The 57 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022
We've got tons to look forward to, from The Batman and Thor: Love and Thunder to Scream, Jurassic World Dominion, and Hocus Pocus 2.
January
Veteran X-Men writer and director Simon Kinberg helms this spy thriller about a group of international agents (played by a star-studded A-list ensemble) who band together to recover a top-secret weapon from a dangerous mercenary. This film was delayed one year from its original January, 2021 release.
Directed by: Simon Kinberg
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, Penelope Cruz, Fan Bingbing, Sebastian Stan, Edgar Ramirez
Opening on: January 7, 2022 (formerly January 14, 2022)
The directing duo known as “Radio Silence” who brought us 2019’s Ready or Not take on Ghostface in a new entry in Wes Craven’s meta horror franchise, with veteran stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette all set to return. Details on plot are still thin at the moment, but bet on the film to continue the mythology surrounding Sidney Prescott and her truamatic, very unlucky past.
Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jack Quaid, Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Dylan Minnette, Marley Shelton
Opening on: January 14, 2022
February
Most of the Jackass gang is back for a final hurrah alongside people like Tony Hawk, Tyler the Creator, Eric André, and more. Expect a lot of cringe-inducing stunts and outrageous pranks, but be prepared for an unexpected dose of heart as the boys go out in a blaze of glory.
Directed by: Jeff Tremaine
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Ehren McGhehey, Sean McInerney
Opening on: February 4, 2022 (formerly October 22, 2021)
After securing some of the most glowing reviews of her career for her stellar turn in 2019’s Hustlers, Jennifer Lopez makes a return to rom-coms in this story about a pop star who marries a stranger in one of her crowds (Owen Wilson) after she discovers her partner has been having an affair. This film was pushed back a year from its planned 2021 release.
Directed by: Kat Coiro
Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Sarah Silverman, John Bradley, Maluma
Opening on: February 11, 2022
Kenneth Branagh will return as detective Hercule Poirot following the surprise success of 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, which Branagh also directed. So far, big names like Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Letitia Wright, and Rose Leslie have joined the whodunit.
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie, Letitia Wright
Opening on: February 11, 2022 (formerly September 17, 2021)
This Indiana Jones-styled action-adventure film, based on the popular video game series of the same name, has been floating around in development for more than a decade, but it wasn’t until June of 2019 that we got some solid forward movement on it. Tom Holland was confirmed to star in the film as the central hero, Nathan Drake, and it officially went into production in early 2020. It lands here after several shifts in the release schedule; let’s hope it stays here.
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Sophia Taylor Ali, Tati Gabrielle
Opening on: February 18, 2022 (formerly February 11, 2022)
March
If you’re looking for yet another iteration of the Caped Crusader, you’re in luck. Despite the ongoing DC Extended Universe of films (which includes other entries in 2022 like Black Adam and Shazam! Fury of the Gods), Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves tackles what looks to be an even darker take on Batman than we’ve already seen, with an impressive cast that includes Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, Paul Dano as the Riddler, and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon.
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell
Opening on: March 4, 2022
Ryan Reynolds reunites with Free Guy director Shawn Levy for this Netflix sci-fi adventure about a man who travels back in time to team up with his younger self and confront his past in order to save the future. This is one of the higher-profile films for Netflix, which has once again committed to releasing at least one new film every week in 2022.
Directed by: Shawn Levy
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener, Zoe Saldana, Walker Scobell
Opening on: March 11, 2022 on Netflix
The first of two Pixar offerings in 2022 is this fantastical coming-of-age tale about a 13-year-old girl who transforms into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited about something. It will be the feature directorial debut of Domee Shi, who won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for Bao in 2018, and though the film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release, it was subsequently changed to be a Disney+ exclusive.
Directed by: Domee Shi
Starring: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, James Hong
Opening on: March 11, 2022 on Disney+
Disney unleashed a ton of new projects and release dates during their Investor Day presentation in December of 2020, including this new adaptation of the book that inspired the 1950 comedy and its 2003 remake starring Steve Martin. This one is being developed by black-ish creator Kenya Barris with director Gail Lerner and stars Gabrielle Union and Zach Braff on board. In contrast to all previous versions, this one will also be about a blended family of 12.
