A new 鈥淏atman.鈥� The return of James Cameron. And finally 鈥� we hope 鈥� the 鈥淭op Gun鈥� sequel we鈥檝e been waiting for.
There are plenty of big movies on deck for 2022, even as a new COVID variant runs rampant and leaves large swaths of the entertainment industry in a state of unease. The pandemic wreaked havoc on Hollywood, and caused mass upheaval in 2021 as studios scrambled to release movies in theaters, on home viewing platforms and in many cases, both at the same time.
The result: superhero movies continued to surge at the box office, with 鈥淪pider-Man: No Way Home鈥� proving it鈥檚 still possible to pack theaters in record numbers. But serious movies aimed at adult viewers 鈥� from 鈥淩espect鈥� to 鈥淭he Last Duel,鈥� from 鈥淜ing Richard鈥� to 鈥淲est Side Story鈥� 鈥� fell and fell hard, leaving many to question whether the future of movies will simply be a playground for blockbusters or if there鈥檚 any room left for films about people that don鈥檛 wear capes.
Time will tell, but for now, here鈥檚 a look at what will be rolling out in theaters over the next 12 months, a year that will see no shortage of familiar faces and characters gracing screens.
And as the previous two years have taught us all too well, dates are always, always subject to change.
A Double Shot of Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise has sat out the pandemic, and hasn鈥檛 been seen on screen since 2018鈥檚 鈥淢ission: Impossible 鈥� Fallout.鈥� He was due to return in 2020 with his 鈥淭op Gun鈥� sequel and in 2021 with his latest 鈥淢ission: Impossible鈥� adventure, but both were pushed back due to the uncertainty of theatergoing (Cruise is an ardent believer in the big screen movie theater experience). Both are now on deck for 2022, with 鈥淭op Gun: Maverick鈥� set for May 27 and 鈥淢ission: Impossible 7鈥� due out Sept. 30. And that鈥檚 not all: perhaps the biggest day on Cruise鈥檚 calendar comes in July, when the box office superstar turns 60.
A new Dark Knight
Exit Ben Affleck, enter Robert Pattinson. The 鈥淭wilight鈥� star becomes Bruce Wayne as a new chapter of the Dark Knight saga begins with 鈥淭he Batman鈥� on March 4. Director Matt Reeves (鈥淐loverfield,鈥� 鈥淲ar of the Planet of the Apes鈥�) takes the reins on the franchise and pits Batman against the Riddler, played this time around by Paul Dano, in a turn that鈥檚 sure to be darker than Jim Carrey鈥檚 take on the joking madman back in the hypercolor world of 1995鈥檚 鈥淏atman Forever.鈥� One wish: can we skip the origin story of young Bruce Wayne鈥檚 parents getting killed in an alley? We get it already.
Superhero Field Day
Superhero movies made up four of the top five box office hits of 2021 鈥� all five if you count Vin Diesel鈥檚 Dominic Toretto as a superhero 鈥� so yeah, there are plenty more in the pipeline. The list includes the 鈥淏lack Panther鈥� sequel 鈥淏lack Panther: Wakanda Forever鈥� (Nov. 11), a new animated 鈥淪pider-Man鈥� adventure with 鈥淪pider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse鈥� (Oct. 7) and Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥� Johnson鈥檚 introduction as 鈥淏lack Adam鈥� (July 29). And more: 鈥淒octor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness鈥� (May 6), 鈥淭hor: Love and Thunder鈥� (July 8), 鈥淭he Flash鈥� (Nov. 4) and the 鈥淪pider-Man鈥�-connected 鈥淢orbius鈥� (Jan. 28).
Return of the King
It鈥檚 been so long since 鈥淎vatar鈥� hit screens that it sometimes feels like it never did. The box office behemoth became the biggest grosser of all-time 鈥� it has since been topped by 鈥淪tar Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens鈥� and 鈥淎vengers: Endgame鈥� 鈥� but outside of a 2017 鈥淪NL鈥� sketch, it didn鈥檛 leave much of a lasting cultural footprint. James Cameron originally intended for the film鈥檚 follow-up to hit theaters in 2014, but the release date and number of sequels (there鈥檚 an 鈥淎vatar 5鈥�?!?) has shifted so many times it鈥檚 difficult to keep up with it all. With 鈥淎vatar 2鈥� finally due out Dec. 16, we鈥檙e ready to be wowed.
