We’re ready — ready to turn the page on 2024, ready for such time-tested voices as Terrence Malick, Ryan Coogler and Kelly Reichardt to remind us of why we love this art form so much. Hold your breath for the second half of “Wicked,” whirling into theaters in November. Until then, we’ve got another two dozen titles sure to keep things interesting.
‘Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story’ (Jan. 31)
There aren’t too many legendary divas left who are recognizable by just one of their names: Barbra, Stevie, Mariah — and, of course, Liza. And yet somehow, none of these icons have yet to be the subject of a major documentary. That changes in January, when a feature film about Liza Minnelli hits theaters. The movie, which premiered to strong reviews at the Tribeca Film Festival in June, picks up immediately after Minnelli’s mother, Judy Garland, dies, and reportedly doesn’t shy away from discussing the subject’s four marriages or addiction struggles. The “Liza” doc is coming out on the heels of a high-profile production company optioning the rights to Minnelli’s forthcoming memoir (the book won’t even be published until 2026) to adapt into a Warner Bros. TV adaptation. Given that the film is only 105 minutes, it sounds like the perfect teaser for a full-blown — and long overdue — season of Liza obsession. —Amy Kaufman
‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’ (Feb. 13, Peacock)
More than two decades after “Bridget Jones’ Diary” introduced Renée Zellweger’s saucy, salty book publicist to the filmgoing masses, I recently had occasion to rewatch the 2001 film on a plane, half expecting a cringeworthy collection of dated jokes and dodgy fashions. What I discovered instead was a freewheeling, foul-mouthed, genuinely funny studio comedy — and a heretofore untapped excitement for the fourth film in the franchise, “Mad About the Boy.” Rejoining Bridget as a single mother four years after the death of husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), the new film’s jumping-off point is a definite drag, but it puts our heroine, and us, right back where we want to be: torn between two handsome, charming love interests (Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor), making a complete spectacle of herself. —Matt Brennan
‘Paddington in Peru’ (Feb. 14)
Come on; we’re all looking forward to seeing the Ben-Whishaw-voiced Paddington again, and while it’s difficult to imagine “Paddington in Peru” will top “Paddington 2,” which is, according to Rotten Tomatoes, the best-reviewed film of all time, at least this time we get to see our favorite bear in his native land. Taking his adopted family the Browns (minus Sally Hawkins who has been replaced by Emily Mortimer) to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, Paddington is told that she is missing. Off they go to find her, with the aid of a potentially El-Dorado-related map and a nefarious river boat captain (Antonio Banderas). The film got mixed reviews when it debuted in the U.K. in November (no deliciously absurd Hugh Grant for one thing), but still it promises a rollicking good time the whole family can enjoy and there just aren’t enough of those these days. —Mary McNamara
‘Mickey 17’ (Mar. 7)
Six years after making history with 2019’s “Parasite” (the first non-English-language film to win best picture at the Oscars), visionary South Korean director Bong Joon Ho is heading to the stars. Adapted from Edward Ashton’s sci-fi novel “Mickey7,” “Mickey 17” returns Bong to the dystopian terrain of his 2023 film “Snowpiercer,” with Robert Pattinson starring as Mickey, an “expendable” on a high-risk mission to colonize a frozen planet. Tasked with the deadliest jobs, Mickey dies over and over again, “reprinted” each time with most of his memories intact. But when Mickey starts to question his role in this morbidly efficient cycle, his rebellion threatens the system. With its mix of dark humor, existential dread, social commentary and pure gonzo weirdness, “Mickey 17” — which also stars Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo and Steven Yeun — asks what it means to be human in a world where humanity itself is reduced to just another renewable resource. —Josh Rottenberg
‘The Wedding Banquet’ (Apr. 18)
