Most Anticipated Movies of 2024

Most Anticipated Movies of 2024

Being the geek that I am, I often browse IMDb and Wikipedia to keep track of my favourite directors’, writers’, or actors’ upcoming projects. Here is a list of the movie’s that I am most excited for in 2024. The list is in chronological order based on release date and includes other releases for each month. Even if I am not dying to see them all, I put them on here just to give myself a roadmap for the coming year. With all the amazing movies coming this year it was a challenge to narrow down my Top 10.

Here are my Most Anticipated Movies for 2024 (in order of release):

• Dune: Part Two (Mar 1)

• Mickey 17 (Mar 29)*

• Civil War (Apr 12)

• The Fall Guy (May 3)

• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24)

• Deadpool and Wolverine (Jul 26)

• Wolfs (Sep 20)

• Joker: Folie à Deux (Oct 4)

• Nosferatu (Dec 25)

• Formula One (Unknown)

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Dune: Part Two (Mar 1)

Director: Dennis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Arrival, Blade Runner: 2049)

Starring: Timothee Chalemet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Christopher Walken

Cinematography: Greig Fraser (The Batman, Rogue One, Lion)

Composer: Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, The Dark Knight, Lion King)

This was one of my Most Anticipated of 2023 (you can read that post again because it still applies) and was sadly delayed from its fall 2023 release. Since last year there has not been a lot of updates but I was excited for this by virtue of my love for the novel and how incredibly Denis Villeneuve adapted it in Part One (2021). The cast looks great with big names like Christopher Walken (Catch Me if You Can) and Austin Butler (Elvis) looking fantastic as Emperor Shaddam and Feyd Rautha. 

Tickets are on sale now and if you have a full size IMAX available in your city you MUST absolutely watch this in that format. I am one of the many unlucky people that don’t have one nearby…so if you do please don’t take it for granted. Just look at the comparison screen shots below. If you plan to watch this and don’t want to miss up to 30% of the movie, IMAX is the only way.

I am glad they did a theatrical re-release of Dune: Part One, as a lead up to the release of Part Two. I already have my tickets for Part Two and will definitely watch it more than once in the theatre. Hans Zimmer’s score, the insane sci-fi epic setting, and the conclusion (at least so far) to one of my favourite books are enough for this to earn a spot on this list in 2024 as well.

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January 2024 Releases:

• The Book of Clarence - A pseudo-biblical comedic-drama starring LaKeith Stanfield as a man claiming prophethood to make a profit. Will probably be a little blasphemous but I will eventually check it out because of the premise and ensemble cast.

• Beekeeper- David Ayer (Training Day) directs this espionage action movie starring Jason Statham doing what he does best.

• I.S.S. - This sci-fi thriller pits the crew of the International Space Station against each other after the outbreak of World War 3.

• Sometimes I think About Dying - Daisy Ridley stars in this desaturated and melancholic black comedy about nihilism and love. I wasn’t very excited for this until I watched the trailer.

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February 2024 Releases:

• Argyle - A colourful and over the top spy comedy starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Samuel L. Jackson and Henry Cavill. Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, Kingsmen) - Read my review here.

• Bob Marley: One Love - Kingsley Ben Adir is great and director Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard) has proven his ability to make a great biopic but I am cautious about this one.

• Madame Webb - I am not looking forward to this at all. Looks like it will probably be the worst of the year. Why does Sony insist on producing these awful Spider-Man spin-offs!? PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!

• Bleeding Love - Ewan McGregor and his daughter Clara play an estranged parent and child reconnecting on a road trip.

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Mickey 17 (Mar 29*)

Director: Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer, Okja)

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo

Writer: Bong Joon Ho and Edward Ashton (Based on the Novel)

Cinematography: Darius Khondji (Uncut Gems, Panic Room)

Little is known about this despite having a scheduled release for the end of March (*Note: just recently this date has been put into question and there is an expected delay to 2025). I don’t need much more than knowing this is a sci-fi mind bender directed by Bong Joon Ho, who made huge waves with the 2020 Best Picture Winner, Parasite. Audiences will have very high expectations for this, but I do not doubt he will deliver. All we have is a brief teaser showing Robert Pattinson (Tenet, The Batman) in what looks like a MRI, that is it, a single rotating shot with a rhythmic string tone.

