70. “Speak No Evil”
A remake of the 2022 Danish horror-thriller of the same name, where a dream holiday becomes a psychological nightmare, this American version is written by James Watkins (“Eden Lake, “The Woman in Black”). James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, and Scoot McNairy star, and Jason Blum serves as a producer through his Blumhouse Productions banner.
Release Date: August 9, 2024, via Universal.
69. “Damsel”
Known for “Intacto” and “28 Weeks Later,” it’s been 11 years since his last feature, but Spanish filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo will return this year. His latest is a fantasy film about a would-be princess who is actually a sacrifice to appease a bloodthirsty dragon. Millie Bobby Brown, Nick Robinson, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Brooke Carter, and Shohreh Aghdashloo star.
Release Date: TBD, via Netflix, who have definitely said it’s coming in 2024.
68. “Inside Out 2”
Aside from “Toy Story,” Pixar was once sequel averse. Those days seem long gone. Director Kelsey Mann takes over for Peter Docter, and the sequel follows Riley, in her teenage years, encountering new emotions. Much of the original voice cast presumably returns: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, and Mindy Kaling, but all other details are unknown at the moment.
Release Date: June 14, 2024.
67. “Shirley”
Coming off his gripping and tragic AppleTV+ mini-series “Five Days at Memorial,” writer/director John Ridley returns to the big screen for “Shirley,” which follows the biopic film about Shirley Chisholm, America’s first Black congresswoman. Regina King stars alongside Lance Reddick, W. Earl Brown, Terrence Howard, André Holland, Amirah Vann, Lucas Hedges and many more.
Release Date: TBD, but it’s Netflix and in post.
66. “I Saw The TV Glow”
The critical acclaim of Sundance hit “We’re All Going to the World’s Fair” turbo-charged filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun’s career. Produced by Emma Stone’s production shingle, her follow-up stars Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine (“Atypical”) as teenage outcasts bonding over their love for a scary television show. Phoebe Bridgers, Helena Howard Josephine Decker’s “Madeline’s Madeline”), Fred Durst, and Danielle Deadwyler co-star.
Release Date: TBD, but Sundance feels like a good bet.
65. “Twisters” (2024)
“Minari” filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung follows up his Oscar-nominated drama with something decidedly more mainstream, “Twisters,” a sequel (or new chapter) to 1996’s tornado film, “Twister.” The cast features Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos as the leads, along with Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane, and more. The filmmaker has also directed episodes of “The Mandalorian,” so pinning down his career might be trickier than you think.
Release Date: July 19, 2024
64. “Freaky Tales”
After a brief detour, “Captain Marvel” filmmakers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck return to their homebase of indie dramas. Their latest stars Pedro Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn (who starred in their 2015 film, “Mississippi Grind”), Jay Ellis, Normani, Angus Cloud, Dominique Thorne, and Jack Champion, and tells four interconnected stories taking place at real locations and during real historical events in 1987 Oakland, California.
Release Date: TBD, but feels like Sundance, SXSW or TIFF, premiere-wise.
63. “Holland, Michigan”
Music video director Mimi Cave broke out big with her dark satirical thriller and directorial debut “Fresh” in 2022. Hollywood immediately took notice, and she’s already back with a new suburban thriller with a starry cast, including Nicole Kidman (who also serves as a producer), Gael Garcia Bernal, Matthew MacFadyen, and Rachel Sennott. The film centers on a woman who suspects her husband is cheating and enters into an affair of her own before learning her husband’s true, dark secret life.
Release Date: TBD Amazon MGM.
62. “Gladiator 2”
23 years after the fact and several failed scripts, Ridley Scott returns to the Oscar-winning “Gladiator” franchise, arguably his biggest success. The sequel centers on Lucius (Paul Mescal), the nephew of Commodus, who is now a grown man. Connie Nielsen and, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi return from the original franchise, and the newcomers include Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and Joseph Quinn.
Release Date: November 22, 2024, via Paramount.
61. “Hedda”
Filmmaker Nia DaCosta caught some sh*t earlier this year for reportedly leaving “The Marvels” during post-production to make her next film. Context was missing though: “The Marvels” had been delayed myriad times and DaCosta pushed her film back as much as she could, but commitments are commitments. Her latest is an “epic and emotional” reimagination of Henrik Ibsen’s renowned stage drama Hedda Gabler from 1891 and the story follows the titular character, the daughter of a general trapped in a marriage and a house unwillingly. It stars Tessa Thompson, Callum Turner, Eve Hewson, Nina Hoss and Nicholas Pinnock.
Release Date: TBD.