The world needs more queer rom-coms, so I would have been intrigued by any attempt to remake Ang Lee’s classic 1993 marriage farce. But since this new take on “The Wedding Banquet” is from “Spa Night” and “Fire Island” director Andrew Ahn, that immediately made it into a must-see for me. Like the original, Ahn’s film is also centered around a fake marriage of convenience between a gay man (Han Gi-chan) and a woman (Kelly Marie Tran), but this time, the marriage is not about hiding any queer relationships. Moreover, the storyline has expanded to include another queer couple — girlfriends trying to have a baby through IVF (played by Tran and Lily Gladstone) — who are best friends with said gay man and his boyfriend (Bowen Yang). At a time where it feels like society is regressing in their attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community, a film that celebrates queer chosen families is a salve. —Tracy Brown
‘Sinners’ (Apr. 18)
Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s trifecta of critical and commercial hits — “Fruitvale Station,” “Creed” and “Black Panther” — has turned their director-muse combo into its own brand name. (See also: Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.) Their upcoming horror movie is another sharp turn in a filmography that’s pivoted from indie darling to prestige crowd-pleaser to comic-book blockbuster. “Sinners,” which Warner Bros. landed in a competitive bidding war, announced itself in a teaser that was simply blood and pizzicato strings. Gauging from the trailer, this grisly period piece appears to be set in the South with Jordan starring in a dual role as a pair of twins, at least one of whom gets to spray bullets with a retro tommy gun. Rumor is the pugnacious Irish actor Jack O’Connell plays the villain. He may be a vampire, he may be a demon — either way, I’m curious to see what he and the dynamic duo will unleash. —Amy Nicholson
‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’ (May 23)
Can we expect Tom Cruise sprinting across rooftops like the fate of the world — or at least the summer box office — depended on it? Need we even ask? Picking up where the $566-million-grossing “Dead Reckoning Part One” left off, the eighth film in the nearly 30-year-old franchise finds Ethan Hunt and his IMF team (including Simon Pegg’s Benji, Ving Rhames’ Luther and Hayley Atwell’s Grace) still locked in a battle to stop the “Entity,” a rogue AI threatening global stability and forcing Ethan to confront his past. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie in his fourth “Mission” outing, the movie showcases the 62-year-old Cruise continuing to push the limits of what age and studio insurance will allow. During filming in England, he was seen dangling from an upside-down biplane — because of course. While the title hints at an epic conclusion, Cruise and McQuarrie have already teased that Ethan Hunt’s story may not be over just yet. After all, in this franchise, nothing is truly impossible. —J. Rottenberg
‘Ballerina’ (June 6)
John Wick fans, take heart. Yes, 2023’s “John Wick: Chapter 4” seemed like it could be the concluding entry in the hugely popular franchise featuring Keanu Reeves as the legendary — and seemingly indestructible — hit man of few words. Fueled by jaw-dropping mayhem, a frenzied pace and menacing dark humor, the “John Wick” films were enormously entertaining, spiced by cameos from huge stars, including Halle Berry and Laurence Fishburne. Now the upcoming “Ballerina” looks like a fresh beginning for the franchise. Billed as “From the World of John Wick”, the spinoff stars Ana de Armas, who impressed James Bond fans with her action chops in “No Time to Die.” She stars in the spinoff as Eva Macarro, a ballerina-assassin embarking on a deadly mission to avenge the death of her father. Returning to the franchise are Ian McShane, the late Lance Reddick in his final film appearance and Reeves. There will be blood, lots of it. —Greg Braxton
‘Elio’ (June 13)
A fantasy coming-of-age story with aliens? Sign me up. The eponymous 11-year old at the center of “Elio” has been described as an alien-obsessed space fanatic with an active imagination. After some mishap leads to Elio getting beamed up, the alien leaders of an interplanetary organization come to mistakenly believe he is the leader of “uh, Earth” and the movie will see him having to navigate the aftermath of said misunderstanding. The film boasts the creatives behind some of my favorite Pixar tweens: “Coco” co-director Adrian Molina and “Turning Red” director Domee Shi, who has taken over directing duties along with “Burrow’s” Madeline Sharafian. I’m anticipating big emotional swings along with hilarious moments of awkward cringe as young Elio starts to figure out the kind of person he wants to be. —T.B.
