21 films coming out in 2022 that we’re ready to book cinema tickets for
From new Marvel films to neo-noir thrillers, long-awaited sequels to the freshest of flicks, here are the new movies coming to the cinema in 2022 that you don’t want to miss.
The 355
Out now
A super-secret agent dream team ensemble made up entirely of bad-ass women kicking some serious butt? Sign us up.
When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (played by the Oscar-nominated Jessica Chastain) needs to join forces with rival German agent Marie (Diane Kruger). A little help from former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o) won’t go amiss either, as well as the skillset of Colombian psychologist Graciela (Oscar-winner Penélope Cruz), on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it.
All this, while also trying to stay one step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Bingbing Fan), who is tracking their every move. As the action rockets around the globe from the cafés of Paris, through the markets of Morocco to the opulent auction houses of Shanghai, the quartet of women will forge a tenuous loyalty that could protect the world. Or get them killed.
Cyrano
14th January
Game of Throne’s Peter Dinklage plays Cyrano de Bergerac – a man ahead of his time, who dazzles whoever he meets whether with his ferocious wordplay in a verbal joust, or with his brilliant swordplay in a duel.
However, Cyrano is convinced that he is unworthy of the love of his devoted friend, Roxanne (Haley Bennett), because of his appearance. But just as Cyrano declares his feelings, he discovers that Roxanne has fallen in love (at first sight) with another man. Somehow, Cyrano finds himself helping the young suitor, Christian, nab Roxanne’s heart through a series of love letters.
Directed by Joe Wright (of Pride and Prejudice and Darkest Hour fame), Cyrano’s reimaging of the 1897 play is just the ticket for all you hopeless romantics out there.
Belfast
21st January
This coming-of-age drama follows a young boy and his working-class family as they experience The Troubles of 1969 Belfast.
Straight from director Kenneth Branagh’s own experiences, Belfast begins as nine-year-old Buddy’s world gets turned upside down and everything he thought he knew about life is changed. But luckily, laughter, joy and the magic of the movies remain.
Shot in black and white and with a brilliant Van Morrison score, this modern-day masterpiece perfectly captures the mood of Belfast in the ‘60s, with standout performances from Jamie Dorman, Ciaran Hinds and national treasure Judi Dench. We’re predicting award nominations aplenty for this one.
Nightmare Alley
21st January
This hyper-stylised, neo-noir thriller from by Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is based on a 1946 novel by William Lindsay Gresham. Bradley Cooper stars as Stan Carlisle, an ambitious employee who has a talent for manipulating people. But then he hooks up with beautiful femme fatale and psychiatrist Dr Lilith Ritter (Cate Blanchett), who, as it turns out, is even more dangerous than he is.
Supporting stars include Willem Dafoe, Rooney Mara and veteran del Toro actor Ron Pearlman, who help make this homage to the black-and-white films of the ‘30s and ‘40s another one for the ages.
Marry Me
11th February
Jennifer Lopez is one superstar you can always rely on to deliver a top-quality rom-com – just look back on Maid In Manhattan or The Wedding Planner. And Marry Me looks set to be no different.
Here, J-Lo plays a pop star who is on stage when she discovers that her fiancé has been cheating on her behind her back. In something of a knee-jerk reaction, she suddenly picks out a fan from the audience who is holding a sign that says ‘Marry Me’ and decides to take him up on the offer. The guy in question? Maths teacher Owen Wilson. Yeah, it’s a daft premise, but we’re willing to bet it’ll be one of the year’s best romantic comedies.
Death On The Nile
11th February
This one’s another long-awaited cinema release – especially if you re-whet your appetite by watching Murder On The Orient Express on TV over Christmas.
Death On The Nile, the aforementioned film’s sequel, sees Kenneth Branagh return to direct and star as Agatha Christie’s world-famous Belgium sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Wonder Woman herself Gal Gadot leads another all-star cast of suspects, including Rose Leslie, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening and Russell Brand, and we even have the on-screen reunion of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders to look forward to, too.
The peace and tranquillity that temporarily existed on the S.S. Karnak is suddenly destroyed when one of the passengers is found murdered. Whilst on vacation, Poirot finds himself once more drawn into investigating the crime – desperately trying to identify which of the passengers is the killer before they strike again.
The Batman
4th March
How many Batmans have there been now? From Adam’s West’s uber-camp cape-wearer in the ‘60s to Michael Keaton’s more respectable hero in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, (dare we mention George Clooney’s ill-fated attempt, which nearly killed the franchise off for good) and, of course, our personal fave, Christian Bale’s brooding Dark Knight.
