cast: Brad Pitt, Liv Tyler, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga

Astronaut Roy McBride (Pitt) travels to the outer edge of our solar system on a dangerous mission to find his father (Tommy Lee Jones) who disappeared decades earlier, and may hold the key to a secret that threatens our very existence.

Downton Abbey

Release date: September 20 Directed by: Michael Engler Cast: *Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Carter, Joanna Froggat, Matthew Goode, *Elizabeth McGovern

The TV series made into a movie: It’s 1927, and Downton Abbey is about to receive some very special guests: King George V and Queen Mary.

  Rambo: Last Blood

Directed by: Adrian Grunberg Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Adriana Barraza, Yvette Monreal

The fifth Rambo installment; this time the daughter of a friend is kidnapped by a Mexican cartel

Between Two Ferns: The Movie

Netflix Directed by: Scott Aukerman Cast:  Zach Galifanakis, Lauren Lapkus, Ginger Gonzaga

A movie based on Zach Galifanakis’ cult parody talk show. Galifanakis must hit the road to defend his reputation as the premier celebrity interviewer of our time.

Also: Corporate Animals Diego Maradona Where’s My Roy Cohn?

September 27

Judy

Directed by: Rupert Goold Cast: Renee Zellweger, Rufus Sewell, Finn Wittrock, Jessie Buckley

The last year of Judy Garland’s life, largely based on Peter Quilter’s play End of the Rainbow. During a five-week run in London she reflects on her rise to stardom, and fall in love with Mickey Deans (Wittrock) the man who became her fifth husband.

The Report

Directed by: Scott Z. Burns Cast Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Matthew Rhys, Corey Stoll

Based on a true story, this political thriller follows Senate staffer Daniel Jones (Driver) as he leads an investigation in the CIA’s Detention and Interrogation Program, which engaged in “enhanced interrogation techniques” after 9/11.

Also: The Day Shall Come The Death of Dick Long Extra Ordinary The Sound of Silence

OCTOBER

October 4

Joker

Directed by: Todd Phillips Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro. Zazie Beetz

The origin story of the Batman villain, who started as a lonely, failed stand-up comedian.

The Woman in the Window

Directed by: Joe Wright Cast: Amy Adams, *Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, Anthony Mackie, Brian Tyree Henry

Adapted by Tracy Letts from the best-selling novel by A.J. Finn, the movie stars Adams as an agoraphobic child psychologist who spends her days spying on the perfect family next door. But then she witnesses a crime…

Pain and Glory

Directed by: Pedro Almodovar Cast: Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz

Banderas won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his role as a film director in the middle of a creative crisis

The Current War

Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, *Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, *Tom Holland, Katherine Waterston

Inventors Thomas Edison (Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Shannon) race to complete rival electrical systems that will change modern life.

Lucy in the Sky

Directed by: Noah Hawley Cast: Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm, Dan Stevens, Zazie Bettz, *Ellen Burstyn

Based on a true story, Portman stars as an astronaut who kidnaps his ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend and drives from Houston to Orlando wearing an adult diaper. After a long mission, Lucy returns to Earth only to find her connection with her family — and reality — slipping away.

Also: Wrinkles the Clown

October 11

Gemini Man

Directed by: Ang Lee Cast:  Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong

A former government assassin is targeted by his younger, more agile clone, able to predict his every thought and movement.

Parasite

Directed by: Bong Joon-ho Cast Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam

The first Korean movie to win the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, it is a pitch-black modern fairytale the follows the wealthy Park family, and the much-poorer Kim clan.

Also: Jexi The Dead Center (Limited) High Strung Free Dance (Limited)

October 18

The Lighthouse

Directed by: Robert Eggers Cast Robert Pattinson, *Willem Dafoe

Two New England lighthouse keepers slowly lose their sanity.

Zombieland 2: Double Tap

Directed by: Ruben Fleischer Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Bill Murray, Rosario Dawson, Zoey Deutch, Luke Wilson

Ten years after the original movie, the characters reconnoitre at the White House, and head back on the road, meeting new survivors and enemies on the way. When he’s not acting in movies, Jesse Eisenberg has been busy writing plays Off-Broadway.

