While we’re still celebrating the films of 2023 with our official ScreenAge Wasteland Awards, it is time to turn our sights to the exciting slate of films set to premiere in 2024. Of course, if 2023 taught us anything between the writers’ and actors’ strikes, it’s that these schedules are very subject to change, so take these dates with a grain of salt. Personally, while 2023 ended up being a fairly strong year for cinema, it was still a bit of a step down from 2022—probably my favorite year in film since 2014 or 2015. But 2024 looks like it could really deliver something special if this slate holds.
The Zone of Interest
One of the Best Picture nominees for the previous year, The Zone of Interest technically doesn’t release nationwide until February—which means for SAW purposes, this is now a 2024 film ladies and gents! As an A24 junkie, I’ve been looking forward to this one all 2023, but won’t get to see it until it hits our local arthouse theater on Feb. 16. The movie depicts the horrors of Auschwitz from the perspective of the family of a German commandant, whose family lives just outside the walls and lives a fairly normal life with the horrible sights and sounds of the genocide just a few inches of thick concrete away. Jonathan Glazer has had my attention since he directed A24’s Under the Skin, which really showed his directing chops. Plus Sandra Hüller, just nominated for an Oscar for her lead role in Anatomy of a Fall, stars in a supporting role. The film releases nationwide next weekend, but check your local theaters for showings.
Love Lies Bleeding
As an A24 fan, Love Lies Bleeding from director Rose Glass (director of Saint Maud) has been on my radar for a while, but the excellent reactions from its recent premiere at Sundance have really galvanized my excitement for this film. Kristen Stewart stars as Lou, a reclusive gym manager, who falls hard for ambitious bodybuilder Jackie, played by newcomer Katy O’Brian. But their love entangles them into Lou’s criminal family. The movie already looks wild, and reviews say it is impossible to guess where it leads. Love Lies Bleeding debuts on March 28.
Inside Out 2
I always get a bit nervous when Pixar releases a new sequel. To be fair, they’ve made two of the best sequels of all time with Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3, but have also made some real stinkers with Cars 2 and Monsters University. But I’m cautiously optimistic about Inside Out 2 as the sequel is following the obvious route set up by the first movie, a stone-cold classic and one of Pixar’s best. If the sequel can find a way to navigate the complex emotions of childhood the way the original did, this could easily end up being one of my favorites this year. Inside Out 2 hits theaters on June 14.
A Quiet Place: Day One
This is another sequel that concerns me a bit given it is a spin-off from the first two and will not be helmed by John Krasinski, whose direction was crucial to the success of the original two movies. Still, Michael Sarnoski has shown to be plenty capable with his debut feature film Pig, and Lupita Nyongo stars alongside Joseph Quinn, who played Eddie in Stranger Things 4, plus Alex Wolff and Djimon Hounsou. The flashback scene that kickstarted Quiet Place 2 was phenomenal, so here’s hoping this prequel can capture a similar energy. A Quiet Place: Day One releases on June 28.
Megalopolis
There’s still so little known about this project, but Megalopolis brings storied director Francisco Ford Coppola making a movie about an architect trying to rebuild NYC as a utopia and starring Adam Driver. That already sounds like a recipe for a potential Best Picture type of film and then you look down the cast sheet—Nathalie Emmanuel, Laurence Fishburne, Shia Labeouf, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight, Forest Whitaker, Jason Schwartzman, Dustin Hoffman—and it seems even more likely that this could be a major event. Of course, there’s also the potential for it to be a total disaster, and it has had some shooting issues as Coppola had to finance much of the film himself. At $100 million, it’s one of the most expensive indies you’re likely to see. Filmmaker Mike Figgis, who has been shooting behind the scenes on the film called it a “mix between Julius Caesar and Bladerunner” and if that doesn’t excite you, I don’t know what will. Hopefully this does debut in 2024, but no date has been set for its release.
MaXXXine
When Ti West debuted X for A24, we didn’t know then that it was going to spawn a whole trilogy. But soon after it hit theaters, we learned a prequel, Pearl, would be coming directly on the heels, a rare sequel released in the same year as the original. There’s debate as to which movie is better, but soon there will be a third entry to argue over, a legitimate sequel following X protagonist Maxine as she attempts to become a star in LA six years after the events of the original. Mia Goth reached new acting heights in Pearl and also gave a memorable performance in 2023’s Infinity Pool, so it’s exciting to see what she will do here. No release date has been set yet.
Lisa Frankenstein
We won’t have to wait long for my fifth-most anticipated movie this year as Zelda Williams, daughter of Robin Williams, makes her directorial debut with this irreverent Frankenstein send-up. The title pun is great, the poster is great, the trailer is great—this looks like it could become a cult classic. It’s drenched in neon and written by Diablo Cody, writer of Juno and Jennifer’s Body, and it looks like that sharp wit has carried over here. Set in 1989, the film follows a high school student played by Freaky’s Kathryn Newton as she reanimates a handsome corpse (Cole Sprouse of Suite Life on Deck) and the two go on a murderous adventure. Lisa Frankenstein releases wide on February 9.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The classic Charlton Heston movie kicked off a franchise that hit its zenith with its modern trilogy, particularly Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The story of Caesar was compelling, but with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, we enter new territory following his son, Cornelius, in a world that appears more focused on the apes than the previous ape-human conflict. This is the first Apes movie since Disney took over the brand, so fans are waiting with bated breath to see what the final product will look like, but the trailer looked promising enough. Kingdom releases on May 10.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
This summer, we finally get more from the beloved world of Mad Max: Fury Road, following the actions of Imperator Furiosa before she ever crossed paths with Mad Max. So far from the trailer and poster, we seem to get that same design sensibility we all fell in love with. Anya Taylor-Joy is one of the best young actresses in the business and I expect her to give us a great Furiosa. The only question is whether the story will justify the movie. The prequel will have Furiosa fall into the hands of a biker horde led by warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) who will become entangled in a battle with The Citadel’s Immortan Joe. Furiosa releases on May 24.
Civil War
I am a huge fan of Ex Machina from director Alex Garland, so a new project from him immediately interests me (even if it doesn’t fully pan out, like Men). Civil War will depict a modern-day Civil War between states with some confusing alliances and seems to follow a group of journalists trying to navigate the chaos. It’s a thorny subject particularly right now, but it appears that Garland’s film will not relate the split to any specific current issues but rather create its own events to craft a warning against increasingly hostile division. Married couple Kristen Dunst and Jesse Plemons both have roles and Brazilian actor Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny (Priscilla) both appear to have large roles.
A Different Man
Another A24 film that has been on my radar for a while, I was excited to hear that A Different Man finally made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival last week. The reviews have not disappointed me. Sebastian Stan, best known as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, plays Edward, a man with neurofibromatosis (causing a deformed face) who then undergoes a life-altering cosmetic surgery that gives him the face of, well, Sebastian Stan. However, Edward comes to find a stage play has been based on his life, but must compete with another man played by Adam Pearson, an actor who actually deals with the condition in real life. It’s hard to explain without creating confusion, and that’s exciting to me. It also seems to be about identity, the masks we wear, and that just always fascinates me. No release date has yet been set for the film.
What are some of your most anticipated movies of 2024? Share them in the comments!