Big name biopics
Jennifer Hudson鈥檚 starring turn as Aretha Franklin in 鈥淩espect鈥� didn鈥檛 hit box office gold but biopics remain an important part of the Hollywood machine. In 2022 we will get the Whitney Houston story with 鈥淚 Wanna Dance With Somebody鈥� (Dec. 23), Ana de Armas (鈥淣o Time to Die鈥�) will play Marilyn Monroe in 鈥淏londe鈥� (date TBA), and 鈥淢oulin Rouge鈥� director Baz Luhrmann takes on Elvis Presley in his still-Untitled Elvis Presley Project (June 24), with Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, Presley鈥檚 manager.
Friendly neighborhood slashers
No matter how many times you kill them, horror movie villains keep coming back, and we wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way. This year we鈥檒l finally say goodbye to Michael Myers (yeah right) in 鈥淗alloween Ends鈥� (Oct. 14), the final chapter in David Gordon Green鈥檚 鈥淗alloween鈥� trilogy, and we鈥檒l say hello again to Ghostface in the rebooted 鈥淪cream鈥� (Jan. 14), the meta-horror series鈥� fifth installment. And what would a year be without Leatherface? He鈥檒l be back for a ninth time in 鈥淭exas Chainsaw Massacre鈥� (Feb. 18). Happy hunting!
Peele back
What do we know about the latest movie from Jordan Peele? Not a whole heck of a lot. But the 鈥淕et Out鈥� director, who stumbled a bit with his follow-up film 鈥淯s,鈥� is back with 鈥淣ope鈥� (July 22), which reteams him with 鈥淕et Out鈥� star (and Oscar-winner) Daniel Kaluuya, along with Keke Palmer and Troy-raised Oscar nominee Steven Yeun. And that鈥檚 about all we know, folks. We鈥檒l find out the rest when everybody else does.
Sequels, threequels and more
A reimagined 鈥淐inderella鈥� for the (latest) Air Jordan generation, 鈥淪neakerella鈥� hits screens Feb. 18. 鈥淒isenchanted鈥� (TBA) is a follow-up to 2007鈥檚 鈥淓nchanted.鈥� 鈥淟ightyear鈥� (June 17) tells the origin story of 鈥淭oy Story鈥� good guy Buzz Lightyear. And 鈥淒eath on the Nile鈥� continues the tale of 2017鈥檚 鈥淢urder on the Orient Express.鈥� With the rest of these, the titles pretty much say it all: 鈥淒ownton Abbey 2鈥� (March 18), 鈥淪onic the Hedgehog 2鈥� (April 8), 鈥淔antastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore鈥� (April 15), 鈥淟egally Blonde 3鈥� (May 20), 鈥淛urassic World: Dominion鈥� (June 10), 鈥淢inions: The Rise of Gru鈥� (July 1), 鈥淎quaman and the Lost Kingdom鈥� (Dec. 16), 鈥淜nives Out 2鈥� (TBA), 鈥淗ocus Pocus 2鈥� (TBA).
Heroes never die
They only get stronger. They said 鈥淛ackass鈥� would never last forever, well then how do you explain the 20-plus year legacy of Johnny Knoxville and his band of merry revelers? They鈥檙e back for another round of painful stunts in 鈥淛ackass Forever鈥� (Feb. 4) which we hope is not a farewell because we鈥檙e still not ready to say goodbye to these American legends. May 鈥淛ackass Forever Ever鈥� grace our screens in 2030.
Originals!
This may come as a surprise, but not every story in Hollywood is based on a previously existing property. Crazy, right? A handful of the original stories heading to the screen in 2022 include Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in the romantic comedy 鈥淭he Lost City鈥� (March 25); Harry Styles and Florence Pugh in director Olivia Wilde鈥檚 1950s-set thriller 鈥淒on鈥檛 Worry Darling鈥� (Sept. 23); Ryan Reynolds in the time travel adventure 鈥淭he Adam Project鈥� (TBA), starring as a man who teams up with his younger self to confront his late father; 鈥淭he Lighthouse鈥� director Robert Eggers returns with his Viking epic 鈥淭he Northman鈥� (April 8) starring Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy and Bjork (!); Channing Tatum makes his directorial debut with 鈥淒og鈥� (Feb. 18); Michelle Yeoh stars in the multiverse sci-fi epic 鈥淓verything Everywhere All at Once鈥� (March 25); and Brad Pitt and Tobey Maguire star in the latest from 鈥淟a La Land鈥� director Damien Chazelle with 鈥淏abylon鈥� (Dec. 25).
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