Well, now it’s Robert Pattinson’s turn to convince you that he’s the guy for the mask. In this latest instalment, Batman is in his second year of fighting crime and corruption in Gotham City. But while he finds himself embroiled in battle with a dangerous serial killer known as the Riddler, who is targeting the city’s elite, secrets are soon unearthed about Bruce Wayne’s family and their mysterious past…
Downton Abbey: A New Era
18th March
Our Sunday evenings have never quite been the same since the end of Downton Abbey left a giant period drama-shaped hole.
Set in a beautifully sprawling country estate between 1912 and 1926, the series followed the trials, tribulations and scandals of the Crawley family upstairs and their servants below. But it also touched on far wider historical events, such as the sinking of the Titanic, the outbreak of the First World War and the Marconi scandal.
In 2019, we returned to the estate via the silver screen for the first time, as the inaugural Downton Abbey movie premiered. Now, it’s sequel is ready to entertain us all over again. Set towards the end of the roaring ‘20s, A New Era sees the Crawleys take a trip over to France, where more than one faux pas ensues. The original cast are all set to return, including Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern and, but of course, Dame Maggie Smith. But joining them this time are a few new faces too, in the form of Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock and Dominic West. We can’t wait.
The Lost City
25th March
We love a good comedy here at HLN and, in our humble opinion, Sandra Bullock is the queen of the goofy, loveable leading ladies. So, partner her up with the as much suave as he is silly Channing Tatum, whack Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe into the mix, and you’ve got yourself a winner in our books.
In The Lost City, reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with ‘Alan’, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city’s lost treasure – treasure that she’s written about in her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
8th April
It’s that time again – the long-awaited threequel in the wizarding world’s post-Harry Potter franchise, Fantastic Beasts. And whatever your feelings are about these films, you can’t deny that they give us all the magical staples we know and love from the original HP series: creatively cute creatures (we love nifflers), exceedingly high stakes, and a plucky group of heroes who, no matter how unlikely to succeed, you can’t help rooting for.
It’s important to note that Johnny Depp will not be reprising his role as Grindelwald in this next instalment, after he was asked to resign from the role by Warner Bros. Now, the villain will be taken on by none other than Doctor Strange, Hannibal and Casino Royale legend Mads Mikkelsen. Eddie Redmayne, however, will be returning, alongside franchise stalwarts Katherine Waterston, Jude Law, Dan Fogler Alison Sudol and Ezra Miller.
All we know so far about this one? That Dumbledore has given Newt an ominous warning: ‘the world as we kow it is coming undone…Grindelwald is pulling it apart with hate. If we’re to defeat him, you’ll have to trust me…’
Operation Mincemeat
22nd April
Collin Firth leads a very starry cast in Operation Mincemeat. Based on the non-fiction book by Ben Macintyre and directed by John Madden (who brought us (Shakespeare in Love and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), the movie documents one of the most remarkable and strangest episodes of the Second World War.
In 1943, secret papers were planted on the corpse of a tramp dressed as a Royal Marines officer, in order to fool the Germans into thinking that the Allied invasion of Europe would begin in Greece and not Sicily. Make sure you look out for Johnny Flynn who plays Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming, (author of the famous series of novels about a certain secret agent).
The Northman
22nd April
This epic historical revenge thriller, set in 10th century Iceland, is sure to get all fans of The Last Kingdom excited again. In it we meet a Viking prince seeking to avenge his father’s brutal murder (a cracking place to start, we know). But how far is he willing to go to seek justice?
You can expect an A-list cast of acting talent, including True Blood’s vampire heartthrob Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Willem Defoe and Anya Taylor Joy. And also plenty of blood, guts, swordplay and shirtless men.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
6th May
The next big movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes to us in the form of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Benedict Cumberbatch returns as the titular hero, opposite Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch (aka Wanda Maximoff from WandaVision). And the new film seems to debunk a fan theory that was floating around after the end of the Disney+ series seemed to suggest Wanda was set to be Strange’s next villainous adversary.
Listen, we’re not going to spoil too much for you, but with any MCU films you know what you’re going to get by now: plenty of action, plenty of humour, a good versus evil storyline and a couple of cheeky plot twists thrown in for good measure.
