Universal/Paramount/Disney
As we enter year three of the Covid-19 pandemic, movies are in a weird place. The theatrical-exclusive is becoming increasingly rare, as more and more films end up going directly to streaming, simultaneously streaming and in theaters, or on one of many streaming services after a 45-day exclusive run in theaters. Whatever the case, there are still lots of movies coming out to be excited about, and the only way to ensure that we’ll keep getting more and more is to go see them. So, whether you’re willing to head out to your local theater or you’re just going to wait to rent or stream at home, the best thing you can do is know what’s coming out and when.
Luckily, 2022 has a lot of good stuff on the horizon. From horror to comedy to superheroes to action, a lot of really innovative movies and talented filmmakers will be putting their stuff on display. Seriously—from stuff like the world-bending Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to the much-awaited Knives Out 2 and even a brand new Scorsese movie, there’s a ton of stuff that we’ve got our eyes on. And, hell, there have already even been a handful of movies that will remain on this list all year long.
Last year’s version of this list was a little screwy—we ended up counting movies like Promising Young Woman, Nomadland, and Judas and the Black Messiah, all of which were technically 2021 releases but were also nominated for last year’s Oscars (due to Covid-19, the deadline was pushed back). It was an odd situation where “Oscar-contending” films were released in the early part of the year. This year, we’re sticking just to the films that are in the next cycle (so, for example, movies like Nightmare Alley and Licorice Pizza, back in theaters now, were included also on last year’s list).
A little weird! But mostly just semantics. Anyway, here are the movies we already love in 2022—and a bunch more that we’re super eager to check out.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Scream
The new Scream, the fifth in the slasher whodunit series, had a lot working against it. It’s been more than a decade since Scream 4 hit theaters, and in the time since, Wes Craven—who directed every prior movie in the series—died. Another sequel could’ve been a disaster. Luckily, Scream was made by directors Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin with the main goal of being something Craven would be proud of—and they achieved that mission. Legacy cast members Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette are joined by exceptional newcomers like Jack Quaid, Jasmin Savoy-Brown, and Jenna Ortega, for a movie that’s entertaining and fun, but most importantly just feels like a Scream movie. Scream 6 has already been ordered, and to that we say: hell yes.
jackass forever
The guys—Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Wee Man, et cetera—may have gotten older, but the fun, thankfully, remains the same. jackass forever is the high-quality lowbrow humor that fans of this franchise have been loving for 20+ years (even longer if you count the original MTV series). And as long as these guys want to keep taking part in this madness, we’ll be watching.
Kimi
The term “Hitchcockian” gets thrown around far too often, but one filmmaker who can actually try to be like the master of suspense and come through with 100% success is the great Steven Soderbergh. Sodey teams up with Zoë Kravitz for a fantastic thriller that’s got a simple, premise: basically a modern version of Rear Window. And it crushes it.
I Want You Back
I Want You Back is fairly standard stuff for a rom-com, but it’s got a wildly charismatic cast, led by a pair of great leads (Charlie Day and Jenny Slate) and fun supporting players (Gina Rodriguez, Manny Jacinto, and Scott Eastwood). The movie zigs a little bit from the standard formula along the way, and ultimately proves to be a worthy comfort movie for anyone who needs one.
The Batman (March 4)
We’ve seen lots of Batman before, but The Batman is hoping to be something different. We’ve got a new Dark Knight in Robert Pattinson, an actor known to take huge risks. We’ve got a super cool Catwoman in Zoë Kravitz, a Zodiac Killer-esque Riddler played by Paul Dano, and a totally unrecognizable Colin Farrell in a brand new take on the Penguin. Director Matt Reeves has helmed more than a few good movies, and seems to have his hand on the wheel for this one. Time will tell!
Fresh (March 4)
Sebastian Stan is having himself a year. While he’s currently grinding everyone’ gears as the boorish rocker Tommy Lee in Hulu’s Pam & Tommy, soon he’ll be seen as a charming-on-the-surface-but-with-some-dark-secrets boyfriend of Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) in Fresh, which will land directly on Hulu. The movie earned raves out of Sundance and should be widely-watched upon its release due to that buzz.
