10 Most Anticipated Films of 2024

Plus a preview of Sundance 2024

I have spent quite a bit of time over the past few weeks reflecting back on how remarkable of a movie year 2023 was. For those who missed it, I tackled The Best Movies By Genre 2023 and the Top 50 Films of 2023 to celebrate the greatness of the 2023 slate.

But today we look ahead to 2024!

2024 is on track to be a weird movie year. On one hand, there are a plethora of crowd pleasing sequels/prequels set to come out including: Joker 2, Deadpool 3, Mad Max prequel, A Quiet Place prequel, Beetlejuice 2, Venom 3, and Gladiator 2. On the other hand, there will likely be some major gaps in the release schedule due to last years strike. 2023 had around 124 major theatrical releases while 2024 is on pace to have closer to 100.

While there may be fewer films overall in 2024, I am looking forward to it giving us more time to celebrate the great films!

Without further ado, here are my 10 most anticipated films for 2024:

10. Wicked (Directed by Jon M. Chu)- November 27th

The acclaimed Broadway show will finally come to the big screen in 2024. I will be the first to admit that I am not the biggest fan of the stage show, but there are a few things that excite me about the movie version:

• Jon M Chu directing - he has already proven that he can take a beloved Broadway musical and make it comes to life on the big screen. In 2021 he gave “In the Heights” the big screen treatment and knocked it out of the park. For so long, Wicked the movie wouldn’t happen because there wasn’t a clear vision of who could bring it to life. Directing a movie musical is so different from directing a normal movie, but Jon Chu being being the one in the directors chair makes me excited to see what he does with the material.

• It is just part one - This may sound like a weird reason to be excited, but hear me out. The Wicked movie is being split into two parts - part one will come out in 2024 and part two will come out in 2025. Normally that sort of thing frustrates me, but it is actually perfect for Wicked. Part of my problem with Wicked is how atrocious the second act is. The first act is spine tingling and ends with one of the best moments in any musical (Defying Gravity), but that moment is never topped in the second half. We don’t have to worry about that with the movie & part one will be a better film because of that. I can guarantee you that part two won’t be on my most anticipated list for 2025, but part one has me excited!

• The cast - Cynthia Erivo. Ariana Grande. Ethan Slater. Jonathan Bailey. Jeff Goldblum. Need I say more? Nothing I love more than when actors who are actually musically trained get cast in movie musicals.

9. Blitz (Directed by Steve McQueen) - Unknown

“Blitz” will follow a group of Londoners during the events of the British capital bombing in World War II. Apple picked up the rights to the film while Saoirse Ronan and Harrison Dickinson are set to star.

World War II dramas are hit or miss for me. With Steve McQueen at the helm of this one, it is a pretty safe assumption this one will be excellent. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if this one is a big player at the 2025 Oscars.

8. Twisters (Directed by Lee Isaac Chung)- July 9th

Twisters is a sequel to the 1996 movie, “Twister”, which starred Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Look, I like the original film just fine, but was a sequel something that I was missing from my life? Not at all. That said, what makes this one exciting is the young ensemble cast. If you asked me to put together a list of the best young talent in Hollywood, Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar Jones, Anthony Ramos, and Daryl McCormack would all be on the list. They all four happen to star in this film, which is exciting on its own.

The other piece of this that indicates this won’t be another silly Hollywood cash-grab sequel is Lee Isaac Chung directing. Chung’s last film, “Minari”, was one of the best films of 2020. As surprising as it is that his next film would be this, I think it is a good sign for “Twisters”. Time and time again, the director makes or breaks Hollywood sequels. Even if Chung isn’t up for the challenge, it is enough to have me interested.

7. The Fall Guy (Directed by David Leitch)- May 3rd

David Leitch rose to fame in Hollywood by being a stunt double, specifically being Brad Pitt’s stunt double five different times throughout the 90s and early 2000s. The whole time though, he was interested and gaining experience in getting behind the camera. Over the past seven years he has done just that, directing four films (including Bullet Train and Deadpool 2), with The Fall Guy being his fifth.

The Fall Guy is inspired by an 80s TV show, but is also sort of autobiographical for Leitch. The film follows a stunt double who is thrust into stardom. That stunt man is played by Ryan Gosling, America’s favorite actor at the moment and Emily Blunt starring opposite him as the director of the fictional film.

This one wasn’t really on my radar until I saw the trailer last week. It just seems like a blast. Will it be the best movie of the year? Probably not, but it seems like it will be a great time at the movies. Count me in!

6. Wolfs (Directed by Jon Watts)- September 20th

Wolfs is set to follow two lone wolf fixers who are assigned to the same job. Those two lone wolves? None other than George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Anytime Clooney and Pitt star is a film together, that alone is enough to be on a list like this.

In addition to the acting star power, another star will be behind the camera for this one - Jon Watts. Watts is slowly becoming one of the most reliable action filmmakers in Hollywood (best known for the recent Spider Man trilogy) and I can’t wait to see what he does with this one.

5. Dune 2 - (Directed by Denis Villeneuve)- March 1st

The excitement for this film was almost unbearable when it claimed the #2 spot on my most anticipated films of 2023 list. Then the strikes happened and the film got delayed from November of 2023 to March of 2024. I am still just as excited for the film, but I would be lying if that extra four month delay hasn’t tested my patience a bit.

