Guessing what films are going to be the best any given year is an inherently dumb thing to do. Firstly, we are only ever aware of films with big names or big budgets and have no idea about those hidden gems that come out of left field. Secondly, as I have witnessed many times before there are delays that could result in us not seeing that film at all.

But! And this is really important. It is so much fun isn’t it? The excitement of what could be! So without further ado here is what I am looking forward to next year!

1. Killers of the Flower Moon

Based on the non-fiction novel by David Grann this film recounts the true story of a series of murders in the Osage Nation in the 1920’s.

Co-written and directed by Martin Scorsese. His latest film will star Leonardo DiCaprio (their 6th collaboration) and Robert De Niro (their 10th collaboration) and it will be the first time the three of them have all worked together on a feature film.

Anyone who read my Martin Scorsese Retrospective this year will know that I am a huge fan of his work. They will also see that this film was due for release in 2022, so hopefully it will be out this year. Albeit not on our cinema screens, unless Apple decide to do something interesting with its release.

2. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One

Mission films are seminal action flicks. Tom Cruise is the greatest action movie star currently working and possibly ever. Christopher McQuarrie is a phenomenal action director. Anyone who has seen footage online will already know that this film will feature some of the biggest stunts ever put on screen and will bring in a huge ensemble cast from across the franchise. And after the massive success of Top Gun Maverick who would bet against Cruise doing it again here?

My hopes are high for July!

3. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

In 2018 I named Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse my film of the year. This sequel has released one trailer already which suggests that there is no lack of imagination on show and that this could be as much fun as the original. Currently scheduled for a June release.

4. Asteroid City

Wes Anderson’s latest movie is scheduled for June. The synopsis says that world changing events interrupt a junior stargazer event and other than a cast that includes Margot Robbie, Tom Hanks, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson, Steve Carell, Maya Hawke, Bryan Cranston, Adrien Brody, Willem Defoe, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman there is little else known.

For me though, Wes Anderson is enough to make me excited. You can read my thoughts on his other films here – Wes Anderson Retrospective. Oh and I could not find a picture available for this film at all so the one I have attached is from Moonrise Kingdom which featured Anderson’s version of junior scouts. I would happily have a space version of this!

5. Barbie

If you told me anytime in the last thirty years that I would be highly anticipating a Barbie movie I would tell you that you were a liar. But this looks amazing. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach have written a script that Gerwig is directing. This filmmaking power couple have been responsible for Lady Bird, Little Women and Marriage Story in recent years. Add to that the casting of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken and a trailer that mimics 2001: A Space Odyssey and I am sold. This one is scheduled for release in July.

6. Oppenheimer

Christopher Nolan has ended his relationship with Warner Brothers and moved to Universal. His first film there will be about physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, the man responsible for creating the atomic bomb. As is standard for Nolan they recreated the explosion caused by the first test of the bomb with traditional effects! Watching this in an IMAX theatre seems like it might be a must. As with other directors on my list Nolan is a favourite and you can read my thoughts on his other films here – Christopher Nolan Retrospective

He also seems to have cast half of Hollywood with Cillian Murphy joined by the likes of Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Gary Oldman and Kenneth Branagh. Scheduled for July.

7. Dune Part II

The other half of Hollywood however will be employed on this film. Scheduled for a November release director Denis Villeneuve will return for part 2 of this epic featuring Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken and many more.

You can read my review of the first film here – Dune

8. Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

Writer/director James Gunn has gone through quite a busy period in the last few years. After delivering Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 he was fired from Marvel for historic tweets. He then went along to DC and made The Suicide Squad and the accompanying TV series Peacemaker. Marvel then rehired him for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and a Holiday Special before DC hired him to take over the direction of their entire comic book slate across all media. The result is that this may be the last thing he does for Marvel for quite some time.

For me, the original Guardians Of The Galaxy is arguably the best Marvel movie, so hopefully this possible swansong is as good as everything else mentioned above. This one is due in May.

9. Napoleon

The first ever director retrospective I wrote was for Ridley Scott. I love the film Blade Runner so much that my son is named after the director. His latest feature will star Joaquin Phoenix as the titular general and is due to be released at some point in 2023. Scott has proved many times that he can handle large scale war epics and Phoenix is one of the best actors of his generation and worked alongside Scott on Gladiator. Let’s hope it is spectacular.

10. Indiana Jones and The Dial Of Destiny

Scheduled for release in June the big surprise for many will be that this will not be directed by Steven Spielberg. Instead James Mangold (Logan & Le Mans ‘66) has signed on to direct with Harrison Ford returning as the action hero. Personally I still think that Crystal Skull was given a bad rap and matched the serial adventure that it was going for. Hopefully this one will live longer in people’s memories.

Some others that I have my eye on include:

• Knock At The Cabin – Directed by M. Night Shyamalan and due in cinemas February
• Infinity Pool – Directed by Brandon Cronenberg (Possessor) and due in cinemas January (although I won’t expect it anywhere local to me as it is likely to be incredibly violent and on a limited release)
• Beau Is Afraid – Directed by Ari Aster (Hereditary & Midsommar) and starring Joaquin Phoenix
• John Wick Chapter 4 – Keanu Reeves returns as John Wick in March, what more could an action fan ask for?
• Creed 3 – Michael B. Jordan takes on directorial duties for this sequel he stars in alongside Jonathan Majors (soon to be Marvel’s next big bad villain Kang)

What do you all think I should be keeping an eye on?