Update no.1: Mickey 17 has been pushed until January 2025 and has been removed from this list.

Update no. 2: Ballerina has been pushed to June 2025 and has been removed from this list.

It’s that time of year when we look to the future and can get excited about all the movies on the horizon. We had a lot of delays in recent memory due to the pandemic and in 2024, some of these titles may end up getting delayed due to the Hollywood strikes, so this article will update accordingly. Likewise, some titles have been taken off the slate or haven’t been given a formal release window, such as Beyond the Spider-Verse, Tarantino’s final film, The Movie Critic, or Mortal Kombat II, so I’ll adjust accordingly throughout the year should things change. So strap in as we highlight our most anticipated films of 2024 (in no particular order).

Update no. 1: Monkey Man came out of nowhere but it very much deserves a spot on this list, see the bottom for its entry.

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two was slated to hit the big screen in November 2023 but due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, the film was delayed until March 2024. What else is left to say about the movie though; the trailer embedded below is a work of art in and of itself and is certainly one of, if not my most anticipated of the year. Many of the cast return from the original, such as Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, but they’re joined by newcomers Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, and Léa Seydoux to close out Villenuve’s adaptation of the first Dune novel.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Matt Reeves sits out the fourth Apes prequel film while Wes Ball steps into the director’s chair. The film is set many generations after the events of War of the Planet of the Apes and sees the Apes falling into a more brutal and misguided society while humanity has regressed into animalistic tribalism. It has potential, but I’ve never been a huge Apes fan so time will tell if I see this one on the big screen.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

The prequel/spin-off to Mad Max: Fury Road, arguably one of the best movies of the 2010s, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga will be an origin story for Charlize Theron’s Furiosa, this time played by Anya Taylor-Joy in an origins story for the character. Before she was rolling with Immortan Joe and Max, she was taken from The Green Place and ends up crossing paths with the warlord Dementus, played by Chris Hemsworth. The trailer does feature more obvious CGI than expected and may not seem quite as original since it’s leaning heavily into the Fury Road style, but here’s hoping it can be a fun and compelling addition to the Mad Max canon.

Civil War

Civil War may just be one of my most anticipated films of the year. Coming to us from A24 and Alex Garland (Ex-Machina, Annihilation), the film is a near-future what-if styled film that sees the United States enter a second Civil War. Instead of being framed around soldiers, the film seems to be from the point of view of wartime journalists, documenting the war on the ground while having to navigate the precarious political climate. Considering the political divide, I can’t imagine other mainline studios greenlighting this film but kudos to A24 for letting the filmmaker’s vision come through. At the same time, I’m not eager for the discourse that will surround this film, especially knowing that 2024 is a US election year and you just know this will be used as some sort of propaganda, which forces me to wonder if is it responsible to even release this movie. I do hope it doesn’t play any political cards in terms of picking “a side” and that the message is vague and ambiguous, leaving all parties feeling uncomfortable.

Gladiator II

After the misfire that was Napoleon, I am a bit worried about Gladiator II as it features the same writer as that film, but since the original Gladiator is so excellent, one can’t help but be a little curious about where this will go and the film features a stellar cast, including Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal and Joseph Quinn, with Connie Nielsen and Djimon Houson reprising their roles from the first movie. Still, seems unnecessary after all these years.

The Fall Guy

Bullet Train may not have been an instant classic like John Wick was, but it was a dumb fun time at the movies with some genuinely funny moments. The Fall Guy looks to bank on the charisma of both Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt while keeping with the over-the-top action and quirky humour of David Leitch’s previous film. The trailer looked bonkers and funny and I’m there for it.

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirim

Directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Ultraman, Blade Runner: Black Lotus), this is a prequel to The Lord of the Rings and is set within the Peter Jackson canon. As such, the film will keep the visual style of those movies, which is a huge win for many. The film will be about the legendary hero Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox, fresh off his Succession run) who must defend Rohan against the invading Dunlendings. Helm’s mythic nature will result in the fortress of Helm’s Deep being named after him. Miranda Otto will resume her role as Éowyn from The Two Towers and The Return of the King in a narration capacity.

