The Most Anticipated Movies Of 2022

2022 promises to be a fascinating year for cinema. For one thing, this will be the first time since 2019 (barring any more pandemics) that theatrical exhibition is in full swing worldwide for an entire year. Whereas 2020 and 2021 had a steady stream of major theatrical releases for only a handful of months in their respective years, the big screen is primed and ready to be open 24-7 in 2022. For another, there's a massive slate of titles waiting to be unleashed onto the general public. Some of these are the usual films moviegoers have come to expect from American cinema in recent years, including superhero movie sequels, live-action remakes of Disney cartoons, and the latest costly attempts to make video game movies a viable genre.

But what makes 2022 exciting is the smaller oddball titles that don't have world-famous brand names, but do hail from idiosyncratic directors hoping to inject something original and interesting into the consciousness of this art form. Even the most enticing-looking 2022 blockbusters come off as running akin to this notion by offering up trailers and posters that promise something new. The medium of film has had a turbulent few years thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but looking at the most anticipated movies of 2022, it's impossible not to feel hope over what the future of cinema has to offer.

It's been a while since South Korean cinema legend Park Chan-wook delivered a new feature film to movie theaters. His last film, the captivatingly twisty "The Handmaiden," was one of his very best works, making the wait for his next motion picture all the more difficult to endure. However, this master of unpredictable cinema appears poised to finally return to the big screen with his new feature, "Decision to Leave."

A mystery thriller starring Tang Wei and Park Hae-il, the scant plot details that have been revealed indicate that "Decision to Leave" follows a detective who gets embroiled in a romance with a murder suspect. However, this is one movie where the director is reason enough to keep an eye on a project. The premise for "Decision to Leave" could explore the underlying mythology of the "Oogieloves" universe and Chan-wook's participation would still be enough to make it worth watching. Though no official release date or North American distributor has been announced for "Decision to Leave," all signs point to it being ready for a 2022 bow. Film fans all over the world will be waiting with bated breath for more information on this one, given the track record of the filmmaker behind projects like "Oldboy."

Marvel Studios has a trio of movies debuting in 2022, including "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "Thor: Love and Thunder." They all seem interesting in their own right, but there's no question that the 2022 Marvel Cinematic Universe title that everyone is watching with especially intense interest is "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." Ryan Coogler is back in the director's chair, while the majority of the first film's cast has also returned, along with new cast members Michaela Coel and Dominque Thorne, with the latter portraying Riri Williams/Ironheart. Rumors also persist that "The Forever Purge" leading man Tenoch Huerta has been cast as Namor the Sub-Mariner, who would make his live-action film debut if he appeared in "Wakanda Forever."

A sequel to a pop culture phenomenon like "Black Panther" would have always garnered people's interest. However, the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman has added a new layer of uncertainty to "Wakanda Forever." Typically, it's easy to see where a sequel to a superhero movie is going with its storyline, but all kinds of questions surround "Wakanda Forever." What will a "Black Panther" movie without Boseman look like? What story does "Wakanda Forever" explore? How will established characters like Nakia and M'Baku react to the sudden absence of T'Challa? The shadow of Boseman lingers over "Wakanda Forever" and ensures that this won't be a run of the mill superhero sequel.

If you thought the "Toy Story" saga came to an end with "Toy Story 4," think again. "Lightyear" is the newest entry in this franchise and delivers to moviegoers the original story that the Buzz Lightyear toy is based on. That's an elaborate set-up for what appears to be Pixar's attempt at doing a more jovial sci-fi film after delivering a weightier take on the genre with the 2008 feature "WALL-E." It also allows the toy division of Disney to sell a whole new army of Buzz Lightyear toys to kids worldwide, which is never a bad thing for the Mouse House. 

"Lightyear" doesn't sound like an essential movie on paper, but Pixar's been rolling nothing but aces when it comes to the "Toy Story" franchise. Even after "Toy Story 3" seemed to conclude the saga on a perfect note, "Toy Story 4" managed to deliver a poignant epilogue for the story of Woody the Cowboy. If a fourth installment in the series could be pulled off effectively, who's to say the same achievement isn't possible for "Lightyear"? The teaser trailer was packed with memorable imagery and a robot cat, plus devotees of this franchise are lying to themselves if they say they aren't the tiniest bit interested in seeing what the original incarnation of Zurg looks and acts like. If it lives up to its potential, "Lightyear" could prove to be a worthy return to the "Toy Story" universe after all.

After establishing herself as a filmmaker of note with "Booksmart," director Olivia Wilde could have just rested on her laurels by returning to the teen comedy genre and rehashing that acclaimed 2019 movie. Instead, Wilde's sophomore directorial effort is "Don't Worry Darling," which takes the filmmaker into a new genre; thrillers. Here is a prime opportunity for Wilde to demonstrate filmmaking chops outside of low-key comedies.