I haven’t looked into the book this is based on because with a Bong Joon Ho film, the less you know the better, and I hope to keep it that way. Pattinson, Steven Yeun (Minari, The Walking Dead), Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things, The Avengers) and Toni Collette (Hereditary) are cast as the lead roles and I am excited for what they will do with whatever crazy scenarios this will bring.

I’m curious to see what the movie will look like given the 4:3 square aspect ratio of the teaser. Cinematographer Darius Khondji’s insane camera movements in Panic Room, and his claustrophobic framing in Uncut Gems make me think Mickey 17 will be full of experimental and unconventional shots and I am here for it. If you still aren’t excited about this I would highly recommend you check out Bong Joon Ho’s previous work, start with Parasite, and if you are looking for more, Okja, and the Snowpiercer movie are great examples of his unique voice.

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Other March 2024 Releases

• Road House - Looks almost as ridiculous as the 1989 Patrick Swayze classic but I don’t expect any of the charm of the original. Jake Gyllenhaal fighting Conor MacGregor is enough to get me to watch this direct to streaming Amazon Prime original.

• American Society of Magical Negroes - Yes, that is the actual title of this satire about a secret society of magical Black people who have dedicated their lives to making White people's lives easier. Need I say more?

• Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - With each new entry these movies lean more into the craziness and I’m willing to bet this will take it to another level. I expect very little substance, but sometimes you just want to see giant monsters fight each other.

• Kung Fu Panda 4 - I actually haven’t seen the third movie so the 4th being announced was a bit of surprise. Happy to see Jack Black play Po again and Viola Davis as the villain is an inspired choice.

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Civil War (Apr 12)

Director: Alex Garland (Annihilation, Ex Machina, Men)

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman

Cinematographer: Rob Hardy (Mission Impossible: Fallout, Annihilation, Ex Machina, Men)

Alex Garland is a divisive director, I like most of his work but even I can’t say I’ve loved everything he’s done. Regardless of personal tastes, you can’t deny that he has a talent for tackling controversy. Whether it was the mind-bending philosophy of A.I. in Ex Machina, the eerie self reflection on DNA in Annihilation, or the absolutely terrifying body horror of Men, every one of his projects has tackled a challenging subject while relishing in the discomfort.

With that said it is no surprise that he is is writing and directing a movie about a modern civil war in the United States. Expect biting commentary on America’s current political climate. This is going to be full of tension and terror as the movie follows a group of journalists (Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura) traveling across a war struck America.

The poster alone, with snipers atop the Statue of Liberty’s torch is enough to tell you what the tone will be. The chickens have very clearly come home to roost. With lines in the trailer about “shooting journalists in the capital” and “airstrikes against American citizens” the real world comparisons are obvious. You’re probably going to hear a lot about this one when it is released with criticisms of being unpatriotic or propagandist but I am excited to watch it and make my own interpretations.

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Other April 2024 Releases:

• Monkey Man - Dev Patel directs and stars in this John Wick style vigilante action movie set in India. Jordan Peele seems to have enough faith in this to produce it and that is promising.

• Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - Henry Cavill stars in this action spy film directed by Guy Ritchie about the birth of modern covert military operations.

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The Fall Guy (May 3)

Director: David Leitch (John Wick, Bullet Train)

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, Stephanie Hsu, Hannah Waddingham

Writer: John Pearce (Iron Man 3, Hobbs and Shaw) and Glen A. Larson (wrote the TV series this is based on)

As the director of the first John Wick and more recently the surprisingly fun Bullet Train, anything by David Leitch will be on my radar. He is a master stunt director and his work has made moviegoers appreciate the skill and talent of stunt performers. It’s only fitting that he is now directing a movie about a stunt performer. I am not a huge fan of a lot of writer John Pearce’s work but I am hoping this still lands as an action comedy. 

The Fall Guy stars Ryan Gosling (Drive, Barbie) as an ex stunt man who returns to work for a film director (who happens to be his ex) played by Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place, Oppenheimer). That is already a perfect set up for comedic and immaculately choreographed action sequences. Taking a page out of Bullet Train, this has a larger ensemble cast with familiar (and distinctly charming) actors like Winston Duke (Black Panther, Us), Stephane Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once), and Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso).

Hollywood loves movies about itself and assuming this is anywhere near as good as it could be I would expect it could get some recognition in the next award season. Hopefully that leads to more acknowledgment of stunt performers and stunt choreography, maybe even lead to an award category? Doubtful, but one can dream.

