2022 is ahead of us, and the world is ready to watch more movies. This year, we’ll be getting new films from incredible directors such as Damien Chazelle, Steven Spielberg, Robert Eggers, Guy Ritchie, and Jordan Peele. We have many movies to anticipate, from the most exciting blockbusters to films from incredible visionaries. The following ten movies are some of the films critics and audiences alike cannot wait to see in the coming year.
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Avatar 2
It’s hard to believe we’ll actually be getting this movie in 2022. This long-awaited sequel will be arriving 13 years after the original film became the highest-grossing movie ever made. Director James Cameron originally wanted a 2014 release for this film, but the four Avatar sequels have been pushed back repeatedly for years. While the hype surrounding Avatar has considerably died down since 2009, Cameron remains a phenomenal filmmaker, and I’m excited to see a new story from the world of Pandora.
Lightyear
This may not be the Pixar movie we expected, but it’s one that I’m interested to see. This spin-off of the Toy Story movies follows the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that inspired the toy line. This is a unique idea for Pixar, taking a series about toys that come to life and making a science fiction action movie. And with Chris Evans stepping into the role of Buzz and Taika Waititi appearing in another voice role, this could be one of Pixar’s most mature films yet.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
I may be biased as I grew up adoring the Harry Potter series. While the Fantastic Beasts movies don’t hold a candle to the original films, it’s always fun to reenter the Wizarding World and get a look at what happened decades before Harry, Ron, and Hermione stepped foot into Hogwarts. The controversies surrounding J.K. Rowling and Johnny Depp may have stained this movie in the public eye, but Mads Mikkelsen is a phenomenal actor likely to give an excellent performance as Grindelwald. Despite everything going against this movie, I remain optimistic this film will be a return to form for the Fantastic Beasts series.
Jurassic World: Dominion
In 2018, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom left the series on quite the cliffhanger, with dinosaurs roaming the Earth and humans learning to coexist with them. This movie will bring us back into that world, and I’m excited to see the returns of Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum as the characters they originated in 1993. Set four years after Fallen Kingdom, this movie could be the culmination of every film we’ve seen so far and be a satisfying trilogy capper.
The Flash
I’ll admit, I’m not as well-versed in the DC Extended Universe as I am in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, after the incredible Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the world is ready for more movies from DC, and this film has a lot going for it. This movie will see the return of Ben Affleck as Batman, and he will be sharing the screen with Michael Keaton, returning to the role of the Caped Crusader for the first time since Batman Returns in 1992. This movie could open up alternate universes and time-traveling possibilities unprecedented for DC movies, and I can’t wait to see it.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)
After the incredible surprise of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018, we will soon be getting a sequel to the animated superhero film in 2022. A new adventure with Miles Morales is in store for us, and the film will be featuring the returns of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jake Johnson. The movie will also feature Oscar Isaac and Issa Rae as new variations of Spider-Man across new universes. After the cinematic success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, it’s clear that the web-slinging friendly neighborhood hero will continue to take the world by storm.
Thor: Love and Thunder
In 2017, Taika Waititi revitalized the Thor series with Thor: Ragnarok, a fresh, vibrant movie in the MCU that delivered on the laughs. This year, Waititi will return to co-write and direct the fourth film in the series, which will see Natalie Portman reprise her role as Jane Foster, who will take on the Mighty Thor mantle. With Christian Bale arriving to portray Gorr the God Butcher and the return of the Guardians of the Galaxy, including the rivalry between Thor and Star-Lord, this could be one of the most entertaining movies of the MCU.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
After his appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange will return for another story surrounding the multiverse. Wanda Maximoff will be in this film following the events of WandaVision, and this movie is especially exciting as we have director Sam Raimi behind the wheel. Raimi previously directed the three Spider-Man movies with Tobey Maguire, and now that the multiverse has begun to open in No Way Home, we may be seeing more references to Raimi’s iconic trilogy.
Mission: Impossible 7
The seventh installment of the long-running Mission: Impossible franchise has some of the most potential for the seventh movie in a series. After the smashing success of Mission: Impossible — Fallout, Tom Cruise will return to the role of IMF agent Ethan Hunt, where he will be teamed up with a new character named Grace (Hayley Atwell). With behind-the-scenes videos of Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff and fighting the villain portrayed by Esai Morales on a moving train, this could be an incredible blockbuster with more mind-blowing action from Cruise.
The Batman
Although we’ve gotten numerous Batman movies in the past, and many have portrayed the character, this movie is the most anticipated film of 2022. Robert Pattinson will be stepping into the shoes of Bruce Wayne, the billionaire with a secret identity as the hero Gotham City deserves. Batman will be pursuing the Riddler (Paul Dano) in a film with an incredible cast, including Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Andy Serkis, and Colin Ferrell. The trailers have looked exceptionally promising, with Matt Reeves in the director’s chair and Greig Fraser as the cinematographer. With the amount of talent on display, this could be a superhero movie for the ages.