Deep Water (March 18)
The erotic thriller is back? The erotic thriller is back! Based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith, Deep Water finds former real-life couple Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas as a married couple who fall out of love with other and begin playing mind games—with deadly consequences. Sounds like an absolutely perfect way to spend an early Saturday afternoon, and since the movie launches on Hulu, you’ll be able to do just that.
Windfall (March 18)
In a similar vein of Kimi but perhaps with a bit more of a dark comedy/satire vibe, Windfall brings three charismatic actors—Lily Collins, Jesse Plemons, and Jason Segel—together for a small-scale thriller. Segel plays a burglar looking to Rob a wealthy couple (Plemons and Collins) at their vacation home, but he’s not particularly good at it. It looks like if Fargo and Funny Games had a baby, and that baby decided to take some notes on The Bling Ring.
X (March 18)
Writer/director Ti West is at his best when he’s in nostalgia-horror mode (check out The House of the Devil!), and he’s going for it big time with X, an A24-produced comedy about a group of young filmmakers (including Kid Cudi and new Scream Queen Jenna Ortega)who set out to make an adult film in Texas, before shit gets really out of control.
The Lost City (March 25)
We’re not going to pretend like this Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum vehicle is about to win any Oscars, but it definitely looks super fun. Bullock plays a writer of romance adventure novels, while Tatum is the guy depicting her fictional characters on the covers of the books. Add in Daniel Radcliffe as a crazy rich guy who thinks something written in her books is a real treasure hunt, and so he drops the two of them into the jungle. Seems like we’ve got a wild rom-com action-adventure Romancing the Stone type situation going here, and that should be a blast.
The Northman (April 22)
After doing a combination old-school monster movie/slow-burn psychological thriller with his last movie The Lighthouse, director Robert Eggers is switching things up and making an epic with The Northman. Alexander Skarsgård stars as a Viking prince who seeks revenge for his murdered father; Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe are among the rest of the stacked cast.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (April 22)
If you’re a sucker for meta, you’ll be very into The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which centers on Nicolas Cage playing…Nicolas Cage. This fictionalized movie takes the notorious and eccentric actor on an adventure where he gets involved with a drug lord (Pedro Pascal) who loves his work.
65 (April 29)
There’s very little out there about this movie, but it’s a sci-fi where Adam Driver plays an astronaut who crashes on a new planet and discovers he’s not alone. Not a ton there, but sounds like a win.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6)
Are you ready for the multiverse? Sure, we’ve already touched on it a bit in both Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home, but it’s all in the title here: Madness. This movie is helmed by superhero and horror godfather Sam Raimi, and promises to just deliver all sorts of chaos and madness, with the possibility of just about any Marvel hero from any dimension (or past film, MCU or not) to show up.
Benedict Cumberbatch will lead the way as the title character, but Elizabeth Olsen has become perhaps the most loved character in the MCU as Wanda Maximoff—and everyone is eager to see whether she’ll be good, bad, or somewhere in between here after the events of WandaVision.
Firestarter (May 13)
Based on Stephen King‘s novel of the same name, Firestarter, this is the second adaptation of King’s famous story of a man and his daughter, who develops pyrokinetic powers. It looks like a solid update of a story that’s such a staple it’s been taken from a couple times (cough cough Stranger Things cough cough), but a fresh take is worth a shot.
Men (May 20)
Director Alex Garland has quietly been one of the most interesting filmmakers of the last decade, with his sci-fi mastery on full display in Ex Maxhcina, Annihilation, and the FX series Devs. He’s back now with Men, starring new Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley (who is always great).
The Black Phone (June 24)
Ethan Hawke plays a creepy villain who seems like some sort of cross between The Joker and Buffalo Bill in The Black Phone, a horror based on a story of the same name from Joe Hill. The movie marks a return to horror for director Scott Derrickson, who most recently directed Doctor Strange, but before that was behind Sinister (also with Hawke!) and The Exorcism of Emily Rose.
Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8)
The Thor: Ragnarok gang is back in place for Love and Thunder, with Chris Hemsworth starring and Taika Waititi directing. This time, Christian Bale joins as Gorr the God Butcher, a wild character from the beloved Jason Aaron run of Thor comics, Chris Pratt and Karen Gillan (of Guardians of the Galaxy fame) are on board, and Natalie Portman returns to play a brand new version of Jane Foster—one who will wield Mjolnir. To say we’re hyped is an understatement.