‘28 Years Later’ (June 20)
Sometimes a terrifying trailer is enough — and this one certainly hits the nightmare mark. But much has happened since the zombie genre got a post-9/11 rethink in 2002 with “28 Days Later.” Original director Danny Boyle has won Oscars, mounted an epic Olympics opening ceremony (London 2012) and strayed a bit from his playful economy. Original screenwriter Alex Garland, meanwhile, has become a signature filmmaker of his own, recently releasing the disturbing what-if action movie “Civil War.” They’ve reunited, bringing along the first film’s gifted cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle (“Dogville,” “Slumdog Millionaire”), who shot the new project on iPhones. This heroic trio, taking on the fall of civilization and the ravenous undead? Sounds like a no-brainer to us. (Need actors? How about Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes?) —Joshua Rothkopf
‘F1’ (June 27)
When Brad Pitt appeared on the podium recently at Formula 1’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, flanked by real-life drivers Charles Leclerc and George Russell, the project of producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Joseph Kosinski’s new racing drama came into sharp, sudden focus. More than the contemporary actioners of the 1960s and 1970s like “Grand Prix” and “Le Mans,” or recent period pieces like “Ferrari” and “Ford v Ferrari,” “F1” appears to be chasing a sort of high-octane trompe l’oeil: Can “F1” build a world so lifelike we mistake Brad Pitt’s Sonny Hayes for a championship contender, and Javier Bardem for his showy team owner? Like Netflix series “Drive to Survive” and “Senna,” the film was made with the participation of the sport’s governing body and so received unprecedented access. Now it just needs to avoid playing like a feature-length advertisement. — M. Brennan
‘M3GAN 2.0’ (June 27)
You just can’t keep an evil AI doll down. “M3GAN,” the horror movie about a robot created by brilliant scientist Gemma (Allison Williams) meant to be the playmate and companion for her grieving niece Cady (Violet McGraw) was a huge hit when it premiered in 2022. M3GAN developed her own self-awareness and transformed into a living doll that took on its own deadly personality, complete with quirky little dance moves. Although M3GAN came to a bad end by the final credits, the sequel reveals that she has been resurrected and is now even more lethal. Returning for more scary-fun thrills are Williams and McGraw. —G.B.
Untitled Trey Parker/Matt Stone Film (July 4)
Little has been revealed about Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s upcoming comedy, their first feature film since 2004’s “Team America: World Police.” Still, here are two clues that it’s going to hit theaters like an incendiary device: First, the award-laden musician and provocateur Kendrick Lamar produces and stars as a Civil War-era reenactor who learns his white girlfriend’s ancestors once enslaved his own. Second, Paramount Chief Executive Brian Robbins has made a point of releasing it on July 4. “It’s certain to create some fireworks,” Robbins said to a room of movie-theater owners. With a script by the malevolently hilarious Vernon Chatman (“Wonder Showzen,” “Xavier: Renegade Angel,” “The Shivering Truth”), every creative involved is known for pushing boundaries over a cliff and then stomping on their remains. The last time the “South Park” creators teamed up with Lamar, they digitally transformed him into O.J. Simpson. —A.N.
‘Superman’ (July 11)
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a new Superman movie! Written and directed by DC Studios boss James Gunn, “Superman” will see David Corenswet take over the mantle as the eponymous Man of Steel while also serving as the big-screen launch of the rebooted DC Universe. Picking up some time after Superman has revealed himself to the world, the film will follow the Kryptonian superhero as he is trying to figure out who he is as a person while struggling with his day-to-day life, according to the filmmaker. But what I’m most interested in is how a hero like Superman, who symbolizes hope and the very best of humanity because he believes in the innate goodness of people, will resonate at a time when society is so polarized that rhetoric dehumanizes those with opposing viewpoints. What does “truth, justice and a better tomorrow” mean to us right now? —T.B.
