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100 films to look forward to in 2024
New year, new movies! We look ahead to the films coming our way in 2024 – including new projects from Bong Joon-ho, George Miller, Rose Glass and many more.With Christmas and the excitement of the holidays over, one can be left with a strange feeling of emptiness. That’s why we look forward to publishing this list every year – an expansive preview of all the most interesting new films tipped to hit festivals and cinemas in 2024. Check back tomorrow for part two, and let us know what you’re excited about by tweeting @lwlies.
1. The Iron Claw (Sean Durkin)
The story of the Von Erich family – regarded by many as one of the greatest wrestling dynasties of all time – is one of unthinkable tragedy, brought to the big screen by indie godhead Sean Durkin with an all-star cast. Zac Efron plays eldest son Kevin Von Erich, a sweet Labrador of a man who loves his brothers, wrestling, and his daddy – in that order. He’s joined by Harris Dickinson and Jeremy Allen White as his younger brothers, while the indomitable Holt McCallany plays their domineering, single-minded father Fritz. The wigs are big, the spandex is tight, and the emotions run high. Hannah Strong
ETA: 9 February via Lionsgate (UK)
2. Spaceman (Johan Renck)
As a card-carrying member of the Adam Sandler Academy Award lobby, I’ve been keeping a close eye on this sci-fi drama, adapted from Jaroslav Kalfař’s 2017 novel about a Czech astronaut who travels to a far corner of space to investigate a cloud of mysterious dust. He leaves behind his pregnant wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), but not the trauma of his childhood, shaped by his father who was a member of the secret police, and the fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia. Determined to redeem his family’s honour he’s taken on a mission no one else wanted, which will see him befriend a giant, gentle arachnid named Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano). Sounds nuts – count me in. HS
ETA: Spring 2024 via Netflix
3. Gladiator II (Ridley Scott)
Paul Mescal has some big sandals to fill in this long-awaited sequel to Scott’s historical epic, which is set 15 years after the events of Gladiator. Mescal plays Lucius Verus, the wee tyke that Russell Crowe’s Maximus saved back in the day – after living in the wilderness for some time, he emerges in search of his mother (Connie Nielsen reprising her role as Lucilla). With a starry cast including Denzel Washington, Joseph Quinn and Pedro Pascal – plus Djimon Hounsou returning as former gladiator Juba and Derek Jacobi as conniving politician Gracchus – this is set to be one of the cinematic events of the year, and not just because we get to see Mescal fight a load of baboons. HS
ETA: 22 November via Universal
4. Kind of Kindness (Yorgos Lanthimos)
Presumably Searchlight realised that the previous title ‘And’ was an SEO nightmare – but we can expect Lanthimos’ next project roll out sometime in 2023. Shot right after he completed Poor Things, this anthology film reunites Lanthimos with his muse Emma Stone, plus Poor Things stars Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley, The Favourite‘s Joe Alwyn, and new collaborators Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau and Hunter Schafer. When speaking to LWLies earlier this year, Lanthimos confirmed the film comprises several chapters, with the same actors appearing in different roles. HS
ETA: TBC via Searchlight
5. Love Lies Bleeding (Rose Glass)
As seems to be the case with so many rising directors these days, Rose Glass made a name for herself in horror (the wrenching Saint Maud) only to pivot out of the genre and explore wilder narrative territories. Fans of watching Kristen Stewart do things will be excited to learn that Kristen Stewart stars as the protective lover of a female bodybuilder (Katie M. O’Brian), concerned that her paramour will be chewed up and spat out by the cutthroat world of competitive musclewomen. The press release foretold a “romance fueled by ego, desire, and the American dream” which places this film in the compact, fascinating canon of movies about the US made from a European vantage. Charles Bramesco
ETA: TBC via A24 (US)
6. Dune II (Denis Villenueve)
Those curious about what will take place in the second instalment of Denis Villeneuve’s sandy, spicy sci-fi epic can just consult anyone who’s read the novel — the people who have love nothing more than being asked about it. As for the laypeople, there’s still plenty to look forward to in the introduction of new cast members Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Lea Seydoux, and Christopher Walken, plus the promise of more screen time for the heretofore sparsely-shown Zendaya. Eyes will glow, empires will fall, Timothée Chalamet will probably do that goofy little two-step walk across the desert again. Now that the SAG strike has ended and Warner Bros. will presumably cool it with the delays, bring on the giant worms! CB
ETA: 1 March via Warner Bros
7. Paddington in Peru (Dougal Wilson)
The little bear with the big heart returns after the phenomenal success of his 2017 adventure Paddington 2. This time, he’s headed back to his native Peru (something the Tories will probably be delighted about) and taking the Brown clan with him, on a voyage to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy. Of course hijinks ensue. Antonio Banderas will play ‘Hunter Cabot’, surely the film’s big bad, with his daughter played by Carla Tous after Rachel Zegler had to drop out due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. There are two other big changes too: Sally Hawkins has been replaced in the role of Mrs Brown by Emily Mortimer, and Dougal Wilson subs in for director Paul King, who had prior commitments with Wonka. No pressure then! HS
ETA: 8 November via StudioCanal (UK)
8. Megalopolis (Francis Ford Coppola)
Soon, it will have been thirteen years since Francis Ford Coppola last completed a movie, and many more since he made one generally agreed upon as “good.” But that’s no reason to approach his surefire comeback with anything less than feverish excitement; when you’re the guy who did The Godfather, you get the benefit of the doubt. In his long-gestating new sci-fi/fantasy, an architect (Adam Driver) drafts a bold blueprint for the future of New York in the wake of a disaster decimating the city, a sweeping proposition that corrals a massive ensemble cast including Forest Whitaker, Jon Voight, Nathalie Emmanuel, Laurence Fishburne, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Schwartzman, Shia LaBeouf, and Kathryn Hunter, among others. Driver has called his time working on the film “one of the best shooting experiences of [his] life.” Can it be one of the best viewing experiences of ours? CB
9. Joker: Folie a Deux (Todd Phillips)
Perhaps one day I’ll understand what it is about the role of the Joker that fascinates Joaquin Phoenix so much. He’s joined by Lady Gaga for the sequel to Todd Phillips’ gritty DC standalone – she’s playing the psychiatrist Dr. Harleen Quinzel, who is assigned to treat Joker in prison and subsequently falls in love, taking on the moniker Harley Quinn. Given the raft of accolades that inexplicably followed the first film, chances are Hollywood will be rolling out the red carpet for Phillips and co this time around. Expect a ritzy premiere, possibly at the Venice Film Festival, where Joker won the Golden Lion back in 2019. HS
ETA: 4 October via Warner Bros
10. The Nickel Boys (RaMell Ross)
RaMell Ross’s documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening was widely regarded as one of the finest films of 2018, earning him an Academy Award nomination. He returns with an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s The Nickel Boys, which marks his narrative feature debut, and centres on the historic Dozier School for Boys in Florida, which was notorious for its abusive treatment of pupils. A fictionalised version of the school appears in Ross’s film, which follows a young African-American student who is sent there and forms a friendship with classmate Turner. From there, the pair try to survive the horrors of the Nickel School together. HS
ETA: TBC via Amazon MGM