Maleficent 2: Mistress of Evil

Directed by: Joachim Ranning Cast:Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sam Reilly

Set several years after the first movie, Maleficent (Jolie) is living in peace when Aurora (Fanning) and Prince Phillip’s (Harris Dickinson) engagement throws everything into turmoil.

The Addams Family

Directed by: Conrad Vernon, Greg Tiernan Cast: Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Oscar Isaac, Finn Wolfhard, Snoop Dog, Allison Janney, Bette Midler

In this animated film, the family does battle with a reality show host.

Jojo Rabbit

Directed by: Taika Waititi Cast Taiki Waititi, Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Rebel Wilson, Stephen Merchant, Alfie Allen, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson

Based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunen, set during World War II in Germany, Griffin Davis is Jojo “Rabbit” Betzler, who discovers that his mother (Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. Jojo must confront his Nazi beliefs, with the help of his imaginary friend, a goofy version of the Fuhrer.

Also: Greener Grass

October 25

Black and Blue

Directed by: Deon Taylor Cast Naomie Harris, Tyrese Gibson, Frank Grillo

When rookie police officer Alicia West (Harris) accidentally records corrupt cops committing a crime on her body camera, she turns to her only possible ally, Milo “Mouse” Jackson (Gibson), to help her make sure they face justice.

The Last Full Measure

Directed by: Todd Robinson Cast Sebastian Stan, *Christopher Plummer, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Irvine, Alison Sudol

Based on a true story, Sebastian Stan plays investigator Scott Huffman, who signs on to help Vietnam veterans lobby for their comrade-in-arms to get a Congressional Medal of Honor after he gave his life saving them.

Also: Countdown Frankie The Kill Team Synonyms

NOVEMBER

November 1

Motherless Brooklyn

Release date: November 1 Directed by: Edward Norton Cast Edward Norton, *Willem Dafoe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Leslie Mann, Bobby Cannavale, Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Fisher Stevens, *Cherry Jones

Based on Jonathan Lethem’s novel, this detective thriller stars Norton as a private eye with Tourette syndrome, who finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy involving Alec Baldwin.

Harriet

Release date: November 1 Directed by: Kasi Lemmons Cast: *Cynthia Erivo, Janelle Monae, Joe Alwyn,* Leslie Odom Jr.

Erivo as Harriet Tubman

Also: Arctic Dogs Terminator: Dark Fate Burden Waves

November 8

Doctor Sleep Last Christmas Midway Playing with Fire Honey Boy

November 15

Ford v. Ferrari Directed by: James Mangold Cast: Matt Damon, Christian Bale A British driver named Ken Miles (Christian Bale) and an engineer named Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) to design something to compete against the Europeans

Also:

All Rise Charlie’s Angels The Good Liar The Lodge

November 22

21 Bridges A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood Frozen II Dark Waters

November 27 (Thanksgiving)

Knives Out Queen & Slim

DECEMBER

December 6

The Aeronauts Brahms: The Boy II Playmobil: The Movie Little Joe Portrait of a Lady on Fire

December 13

Black Christmas Jumanji: The Next Level Cunningham A Hidden Life Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon Uncut Gems

December 20

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Directed by J.J. Abrams Cast: Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Daisy Ridley, Domhnall Gleeson, Keri Russell, Mark Hamill, Oscar Isaac, Billie Lourd, Lupita Nyong’o, Carrie Fisher (!) Theatergoers note: Adam Driver and Keri Russell were the co-stars of Burn This on Broadway last season.

Bombshell Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, *John Lithgow, Kate McKinnon, *Alison Janney The story of Fox News head Roger Ailes’ sexual harassment of his female employees.

Cats Cast: *James Corden as Bustopher Jones, *Judi Dench as Old Deuteronomy, Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger, Idris Elba as Macavity, Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella[, *Ian McKellen as Gus the Theatre Cat, Taylor Swift as Bombalurina, Rebel Wilson as Jennyanydots et al

The movie version of the long-running Broadway musical.

Also: Superintelligence

December 25 (Christmas)

Little Women Directed by Greta Gerwig Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Timothée Chalamet, Laura Dern and *Meryl Streep The eighth feature film adaptation of the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott.

Also: 1917 Spies in Disguise Just Mercy

December 27

Clemency

Fall 2019 Movie Preview for Theater Lovers Below is a list of movies opening in the U.S. from September to December, organized chronologically by release date.