Top Gun: Maverick
27th May
Did we think we’d ever be lucky enough to see the sequel to what was easily one of the best Tom Cruise movies in our lifetime? No, we did not. Did we ever believe another film could match the epic ‘80s-fuelled original soundtrack, which included bangers like ‘Take My Breath Away’ and ‘Danger Zone’? Nope. Are we thanking our lucky stars that Top Gun: Maverick is finally coming to cinemas this year? Yes, yes we are.
Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Cruise) has now enjoyed more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, and now he trains future Top Gun graduates. All seems to be ticking along quite nicely, until he suddenly encounters Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw on his newest cohort – who just so happens to be the son of his late friend, Goose.
Facing an uncertain future and forced to confront the ghosts of his past, Maverick must confront his deepest fears in an oncoming mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice. With a cast that also includes Jennifer Connelly and Val Kilmer, this has got to be one of the year’s biggest ones to watch.
Lightyear
17th June
Who knew we needed an origin story of Buzz Lightyear? We didn’t. And yet, now we know it’s in the pipeline, we can’t seem to stop thinking about it.
This animated feature follows one of the Toy Story franchise’s most popular character from his days as a young test pilot, right through to his successful appointment as a Space Ranger. Captain America star Chris Evans lends his voice to the role, taking over from the legendary Tim Allen. So, we guess now we just have to wait for the next spin off about a cowboy named Woody… (make it happen, Pixar).
Elvis
24th June
We’ve gotta admit, we’re all shook up about this one. This upcoming biopic is set to detail the life, loves and longings of the king of rock and roll through the indescribable and utterly delectable lens of director Baz Luhrmann.
Former Disney Channel and Nickelodeon star Austin Butler takes on the effervescent titular role, fresh from his stint in Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, while Tom Hanks assumes the role of Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker. We already know we won’t be able to help falling in love with this on the silver screen.
Thor: Love and Thunder
8th July
Another MCU instalment to look forward to this year – our superhero cups overfloweth!
If you’re a big Marvel fan, you’ll know by now that trying to get any plot secrets this far in advance of the premiere is like getting blood from a stone. What we do know at this stage? Obvs, Chris Hemsworth is back as our fave long-haired hero, alongside Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Christian Bale and Russel Crowe. We also know that Love and Thunder is set to be a direct sequel to Thor: Ragnarok, picking up pretty much exactly where the former ended. So best get re-watching…
The Railway Children Return
15th July
Who doesn’t love the The Railway Children? That ending gets us every time…
Based on the charming children’s book by Edith Nesbit, the original 1970 film has been a household favourite now for more than half a century. So, it seems only fitting that the time has come for a sequel.
Call The Midwife star Jenny Agutter plays a grown-up version of Roberta Waterbury – a character she played all those years ago so beautifully – with the period setting of the story transformed from Edwardian England to Britain against the backdrop of the Second World War. But that’s all we’re telling you. We guess you’ll just have to watch it to find out exactly what happens.
Don’t Worry Darling
23rd September
This might well be the film we’re most looking forward to this year. Little Women, Midsommar and Black Widow star (and just general all-round icon) Florence Pugh stars opposite One Direction’s Harry Styles in this psychological thriller from director Olivia Wilde.
Set in the 1950s, in a utopian experimental community, Don’t Worry Darling explores the mysterious mind-games which unfurl as a young housewife starts to worry that the glamourous company her husband keeps may be hiding disturbing secrets.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
11th November
Creating the sequel of this particular slice of the MCU was always going to be difficult, but Wakanda Forever promises to continue the legacy started by the late, great Chadwick Boseman.
While plot details are still sparse at this stage, reports have surfaced that Wakanda Forever will explore Wakanda further as it opens itself up to the world after generations of thriving in the shadows.
There have also been rumours flying about a feature debut of Namor the Sub-Mariner (Marvel’s copycat version of Aquaman), as leader of the inhabitants of the Lost City of Atlantis and a potential adversary to the people of Wakanda. But we’re taking these with a pinch of salt at the moment. We guess all good things come to those who wait – and we just know this is gonna be good.
Avatar 2
16th December
James Cameron’s first sci-fi epic went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time after smashing through $2.8 billion at the box office back in 2009. But will its long-awaited sequel do the same, more than a decade later?
Get ready to return to the exotic climes of Pandora, where our original hero Jake Sully now lives with his newfound family. But when an old (but familiar) threat returns to finish what it once started, Jake finds he must help Neytiri and the Na’vi protect their planet once again.
Apparently, there are four more movies in this series in the works, so you can expect this to open up a whole larder full of cans of worms. But what we’re super excited for? Kate Winslet to join the cast. She just makes everything better, right?!
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