While it remains to be seen if Wilde can make two great movies in a row, it is clear that she's assembled a sublime cast for "Don't Worry Darling." Headlined by Florence Pugh, the supporting cast here includes Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, and Harry Styles. The plot, concerning a 1950s housewife dealing with unsettling revelations — including a secret concealed by her husband — also sounds like an intriguing mix of Hitchcockian thrills and "Pleasantville." With this premise and that murderer's row of talent working under the direction of someone like Wilde, how could one not be excited for "Don't Worry Darling"?

After years of development, it looked like Guillermo del Toro's stop-motion animated take on "Pinocchio" would end up like many del Toro passion projects. Specifically, it would go unmade due to problems raising a proper budget. But thanks to the power of Netflix, this project will become a reality in 2022. Given the eccentric nature of this filmmaker's creations, it shouldn't be a surprise that this won't be a retread of the "Pinocchio" tale everyone knows. Now set in Italy under the rule of Mussolini, "Pinocchio" will chronicle a wooden boy navigating what it means to be a properly behaved child.

The thought of what stop-motion animated character designs will look like under the eye of del Toro is enough to render "Pinocchio" one of 2022's most intriguing cinematic offerings. A star-studded cast that includes Ewan McGregor, Christoph Waltz, and Cate Blanchett (among others) is just icing on the cake. Guillermo del Toro has spent more than a decade trying to bring this animated fairy tale to life; come the new year, audiences around the world will finally be able to experience his unique vision of an equally unorthodox fairy tale.

Unlike Marvel Studios or Pixar, independent studio A24 doesn't carve out release dates for its films years in advance. Therefore it can be hard to tell what the studio's future slate looks like. However, it does look like "Disappointment Blvd." — the newest film from filmmaker Ari Aster — will arrive in 2022. After "Hereditary" and "Midsommar," Aster has cemented a reputation as an auteur worth looking out for. Meanwhile, the scant plot details that have emerged indicate this will be an expansive project in terms of scope, a sharp contrast to the scale of prior Aster works.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the cast Aster has assembled for "Disappointment Blvd." Joaquin Phoenix has the lead role; on paper, he's the perfect person to follow in the footsteps of the fearlessly bravura lead performances delivered by Toni Collette and Florence Pugh in Aster's previous two movies. Add in an eclectic group of supporting players that includes Nathan Lane and Stephen McKinley Henderson and it's apparent why the latest work from Aster should be on every film fan's radar heading into 2022.

It's been 25 years since the original "Mission: Impossible" lit the fuse and blew up everyone's expectations for what a movie adaptation of an old TV show could be. Rather than leaning on fan-service and hollow rehashes of familiar storylines from its source material, the "Mission: Impossible" series keeps on delivering fresh new stunts and exciting storylines that keep moviegoers across the globe guessing. With all these achievements under the franchise's belt, no wonder people are so excited to see what lies in store for Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) in "Mission: Impossible 7." 

Regulars of this series like Cruise, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, and Rebecca Ferguson are all coming back, but there are also lots of new cast members joining this particular adventure. Esai Morales is onboard to play the primary villain, while Hayley Atwell is portraying someone described on the Light The Fuse podcast as a "destructive force of nature" (via Joblo). As if those two weren't enough, Shea Whigham, Pom Klementieff, and Cary Elwes, among many others, are also taking on new characters in this sprawling series. Then, of course, there are the stunts, which apparently include Cruise riding a dirt bike off a cliff. With such a stacked cast and enticing set pieces, "Mission: Impossible 7" looks like a movie people will be gladly accepting the chance to see. 

"Avatar" debuted back in 2009. Usually, a movie that impacts the global box office like that James Cameron epic will receive a barrage of sequels in short order. But Cameron has taken his time in crafting follow-ups to "Avatar," which has resulted in countless release date delays even before the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench into the production of all four sequels.

The first of these sequels is set for a December 2022 release and, even after all this waiting, the world of Pandora still seems surprisingly intriguing. For one thing, Cameron is good at creating cinematic spectacles, period. Second, projects like "Aliens" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" show that Cameron knows how to make sequels that just aren't hollow rehashes of the past. The extensive wait between the original "Avatar" and the first of its sequels also gives one hope that Cameron and company have spent that time wisely to make this blockbuster as good as it can be. No one knows if the world is still craving more "Avatar" like it was in 2009, but the reputation of Cameron ensures that "Avatar 2" is one of the most intriguing cinematic question marks of 2022.