It’s still early, but 2024 is already shaping up to be quite the gala year. With Denis Villeneuve delivering a long-awaited Dune sequel, George Miller back at the bullet farm with Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Luca Guadagino’s spicy tennis psychodrama Challengers, and Jane Shoenbrun evolving into their sophomore effort with an unforgettable earth-shattering feature about identity, nostalgia, and media consumption that is I Saw the TV Glow. It may seem like all of the best have come out already, but they’re many other movies coming out this year to be excited about.
Hit Man (June 7th)
Based on Skip Hollandsworth’s 2001 Texas Monthly magazine article of the same name, this new Richard Linklater Netflix film sees Glen Powell star as a Houston police associate who disguises himself as an assassin to catch willing clients. But hijinks ensure when he finds himself getting invested in saving a woman in an abusive relationship, played by Adria Arjona. Austin Amelio, Retta and Molly Bernard round out the cast.
The Watchers (June 7th)
Horror seems to run in the family. In her feature film directorial debut, Ishana Shyamalan will take the reins from her father, M. Night Shyamalan, to create the upcoming horror mystery film, The Watchers. She has been carving out her writing and directing career since age 19 by working alongside him as a writer, producer, and director for M. Night’s Apple TV+ series Servant. The now-22-year-old director also worked alongside her father as an assistant director for his 2021 movie Old, and the 2023 film Knock At The Cabin. Dakota Fanning and Georgina Campbell lead The Watchers as people who find themselves imprisoned by the mysterious Watchers.
The Bikeriders (June 21st)
Inspired by Danny Lyon’s book of photography, Jeff Nichols’ film follows a 1960s midwestern motorcycle club called the Vandals, tracing its evolution into something more sinister. Austin Butler and Jodie Comer play a married couple involved in the Vandals, with Tom Hardy portraying the biker gang’s hot-blooded leader.
Kinds of Kindness (June 21st)
Not much is known about Kinds of Kindness, but after the excellent Poor Things, all we really need to know is that Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone are collaborating yet again. What we do know is that Kinds of Kindness is an anthology film written by Lanthimos along with his The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Lobster, and Dogtooth co-writer Efthimis Filippou. Who knows what bonkers ideas Kinds of Kindness has in store for us, but all we need to know is that, thankfully, Lanthimos doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon.
A Quiet Place: Day One (June 28th)
The prequel to the 2018 post-apocalyptic thriller will depict the origins of the world we meet the Abbott family in, where people must stay silent to hide from creatures who hunt for prey using sound. Lupita Nyong’o stars in the film, as she navigates the first moments of the alien invasion in New York City.
MaXXXine (July 5th)
Mia Goth returns yet again for the third and final installment of Ti West’s “X Trilogy.” Maxxine follows adult film star Maxine Minx who is on the cusp of getting her big Hollywood break. But when a mysterious killer begins hunting down big screen starlets, her dark past is threatened to be revealed.
Longlegs (July 12th)
Written and directed by Osgood “Oz” Perkins, the son of Psycho star Anthony Perkins, the upcoming horror film follows a female FBI agent played by Maika Monroe assigned to the cold case of a serial killer portrayed by the legendary Nicolas Cage. The horror film is already heavily hyped ahead of its July release date thanks to NEON’s creative marketing campaign sharing various mysterious and eerie teasers for the film without revealing its title, instead using a code made up of occult symbols to maintain intrigue.
Twisters (July 19th)
The film follows the 1996 disaster epic Twister, which starred Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes and Philip Seymour Hoffman as scientists trying to conquer the most powerful tornado in decades. Plot details for the sequel are under wraps, but Universal has described it as “a new chapter” from the original movie. It will be directed by Lee Isaac Chung, best known for Minari, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell.
Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26th)
Ryan Reynolds will reprise his titular role in the franchise’s third installment, which sees him reunite with Hugh Jackman’s X-Men character Wolverine. Voted the most anticipated film of 2024 in Fandango’s annual survey, the film marks the first Deadpool project to be produced by Walt Disney Studios after it acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019.
Trap (August 9th)
Trap is the latest psychological thriller from director M. Night Shyamalan. Starring Josh Hartnett, the film follows a father and daughter at a pop concert who find themselves at the center of a manhunt for a killer on the run.
