Good news about Upcoming Movies of 2024! Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes are settled, so movies will return to theaters and streamers in 2024. You’ll have plenty of exciting films to watch, including sequels to popular blockbusters like Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Gladiator, Dune, Bad Boys, and The Joker, as well as Robert De Niro’s gangster movie Alto Knights.
Check Global News burst for updates, and mark your calendars with this must-watch guide.
Upcoming Movies of 2024
‘The Beekeeper’ (Jan. 12)
Vengeance is sweet like honey. The latest buzzy action thriller from David Ayer (End of Watch, Fury) stars Jason Statham as a beekeeper with a very particular set of skills: He’s a former member of the secret special ops organization called, incredibly, the Beekeepers.
He embarks on a John Wick/Equalizer-style revenge mission where he’ll crack skulls, slice fingers, and set his adversaries on fire with — you guessed it — honey.
Where to watch: In theaters.
‘Lisa Frankenstein’ (Feb. 9)
Zelda Williams, the daughter of Robin Williams, has made her directorial debut with a spooky romantic comedy. The movie features a script from the award-winning screenwriter and Oscar-winner Diablo Cody, who wrote screenplays for films like Juno and Jennifer’s Body.
The movie stars Kathryn Newton as a lonely goth high schooler who brings a hot Victorian corpse, played by Cole Sprouse, back to life in 1989.
Williams commented on Hollywood’s reputation for recycling sequels and remakes but expressed gratitude for producing such a unique and exciting zombie script.
Where to watch: In theaters.
I Saw the TV Glow (January 18, Sundance Film Festival)
Jane Schoenbrun, a first-time feature film director, debuted in 2021 with “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair.” This film was a small but captivating piece of cinematic creepypasta. For their much-anticipated follow-up, Schoenbrun has created another sliver of intimate, shivery technophobia about two teenagers and a canceled TV series.
Few filmmakers have their finger as firmly on the pulse of millennial anxieties as Schoenbrun. What’s interesting is how well-funded “I Saw the TV Glow” is, with Emma Stone as a producer and a supporting cast that includes Conner O’Malley, Phoebe Bridgers, and even Fred Durst.
Where to watch: In theaters.
Drive-Away Dolls (February 23)
This lesbian road trip caper stars Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan. It marks Ethan Coen’s first solo narrative directorial project. He co-wrote the movie with his wife, Tricia Cooke.
“As a queer writer, it’s exciting for me to make a lesbian film that is playful and innocent in a way but also perverse and subversive,” Cooke said. “Back then, the studios would go, ‘Well, if you have gay characters, it’s gotta be important.’
Just doing a fun movie with gay characters somehow computes in a way now that it didn’t then.”
Argyle, PG-13 (Feb. 2)
When reality starts imitating her spy stories, a novelist (Bryce Dallas Howard) turns to a real spy who’s allergic to cats (Sam Rockwell, 55) and his ally (Samuel L. Jackson, 75). Catherine O’Hara, 69, plays her mom, and the bad guy is Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, 67.
Bob Marley: One Love (Feb. 14)
We’re eager to see Kingsley Ben-Adir play the Jamaican superstar and curious to hear him sing reggae hits — the actor’s voice is blended with the honest Bob and his son Ziggy Marley.
Note to fact-forward fans:
The scene where he gets shot while rehearsing “I Shot the Sheriff” really happened.
‘Kung Fu Panda 4’ (March 8)
In his latest animated adventure, Po (voiced by Jack Black) is tapped to train a new Dragon Warrior. Before that, however, he teams with foxy sidekick Zhen (Awkwafina) to face evil sorceress Chameleon (Viola Davis), a shapeshifting lizard out to steal the kung fu power from every master villain Po has faced.
Where to watch: In theaters.
‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ (March 29)
The tag team monster movie fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. After facing off in 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong,” the gigantic thunder lizard and King Kong team up to take down a foe that threatens the wondrous underground locale of Hollow Earth and the surface world.
Where to watch: In theaters.
‘Civil War’ (April 26)
Alex Garland’s new movie, set in an election year, is a future-shock thriller about armed, factional combat in a divided America. While the trailer suggests California and Texas have joined forces, it’s uncertain whether this is a cautionary tale or a satirical take on the apocalypse.
The casting of Ron Swanson as the president hints towards a Kubrickian approach to the movie.
The Fall Guy (May 3)
Ryan Gosling, known for his role in “Barbie,” stars in an action comedy film based on the 1980s series “The Fall Guy.” The story revolves around Colt Seavers, a stuntman, who finds himself working on a movie directed by his ex-girlfriend, Jody Moreno, played by Emily Blunt. When the film’s lead actress goes missing, Colt takes it upon himself to track her down, leading to a series of unexpected and comedic adventures.
‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ (May 10)
Set several generations after 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes,” Wes Ball’s sci-fi action movie begins a new story featuring young chimpanzee Noa (played via motion capture by Owen Teague).
He befriends a feral human girl (Freya Allan) and wants to chart a peaceful path between species as a tyrannical ape leader (Kevin Durand) constructs his empire.
Where to watch: In theaters.
Back to Black (May 10)
Marisa Abela, known for her role in “Industry,” portrays the iconic singer Amy Winehouse in a biopic directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. The film offers a unique perspective, narrating Amy’s journey from her early days to stardom, delving into her turbulent personal life and the creation of her acclaimed album “Back to Black.” Jack O’Connell and Leslie Manville also feature in the cast.