Bullet Train (July 15)
Based on a novel by Kotaro Isaka, Bullet Train is an action movie with an absolutely stacked cast: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Zazie Beetz, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Shannon, Logan Lerman, Bad Bunny, and Sandra Bullock are among the many names involved. The story is simple enough: five assassins are on a high-speed train in Japan, and then they realize their assignments are interconnected. The novel its based on is satirical, so we can expect this one to not only be action-packed, but funny too. David Leitch, who co-directed John Wick before helming Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Hobbs and Shaw is behind the camera for this one.
Nope (July 22)
Jordan Peele is back. He follows up his masterful Get Out and Us with a movie called Nope, which…well, we can’t quite figure out what it’s all about just yet, but that’s the glory of a good tease. It’s something wild, we know that. Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steven Yeun lead the cast in this one, and we will be watching.
Black Adam (July 29)
The Rock has seemed hyped for a while about Black Adam, which will mark his DCEU debut as the titular anti-hero (known best as Shazam!’s nemesis). We’ll see how it fits into other happenings in the DC Universe, but he’ll be joined by Pierce Brosnan and Aldis Hodge in the cast.
Bros (August 12)
Billy Eichner is best known for his hilarious on-the-run quiz show Billy on the Street, but he gets to make the jump to rom-com in this year’s Bros, which he co-wrote with director Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors, Forgetting Sarah Marshall). The story seems basic enough—two guys with commitment problems attempting a relationship—but with Eichner and Stoller, and Judd Apatow on board as a producer, it sounds like a win.
Beast (August 19)
There’s not a ton out there, but Beast is about a doctor (Idris Elba) being hunted by a giant lion and protecting his two daughters along the way. That sounds outrageous and just the amount of crazy that we all love in a good action movie.
Salem’s Lot (September 9)
Salem’s Lot is Stephen King’s definitive vampire story, and it’s been adapted before, but usually as a TV series. This time it gets the film treatment as an HBO Max original, and Lewis Pullman (son of Bill) takes the lead role. James Wan is on board as a producer, which is usually a good sign for a horror movie (and after the madness of Malignant, we’ll watch whatever comes next).
Distant (September 16)
Fresh off his roles in In The Heights and In Treatment, Anthony Ramos is taking a detour to space in Distant before he takes the lead role in the next Transformers movie. We don’t know a ton about Distant just yet, but Ramos plays an asteroid miner who gets stuck, talking to a crew member (Naomi Scott) and his AI system (Zachary Quinto). Maybe it could be like The Guilty or Kimi (one-location film) in space? Sounds fun.
Don’t Worry Darling (September 23)
Olivia Wilde is following up her wonderful directorial debut—the teen comedy Booksmart—by going an entirely different direction with Don’t Worry Darling. Darling is a star-studded—Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, and Wilde herself, among others—psychological thriller set in the ’50s around a couple (Pugh and Styles) with secrets.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Part One (October 7)
I mean, how could anyone possibly not be excited for this one? Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse deservingly took home an Oscar for telling Miles Morales’ first big-screen adventure, and this movie looks to continue the groundbreaking story. This is only the first part of what will be a two-part story, but it’s also worth noting that Oscar Isaac will expand upon his credits scene role in the original for a bigger part as Spider-Man 2099, and Issa Rae joins as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman. Fun!
Halloween Ends (October 14)
The new trilogy of Halloween movies comes to a conclusion with Halloween Ends, which will once again be helmed by David Gordon Green. Jamie Lee Curtis is back in the lead role, and hopefully, unlike in Halloween Kills, she will actually get to leave the hospital this time. We think she will—and will be back to her Halloween 2018 badass ways. This one has the potential to be among the year’s best horror movies.
The Flash (November 4)
Ezra Miller finally gets his Barry Allen star vehicle in The Flash, which is set up to be DC’s answer to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. A number of heroes—including both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton’s Batmans—are expected to return, and probably much, much, more. Here’s a chance for the DCEU to keep its hot streak going.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11)
We don’t know much about what direction Black Panther: Wakanda Forever will go after the untimely death of Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. But the show must go on, and the film is still planned for release later this year. We do know that Dominique Thorne will make her MCU debut as RiRi Williams (who eventually becomes Ironheart) in this movie before eventually leading a Disney+series, and Michaela Coel (I May Destroy You) has joined the cast in a mystery role. Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but could Coel possibly be playing a first-appearance Storm as the MCU gets X-Men into the mix? Just an idea!