The Bikeriders

Originally set to release in December 2023, the film was pulled from the Disney/Fox schedule due to the strike, forcing New Regency to shop The Bikeriders around. Focus Features and its parent company, Universal, picked it up with a target release of June 21st now. The film, directed by Jeff Nicholas and starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, and Tom Hardy has already played the festival circuit, with many comparing it thematically and tonally to Goodfellas or The Outsiders. Set in the 1960s, the film chronicles the rise of a fictitious motorcycle gang, with Nicholas stating the film was inspired by a photo book of the same name. One of my most anticipated.

Twisters

Directed by Lee Issac Chung, the man who directed The Convert episode in the third season of The Mandalorian, Twisters is a sequel to the popular 90s film Twister. We used to have so many disaster films and we’ve not really had any good ones anymore, so I’m holding out for an old-school 90s return to form for the genre.

Inside Out 2

It’s not a big secret that Disney and Pixar have been struggling as of late, so a return to a familiar setting may be what the studios need. Originally, I didn’t think we needed a sequel to Inside Out, but once I saw that the film would tackle the complex emotional transition known as teenage puberty, I knew they hit the goldmine for narrative potential. Here’s hoping they can deliver a hit.

Joker: Folie à Deux

The first Joker movie was a pretty unexpected turn. A gritty crime drama clearly inspired by the works of Scorsese, this Todd Phillips-directed film would go on to net Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar statue and would stand out from the rest of the comicbook films by being more of a drama than a superhero film. Now, we get the sequel, and while I wasn’t sure we needed one, at least the follow-up aims to be different by being more of a musical, thanks to Lada Gaga in the role of Harley Quinn. So let’s see if lightning can strike twice.

A Quiet Place: Day One

John Krasinski steps away from the director chair for this spinoff to A Quiet Place, with Michael Sarnoski both writing and directing this one. The best part about A Quiet Place Part Two was the opening sequence on the first day, so if this movie can have that sort of energy, I’ll be intrigued. But I wonder how the film will work with more dialogue. Seeing how this is day one, the humans likely won’t figure out silence is golden until later on in the film and the quiet aspects are what made those original two movies more unique.

Borderlands

I’m not really a fan of Eli Roth’s directing style but I am at least a bit curious about this adaptation of the iconic video game series will pan out. Jack Black will be voicing Claptrap and the film stars Cate Blanchett, so that’s a wild duo considering the chaotic and darkly humouristic source material.

Transformers One

A Transformers movie on our most anticipated list? Why yes! This is an animated Transformations film coming to the big screen, with the voice talents of Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime, Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron, and Scarlet Johanson as Elita. The film will be set on Cybertron and explore the relationship between Optimus and Megatron as they go from allies to enemies. If it’s as good as the first season of the Netflix animated series, this could be a notable event for longtime fans.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Beetlejuice 2, now known as Beetlejuice Beetlejuice brings back director Tim Burton and stars Michael Keaton, Wynonna Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara from the original film, joined this time by Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega. She reunites with the showrunners of that show, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who pen this sequel. It’s scheduled to arrive in September, making it a great release for Halloween if it can stay in cinemas longer (personally, I’d release it in October).

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

Part of me is resentful towards this movie as I was working on a screenplay back in university for a film with this exact title but alas. Guy Ritchie’s next movie will be a World War II action spy film based on Damien Lewis’ book of the same name (not that Damien Lewis). Starring Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Henry Golding, and Alan Ritchson, it’ll be about Churchill’s bombastic irregular soldiers, akin to the ones seen in Rogue Heroes, fighting behind enemy lines.

Deadpool & Wolverine

The only MCU film on the 2024 slate is Deadpool & Wolverine, which sees Hugh Jackman (and his yellow spandex) joining the Merc with the Mouth. Shawn Levy directs this one and while there’s no official plot, we should expect some multiversal madness as Deadpool, formerly of the Fox Universe, gets incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and brings with him the studio’s first R-rating on the big screen. Not to set any expectations, but I would imagine this would be like No Way Home for those who watched the Marvel films of the early 2000s. Case in point, Jennifer Garner is slated to be in the film as Elektra and I’d bet that Ben Affleck will join her as Daredevil.

