Reel Dialogue's most anticipated films of 2022 | Third Space
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Reel Dialogue's most anticipated films of 2022

Which films are you looking forward to this year?
Sun 16 Jan 2022
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As we move into the new year, it is difficult to predict the pandemic will impact the world. Yet, we all are hoping to get back to the cinemas, despite wearing masks. Here are a few Reel Dialogue films that we are getting excited about in 2022.

Which ones will get you out to the cinema to see? Send us your most anticipated film choices.

Some of the films have release dates, but others will be announced later in the year.

Death on the Nile

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)

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.

The Batman

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

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 The Flash and Aquaman 2), 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.

Turning Red

Directed by: Domee Shi

Starring: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, James Hong

Opening on: March 11, 2022 on Disney+

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. We don’t have any cast information as of yet, but it will be the feature directorial debut of Domee Shi, who won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for Bao in 2018.

Ambulance

Directed by: Michael Bay

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza Gonzalez, Garret Dillahunt

Opening on: April 8, 2022 (formerly February 18, 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.

The Northman

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)

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.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez

Opening on: May 6, 2022

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.

Top Gun: Maverick

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)

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.

Jurassic World Dominion

Directed by: Colin Trevorrow

Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, Omar Sy, BD Wong

Opening on: June 10, 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.

Lightyear

Directed by: Angus MacLane

Starring: Chris Evans

Opening on: June 17, 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.

Elvis

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann

Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Gary Clark Jr., Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Opening on: June 24, 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.

Bullet Train (July)

Brad Pitt shifts into action-star mode in what sounds like a giddy, action-packed cross between John Wick and Snowpiercer. Yes, please. An adaptation of Kotaro Isaka’s satirical novel from last year, Pitt plays an assassin on a speeding train with four other contract killers, all after the same target. And only one will make it to the end credits alive. I think we can all guess who’s left standing, but the journey should be a hell of a lot more kick-ass than the destination on this one.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Directed by: Taika Waititi

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff

Opening on: July 8, 2022

Marvel’s second film of 2022 is the highly anticipated follow-up to Taika Waititi’s Thor: Ragnarok, which reinvented the character to the delight of critics and audiences alike. Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster will return to the franchise, and it’s been teased that she will wield Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, at some point. We also know that Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie will be back, and Thor will meet up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to face Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher. So, you know, good times all around.

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore

Directed by: David Yates

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Mads Mikkelsen, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol

Opening on: July 15, 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.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)

Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos

Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae

Opening on: October 7, 2022

The Oscar-winning animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a big hit with critics and audiences, and Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) is probably one of the most anticipated of the year, especially considering it’s now known to be just the first of two parts. Shameik Moore is set to voice Miles Morales again, with Hailee Steinfeld’s Gwen Stacy and Oscar Isaac’s Miguel O’Hara (aka Spider-Man 2099) joining him. We also know that Issa Rae is set to voice Jessica Drew (aka Spider-Woman), and it’s likely that Jake Johnson’s Peter Parker will be back as well.

The Flash

Directed by: Andy Muschietti

Starring: Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Sasha Calle, Billy Crudup, Michael Keaton

Opening on: November 4, 2022

In case you hadn’t heard, multi-verses are going to be all the rage in 2022, and this movie is looking to be DC’s contribution to the trend. Like a lot of the films on this list, we don’t yet know anything about the story, but the casting of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne is either a super meta stunt or a big hint as to what we’ll see. There are rumors that the plot will follow the “Flashpoint” storyline from the comics, in which case, yes, expect some crossover shenanigans.

A few others to get excited about without release dates:

THE GRAY MAN

Coming to Netflix

Maybe Joe and Anthony Russo are serious about those nonsensical ‘90s-movies reference points they’ve made for some of their MCU work; their latest, The Gray Man, sounds a lot like star-driven thrillers of that decade, with Ryan Gosling playing a CIA operative betrayed by his colleagues and pursued by a fellow agent (Chris Evans). One thing setting this production apart from movies like The Fugitive or Enemy of the State: It cost $200 million, setting a possible record for a Netflix original movie. Pretending to make Heat is a pricey hobby!

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Coming to Apple TV Plus and theaters

Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, two of Martin Scorsese’s favorite actors, appear together in the director’s new film — as father and son, no less. The movie, which also stars Lily Gladstone (Certain Women) and Jesse Plemons (The Irishman), is an adaptation of a nonfiction book about a series of murders in 1920s Oklahoma, targeting members of the Osage tribe and prompting a federal investigation. MCU stans can prepare their fuming that Scorsese has made another complex and presumably lengthy superhero-free movie for adults.

MEN

If you found Alex Garland’s take on gender roles in Ex Machina too subtle, don’t worry: He’s made a horror-tinged movie called Men about a woman (Jessie Buckley) who goes on a solo vacation after the death of her ex-husband. Presumably everything goes perfectly, she has a great time, and returns to her everyday life feeling refreshed and healed.

PINOCCHIO

(Coming to Disney Plus)

Sure, making live-action Pinocchio films has been nearly as reliable a recipe for notorious disasters as making live-action Peter Pan films, but what if Pinocchio was just a straight-up remake of the 1940 Disney classic? That’s the strange question director Robert Zemeckis seems determined on answering with this latest entry in the redundant Disney remake sweepstakes. Frequent Zemeckis collaborator Tom Hanks plays Gepetto, opposite a CG Pinocchio; after the pair made The Polar Express together, there’s no uncanny-valley fears they can’t face!

Babylon (December)

From the director of Whiplash and La La Land, This Christmas-day release sounds promising thanks to a cast that includes Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and a story about Hollywood stars trying to navigate the motion-picture industry during its transition from silent movies to talkies.

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