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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24)

Director: George Miller (All the previous Mad Max movies, Happy Feet, Babe)

Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth

Music: Junkie XL aka Tom Holkenborg (Deadpool, Mad Max: Fury Road, Justice League)

Mad Max: Fury Road was one of my favourite movies of 2015 and one of the many highlights of that movie was the introduction of Furiosa played by Charlize Theron. This next instalment is a prequel about a young Furiosa now played by Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit, The Menu). Normally I am cautious about prequels but the Mad Max franchise is known for drip feeding us little bits of it’s elusive history, so any new lore about George Miller’s wacky post apocalyptic world is very welcome.

I was already going to watch this based on the previous entries but add in Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Extraction) as a greasy villain with a comical prosthetic nose and I am sold. Fury Road was a brilliant example of balancing both substance and spectacle. It was an adrenaline ride action extravaganza that managed to hit the brakes when appropriate to explore it’s characters. I am hoping to see that same balance and also the return of the impressive practical effects. 

The trailer shows the same vibrant colours and insane driving sequences from Fury Road but for lack of a better word some of the shots feel unnatural. I expect things will be polished up by release but I hope it can live up to the very high bar set by George Miller’s last film in the franchise.

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Other May 2023 Releases:

• IF - A little girl suddenly is able to see everyone’s long lost imaginary friends. John Krasinski directs a huge cast including Ryan Reynolds, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Steve Carell, Maya Rudolph, John Stewart and more. The concept alone is enough.

• Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - This soft reboot takes place hundreds of years after War for the Planet of the Apes. I loved the recent movies but am also curious because director Wes Ball is set to helm the upcoming live action Legend of Zelda movie.

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June 2024 Releases:

• Ballerina - A spin-off of the John Wick franchise starring Ana De Armas. While not directed by anyone involved in the previous movies I am cautiously optimistic that Len Wiseman (Underworld) will be able to capture what made this series so infectiously entertaining.

• The Bikeriders - An ensemble cast of the most notable grungy white dudes in Hollywood. I’m half joking but this decade spanning epic about a bike gang looks intense and stars Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus and Jody Comer.

• Inside Out 2 - The first movie is in the relatively short list of movies that made me cry in a theatre. The sequel adds a whole bunch of new personified emotions, including Maya Hawke as Anxiety. Pixar knows how to do a good sequel so I am confident this will be a worthy follow up.

• A Quiet Place Day One - This prequel stars Lupita Nyongo, Djimon Honsou, and Joseph Quinn. Although John Krasinski has a writing credit he is being replaced by Michael Sarnoski (Pig) as director. I love the world of this series but I am not sure we needed more of it. If it weren’t for the lead actors I wouldn’t be as excited.

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Deadpool and Wolverine (Jul 26)

Directors: Shawn Levy (Free Guy, The Internship, Stranger Things)

Writers: Shawn Levy, Lizzie Molyneux Logelin, and Wendy Molyneux (Bob’s Burgers)

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Morena Baccarin, Matthew McFadyen and lots of other cameo appearances.

2024 is the first year since 2012 with only one Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movie being released. It’s a much needed break and I’m sure Deadpool 3 will use it’s unique meta sense of humour to poke fun at the current state of affairs. Logan was a brilliant send off for Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and as much as I would love for that to be his final performance, I am happy to have him back, especially in the blue and yellow suit.

Even before the Superbowl trailer I was already so excited for this. I know this might sound a bit extreme, but Deadpool 3 has the potential to save the MCU and fix a lot of its problems. This silly and seemingly inconsequential character is being set up as a true (and much needed) payoff to the years of multiverse stories that haven’t really gone anywhere so far.

The greater MCU story potential aside, Ryan Reynolds has always been a perfect Deadpool and the ludicrous, crass, and self aware humour appears to be more apparent than ever before. I am actually surprised Disney is maintaining the R rating for their sole MCU movie of the year. I hope it pays off at the box office, just so they learn that they don’t always need to play it safe. I was on the fence about this being one of the ten on the list but the recent trailer sealed it. This is going be one of the biggest movies of the year!

As with any Marvel movie there are some stories you need to be up to date on to enjoy things properly, for this one I would say at the very least check out the previous Deadpool movies and definitely season 1 and 2 of Loki!