‘IF’ (May 17)
Director John Krasinski’s family comedy features youngster Cailey Fleming as a girl who can see imaginary friends (voiced by Steve Carell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and others) needing new human companions. She gets a partner on her quest to help them when she discovers her upstairs neighbor (Ryan Reynolds) has the same talent.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24)
The “Mad Max” franchise by George Miller carries on with “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” featuring the talented Anya Taylor-Joy as the young Imperator Furiosa, a role previously played by Charlize Theron. In this thrilling installment, Furiosa finds herself thrust into a dangerous Biker Horde, led by the formidable Warlord Dementus, portrayed by Chris Hemsworth. Determined to return to her homeland, she embarks on a perilous journey filled with twists and turns.
Garfield (May 24)
Chris Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson have joined the cast of the latest animated feature set in the comic universe created by Jim Davis. This movie is the newest installment in the Garfield franchise, following Bill Murray’s 2004 film “Garfield: The Movie” and its 2006 sequel “Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties.” Chris Pratt will play the lead role of the titular orange feline, while Samuel L. Jackson will portray a new character, Vic, who is Garfield’s father.
Hit Man (June 7)
This new Netflix film, based on Skip Hollandsworth’s 2001 Texas Monthly magazine article of the same name, features Glen Powell in the lead role. He plays an associate of the Houston police department who poses as an assassin to trap potential clients. However, things take a turn when he becomes emotionally invested in saving a woman, played by Adria Arjona, from an abusive relationship. Austin Amelio, Retta, and Molly Bernard also star in the movie.
Ballerina (June 7)
An assassin (Ana de Armas) seeks vengeance on her family’s killers in a John Wick spinoff, with Anjelica Huston, 72, as her trainer. It costars Gabriel Byrne, 73, the late Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, 55, and Keanu Reeves, 59, as Wick.
Bad Boys 4 (June 14)
Will Smith, 55, and Martin Lawrence, 58, fight crime in a sequel that’s rumored to boast more comedy than usual and action.
‘Inside Out 2’ (June 14)
The animated Pixar sequel catches up with Riley’s lively inner emotions as the girl reaches her teenage years, meaning Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), and others have to face a stressful changing situation internally with the introduction of a new emotion, Anxiety (Maya Hawke).
Where to watch: In theaters.
The Bikeriders (June 21)
The title is not a metaphor: Jeff Nichols’s drama centers on a 1960s motorcycle club whose growing membership includes a few terrible eggs. After emerging as one of the most interesting and distinctive
American filmmaker of the 2000s with Shotgun Stories and Take Shelter, Nichols has been on a hiatus.
The Bikeriders is his first movie in seven years. Still, it’s got the kind of cast that’s worth the wait, including Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, and the director’s eternal collaborator Michael Shannon (who appears in only a couple of frames of the trailer but looks as magnificent as you’d expect).
A Quiet Place: Day One (June 28)
Step into the prequel of the 2018 post-apocalyptic thriller, where the story unveils the origins of the world that introduces us to the Abbott family. In this chilling tale, humanity must maintain silence to evade terrifying creatures that hunt using sound. The talented Lupita Nyong’o takes the lead, guiding us through the initial moments of the alien invasion, set amidst the bustling streets of New York City.
Horizon: An American Saga (June 28 and Aug. 16)
“Horizon: An American Saga,” a Western film, showcases the growth of the American West before and after the Civil War. Notably, Kevin Costner takes on the roles of director, producer, and co-writer in this epic tale. The movie will be released in two installments, with the first hitting screens in June and the second in August.
Alien: Romulus (August 16)
Two summers ago, Disney was criticized for releasing the enjoyable Predator pre-boot Prey exclusively for streaming; given the movie’s genuine throwback qualities, it felt like something that belonged in a movie theater.
That imbroglio may have contributed to the move of Alien: Romulus—which is set in the interregnum between Ridley Scott’s and James Cameron’s classic installments—from online only to wide release, where it’ll have to overcome its parent franchise’s recently diminishing returns.
The timing is good, at least: The movie’s lead, Cailee Spaeny, is coming off great reviews (and a possible Oscar nomination) for Priscilla.
Alto Knights (Nov. 15)
Goodfellas writer Nicholas Pileggi, 90, scripts this saga of two mob bosses at war, Vito Genovese and Frank Costello — both played by Robert De Niro, 80!
Gladiator 2 (Nov. 22)
In a sequel to his 2000 best picture Oscar winner, Ridley Scott, 86, directs a no-doubt-buff Denzel Washington, 69, as a rich man who supplies the Romans with weapons and gladiators for their games. His secret?
He was once a gladiator who earned his freedom.
Wicked (Nov. 27)
Michelle Yeoh, 61, makes her singing debut as Madame Morrible in a two-part adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, with Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba (a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West) and Ariana Grande as Glinda the Good.
Nosferatu (December 25)
Whatever you thought of the hallucinatory berserker action of The Northman, Robert Eggers couldn’t be accused of playing it safe: The outspoken director put his blank studio check where his mouth was.
By contrast, an ornate, gory, sexy period vampire riff should be a pretty safe bet, commercially speaking, especially considering the inspired casting of Pennywise himself in the title role.
Plus, Willem Dafoe is a fearless vampire killer!
Merry Christmas to all
Wrap Up
From dazzling superhero showdowns to indie darlings whispering hidden truths, 2024’s silver screen promises to ignite your inner cinephile and leave you speechless. Don’t just bookmark these movies; buy your tickets before they vanish faster than popcorn on opening night!