Alien: Romulus (August 16th)
A standalone installment set in the “Alien” franchise that, as confirmed to Variety by star Cailee Spaeny, will take place between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), the sci-fi horror thriller will be directed by Fede Álvarez with a script co-written with Rodo Sayagues. Spaney is set to star alongside Isabela Merced, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn and Aileen Wu.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (September 6th)
Tim Burton returns to direct the follow up to his 1987 cult classic Beetlejuice, with Michael Keaton reprising his role as the eccentric ghost. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara also return, with Jenna Ortega joining the cast as a new face in the franchise.
Joker: Folie a Deux (October 4th)
Lady Gaga joins Joaquin Phoenix in the follow up to Todd Phillips’ Joker. The musical thriller features Gaga as Harley Quinn, while Phoenix reprises his titular role as failed comedian-turned-criminal Arthur Fleck. The rest of the cast includes Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Jacob Lofland and Harry Lawtey.
Terrifier 3 (October 25th)
Art the Clown is back, but this time in a holiday-themed installment of the “Terrifier” slasher horror comedy franchise. David Howard Horton plays the creepy clown and Samantha Scaffidi plays returning character Victoria Heyes, who was featured in the previous two “Terrifier” films.
Gladiator II (November 22nd)
Ridley Scott returns to direct the much-anticipated follow up to his 2000 Best Picture winner Gladiator. Paul Mescal stars as a grown version of Lucius Verus II, the nephew of the first film’s antagonist Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). The rest of the cast includes Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi and Joseph Quinn, among others.
Nosferatu (December 25th)
Bill Skarsgård, who played villainous clown Pennywise in the “It” franchise, takes on another terrifying monster role in Robert Eggers’ vampire tale. This time, Skarsgård is the titular vampire in Nosferatu. Another take on the classic 1922 film, this version stars Lily Rose-Depp as Ellen Hutter, who becomes the subject of the vampire’s obsession.
Anora (Undated)
The latest in Sean Baker’s filmography Anora is about a rambunctious farce exotic dancer who eventually meets the love of her life. The film just had its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year and took home the Palme d’Or award. Sean Baker is gripped by one subject: the lives of sex workers in America. He has made a string of low-budget—but highly praised comedy-dramas on the topic, including Tangerine (2015), The Florida Project (2017) and Red Rocket (2021). “This isn’t exactly a mainstream movie,” Baker, 53, said at the Palme d’Or press conference after his win Saturday. “But hopefully this wonderful win will help get it into multiplexes and maybe remind mainstream audiences that these films still exist.” It’s not easy to create characters that are equally sympathetic as they are obnoxious, and somehow Baker always manages to hit a home run with it all, and it's no surprises that Anora seems to be receiving the same treatment.
Megalopolis (Undated)
Unlike Anora, Megalopolis is receiving a rather lukewarm reception from the Cannes Film Festival, but was also the most discussed out of everything that was shown. It sounds counterintuitive to what cinema is supposed to be about, but the best possible outcome from Francis Ford Coppola’s first film in 13 years is that of lines being drawn in the sand between those who think it’s the legendary filmmaker’s latest masterpiece, and the others who claim it’s one of the worst movies ever made. Responsible for at least three of the greatest films ever made in The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and Apocalypse Now, Coppola’s place in the annals of film history has been set in stone since the 1970s. While it would have been a nice professional pat on the back for Megalopolis to be unanimously received as such, that doesn’t do true justice to its existence. For nearly 40 years Coppola has been trying to make this picture and in the process of doing so he sold off a huge part of his wine empire to foot the $120million bill from straight out of his own pocket, which is completely and utterly insane. Incorporating intentionally anachronistic production techniques, lavish sets, ornate costumes, and a fourth-wall-breaking moment that begs the question of how it’ll factor into theatrical screenings of the film, Coppola could not have cared less about the optics of Megalopolis when he decided that because he had the money and passion to make it happen, he was going to make it anyway. It’s a bonkers undertaking at every single level, and it wouldn’t be so entrancing were it not proving to be so polarizing. Had Megalopolis been showered in nothing but the utmost admiration, then it might have a better chance of doing a decent turn at the box office. Not that Coppola cares because there’s almost no chance it’ll be anything other than a huge flop. He made it his way, which was all he ever wanted, and it’s a great deal better off as a contentious head-scratcher than one last prestigious hurrah from one of the best to ever do it.
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By Danny Manna @Cinemanna24
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