The 23 Most Anticipated Movies of 2024
(Photo by ©Marvel Studios, ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, David James/©Paramount Pictures, Niko Tavernise/©Warner Bros.)
What will the future of movies be? After a pandemic, the continued rise of streaming, the IP-ificiation of blockbusters, and tough times for theaters, it’s hard to predict exactly where cinema will go. However, in the not-too-distant future, we have a lot to look forward to. The year 2024 will be upon us before you know it, and with it comes exciting superhero movies, a highly anticipated musical adaptation, George Miller’s return to Mad Max, a third Avatar, and much, much, more. See below for the movies we’re most looking forward to in 2024, and check back regularly as we make more updates to the list!
Madame Web
(2023)
Directed by: S.J. Clarkson
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Emma Roberts, Mike Epps, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mamet
Opening on: February 16, 2024
Sony’s “Spider-Man Movie Franchise (Without Spider-Man)” has had highs (Venom) and lows (Morbius), but Madame Web, which stars Dakota Johnson as the clairvoyant Spidey side character, might be worth sticking around for, even if Peter Parker himself never shows up. Sydney Sweeney, Adam Scott, and Zosia Mame co-star.
The Fall Guy
Directed by: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt
Opening on: March 1, 2024
Is there a better action director than David Leitch these days? Leitch, a former stuntman who previously helmed John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Hobbs & Shaw, is tackling a film adaptation of an ‘80s TV show about a stuntman who moonlights as a bounty hunter. Sounds right up his alley. Ryan Gosling will play the lead alongside Emily Blunt.
(Photo by ©20th Century Fox)
Kung Fu Panda 4
Directed by: TBA
Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, Dustin Hoffman, and David Cross
Opening on: March 8, 2024
DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda series is quietly incredible, taking what could have been a silly premise (Jack Black voices a fat panda who does martial arts) and turning it into something funny, heartfelt, and full of impressive fight scenes. No details have been revealed about what sort of threat Po and Co. will face in the fourth film, which comes on the heels of a Netflix series, Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight, that aired in the summer of 2022.
A Quiet Place: Day One
(2024)
Directed by: Michael Sarnoski
Starring: TBA
Opening on: March 8, 2024
With the thrilling exception of the second movie’s opening scene, the action in the A Quiet Place franchise has taken place after the super-hearing, super-deadly aliens have already invaded and destroyed society as we know it. As the title here implies, the third film in the series will show the first days of the alien attack, well before anybody knows what’s going on or what to expect from these monsters, and it will be directed by Michael Sarnoski, who gave us one of Nicolas Cage’s best performances ever in 2021’s Pig.
(Photo by Warner Bros.)
Godzilla vs. Kong 2
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Starring: Dan Stevens, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Kaylee Hottle, Fala Chen, Alex Ferns, and Rachel House
Opening on: March 15, 2024
The two greatest kaiju of all time are back for round two in the follow-up to the Monsterverse’s 2021 showdown. However, the synopsis suggests that they might be allies from the start rather than enemies this time around, as Godzilla and Kong will face “a colossal undiscovered threat hidden within our world.” Dan Stevens has been cast as the lead of the film, alongside returning GvK actors Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle. Adam Wingard, who directed the previous bout, will be behind the camera for this one, too.
Snow White
(2024)
Directed by: Marc Webb
Starring: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and Andrew Burnap
Opening on: March 22, 2024
Although critics haven’t been kind to most of Disney’s live-action remakes of their classic animated films, they’ve been a hit with moviegoers at the box office, which might explain why Snow White is getting the same treatment some 87 years after the original 1937 cartoon came out. West Side Story’s Rachel Zegler stars as Snow White, with Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot playing the Evil Queen.
(Photo by Sony Pictures)
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
(2024)
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Issa Rae, and Jason Schwartzman
Opening on: March 29, 2024
The 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is one of the best superhero movies and one of the best animated movies to grace theaters in recent years, so it’s only natural that there would be a sequel. However, there were simply too many Spider-Men for just one movie, and the sequel was split into two films. Across the Spider-Verse opens in 2023, while the third film, Beyond the Spider-Verse, will continue Miles Morales’ story the following year.