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Other July 2024 Releases:

• Twisters - I can’t tell if this is a full on reboot or a distant sequel. Either way I don’t expect the same magic without Bill Paxton or Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but I’m happy to see a storm chaser movie with modern visual effects.

• Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F - Another Eddie Murphy franchise gets a revival. Coming 2 America (2021) wasn’t very good but the nostalgic call backs and return of Arsenio Hall made it a fun time. I expect the same here with several familiar faces. 

• Longlegs - Nic Cage in a horror movie…the trailer looks incredible and absolutely terrifying. I didn’t even know about this until a friend told me!

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August 2024 Releases:

• Trap - M. Night Shyamalan has been busy recently and as usual his work is very hit or miss. Josh Hartnett is the only recognizable member of the cast, and there is very little information about the plot. I’ll wait to see more before I watch this.

• Alien: Romulus - Taking place between Alien and it’s direct sequel, this did not involve Ridley Scott at all. Director Fede Alvarez has a history of decent horror movies so it might be one I catch when it’s available to watch at home.

• Kraven the Hunter - Wasn’t one Sony Spider-Man spin-off enough for 2024!? Aaron Taylor-Johnson is great and I like Russel Crowe but I have no desire to see any more of these anti-hero stories. The trailers looks extra violent and gory but that’s not really a selling point for me. 

• Slingshot - The writer of 2009’s Moon is behind this sci-fi thriller starring Casey Affleck and Lawrence Fishburne as astronauts heading to one of Saturn’s moons. Seems like it could be a mind bender with a solid cast.

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Wolfs (Sep 20)

Director and Writer: Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home)

Starring: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Amy Rian, and Austin Abrams

Cinematographer: Larkin Seiple (Everything Everywhere All at Once)

Brad Pitt and George Clooney are great together and this is the first time they have shared the screen since 2013’s Ocean’s Thirteen. Jon Watts is writing and directing this thriller about two “fixers” who are both hired for the same job. Not much else is known so far but I feel like Jon Watt’s penchant for action storytelling and the chemistry of the two leads is enough to make this worth checking out.

The movie was shot on location in New York city during January so I wouldn’t be surprised if this takes place during Christmas. Although I have never been to the Big Apple during the holiday season there is a certain magic that movies taking place in that setting have. 

I am happy to see Watts, most recently known for directing the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies, branching out into more original content. The fact that Pitt and Clooney are also producers is promising too. Cinematographer Larkin Seiple was director of photography on my favourite move of 2022, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and was super creative despite the modest budget. I can’t wait to see what this incredible confluence of talent comes up with.

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Other September 2024 Releases:

• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - Tim Burton is writing and directing with Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder returning after 34 years. Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, and best of all, Willem Dafoe are also part of the cast. Sequels like this can be lazy cash grabs, but I hope this isn’t.

• Transformer One - This animated movie takes place on Cybertron and stars Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime and Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron. Also featuring Lawrence Fishburne, Jon Hamm, Scarlett Johansson, and Keegan-Michael Key. Sounds fun to me.

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Joker: Folie à Deux (Oct 4)

Director: Todd Phillips (Joker, War Dogs, Hangover)

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson

Writer: Todd Phillips and Scott Silver (Joker, The Fighter, 8 Mile)

This is a direct sequel to 2019’s Joker, which itself was definitely a divisive film. I personally really enjoyed it for various reasons, as an homage to Scorcese’s work (King of Comedy, Taxi Driver) and as an example of a comic book adaptation that isn’t part of a large shared universe, and as an unconventional story not tailored to a wider audience. What most people can agree on is the amazing performance from Joaquin Phoenix. Creepy, sympathetic, and sinister, he embodied everything I wanted from a Joker origin story.

At first I balked at the idea of a sequel because of how great it was to have an independent stand alone movie, However, after hearing this is going to be a musical with Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn I was sold. Yes you heard that correctly, this is going to be a musical. If you’ve seen the first movie you know this won’t be like High School Musical or even Moulin Rouge, but the musical numbers will likely show the couple delve into their shared insanity (which is the literal translation of Folie à Deux…the “folly of two” or Shared Delusional Disorder)

Now I know nothing else about the movie but hear me out. I fully expect the musical numbers will be used to contrast gruesome reality with the inner psychosis of our lead characters. Picture this, a fantastical, silly musical number with all the bombastic music and colours we’d expect from something like Singing in the Rain, that abruptly cuts as we pull back into the real world. We see Harley and Joker in the asylum, maybe having just committed some brutal murder, and then see them bowing to a non existent audience like they are receiving applause.