‘Freakier Friday’ (Aug. 8)
As someone who grew up loving the “Freaky Friday” remake of the early aughts — and has had that pop-rock earworm from its closing scene stuck in my head for 22 years — I’m thrilled that Disney is releasing a follow-up to the body-swapping comedy. Years after a by-the-book mother Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) and a rebellious daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan) spent some time experiencing each other’s lives, Anna now has a daughter of her own and a soon-to-be stepdaughter. Might a little soul-switching be helpful when merging families? The entire cast of the original film is back for the sequel — Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Stephen Tobolowsky and Rosalind Chao — this time joined by Manny Jacinto, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Julia Butters and Sophia Hammons. And of course, I’m hoping this second movie, directed by Nisha Ganatra (“The High Note”), also closes with an “Ultimate”-level banger. —Ashley Lee
Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Film (Aug. 8)
Of course we don’t know the title. Or anything else, officially. Letterboxd is calling it “The Battle of Baktan Cross,” so maybe that’s it. We know that Anderson started shooting in Humboldt County about a year ago and wrapped in El Paso a few months later. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio (sporting a handlebar mustache), Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Alana Haim and Benicio del Toro. It might be loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s joyous blast of a novel, “Vineland.” Or it might not. (In the past, Anderson said it was “just too intimidating” to tackle “Vineland,” adding “my brain’s not big enough.”) Warner Bros. has dubbed the movie an “event film,” giving it a summer release date and a reported $115 million budget. Looking to separate fact from fiction, I emailed Anderson who, of course, was of no help. “I need to start figuring out what the f— to say,” he replied. True. Summer will be here before we know it. —Glenn Whipp
‘The Bride’ (Sep. 26)
Jessie Buckley stars as the titular character in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s reimagining of “The Bride of Frankenstein” and if there is a more exciting sentence to be written in cinematic journalism, I don’t know what it is. Oh, and Christian Bale stars as the Monster (who, as purists will know doubt point out, was not called Frankenstein, that being the name of the man who originally created him.) There’s a throughline here from Gyllenhaal’s 2021 directorial debut “The Lost Daughter,” which examined the notion of a “monstrous” mother. Also, the new film follows on the heels of “Poor Things,” which featured another surgically cobbled-together young woman bent on busting social norms. But “Frankenstein” was, after all, a female creation; Mary Shelley didn’t just write a book that has generated conversation and adaptations for more than 200 years, she basically invented science fiction and modern horror. So it will be well worth seeing this story told through the eyes of a woman, both in front of and behind the camera. —M.M.
‘Wicked: For Good’ (Nov. 21)
Universal strategically split Jon M. Chu’s film version of the blockbuster stage show into two parts, complete with a yearlong intermission. The first movie — already the highest grossing film adaptation of a Broadway musical — introduced audiences to the green witch Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and her bubbly bestie Glinda (Ariana Grande), and ended on a gravity-defying cliffhanger, with Elphaba flying away from Oz instead of aligning with the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) and her former mentor Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh). Like the 2003 show’s Act 2, the second movie will overlap with the events of the movie “The Wizard of Oz” and reveal the fates of Glinda’s charismatic boyfriend Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), Elphaba’s younger sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) and her crush Boq (Ethan Slater). While it will also include two new songs from composer Stephen Schwartz, I’m most looking forward to Erivo and Grande’s rendition of the beloved duet from which this second installment takes its title. —A.L.
‘After the Hunt’ (TBA)
Something about the “After the Hunt” ensemble of Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, Michael Stuhlbarg, Chloë Sevigny and Andrew Garfield feels unpredictable: a mix of generations, stardoms and performing styles that has a slight air of combustible danger to it. The grouping is made even more exciting in that the cast is being led by director Luca Guadagnino, who is following the one-two flex of “Challengers” and “Queer” with a dramatic thriller from actor turned first-time screenwriter Nora Garrett. In the story, a Yale professor (Roberts) finds her personal and professional lives thrown into disarray after a star student levels a rape accusation against a colleague. The exploration of power dynamics, sexual politics and academia is just the kind of provocative storytelling that Guadagnino excels at, unafraid of sticking his nose straight into any number of cultural hornet’s nests. —Mark Olsen
‘Die, My Love’ (TBA)
Simply saying that Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay will have a new film in 2025 — her first since 2017’s “You Were Never Really Here” and only her fifth since 1999 — is enough to merit inclusion on this list. But the fact it is an adaptation of Ariana Harwicz’s darkly comic novel “Die, My Love” about post-natal depression and bipolar disorder, with a cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield, Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek, makes it truly irresistible. Ramsay specializes in vibes and mood as much as direct storytelling, dipping into wells of deep and disturbing emotions, and she should be able to create sparks from the combined live-wire energies of Lawrence and Pattinson, who are both able to walk the razor-edge of goofy/weird and haunting/dramatic like few others. —M.O.