(Photo by ©Marvel Studios)
Captain America: New World Order
(2024)
Directed by: Julius Onah
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Tim Blake Nelson, Harrison Ford, Carl Lumbly, Danny Ramirez, and Shira Haas
Opening in: May 3, 2024
Sam Wilson, the superhero formerly known as The Falcon, took on Cap’s mantle in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and now he’s ready for the big screen. Tim Blake Nelson, who played the character who becomes the Marvel villain known as The Leader, will reprise the role first teased in The Incredible Hulk and seemingly forgotten about until now. Harrison Ford will also star, stepping into the role of Thaddeus Ross following the death of William Hurt.
Furiosa
(2024)
Directed by: George Miller
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Nathan Jones, and Angus Sampson
Opening on: May 24, 2024
Anya Taylor-Joy will play a younger version of the war rig-driving badass Imperator Furiosa in this prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, one of the best films of the century so far. George Miller will, naturally, direct once more, and Chris Hemsworth will co-star in the movie, which tells the tale of Furiosa’s kidnapping and her rise through Immortan Joe’s ranks.
Garfield
Directed by: Mark Dindal
Starring: Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hoult, Cecily Strong, Hannah Waddingham, and Ving Rhames
Opening on: May 24, 2024
After Chris Pratt voiced Mario, he wept, for there were no more animated characters to conquer. Just kidding! He’ll be voicing everybody’s favorite lasagna-loving, Monday-hating cat, Garfield, in a new movie adaptation of the long-running comic strip. Samuel L. Jackson will voice Vic, Garfield’s father. Sure! Okay!
(Photo by ©20th Century Fox)
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Directed by: Wes Ball
Starring: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Peter Macon, Eka Darville, and Kevin Durand
Opening on: May 24, 2024
Caesar, the chimpanzee who led the apes to world domination, died at the end of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, the third film in the reboot trilogy of the classic sci-fi franchise. However, there’s more monkey business to be had. (Yes, apes and monkeys are different, but let us have this pun.) Wes Ball, who helmed the Maze Runner films, directs the fourth film in the series, which takes place many years after the events of War.
The Karate Kid
Directed by: TBA
Starring: TBA
Opening on: June 6, 2024
The popular Netflix series Cobra Kai has helped keep the iconic ‘80s martial arts franchise alive and kicking in the popular consciousness, and in 2024 Sony will head back to the IP dojo with a remake of the original flick. Few additional details have been revealed, though it is confirmed that the movie will have no connection to the Netflix show.
(Photo by ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Inside Out 2
(2024)
Directed by: Kelsey Mann
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black
Opening on: June 14, 2024
The wonderful Pixar film Inside Out showed us what things are like inside of an emotional young girl’s head. How do you raise the stakes for the sequel? Go inside a teenager’s head, of course. Inside Out 2 will revisit Riley now that she’s in college, and it will fittingly introduce a host of new emotions. There are reports that, aside from Amy Poehler, not all of the original voice cast, whose ranks included Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling, will return for the sequel.
(Photo by David James/©Paramount Pictures)
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part Two
(2024)
Directed by: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Henry Czerny, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Shea Whigham, Esai Morales, and Pom Klementieff
Opening on: June 28, 2024
One can only imagine what death-defying stunts Tom Cruise will do in the eighth film in the Mission: Impossible franchise, which is a direct follow-up to 2023’s Dead Reckoning Part One. Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson look set to reprise their roles from previous films, along with newcomers Hayley Atwell and Esai Morales, who plays the villain.
(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)
Despicable Me 4
Directed by: Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage
Starring: Steve Carel, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, and Steve Coogan
Opening on: July 3, 2024
Don’t forget which master the Minions serve. Coming two years after the last installment in the franchise, the spin-off Minions: The Rise of Gru, Despicable Me is going back to the mainline series, though there are no specific details at this point about what trouble Gru and the Minions will get into this time around.