Directed by: Gail Lerner
Starring: Gabrielle Union, Zach Braff
Opening on: March 18, 2022 on Disney+
Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas star in director Adrian Lyne’s thriller based on the eponymous novel by Patricia Highsmith (Strangers on a Train, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Carol), about a married couple at odds with each other who begin to play dangerous mind games with each other, eventually leading to murder.
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
Starring: Ben Affleck, Ana de Armas, Tracy Letts, Lil Rel Howery
Opening on: March 18, 2022 on Hulu
This romantic action-adventure stars Sandra Bullock as a reclusive romance novelist who embarks on a book tour with the cover model (Channing Tatum) who graces all of her novels, only for the pair to be swept up in a jungle adventure when a kidnapping attempt goes awry. The film will be directed by the Nee brothers, whose last film was the “Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn are modern-day treasure hunters” movie Band of Robbers, and co-star Daniel Radcliffe as the villain who kidnaps Sandra Bullock’s character.
Directed by: Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe
Opening on: March 25, 2022 (formerly April 15, 2022)
April
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, Tyrese Gibson, Michael Keaton
Opening on: April 1, 2022
Sony’s latest entry in its Spider-Man-adjacent franchise of connected films is the origin story of a scientist who inadvertently turns himself into a vampire in his efforts to cure himself of a rare blood disease. Swedish director Daniel Espinosa (Safe House, Life) takes up the helm, and Michael Keaton — who appeared in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming as prominent Spider-Man villain Vulture — is set to make an appearance, which has all kinds of crossover implications.
Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the last big movies to hit theaters before coronavirus lockdowns went into effect, and it became one of the highest-grossing films of 2020. This year, Sonic (Ben Schwartz) is back on the big screen, as Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) returns with a furry pal of his own named Knuckles (voiced by Idris Elba) and Sonic must team up with a new friend (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey to stop him.
Directed by: Jeff Fowler
Starring: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Tika Sumpter, Idris Elba, Colleen O’Shaughnessey
Opening on: April 8, 2022
Michael Bay tones down his blockbuster tendencies just a bit (presumably) for this smaller-scale thriller about a pair of thieves who unknowingly rob an ambulance carrying a paramedic and a patient in critical condition. This remake of a Danish film has been in development since 2015, but filming finally got underway in January of 2021.
Directed by: Michael Bay
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza Gonzalez, Garret Dillahunt
Opening on: April 8, 2022 (formerly February 18, 2022)
Eddie Redmayne returns as inquisitive wizard Newt Scamander in the third chapter of this magical spin-off/prequel series that takes place decades before Harry Potter enrolled at Hogwarts. The story picks up after the events of The Crimes of Grindelwald, as Newt and his compatriots continue to pursue the evil wizard (now played by Mads Mikkelsen), leading up to World War II.
Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Mads Mikkelsen, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol
Opening on: April 15, 2022
This latest project from DreamWorks Animation is a heist comedy based on popular series of children’s books about a handful of reformed villains who decide to go straight and so some good in the world. In this case, the “bad guys” are Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, Mr. Shark, and Ms. Tarantula. It was originally slated for release in 2021, but now remains undated in 2022.
Directed by: Pierre Perifel
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Marc Maron
Opening on: April 22, 2022
The man who brought us The Witch and The Lighthouse returns with this revenge thriller again set in the past. Anya Taylor-Joy, who starred in The Witch, reunites with director Robert Eggers alongside an all-star cast for a story about a viking prince out to avenge the death of his father. Eggers co-wrote the film with Icelandic writer Sjón, and the film co-stars that country’s biggest pop culture export, Björk, who makes her first narrative feature film appearance since 2000’s Dancer in the Dark.
Directed by: Robert Eggers
Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, Björk
Opening on: April 22, 2022 (formerly April 8, 2022)
Nicolas Cage stars in this meta comedy as, well, himself. Sort of. As his career takes a bit of a downturn, Nic Cage reluctantly accepts an offer of $1 million to attend the birthday of an extremely wealthy superfan named Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal). Cage and Javi become fast friends… until the CIA approach Cage, inform him Javi is a dangerous criminal, and enlist his help to bring him down.
