Thinking of Rob   It's all about Robert Pattinson

11. “The Rover”

Synopsis: In a war-torn future beset by financial collapse, a man trudges across the Australian desert to locate his stolen car and secure the mysterious cargo found inside.

What You Need To Know: This is the first film for director David Michodsince his riveting debut “Animal Kingdom.” It’s been described as an existential western, and it’s being fronted by “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson. Michod is also re-teaming with “Animal Kingdom” co-star Guy Pearce, with the fairly ubiquitous Scoot McNairy onboard as well.

Why Is It Anticipated: “Animal Kingdom” was one of the most exciting debuts of the last few years. That picture captured the sweeping scope of earlyMichael Mann mixed with Werner Herzog’s anthropological analysis of human behavior, crafting a debut that was both terrifying and utterly unforgettable. While he’s taking things in a vaguely sci-fi direction here, Michod has promised that this will be a relatively grounded affair, a crime picture in theoutback that could be indicative of a contemporary mashup of “Wake In Fright” (with the idea of an outsider stranded in the outback) and “Mad Max” (with its emphasis on vehicular action). We’re particularly interested in how this takes place in the foreground of a financial collapse, and how close to modern day Michod wants to make it.

Release Date:  A24 has it currently slated for TBD fall 2014.

15. “Map To The Stars”

Synopsis: Details a twisted Hollywood family: successful self-help magnate Dr. Stafford Weiss and his wife Cristina, who manage the career of their burned-out child star kids Agatha and Benjie, and also come into the orbit of an aspiring actor and a movie star haunted by her dead mother.

What You Need To Know: This Hollywood-set tale, penned by novelist Bruce Wagner, has been in the works for close to a decade, and seems to have been something of a passion project for director David Cronenberg: it’s come close to production more than once before, but eventually got before cameras last year. Seemingly closer to last film “Cosmopolis” than his more commercial work on something like “Eastern Promises,” it’s also home to the director’s most promising cast in a long-time, with the returning Robert Pattinson and Sarah Gadon joined byJohn Cusack, Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Olivia Williams and perhaps most interestingly, Carrie Fisher, as ‘Herself.’

Why Is It Anticipated: We can’t say we were huge fans of Cronenberg’s last couple of movies, but the idea of the Canadian legend turning his attention to biting the hand that feeds him is an immediately intriguing one, and doubly so when you start adding drug-addicted thirteen-year-old child actors, pyromania and ghosts of dead 1960s stars into the mix. There are a lot of strong actors here who seem particularly suited to working with Cronenberg (Moore, Williams, Wasikowska), and perhaps more than anything, we’re delighted to see John Cusack in a movie that isn’t a straight-to-VOD actioner that hadn’t already been turned down by Nicolas Cage (with this film along with “Love and Mercy,” we’re hoping 2014 is Cusack’s comeback year). Early pics here for what could be another “Cosmopolis,” oblique and chilly, but we’ve got our fingers crossed for something more satisfying.

Release Date: Said to be aiming for Cannes, though Venice or TIFF might be options too.

The Playlist