Cinemagoers are nearly coming to the halfway point of 2022, and so far audiences have been graced with some great and some not-so-great movies. Movies like The Northman and Everything Everywhere All At Once broke through to mainstream viewers, comic book movies like The Batman and Doctor Strange And The Multiverse Of Madness proved to be huge hits, and movies like Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers and Top Gun: Maverick surprised audiences with their quality.
However there's plenty more to be seen in 2022; this year is going to see the release of plenty more comic book properties, surefire blockbusters, and lesser-known flicks. New projects and returning creators are going to be releasing movies later this year and any fan of cinema should definitely check them out.
10 Black Adam May Be Another Anti-Hero Hit
Black Adam is a film that has been in the pipeline for a long time, and it will finally soon see its big-screen release. Dwayne Johnson was cast as the DC villain in 2007, but with 2017's Shazam being a big hit, production sped up on The Rock's spin-off.
The film has released snippets so far, and fans are quite excited. Black Adam not only boasts an all-star cast including Aldis Hodge as Hawkman and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate, but the DC Fandome teaser looked great too. The film looks like a dark mythological tale, and fans are also excited at the prospect of seeing Black Adam and Shazam go head to head in a future project.
9 Avatar: The Way Of Water Looks Like A Visually Stunning Sequel
Avatar was a colossal hit in 2008, becoming the highest-grossing film of all time upon its release and teasing numerous sequels and future franchise projects. However, the film soon faded from popularity, and despite sequels constantly being rumored, little development was made for a long time.
Recently, however, Avatar's sequel was put into production, and despite initially receiving a lukewarm reception from fans, anticipation did start to grow. This culminated with a trailer release that impressed many viewers and excited many filmgoers who were looking forward to returning to the world of Pandora. The trailer promised new environments, brilliant effects, and incredible visuals. Despite the pressure of continuing the success of the first movie, the sequel does look like a worthy follow-up so far.
8 Batgirl Looks To Be A Fun Adventure Through Gotham
Batgirl is a movie that has also been in development for a while, and finally it has found its way. Barbara Gordon has never quite had her dues in live-action, and fans were excited to finally see Batgirl come to the big screen courtesy of Leslie Grace, Bilall Fallah, and Adil El Arbi.
Not only were comic book readers excited by the look of Batgirl, but also by the news that dropped during filming that Brendan Fraser would star as DC villain Firefly and Michael Keaton and JK Simmons will return as Batman and Gordon respectively, which is a hugely exciting prospect. The film may not be a huge scale blockbuster like The Batman, but it doesn't need to be. Audiences are excited to see Batgirl lead her own adventure on the big screen.
7 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Promises To Be A Love Letter To Chadwick Boseman
Black Panther was a huge hit with Marvel fans and critics alike; not only was praise lavished on the film's action and plot, but on the lead performances of Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, and Michael B Jordan too. However, due to Boseman's tragic and untimely death, the sequel has now become a tribute to the star.
Letitia Wright is set to take on the Black Panther mantle, as Shuri did in the comics, and the film has promised to be an exciting sequel and an emotional story. Everyone involved has detailed how Chadwick Boseman will not be recast but will be tributed. T'challa will still very much impact the movie, and it will be nice to see Chadwick's farewell in Black Panther 2. Fans are also looking forward to Shuri's character development and what director Bryan Coogler has in store for the sequel.
6 Killers Of The Flower Moon Is Leonardo DiCaprio's Newest Crime Drama
Killers Of The Flower Moon was automatically a film to watch simply due to its creators and cast. Director Martin Scorsese is returning with this adaptation of a true crime story, which already has people talking. Not only is Scorsese reuniting with Leonardo DiCaprio, but supporting roles include Jesse Plemons and Brendan Fraser, which looks to be a great cast.
The story is based on a true crime case that is infamous in American history and led to the birth of the FBI. Members of the Osage tribe are mysteriously being killed off, and the film adapts the murders and the subsequent investigation. Not only are the events fascinating, but the creative team behind the film guarantees a quality result.