Directed by: Tom Gormican
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Sharon Horgan, Ike Barinholtz, Neil Patrick Harris
Opening on: April 22, 2022
May
Anticipation will be high for this entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — the first of three in 2022 — that will directly tie in with the events in Marvel’s first Disney+ series, WandaVision. and possibly even the animated Disney+ series What If…? After some behind-the-scenes shake-ups, director Sam Raimi jumped on board, and judging from the first teaser, it’s going to be a wild ride.
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez
Opening on: May 6, 2022
This revival of the classic Disney cartoon, which some believe could actually lead to a revival of the series itself on Disney+, stars John Mulaney and Andy Samberg, respectively, as the titular chipmunks 30 years after the end of the aforementioned series. The self-referential live-action/animated hybrid comedy finds Chip and Dale alive and well in a Roger Rabbit-esque world, where Dale has gotten “CGI surgery” and the pair must reunite to locate an old co-star who’s gone missing.
Directed by: Akiva Schaffer
Starring: John Mulaney, Andy Samberg, Will Arnett, Eric Bana, KiKi Layne, Keegan-Michael Key
Opening on: May 20, 2022 on Disney+
The hit Fox animated comedy about the owner of a small hamburger restaurant and his quirky family is getting the feature film treatment in the form of a musical comedy — something the show is already quite comfortable with. The film was pulled off the release schedule in January and may not come back in time for a 2021 release, but we’ll keep our fingers crossed.
Directed by: Loren Bouchard
Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Larry Murphy
Opening on: May 27, 2022 (formerly April 9, 2021)
Great balls of fire, we’re getting a Top Gun sequel after more than 30 years! Not a whole lot is known about the movie, except that the filmmakers have recruited Miles Teller to play Goose’s son and that Val Kilmer is officially back as Iceman. And as the trailer promises, it will again feature Tom Cruise riding motorcycles, playing volleyball, and flying jets like a madman.
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Val Kilmer, Jay Ellis, Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro
Opening on: May 27, 2022 (formerly November 19, 2021)
June
The godfather of body horror returns to the genre as David Cronenberg offers up a shocking new thriller. Set in an unspecified future when humans have begun to adapt to their changing environment, the film centers on a performance artist (Viggo Mortensen) who showcases the metamorphosis of his organs to the public.
Directed by: David Cronenberg
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Léa Seydoux, Kristen Stewart
Opening on: June 3, 2022
Jeff Goldblum closed out the last chapter of the Jurassic franchise by declaring humans would have to learn to co-exist with dinosaurs, and though the plot of this trilogy-capper is being kept under pretty tight wraps, it’s safe to assume it will deal with the ramifications of Lost Kingdom. The big news here is that original stars Laura Dern and Sam Neill are both returning alongside Goldblum, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Chris Pratt.
Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Smith, Daniella Pineda, Omar Sy, BD Wong
Opening on: June 10, 2022
The Toy Story franchise proper has come to an end (presumably), but Pixar says there’s still more fun to be had with these characters… just, in a different way. Fresh off his stint as the MCU’s Captain America, Chris Evans will lend his voice to the “real” Buzz Lightyear, the astronaut who was the inspiration for the action figure voiced by Tim Allen, in a prequel that will explore how he became so famous that they turned him into a toy.
Directed by: Angus MacLane
Starring: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Peter Sohn, Dale Soules, Efren Ramirez
Opening on: June 17, 2022
Just a few weeks after delivering Top Gun: Maverick, director Joseph Kosinski (and his Top Gun star Miles Teller) bring us this high-concept sci-fi thriller on Netflix set in the near future. Teller plays an inmate at a specialized facility where he can shorten his sentence by participating in experimental drug trials, specifically to alter his emotions. Chris Hemsworth also stars as what appears to be the warden/lead scientist.
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, Jurnee Smollett
Opening on: June 17, 2022
Baz Luhrmann directs this slice-of-life biopic about the relationship between a young Elvis Presley and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Austin Butler went through an extensive casting process to land the lead role, and he’ll be playing opposite Tom Hanks, who was the first major celebrity to announce he had tested positive for COVID-19 while he was in Australia to shoot the film.
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Gary Clark Jr., Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Opening on: June 24, 2022