She Said (November 18)
Based on the book of the same name, She Said will tell the story of how two New York Times reporters (Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, played respectively by Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan) uncovered the truth about Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct allegations. On top of telling an important and compelling true story, the movie (which also features Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, and Tom Pelphrey)has the potential to pack a Spotlight-esque punch.
The Fablemans (November 23)
Fresh off his Oscar-nominated take on West Side Story, Steven Spielberg will be back next year with The Fablemans. The movie is loosely based on Spielberg’s own childhood growing up in Arizona, with newcomer Gabriel LaBelle playing the director’s on-screen avatar. Michelle Williams and Paul Dano play his parents, while Seth Rogen plays his uncle.
Killers of the Flower Moon (November 2022 TBA)
No specific date has landed yet, but we know that Martin Scorsese’s next film, Killers of the Flower Moon, will land on Apple TV+ in November. Based on the book of the same name, Killers will find Jesse Plemons in the lead role, joined by Scorsese’s two most notable muses: Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. Set in Oklahoma, the story tells of the investigation that follows when members of the Osage tribe are killed in the 1920s. Lily Gladstone, Brendan Fraser, Sturgill Simpson, and John Lithgow also star.
Avatar 2 (December 16)
13 years after the release of James Cameron’s Avatar, the much-discussed sequel is finally scheduled to be released. Also currently in production: Avatar 3, Avatar 4, and Avatar 5. Does anyone care anymore? We’ll find out!
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 16)
The sequel to 2022’s Aquaman will once again find Jason Momoa’s Arthur Curry/Aquaman on a hero’s journey. We don’t know a ton about the movie’s plot just yet, but basically the entire cast from the first film in the series—including Amber Heard, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, and more—are back for more.
Babylon (December 25)
Damien Chazelle—the Academy Award-winning director behind Whiplash and La La Land—is heading back out west for Babylon, a period drama that may or not take place in Hollywood and will reteam Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood duo Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. The Tobey-ssaince will also continue, as Tobey Maguire is producing and appearing in a supporting role.
Knives Out 2 (2022 TBA)
Up there for the most awaited movie of the year is the Knives Out sequel, for now known only as Knives Out 2. Rian Johnson is back to write and direct once again, and his star detective—Benoit Blanc, played of course by Daniel Craig—will be surrounded by a new mystery and a new cast (including Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monet, Kathryn Hahn, Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton, and more) in front of a stunning Greece backdrop.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022 TBA)
A24’s slasher Bodies Bodies Bodies has been described as the next Scream, so that’s got us on the hook right away. The movie is about rich 20-somethings who plan a party, and a game gets dark and bloody fast. The cast features Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Sennott, Pete Davidson, Lee Pace, and Maria Bakalava, among others.
The Marsh King’s Daughter (2022 TBA)
Based on the novel of the same name, The Marsh King’s Daughter makes the list mainly because of the charisma of its two leads. The story focuses on a woman (Daisy Ridley) seeking revenge against her infamous father (Ben Mendelsohn) after the father had previously kidnapped both the daughter and her mother years ago.
Disappointment Blvd. (2022 TBA)
Hereditary and Midsommar writer/director Ari Aster is back with Disappointment Blvd., which will find him teaming up with one of the best actors in the business: Joaquin Phoenix. The star won his Oscar for Joker, but let’s not forget that he’s really at his best in these sorts of weird, off-kilter, bizarre movies, like Her and The Master. Phoenix will play one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time in a story that spans decades (and is expected to be somewhere in the neighborhood of four hours long).
Havoc (2022 TBA)
Action fans should have something to really marvel at with Havoc, coming from director Gareth Evans (The Raid films) and starring the great Tom Hardy. Hardy is great actor—no one else could make the Venom movies work as well as they do—and this one will find him in John Wick-esque form as a detective uncovering conspiracy and corruption in a dangerous world. The cast also includes Forest Whitaker and Timothy Olyphant, who we can only hope is playing a scenery-chewing villain.
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Comments are closed.