As the dust slowly settles on 2023, we can begin to look forward to what the new year has in store for us in terms of new movies to watch. But expect to see at least one movie from my most anticipated movies list for last year make an appearance on this one. This is of course due to delays brought on by the combined weight of the prolonged WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the effects of which are surely going to be felt this year and well into the next, possibly beyond. So with that in mind, here are my most anticipated movies for 2024.
10. Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver
Leave it to Netflix to milk every potential new subscriber out of their expensive Zack Snyder sci-fi epic, Rebel Moon, with their decision to split the movie into two halves. There's even already talk about a potential director's cut being in the cards. But even though Part One had turned out to be as messy and derivative as many feared it would be, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to Part Two. So here's hoping that it ties the story together in a meaningful, less convoluted way.
9. Kraven the Hunter
2024 marks the arrival of three new Sony's Spider-Man Universe films. And while my expectations for Madame Web and the third Venom movie are practically at rock bottom, I'm still harboring some measure of hope for Kraven the Hunter. The trailer looks like it could be the kind of bonkers fun the cinemas are great for but Sony's track record with these Spider-Man adjacent movies hasn't been all that great, so it remains to be seen if we have another Morbius on our hands.
8. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Even though it feels like we only just got a fantastic trilogy of films in the Planet of the Apes series, it's actually been more than half a decade since it concluded. And with all things that manage to turn a profit for Hollywood producers, it was only a matter of time before they went back to that particular well. The new movie takes the story forward about 300 years after Caesar and friends, so expect to see a fresh cast of CGI simians we can all root for or hate on.
7. The Fall Guy
I'm a very huge Ryan Gosling fan so of course I was excited the first time I heard he was going to star in the new action comedy, The Fall Guy. Not to be confused with the 2016 film, The Nice Guys, this one has him taking on the role of a movie stuntman who gets wrapped up in a mystery surrounding the disappearance of the man he is stunt doubling for. It is actually based on an 80s TV show that I never saw but I'm definitely going to be keeping a close eye on this one.
6. A Quiet Place: Day One
The first two movies in the A Quiet Place series were both my favorite movies in the respective years they were released. So even though I am not the biggest fan of prequels in general, I'm very much down for this one. It stars Lupita Nyong'o and Djimon Hounsou, the latter of whom will be reprising his role from the second film in the series. And going by the title, it appears it would be set at the onset of the arrival of the creatures responsible for decimating the human population.
5. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Godzilla fans have been eating good this past few weeks, between the Apple TV+ show, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and the Japanese feature film, Godzilla Minus One. Well, they can add Godzilla x Kong to the menu, the latest entry in the MonsterVerse series and sequel to 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong. The titular titans have been forced to team up once again, as they face off against a new threat that could very well do more damage than both monsters combined.
4. Joker: Folie à Deux
Despite previously stating that the film was a one-off, the executives at Warner Bros. are following up the tremendous success of 2019's Joker with an inevitable sequel dubbed Joker: Folie à Deux. Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as the Joker, but this time around, he'll be joined by Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. The movie has been described as a musical thriller although it remains to be seen just how that would translate to the film we'll be getting at the end of the day.
3. Deadpool 3
After clearing out most of their film slate for 2024 amidst the Hollywood strikes, everyone now has their eyes set on the MCU's sole remaining tentpole for the year, Deadpool 3. The film would mark the Merc with a Mouth's first MCU appearance, as well as the return of Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, so there's plenty enough reason to get excited. But I'm just curious to see just how much of its R-rated edge the film will be allowed to keep under Disney.
2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Following a show-stealing appearance in the phenomenal Mad Max: Fury Road, the character of the Imperator Furiosa gets her own solo outing in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. But rather than have Charlize Theron reprise the role, Anya Taylor-Joy will be stepping in instead to play a younger version of her. I know I said I'm not keen on prequels but this is Mad Max we're talking about. Fury Road was my favorite movie for 2015 and I have no doubt that this one could be a top contender for 2024 as well.
1. Dune: Part Two
And here we are again, with Dune: Part Two once again topping my list of most anticipated movies for another year. We can blame a delay brought about by the SAG-AFTRA strike for that but better late than never I suppose. And from everything I've seen in the trailers, it looks like it is going to be worth the wait. My primary criticism of the first film was that it felt incomplete since it was only adapting one half of the book, and this one looks like it is poised to fix that, with more of the epic battles and rich lore the book was known for.