By WIRED
US release date: May 24
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
There have now been three Apes movies since director Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes (and more in the franchise before that), and frankly, they’re all good, but none have really stood out. But this one is being directed by Wes Ball, who started out in visual effects, so chances are it’ll look cool as hell—as evidenced by the trailer above. (If Ball’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s also working on the forthcoming Legend of Zelda movie, so if you want to see how he handles kingdoms, see Kingdom.)
US release date: May 24
Ballerina
Remember those dancers who showed up for like five minutes in John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum? Now they’re getting their own movie, starring Ana de Armas as an assassin seeking revenge (aren’t they always?) against the people who killed her family. Part Black Widow, part Red Sparrow, all John Wick lore—hopefully with the requisite bisexual lighting.
US release date: June 7
Twisters
It may not seem like it at first, but the 1996 disaster movie Twister is a cult classic. Helen Hunt in a series of distressed white tank tops. Bill Paxton playing a guy with an unnecessarily beloved truck. A truly delightful performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman. A soundtrack that has Tori Amos, k.d. lang, and Van Halen. It truly has everything. Now, it’s getting an “update” from director Lee Isaac Chung. Generally, we’d say it doesn’t need to be updated, but Chung made Minari, which was brilliant, so it’s in the queue.
US release date: July 19
Deadpool 3
Now that Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts have both moved to 2025, the Marvel Cinematic Universe slate is a little thin. Still, it has the third Deadpool movie, which also happens to be the first Deadpool movie to actually be an MCU movie, since it’s the first one to come since Disney completed its acquisition of Fox, which previously held the rights to the Merc with a Mouth. If you’re worried that being made under the Mouse House banner means the movie will lack the, uh, edginess of previous Deadpool installments, fear not. A few months ago, director Shawn Levy assured us that his film will still very much be an R-rated affair. He also didn’t deny there would be a Taylor Swift cameo, so keep an eye out for that too.
US release date: July 26
Borderlands
Filmmaker Eli Roth’s latest is an adaptation of the long-running Borderlands video game series starring—deep breath—Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gina Gershon, Bobby Lee, Edgar Ramirez, and a host of others all looking for a relic on Pandora. No doubt this one will get weird.
US release date: August 9
Alien: Romulus
If you ask us, and you didn’t, Alien movies without Sigourney Weaver just aren’t as good. But this Alien movie is being made by Fede Alvarez, who, as the director behind the Evil Dead remake, knows how to take on a well-established franchise. Considering Alvarez’s pedigree in horror, this one might be more scary and less cerebral than the more recent films in the franchise.
US release date: August 16
Beetlejuice 2
Did this movie need a sequel? No. Will we watch it anyway? Yes.
US release date: September 6
Transformers One
Speaking of franchises that don’t need any more installments: Transformers. You know what, though? This one sounds really impressive for no other reason than its stacked voice cast, which includes Chris Hemsworth (Optimus Prime), Keegan-Michael Key (Bumblebee), Jon Hamm (Sentinel Prime), and Brian Tyree Henry (Megatron).
US release date: September 13
Joker: Folie à Deux
Look, people really liked Joker. It’s one of the biggest R-rated movies of all time. Its sequel is being billed as a musical and will feature Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. Seems legit.
US release date: October 4
Venom Sequel
Details on this one are real murky, but apparently Tom Hardy is back as Eddie Brock, and he also cowrote the script. Be ready for something weird.
US release date: November 8
Gladiator 2
How often do dudes talk about the Roman Empire? Probably a lot more come November, when Ridley Scott releases the sequel to his fan-beloved Gladiator, this time starring Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal. Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here? (Sorry. Had to.)
US release date: November 22
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
New Lord of the Rings! OK, so this one is animated and not made by Peter Jackson, but still—new Lord of the Rings!
US release date: December 13
Nosferatu
Pardon the pun, but this one is a bit of a dark horse. Directed by Robert Eggers (The Witch), it’s the second remake of F. W. Murnau’s 1922 silent film of same name. (The first one was Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre.) A twist on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, it looks all haunting and foreboding and black-and-white, like Eggers’ The Lighthouse, but there were some very vague rumors earlier this year that it didn’t go over well at a test screening. Whatever. Eggers knows horror, and taking on a classic seems like just the right thing for him to do.
US release date: December 25
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
This one might not actually hit theaters in 2024, but considering how epic Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was, can you blame us for anticipating its release?
US release date: TBD
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