The most-anticipated movies coming in 2022

Simon Kinberg’s latest directorial effort sees Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Fan Bingbing teaming up for an all-star spy movie. When a top-secret weapon threatens world safety, a CIA agent (Chastain) must join forces with a set of international agents to recover it. “The 355” was originally scheduled for release in January 2021, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A decade after their last outing (and 25 years after they first faced off against Ghostface), Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette return for “Scream.” The fifth installment in the bloody franchise finds the trio searching for a new killer who’s terrorizing the once-sleepy town of Woodsboro. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett take the helm from horror legend Wes Craven, who died in 2015.

An extinction-level-event-sized hunk of rock is headed for Earth and it’s going to take a starry cast of scientists to save mankind? No, it’s not “Don’t Look Up“ — it’s the latest epic from disaster auteur Roland Emmerich, who recruited Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu and Donald Sutherland to avert the titular disaster. Though the Feb. 4 release date doesn’t scream prestige, the bonkers trailer promises action, thrills and more lunar conspiracy theories than “Room 237.”

The infinite madness of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Wee Man, Preston Lacy, Dave England, Chris Pontius, and Ehren McGhehey made its big screen debut in 2002 with “Jackass.” Twenty years, a handful of films and hundreds of stunts later, the gang returns for “Jackass Forever,” billed as the final installment of the circus-like prank documentary franchise. The movie features guest appearances from Eric Andre, Tony Hawk, Machine Gun Kelly, Tyler the Creator and more, but noticeably missing is original “Jackass” performer Bam Margera, who is tied up in a lawsuit with his former collaborators after being fired from “Jackass Forever.” Jeff Tremaine returns as director.

After solving the case in 2017’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” Kenneth Branagh returns as Hercule Poirot for another whodunit with a star-studded lineup of suspects. Branagh, who sports some preposterous facial hair, co-stars with Gal Gadot, Annette Bening, Russell Brand and Armie Hammer in the long-delayed murder mystery which promises plenty of twists and turns.

Hot off worldwide praise for “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” Tom Holland is swinging over to a new Sony franchise with this adaptation of Naughty Dog’s popular action-adventure video game series. Holland will star as Nathan Drake, a globe-trotting treasure hunter who gets into some death-defying antics alongside his partner Victor “Sully” Sullivan, played by Mark Wahlberg, and a villainous Antonio Banderas.

Robert Pattinson dons the iconic cape and cowl in Matt Reeves’ gritty take on Batman. The new iteration focuses on Bruce Wayne’s early days as the Caped Crusader and features a stacked cast of supporting villains and allies, including Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as Riddler, Colin Farrell as Penguin, Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth.

Based on the hit television series, the sequel to the 2019 film “Downton Abbey” appears to be set in the South of France around Tom Branson’s second wedding. Though other plot details have been kept under wraps, the principal cast of the first film are expected to return, including Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West. “A New Era” is written by series creator and writer Julian Fellowes, and directed by Simon Curtis. 

In this comedy adventure, Sandra Bullock plays Loretta Sage, a novelist who is kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) who believes she can find the treasure from her book’s titular lost city. Wanting to prove he’s more than just a pretty face, Alan — Loretta’s naive-but-hunky cover model — sets out for the jungle to rescue the author and help find the treasure. Directed by Adam and Aaron Nee, “The Lost City” also features Brad Pitt, Patti Harrison, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Oscar Nunez.

Sony continues to build out its universe of Marvel characters with another villain-centric spinoff following the success of the two “Venom” films. Jared Leto transforms into Morbius, a doctor who attempts to cure himself of a rare blood disease but inadvertently becomes a super-strong, flying, blood-thirsty vampire.

Sonic is back and he’s joined by two fan-favourite characters from the popular video games. Jim Carrey’s evil Dr. Robotnik recruits Knuckles, a spiky-fisted, red echidna voiced by Idris Elba, to take over the world with the Chaos Emeralds. Luckily for Sonic, he’ll have the help of Tails, a yellow, two-tailed flying fox, in his latest adventure.

Four years ago, audiences discovered the crimes of Grindelwald. Now, Warner Bros. continues to expand the Wizarding World by digging into the secrets of Hogwarts’ legendary headmaster, portrayed by Jude Law. Mads Mikkelsen takes on the role of the nefarious Grindelwald for this entry, while Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller and other “Fantastic Beasts” return for this new spin-off in the “Harry Potter” universe.

Following up his 2019 psychological thriller “The Lighthouse,” Robert Eggers enlists Alexander Skarsgård, whose Amleth embarks on a quest to avenge his father (Ethan Hawke) and save his mother (Nicole Kidman). The Viking revenge tale takes place in 10th century Iceland and also stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe, Björk and Claes Bang.

“Hereditary” and “Midsommar” mastermind Ari Aster’s third A24 feature will inevitably light Film Twitter aflame. Although the logline is vague (“An intimate, decades-spanning portrait of one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time”), the cast list is fascinating: Joaquin Phoenix! Maryl Streep! Parker Posey! Patti LuPone! And given that the film reunites Aster with cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski for a third time, audiences are sure to be met with plenty of the indelibly chilling imagery that is a trademark of their partnership.

After the events of “WandaVision,” “Loki” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s multiverse is in desperate need of repair, and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange will attempt to fix it. He’ll be joined by Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, the Scarlet Witch; Benedict Wong as Wong, the new Sorcerer Supreme; and Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez, a new hero with the power to cross into other realities. They will battle with otherworldly monsters and an evil version of Doctor Strange in this horror-themed film directed by Sam Raimi.