‘The Mastermind’ (TBA)
Josh O’Connor has become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand young actors with roles in upcoming films from, among others, Rian Johnson and Steven Spielberg. He will also star in Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind,” described as the story of an art heist set amid the shifting cultural and political dynamics of the Vietnam War era. Reichardt has brought her observant, politically-charged filmmaking to genre storytelling before, with the eco-terrorism thriller “Night Moves” and her westerns “Meek’s Cutoff” and “First Cow,” though this could be her most conventionally accessible work yet. The cast also includes “September 5’s” John Magaro, who has worked with Reichardt twice before, as well as “Licorice Pizza” star Alana Haim, Bill Camp, Hope Davis, Gaby Hoffman and “The Penguin’s” Rhenzy Feliz. —M.O.
‘Materialists’ (TBA)
About a year ago, over a glass or three of wine, filmmaker Celine Song and I were talking about our past lives and the ways we met our spouses. “I used to be a matchmaker, you know,” she revealed, and then proceeded to tell me some stories that made me question how anyone managed to stay in a relationship for more than five minutes. I remembered this conversation when it was announced that her next movie, the follow-up to the 2023 Oscar-nominated best picture “Past Lives,” was going to be a dramedy about a professional matchmaker who finds her own match with a rich man, only to find herself questioning her choice when an ex-boyfriend comes back into her life. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans star in the film, and who doesn’t want to see what comes from that love triangle? —G.W.
‘Mother Mary’ (TBA)
Billed as an “epic pop melodrama,” this film from A24 follows the relationship between a pop star, played by Anne Hathaway, and a fashion designer, played by Michaela Coel, the Emmy-winning creator and star of “I May Destroy You.” Writer-director David Lowery has described “Mother Mary” as a “weird, weird film” and “the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” The film features original songs by Charli XCX and Jack Antonoff and an ensemble cast including FKA Twigs and “Euphoria’s” Hunter Schafer. It’s hard to know exactly what to expect from a director who moves between different genres, from poetic indies like “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” to big-budget fantasies like “Peter Pan & Wendy.” Early images from the movie show Hathaway in a golden halo-like headdress and gilt bodysuit, looking like Cher meets the Virgin Mary — and, well, I’m sold. Whatever this movie is, I’ll be watching. —Meredith Blake
‘Sentimental Value’ (TBA)
With his Oscar-nominated romantic comedy “The Worst Person in the World,” director Joachim Trier put his distinctive twist on a familiar archetype — the late-20-something woman with the messy personal life. With this follow up, expected next year from Neon, he’ll dig into a dysfunctional father-daughter relationship. Written by Trier and Eskil Vogt, “Sentimental Value” reunites the filmmaker with his “Worst Person” leading lady Renate Reinsve. She plays an actor named Nora, whose eccentric father Gutav (Stellan Skarsgård), a once-celebrated filmmaker desperate for a comeback, reappears after a prolonged absence. In a bid for reconciliation, he offers a part in his new film to Nora, who isn’t interested. Elle Fanning plays an American star working in Oslo, Norway. —M. Blake
‘The Way of the Wind’ (TBA)
Terrence Malick has been editing his three-hour biblical epic (rumored to have a Cannes slot) for five years, so I’d be lying if I didn’t admit part of me simply wants to see how that turned out. Following several episodes in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, “The Way of the Wind” reportedly centers on Peter (Matthias Schoenaerts) attempting to convince Jesus (Géza Röhrig) to become part of the anti-Roman political movement. According to early interviews, the film is more interested in the man than the miracles — unless you count a rather miraculous cast that includes Ben Kingsley, Joseph Fiennes, Aidan Turner and Mark Rylance as Satan (the latter who honestly clinches it for me). Malick seems well-suited for a big spiritual tapestry, and if the film industry can manage to produce at least one decent film on Winston Churchill every year, you’d think they could do something similar for the founder of Christianity. So, you know, say a little prayer. —M.M.
