Every year, probably since I got on Facebook for a brief stint during college, I come up with a list of my Top 10 most-anticipated movies of the year. This list below, comprised of votes from you all, has a lot of the same ones I’m looking forward to!
So without further ado, here they are below.
Notable Runners-Up (Had Three or More Votes):
Supergirl (dir. Craig Gillepsie, WB, July)
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (dir. Gore Verbinski, Netflix, February)
The Devil Wars Prada 2 (dir. David Frankel, Disney, May)
Werwulf (dir. Robert Eggers, Universal, December)
#10: The Social Reckoning
Release Date: October 9
Studio: Sony
Director/Writer: Aaron Sorkin
Stars: (see above)
Logline: Follows Frances Haugen, a young Facebook engineer, who enlisted the help of Jeff Horwitz, a Wall Street Journal reporter, to blow the whistle on the social network's most guarded secrets.
What readers say:
Another kinda sequel I’m curious to see how it will happen. The cast is stacked and hopefully it’ll be just as good as the first one!
#9: Godzilla Minus Zero
Release Date: November 3 (Japan), November 6 (North America)
Studio: Toho
Director/Writer/VFX: Takashi Yamazaki
Stars: Godzilla
Logline: N/A
What readers say:
Its predecessor was the last movie that I saw in theaters because my friend is a big Godzilla fan and I'm financially boycotting Hollywood. It was one of the best monster movies we had seen and we are going to watch the sequel in theaters too.
#8: Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
Release Date: November 26
Studio: Netflix (Note: IMAX will be giving this an exclusive wide release in theaters)
Director/Writer: Greta Gerwig
Stars: Emma Mackey as Jadis the White Witch, Daniel Craig as Andrew Ketterley, Carey Mulligan as Mabel Kirke, Meryl Streep as TBD (hopefully not Aslan) (see above caption for rest)
Logline: From Oscar-nominated director Greta Gerwig (Barbie, Little Women), adapted from C.S. Lewis’s cherished tale.
What readers say:
C.S. Lewis is my favorite writer but I haven't read any of the Narnia books. I'm still interested in what they do here.
Super worried about this. C.S. Lewis is my favorite author and the Narnia books are still some of the most formative parts of my life. But I am very interested in this and would like it to succeed. I am just hoping the Christian elements are not erased from the film
#7: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Release Date: July 31
Studio: Sony
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Stars: Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Jon Bernthal as The Punisher, Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk
Logline: Peter Parker tries to focus on college and leave Spider-Man behind. But when a new threat endangers his friends, he must break his promise and suit up again, teaming with an unexpected ally to protect those he loves.
What readers say:
I’m curious to see how they finish the story and I just love the cast of this movie.
#6: Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date: December 18
Studio: Disney
Director: The Russo Brothers
Stars: Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom. Nuff said.
Logline: Doctor Doom has officially arrived in the MCU. This villain, a master of cutting-edge science and powerful magic, will unleash a cascading crisis across the entire multiverse.
What readers say:
Robert Downey, Jr. as Doctor Doom. Seriously, do I need any other reasons?
#5: Digger
Release Date: October 2
Studio: Warner Bros
Director/Writer: Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Stars: Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell
Logline: The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's savior before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything.
What readers say:
Tom Cruise and Alejandro González Iñárritu doing dark comedy seems like such a mismatch, but the trailer sold me. I'm excited to see how it's executed because the concept and story seem so interesting and Iñárritu's typical style seems like it could lend itself well to more comedic storytelling.
#4: Disclosure Day
Release Date: June 12
Studio: Universal
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth
Logline: If you found out we weren't alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?
What readers say:
A new Spielberg science fiction film? Count me in!
#3: Dune: Part Three
Release Date: December 18
Studio: Warner Bros
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson
Logline: It follows Muad'dib, heir to unimaginable power, as he brings to fruition the ancient scheme to create a superbeing ruler among men, not in the heavens.
What readers say:
I understand I might be in the minority, but I have not loved the Dune films. I felt the changes to the book made in the second film actually really hurt the film, and so I am really cautious about a third film. I will still see it, but my excitement level is very low.
#2: Project Hail Mary
Release Date: March 20
Studio: Amazon/MGM
Director: Phil Lord & Chris Miller
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller
Logline: An astronaut tries to save Earth while alone in outer space.
What readers say:
Sci-fi movie starring Ryan Gosling. Enough said.
#1: The Odyssey
Release Date: July 17
Studio: Universal
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway
Logline: After the Trojan War, Odysseus faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Circe along the way.
What readers say:
I mean...what's there to say about this? It's Christopher Nolan, a man known for making big movies, adapting one of the biggest, long-lasting stories ever made! I'm looking forward to seeing how he'll interpret one of the foundations of modern storytelling, especially the parallel Hero's Journeys that both Odysseus and Telemachus make, and how each person in the stacked cast will be utilized as not every role has been announced yet.
Nolan remains my favorite director. But I am more cautious about this film than any of his previous films. I don't love all of the cast members. It feels very much like every big name in Hollywood being cast to further bolster a controversial choice in a blockbuster. By saddling Nolan with a lot of bankable stars or names, this film might reach more audiences. And while I don't doubt the man behind the camera, the increasing polarizing people in this film for me makes me cautious the film might be equally polarizing. But I'd be lying if I said I had no plans to check this out once it hits theaters.
What other movies are you looking forward to? Sound off below.
Brilliant compilation here. The Odyssey beig at #1 makes total sense, especially with Nolan tackling those mythic encounters like Circe and the Cyclops. What's fascinating is how this list mirrors a broader shift in blockbuster cinema toward prestige directors taking on classical material, kinda like we're seeing a new golden age of intellectual spectacle. I actualy think Project Hail Mary could surprise and outperform expectations given the sci-fi drought we've had lately.
I didn't know there was a new Narnia movie coming out. My 11 year old will be psyched, he's listened to all the books. I hope they do it well!