Elle Woods is back – and so is Reese Witherspoon – for the third installment of the feel-good franchise. Though plot details are being kept secret for now, Mindy Kaling and Dan Goor are penning the script for the film. 

Our need for speed will finally be satiated when Tom Cruise returns to the cockpit for the “Top Gun” sequel, after languishing for more than 35 years on the runway. Several COVID-induced delays later, the film from director Joseph Kosinski will finally see the light of day. Cruise‘s Pete “Maverick“ Mitchell is back and as rebellious as ever, reuniting with Val Kilmer’s Tom “Iceman“ Kazansky. Miles Teller joins the cast as Bradley “Rooster“ Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s best friend, the late Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards).

With dinosaurs now unleashed on the modern world, “Jurassic World Dominion” will answer the age-old question of whether humans and dinos can co-exist. Colin Trevorrow is back to direct the third installment of the rebooted franchise, which also marks the return of original “Jurassic Park” actors Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. “Jurassic World Dominion,” starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, is sure to jolt the pandemic-battered box office. 

Disney’s next computer-animated feature is a spinoff of the “Toy Story” -verse, in which audiences will finally see a full-length Buzz Lightyear adventure on the big screen. Chris Evans nudged Tim Allen out of the vocal booth for the titular character, and while the trailer teases a handsome interstellar adventure, little is known about the actual plot. Fingers crossed that it’s a remake of Claire Denis’ 2018 space nightmare “High Life”!

Scott Derrickson’s latest horror outing stars Ethan Hawke as a serial killer who traps children inside a soundproof basement. But when 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames) discovers a disconnected phone with the ability to transmit the voices of previous victims, he just might be able to escape. Based on the short story by Joe Hill, “The Black Phone” is produced by Derrickson, Jason Blum and C. Robert Cargill. 

Starring Austin Butler as the pioneering rocker and Tom Hanks as his savvy manager Colonel Tom Parker, Baz Luhurmann’s film will chronicle Presley’s life and career as the King of rock ‘n’ roll, focusing on his relationship with Parker. The cast also includes Olivia DeJonge, Yola Quartey, Luke Bracey, Natasha Bassett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Dacre Montgomery, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh and David Wenham. 

Our favorite yellow pill-shaped creatures are back in the sequel to the spinoff “Minions.” Set after the events of the 2015 prequel when the titular characters — who have existed since the beginning of time — find a new evildoer to serve, the animated pic chronicles 12-year-old Gru’s transformation from a fan of supervillains to the ultimate baddie himself. 

Director Taika Waititi returns with the follow-up to “Thor: Ragnarok,” and he’s bringing Natalie Portman, who played Thor’s love interest Jane Foster in the first two movies, back into the fold to wield Thor’s mighty hammer Mjolnir. This romance-themed movie will also bring in the Guardians of the Galaxy for a crossover and introduce Christian Bale as the villain Gorr the God Butcher.

David Leitch’s upcoming thriller features a stacked cast including Brad Pitt, Joey King, Andrew Koji, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz, Logan Lerman, Bad Bunny, Sandra Bullock and Karen Fukuhara. As the title implies, the movie is set on a Japanese bullet train, where five assassins discover that their missions are all connected. 

The mastermind behind “Get Out” and “Us,” Jordan Peele returns this summer with the mysterious “Nope.” While the plot has yet to be announced, the film’s poster features a stormy cloud with a trail of pennant flags. Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun are set to star alongside Barbara Ferrera, Brandon Perea and Michael Wincott.

Olivia Newman makes her feature directorial debut with this adaptation of Delia Owens’ best-selling novel set among the remote marshes of North Carolina. Covering a 17-year period, the structure shifts between a young girl’s childhood and adolescence living in an isolated cabin and an investigation into the murder of a local football star. Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and Sony’s 3000 Pictures are producing, while Daisy Edgar-Jones stars.

Dwayne Johnson is suiting up as a superhero for the first time in his career as Black Adam, an antihero with powers that rival Superman. The dark and violent DC Comics movie will also introduce the Justice Society of America and its members, including Doctor Light (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell).

Olivia Wilde’s second feature directing effort stars Harry Styles and Florence Pugh as a seemingly-perfect 1950s couple who become consumed by a dark secret. The psychological thriller also features Wilde in a supporting role, with a cast rounded out by Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll and Chris Pine. The Warner Bros. movie is set for release on Sept. 23. 

2022 might as well be the year of Tom Cruise action sequels. In addition to “Top Gun: Maverick,” Cruise will return for the latest “Mission: Impossible.” Cruise trained for a year,and performed 500 skydives and 13,000 motorbike jumps to prepare for the movie, which is sure to include death-defying stunts.

The follow-up to the beloved animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is introducing, even more, Spideys and splitting its universe-spanning story into two parts. Miles Morales, Gwen Stacey and Peter B. Parker are all confirmed to return, alongside new characters like the futuristic Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) and Spider-Woman (Issa Rae).

Marking the end of David Gordon Green’s modern “Halloween” trilogy, “Halloween Ends” once again stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode, who will seek revenge on Michael Myers after he slaughtered her daughter Karen (Judy Greer) in “Halloween Kills.” The final installment also stars Andi Matichak, Kyle Richards, Nick Castle and James Jude Courtney.

The DC Extended Universe is stepping into the multiverse with Ezra Miller’s first “solo” Flash movie, which is shaping up to have multiple versions of the Scarlet Speedster and the Caped Crusader himself, Batman. Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton are both slated to appear as their iterations of Batman in the film, in which Flash goes back in time to prevent his own mother’s murder.