5 Disappointment Blvd. Is Mysterious But Exciting
Disappointment Blvd has not had a lot of promotional material and A24 seems to be keeping the film's plot a secret, which has only served to generate theory and speculation amongst fans. The creative team consists of oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix and director of Hereditary Ari Aster, which in itself has led to a huge buzz of excitement in the world of cinema.
The plot is very vague and just teases that the film is a generation-spanning examination of an incredibly successful businessman. This may not be much to go on, but director Ari Aster has teased an in-depth horror-comedy with a well-regarded all-star cast. The film will surely release a trailer soon and audiences are very curious to see what Aster and Phoenix have up their sleeves.
4 Knives Out 2 Is As Well Cast As The Original
Knives Out proved to be a pleasant surprise and a big hit in 2019. It is an incredibly clever tongue-in-cheek mystery with a great cast and stellar performances. Audiences adored Daniel Craig's eccentric detective Blanc and Ana De Armas' charming performance as the heart of the film Marta Cabrera. Thus it's fair to say a sequel announcement was a huge boost for fans.
Cinemagoers were excited to see more of Blanc and with Netflix taking on the franchise, people's interest started to peak. Not much has been revealed about the sequel, which is perfect for a murder mystery, but what has been released has been very exciting for fans of the first film. The sequel boasts a similarly brilliant cast with Ethan Hawke, Edward Norton and Dave Bautista joining the project. The Knives Out sequel also teased a new and exciting case for Blanc and a whole new setting for this new mystery, so it's easy to see why audiences are waiting eagerly for more content from Knives Out 2.
3 The Gray Man Sees Ryan Gosling Team Up With The Russo's
The Gray Man is a new Netflix thriller that has drawn a lot of attention down to its casting and its creators. The film's headlining stars are the incredible trio of Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana De Armas. All three have proved to be great talents in an array of brilliant projects, but on top of the stellar leads, the directors are Joe and Anthony Russo; known for their Marvel projects like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame.
The Gray Man is based on a Mark Greaney novel of the same name, and it looks to be a fun spy thriller. The film is about a secretive CIA operative who discovers dark goings-on in his agency. The film not only boasts a great cast and directors who are very well suited to action, but is also a man on the run-type thriller that will sure to have audiences on the edge of their seats.
2 Don't Worry Darling Looks Off The Wall
Olivia Wilde returns to the director's chair for a new pyshcoloigcal thriller in Don't Worry Darling, which aims to release in September this year. Wilde had already made a name for herself as a very capable actor prior to her directorial debut Booksmart, but that hit proved she also had a very strong grasp of story, characters, and visuals.
Booksmart was more of a coming-of-age comedy, and so audiences are excited to see Wilde take on a totally new type of movie. Don't Worry Darling stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, and Olivia Wilde herself, and it looks like a very well-made film. The trailer teases a story about a 1950's suburban housewife, played by Pugh, who slowly realizes something is very wrong with her life and even her reality. The trailer was full of exciting sequences and thought-provoking ideas that really got cinemagoers looking forward to Olivia Wilde's new thriller.
1 Thor: Love And Thunder Will Be A Fan Favourite
It was a surefire certainty that any new Marvel project will create a huge amount of buzz, but Thor's newest outing looks very different from other Marvel projects, and fans of Thor: Ragnarok are happy to see Taika Waititi return to direct. Not only that, but fans are eagerly awaiting Marvel new big bad; Gorr The God Butcher played by none other than Christian Bale himself.
Apart from a few fans who are disappointed with Bale's appearance within the film, the behind-the-scenes photos and the trailer had most Marvel fans very excited to see Thor go on another colorful and fun adventure. The trailer promised incredible visuals, vibrant settings fun action, and, of course, Taika's trademark sense of humor. Not only that, but Natalie Portman is returning and seems to be taking over Thor's mantle, which is a hugely exciting change in the MCU. The film definitely stands as a huge highlight of 2022 for comic book fans.