Many movies take years of planning ahead and production, meaning spectators can look forward to a release long in advance. Sometimes, this leads to much-anticipated titles. Even though, after so much waiting, some will, no doubt, be a disappointment, others live up to the expectagions and gain a place in movie history. Here are the most anticipated movies for each month of 2024, whether it is because of the director, the storyline or the cast.
1. January – Mean Girls
Directed by Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne
Starring: Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auliʻi Cravalho, Bebe Wood
The one movie from this list that has already come out in theaters and one which has sparked quite a bit of controversy. Adapted from the stage musical Mean Girls by Tina Fey, who adapted it for the big screen once before (in 2004), the movie had already been announced in 2020. Four years later, the musical teen comedy film gives us a look behind the scenes of the infamous Plastics-clique.
2. February – Madame Web
Directed by S.J. Clarkson
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced
A new title is soon to be added to Sony’s Spider Man Universe. Starring Dakota Johnson as the clairvoyant Spidey side character, the movie is promising to at least be an entertaining, suspense-driven thriller.
3. March – Dune: Part Two
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem
How to get a movie that’s making a buzz? Combine Denis Villeneuve with Timothée Chalamet, stir in Zendaya and half of Frank Herbert’s famous sci-fi novel. And enjoy. The first part of the Dune saga was one we mostly remember because of its aesthetically very pleasing colour scheme and set-up, but who knows what part two will bring.
4. April – The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Starring: Henry Cavill, Eiza González, Henry Golding, Alan Ritchson
As one might suspect from director Guy Ritchie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare contains quite a bit of (spy) action. This time, however, his movie is inspired by true events about a secret military organisation which was created by Winston Churchill during World War II to battle the Nazis.
5. May – The Fall Guy
Directed by David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt
Action movie lovers will no doubt be smiling when seeing The Fall Guy’s trailer. “The stuntman becomes the hero”, reads the movie’s catchline and with the director and actors in mind, this clearly promises to be an entertaining bit of cinema.
6. June – The Bikeriders
Directed by Jeff Nichols
Starring: Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon
Set to be released in 2023 but postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Bikeriders will finally be hitting the cinemas in June. Displaying the rise of a fictional 1960s Midwestern motorcycle club through the lives of its members and inspired by a 1967 photobook, the movie certainly has a lot going for it – the actors being an important part of it.
7. July – Despicable Me 4
Directed by Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage
Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan
Of course there’s room for a bit of animation too in 2024 and with the release of Despicable Me 4, animation aficionados finally have something to look forward to after the last instalment of the Despicable Me series in 2017. The plot, however, remains unclear.
8. August – Borderlands
Directed by Eli Roth
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Ariana Greenblatt, Jamie Lee Curtis
Science fiction, action comedy, maybe a tad of horror… The Borderlands script, which is based on the video games series with the same name, promises to be a lot and the cast only adds to its mystery.
9. September – Beetlejuice 2
Directed by Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Jenna Ortega
Will 2024 once again be the year of Tim Burton? After the success of Wednesday over the last two years, the director is releasing a sequel to his 1988 classic in September 2024. The fantasy horror comedy seems right up Burton’s alley and, according to Screen Rant, the movie will “focus on the human connection and explore the intricacies of keeping a family together against a backdrop of Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice being up to his old antics”.
10. October – Joker: Folie à Deux
Directed by Todd Phillips
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Zazie Beetz
Yet another sequel to come in 2024 and not one of the least. With Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in the leading roles, the musical thriller promises to be just as grasping as its 2019 counterpart.
11. November – Gladiator 2
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring: Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou
2024 will be the year of sequels and even Ridley Scott is not escaping from it. Gladiator 2 will be the sequel of the 2000-classic and tells the story of Lucius, the nephew of Commodus, who was saved by Maximus in the original movie and who now is a grown man. Whether or not this second part will be as memorable as the first remains to be seen.
12. December – The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Directed by Kenji Kamiyama
Starring: Brian Cox, Miranda Otto
Fans of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy might shiver at the idea alone but yes, an animated prequel based on the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien is underway. Set 261 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, who once was a legendary King of Rohan and had to defend his kingdom against an army of Dunlendings. He later on becomes the namesake for the stronghold of Helm’s Deep.