Since watching the first Dune film in theaters back in 2021, Villeneuve has slowly started to become one of my favorite living filmmakers. What he does in films like “Prisoners” and “Arrival” is undeniable. For so long Hollywood thought that Dune was unadaptable for the silver screen, yet Villeneuve made it look so effortless in the first film.

Opening night of Dune 2 is going to be one for the ages. I will be watching on the largest screen possible with the largest popcorn possible in my hands.

4. We Live in Time (Directed by John Crowley) - Unknown

Little is known about this upcoming film, but what is known has me tingling with excitement. A24 has acquired the domestic rights. Florence Pugh to star. Andrew Garfield to star. It will be a romance film. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but I don’t even need to hear them to be sold on this one.

While I have never seen any of John Crowley’s work, Andrew Garfield has such a remarkable track record with picking projects that I have no hesitation this will be extraordinary.

3. Hit Man (Directed by Richard Linklater)- June 7th

Richard Linklater is not only in the, “If they make a movie I will see it no matter what” club for me, he is one of the founding members. The Before Trilogy, Boyhood, and School of Rock are all pivotal films of his for my relationship to movies through the years.

His next film stars Glen Powell as a professional killer who breaks protocol to help a desperate woman trying to flee an abusive husband. Things get complicated when he also starts to fall for her. “Hit Man” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last summer to rave reviews and those strong reviews continued through the fall festival circuit.

If you need anything else to get you excited for the film, the trailer released earlier this week.

2. Challengers (Directed by Luca Guadagnino- April 26th

Challengers was #1 on my most anticipated films of 2023 list, but got delayed from August 2023 to April 2024. Unlike Dune 2, where the delay has caused me to get frustrated, my anticipation has only continued to rise for Challengers. If you are curious as to why, just read the log line:

“Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, has transformed her husband from a mediocre player into a world-famous grand slam champion. To jolt him out of his recent losing streak, she makes him play a challenger event -- close to the lowest level of tournament on the pro tour. Tensions soon run high when he finds himself standing across the net from the once-promising, now burnt-out Patrick, his former best friend and Tashi's former boyfriend.”

I mean come on! That sounds about as entertaining as movies come these days. Maybe it is my love for the work of Luca Guadagnino, maybe it is my belief in the acting talent of Zendaya and Mike Faist, or maybe it is my childlike love for sports movies. Either way, the only reason this one isn’t number one for the second year in a row is to mix it up a bit!

As a random aside, this film is set to open on the same day as A24s upcoming film “Civil War”, which would have been #11 on this list. Sounds like a perfect day for a double feature!

1. Ella McKay (Directed by James L Brooks)-Unknown

Famed Hollywood director James L. Brooks has given us classics like “Broadcast News”, “Terms of Endearment”, and “As Good as It Gets” plus recently produced the remarkable delightful, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” As pivotal as each of those films are, he is still best known for helping to co-create the television show, “The Simpsons.”

20th Century Fox has been desperate to make a sequel to “The Simpsons Movie” after it made half a billion dollars at the box office. For years, they have begged James L. Brooks to make a sequel. His answer was no each time until he got what he really wanted - funding for his film Ella McKay. Rumors are that 20th Century agreed to fund Ella McKay in exchange for Brooks making a sequel to “The Simpsons Movie”. What a legendary move by Brooks!

Per Deadline, Ella McKay is, “Set to follow an idealistic young politician who juggles familial issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over the job of her mentor, the state's longtime incumbent governor.” The ensemble cast is set to include Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Haralson, Albert Brooks, Kumail Nanjiani, and Ayo Edebiri.

It may be really late 2024 before this comes out, but I have a feeling this one will be worth the wait.

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Sundance 2024 Preview

The 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival kicked off in Park City Utah earlier this week! This year’s festival will include 83 feature films, 35 documentary films, and 53 short films. Sundance is historically the heart and sole of indie filmmaking. Some of the most well known films to premiere at the festival are American Psycho, Memento, Little Miss Sunshine, Whiplash, Get Out, CODA, and Hereditary.

In recent years, the low budget films of Sundance have attracted many streaming services to the festival in hopes to buy some quality content. At the 2023 festival, Netflix acquired Fair Play for $20 million and Searchlight acquired Theater Camp for $10 million. In 2022 there was a flurry of acquisitions including Apple buying Cha Cha Real Smooth for $15 million. Then three years ago, another streamer bought film from Sundance, CODA, made noise by winning best picture at the Oscars.

Starting today, I will be covering the festival virtually through the end of the weekend. Currently, I am planning to see 16 different films and documentaries. My most anticipated films include:

• A Real Pain - Mismatched cousins David and Benji (played by Jesse Eisenberg & Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

• Didi - In 2008, during the last month of summer before high school begins, an impressionable 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy learns what his family can’t teach him: how to skate, how to flirt, and how to love your mom.

• Daughters- Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers, as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C., jail.

I will be back next week with a full recap on those films plus everything else that I get a chance to see at the festival! In the meantime, feel free to catch up on my coverage of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Until then, enjoy some great films!

Aaron Nolan