Thats the kind of unhinged juxtaposition I want from this and I am so excited for it. To be honest without this unique hook, I don’t know if I would have wanted a sequel.

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November 2024 Releases:

• Venom 3 - Another Sony Spin-off…why…seriously three in one year?! I at least enjoy these for Tom Hardy and because they don’t take themselves too seriously…but still.

• Alto Knights - Barry Levinson (Rain Man, Dopesick) directs the true story of prolific mobsters, Vito Genovese and Frank Costell, both of which will be played by Robert De Niro. Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote Goodfellas and Casino, is credited as a writer.

• Gladiator 2 - This sequel has been in the works for years and I never thought it would actually get made but here we are. Ridley Scott returns with a great cast including Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Djimon Honsou, and Connie Nielson.

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Nosferatu (Dec 25)

Director and Writer: Robert Eggers (The VVitch, The Lighthouse, The Northman)

Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Lily Rose-Depp, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Nicholas Hoult

A remake of the 1922 classic, which itself was a loose and unauthorized adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel, Dracula. The original has been a blueprint for horror films to this day and who better to helm this than Robert Eggers. If you have seen his work you will know why. He is an expert at creating a tense and uncomfortable mood and his creative and unique visual style is perfectly suited for a modern take on classic horror.

Casting Bill Skarsgård (IT, John Wick 4) as Count Orlock is wonderful given his amazing work as the creature in IT . I am also a huge fan of anything Willem Dafoe does, and seeing him paired with Eggers again is a recipe for sucess. We don’t have a trailer yet, but the handful of promotional stills show us the a moody, colourful, and experimental cinematography we are used to from Eggers.

If you are on the fence about this I would recommend giving The Northman a shot, it’s brutal and violent but it is probably Egger’s most accesible films. If you like that, I’d next check out The Lighthouse, but be warned, it is weird and uncomfortable, but amazingly well made and acted. I expect Nosferatu will strike a balance between these two.

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Formula One (Unknown Date)

Director: Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick, Oblivion, Tron Legacy)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Damson Idris

Cinematography: Claudio Miranda (Top Gun: Maverick, Life of Pi, Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

After the success of Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski has finally received the recognition he deserves as one of the best modern directors in Hollywood. He is a master of depicting fast paced action and creating satisfying character arcs. His movies have a flow and rhythm to them. They are musical, operatic, but still grounded and it is hard to describe unless you see it for yourself.

I have a soft spot for racing movies, and in the last few years we have had some great ones. Rush and Ford v Ferrari were incredible, and while not as great last year’s Gran Turismo and Ferrari were solid as well. All of those included real cars in their driving scenes and Kosinski has already shown his desire to avoid CGI as much as possible in Maverick. Lewis Hamilton, one of the best Formula One drivers is involved (and acting) so I expect a lot of care will be put into making this feel authentic.

The cast is also fantastic. Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, a Formula One legend who returns to the sport to coach a young prodigy, played by Damson Idris. I don’t know what the other actors roles are but with names like Javier Bardem (Dune, No Country for Old Men), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin, Better Call Saul), and Tobias Menzies (The Crown, Game of Thrones) this is absolutely one to watch out for. 

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Other December 2024 Releases:

• War of the Rohirrim - An animated Lord of the Rings prequel directed by experienced anime producer Kenji Kamiyama. Set hundreds of years before the main story this focuses on Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand, the legendary warrior whom the fortress from The Two Towers was named after.

• Karate Kid - Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio are teaming up to blend the worlds of the Cobra Kai series and the 2011 Karate Kid movie. Even though this feels like they are just milking the franchise, if it is as good as Cobra Kai I will be very happy.

• Mufasa - Barry Jenkins is directing this prequel that will explore the origins of Mufasa and Scar. I wasn’t too keen on the so called “live action” remake of the Lion King from 2019 but I loved the original animated classic so I will check this out regardless.

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There is my list of Most Anticipated Movies of 2024! I expect more to get announced (like the Untitled Jordan Peele movie) and there are other that might be pushed to next year but it’s a busy year nonetheless.

There’s only so many movies one can watch in a year, and even with this list I expect there are plenty I haven’t heard of. Please share what you are excited for and anything I missed in the comments below.

To see the list of my favourite movies of last year check out my Top 10 Movies of 2023!

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