Mufasa: The Lion King
(2024)
Directed by: Barry Jenkins
Starring: Aaron Pierre, Kevin Harrison Jr., Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, and John Kani
Opening on: July 5, 2024
The “live-action” Lion King (which was 100 percent computer-generated and not actually live action, to be clear) is getting a prequel that will explore the backstory of Simba’s father, Mufasa. James Earl Jones, who voiced Mufasa in the original Lion King and the remake, will not voice this younger version of Mufasa, and instead Aaron Pierre will play the character. Kelvin Harrison Jr. will play Scar, who goes by Taka when the events of the film take place.
Thunderbolts
Directed by: Jake Schreier
Starring: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, Hannah John-Kamen, Wyatt Russell, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Harbour, Olga Kurylenko, and Harrison Ford
Opening on: July 26,2024
The MCU is getting its Suicide Squad equivalent. The 35th film in the franchise will gather several villains or anti-hero characters from previous movies — including Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier, Wyatt Russell’s U.S. Agent, David Harbour’s Red Guardian, and Hannah John-Kamen as the Ant-Man and the Wasp villain Ghost — and send them off on a mission. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who has appeared in a couple of post-credits scenes as Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, will presumably be pulling the shadowy super-team’s strings.
Blade
(2024)
Directed by: TBA
Starring: Mahershala Ali, Delroy Lindo, and Aaron Pierre
Opening on: September 6, 2024
Blade, the vampire-hunter first played by Wesley Snipes, is actually a Marvel Comics character, and Mahershala Ali is set to star in a Blade movie that formally introduces the Daywalker to the MCU after making a brief voice cameo in one of Eternals’ post-credit sequences. However, the movie has faced a couple of hurdles, as production was put on hold and the release date delayed as original director Bassam Tariq left the film. Hopefully, Blade sees the light of day… or night, as it were.
(Photo by Niko Tavernise/©Warner Bros.)
Joker: Folie à Deux
(2024)
Directed by: Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Zazie Beetz, Catherine Keener, and Jacob Lofland
Opening on: October 4, 2024
Director Todd Phillips helms this follow-up to the wildly successful R-rated take on the iconic Batman villain that earned Joaquin Phoenix the Oscar for Best Actor. In Folie à Deux, he’ll be joined by Lady Gaga, who is playing his love interest (it’s complicated) Harley Quinn, and the film will reportedly be a musical. Yes, you read that right.
(Photo by Joe Lederer/20th Century Fox Film Corp.)
Deadpool 3
(2024)
Directed by: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and Leslie Uggams
Opening on: November 8, 2024
The Merc With a Mouth is back — and so is Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine? The first Deadpool movie since Disney bought Fox will certainly be a sight to behold, as the Ryan Reynolds-led franchise is beloved for its R-rated humor. How that will blend with the MCU’s decidedly PG-13 tone is a mystery, as is how and why Jackman is unsheathing Wolverine’s claws after the acclaimed swan song that was Logan.
(Photo by ©20th Century Studios)
Avatar 3
(2024)
Directed by: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, and Zoe Saldana
Opening on: December 20, 2024
James Cameron shot the third film in a planned series of five Avatar movies while filming the second one, 2022’s The Way of Water. Few details about what this return to Pandora will be about, but Cameron and Co. have said that the fourth and fifth Avatar movies are dependent on the success of 2 and 3. Does the highest-grossing movie of all time have what it takes to get audiences to follow Jake Sully to the end?
(Photo by ©Paramount Pictures)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Directed by: Jeff Fowler
Starring: Ben Schwartz, Idris Elba, James Marsden, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey
Opening on: December 20, 2024
The Sonic the Hedgehog film franchise is speeding right along with a third installment that will presumably bring back Ben Schwartz as Sonic, Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Tails, and Idris Elba as Knuckles. Jim Carrey, who played the villainous Dr. Robotnik in the first two movies, might sit this one out as he’s been talking about retiring from acting. But, there will be at least one foe giving Sonic a run for his money, as Sonic 2 teased a new villain, Shadow the Hedgehog, in its post-credits scene.
Wicked
(2024)
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jonathan Bailey
Opening on: December 25, 2024
The legendary Broadway musical that tells the tale of the Wicked Witch of the West from a different perspective is getting a two-part film adaptation. Director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) will take audiences to Oz, while Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will play Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.
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