Apple Releases First Looks At 2022 Movies Including Matthew Vaughn’s ‘Argylle,’ Ryan Reynolds’ Christmas Musical ‘Spirited’ & More

Apple has released information and first-look images for many movies on their upcoming film slate, which boasts a mix of scripted feature films alongside some fantastic sounding documentaries. As the streamer looks to give audiences a rather excellent lineup and a strong reason to subscribe to Apple TV+, as the market grows day-by-day as each service adds new original content vying for attention and subscriber dollars. The hope is quality over quantity.

“Cha Cha Real Smooth,” the winner of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Audience Award, will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on June 17. In “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” writer-director Cooper Raiff also stars as a recent college graduate stuck back at home with his family and working as a party-starter for bar and bat mitzvahs who strikes up a unique friendship with a young mom, played by Dakota Johnson, and her teenage daughter. 

The eagerly awaited documentary executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Reginald Hudlin about the career and life of the late Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier is also heading towards a summer debut.

“Luck,” a new animated feature from Skydance Animation about the unluckiest girl in the world, starring Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery, Colin O’Donoghue, John Ratzenberger, and Adelynn Spoon, premiering August 5.

“Raymond & Ray,” follows half-brothers Raymond and Ray (played by Ewan McGregor and Ethan Hawke) who have lived in the shadow of a terrible father. The family drama will drop sometime in the fall.

Another project debuting in the fall is Peter Farrelly’s “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” a new dramedy starring Zac Efron and Russell Crowe based on the true story of John “Chickie” Donohue, who in 1968 left New York to track down and share a few beers with his childhood buddies now in the Army – fighting in Vietnam. Efron looks very stoic in the first-look image that seemingly has him sitting in what looks to be a helicopter.

Later this fall will see the release of the feature documentaries “Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong,” a definitive look at the master musician’s life and legacy as a founding father of jazz, produced under Apple’s first-look agreement with Imagine Documentaries and “The Sound of 007” will also make its global debut to mark the 60th anniversary of the James Bond film series. 

Audiences will be treated to the keenly anticipated holiday release “Spirited,” the modern musical rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story “A Christmas Carol” starring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, and Octavia Spencer. Reynolds has had some success over at Netflix and I’m sure is hoping that magic rubs off at Apple.

Before the end of 2022, Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith’s highly anticipated new film “Emancipation,” which tells the triumphant story of a man who escapes from slavery, will debut on Apple TV+. Other pics coming in the near future include “Sharper,” a New York City-set suspense-thriller from writers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton, and John Lithgow. Along with Marv Films‘ “Tetris” starring Taron Egerton, which follows the extraordinary journey of one of the most iconic computer games in the world.

Still waiting on a release date is Matthew Vaughn’s spy thriller “Argylle,” featuring an impressive ensemble cast that includes Henry Cavill, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, John Cena, and Samuel L. Jackson. Cavill is certainly sporting an interesting haircut in the first-look photo.

Apple is very much putting together an interesting collection of projects in a strong attempt to help grow the streaming service.