Alien: Romulus

There’s a new Alien film coming and Ridley Scott and the whole Prometheus angle is not to be seen. In the director’s chair this time is Fede Álvarez (Don’t Breathe) and will realize a film that is set between Alien and Aliens. Currently, there’s more bad Alien movies than there are good ones, so let’s hope this one tips the scales back towards excellence.

Argylle

Matthew Vaughn is very much a hit-or-miss director, but this one looks zany and creative enough to have the makings to be a hit. The film is about a reclusive spy author who gets sucked into the real spy world after the events of her book end up paralleling a criminal syndicate. It features a stacked cast, including Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill and his awful haircut, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena, and Dua Lipa.

Horizon: An American Saga

Kevin Costner ultimately left Yellowstone due to his two-part western epic that’s due this year. Costner is an exceptional director so I’m very excited to see him behind the camera again on the big screen. I can’t help but wonder if a two-part western will connect with audiences in 2024 (one is due in June, the other in August), but Yellowstone and its spinoffs have rekindled interest in the genre, so maybe this will be a surprise hit, but at $100 million per movie, this is a huge gamble.

Alto Knights

Starring Robert DeNiro, written by Nicholas Pigilli (Goodfellas), and directed by Barry Levinson (Diner), this is our mob-centric film for the year. DeNiro, bizarrely, leads as both Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, two 1950s mob bosses. Genovese orders a hit on Costello but the latter survives, forcing him to retire from the Mafia. I’m a sucker for a good mob movie and it’s been a good while since we got one, so fingers crossed!

IF

John Krasinksi may not be directing the next Quiet Place, but that doesn’t mean he’s not directing this year. He’ll direct and co-star in IF which centers on a little girl who can see all the imaginary friends (I.F.) that have been abandoned by children over the years. A fantasy comedy, it sounds like a pretty fun original tale and Krasinksi has proven he’s got talent behind the camera, so I look forward to this one.

Paddington in Peru

Paddington in Peru is the third film in this beloved franchise and sees the bear returning home to Peru to reconnect with his Aunt Lucy. Of course, there’s plenty of hijinx that happens and Paddington and his adoptive-human family end up on an Amazonian adventure.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Ghostbusters: Afterlife was a surprisingly enjoyable legacy sequel that introduced a new cast of characters while also being respectful and committed to the original series. This film looks to marry the Afterlife cast with the original surviving members in a story that, for once, doesn’t involve Zuul.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die

I was in no rush to watch Bad Boys For Life but after checking it out in 2023, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. As this is the same director duo returning to helm this fourth film, colour me much more excited for more over-the-top action and insane chemistry between leads Will Smith and Martin Lawrence.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

I really enjoy the first Beverly Hills Cop but I can’t remember much of the following two sequels. But the trailer for Netflix’s fourth entry, dubbed Axel F, did intrigue me and I’ll be watching this one for sure, hopefully it gets a theatrical run.

Wolfs

Directed by Jon Watts (the MCU Spider-Man films), this film reunites Brad Pitt and George Clooney as two fixers who are hired to work on the same job. That alone has my interest.

I.S.S.

I.S.S. is set aboard the International Space Station, currently housing Russian and American scientists who are ordered to take control of the station by their respective governments once nuclear war breaks out on the surface. Looks like a tense film from documentary filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite.

Monkey Man

Dev Patel makes his directorial debut with Jordan Peele serving as producer in a film that can only be described as the Indian lovechild of Ong-Bak and John Wick. Inspired by Indian mythology, the film sees an ex-con on the warpath against the crime lord who killed his mother and has ravaged the poor and abused people of Mumbai. The action staging looks nuts and as a fan of the genre, I’m all aboard with this one.

And that sums it up for our most anticipated films of 2024! Movies may get delayed and some may get announced, so we’ll update this article accordingly, so maybe bookmark it to get those refreshers over the year. Let’s hope for a great year at the movies!