The most anticipated movies of 2022 look great with a calendar year filled with major blockbusters. To make sense of it all, we've plotted out the 2022 movie calendar for you. Here are the movies we are most excited and hyped about for the new year.
From Batman to The Northman (don't be worried if that name isn't familiar), and from the series-spanning Jurassic World: Dominion to the multiverse shattering Doctor Strange sequel, we've got you covered.
Uncharted (February 18, 2022)
A feature film adaptation of the popular Uncharted video games has been gestating for well over a decade, but in 2022 Nathan Drake will finally make his big-screen debut.
Tom Holland will be stepping into the shoes of the wisecracking treasure hunter. The Spider-Man actor will be playing a younger version of Drake, as he goes on a globe-trotting adventure to find “the greatest treasure never found.” Mark Wahlberg will be along for the ride as mentor Victor “Sully” Sullivan. A casting decision that we will rather generously call bizarre. Fans of the Uncharted games have been far less charitable with their reactions.
Truthfully, Uncharted is a film we’re more curious about than excited for. Cinematic interpretations of video games have a pretty chequered past, and we’re not convinced that Uncharted will break the mold. Nevertheless, we’re intrigued to see the final result of this long-in-development project. — Rory Mellon
The Batman (March 4, 2022)
We love the quip-a-minute style of your average Marvel movie (something Eternals lacked), but sometimes we want our comic book movies a little darker, and The Batman definitely looks bleak in all the right ways. Taking place outside of the DCEU continuity, Matt Reeves has been given full license to tell the Dark Knight story he wants.
Robert Pattinson will be donning the cape and cowl this time around, and considering that the actor previously swore off major studio films, we’re pretty intrigued to see what it was about The Batman that drew him in. The casting of Paul Dano as the Riddler and Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman also have us plenty excited.
The Batman looks like it’s taking inspiration not only from Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy but also from Batman: The Animated Series, the trailers suggest a similar brooding tone and gothic visual design. Sounds like a recipe for success to us. — Rory Mellon
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (April 8, 2022)
No, don't scroll down! Hear me out. If you decided to skip the original live action + CGI Sonic movie, you actually missed out. Sure, it was a wild mix of Jim Carrey returning to his comedic over-acting roots and James Marsden being the straight guy to Sonic (Ben Schwartz)'s manic child. But this time we've got Idris Elba! No, not in the flesh. Elba is voicing Sonic's future friend/frenemy, and current foe, Knuckles. And going off the trailer alone, Elba's voice work is pretty darn good at making Knuckles sound intimidating, and not caricaturish.
Expect to learn a little more about friendship this time, as Sonic's buddy Miles "Tails" Prower — a two-tailed flying fox — is also joining the movie. Maybe this is just for the kidults among us, but we really hope we'll be able to enjoy Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in theaters with our friends. — Henry T. Casey
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (April 15, 2022)
There’s not exactly much excitement surrounding The Fantastic Beasts franchise right now. After a shoddylame first entry and a convoluted second installment, it’s not surprising that The Secrets of Dumbledore isn’t generating any significant buzz.
Nevertheless, the prospect of a return to Hogwarts is always an appealing one. The film’s first trailer for the film is keen to play up the connection to Harry Potter, and it’s easy to see why. Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander is a dull protagonist, but Jude Law returning as a young Dumbledore (in an expanded role) is far more appealing. Plus, Mads Mikkelsen is taking over as dark wizard Grindelwald which sounds like dream casting to us.
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is likely the last throw of the dice for this exploration of The Wizarding World, and for that reason alone we’re interested to see if WB has finally managed to produce a film that can measure up to the adventures of the Boy Who Lived. — Rory Mellon
The Northman (April 22, 2022)
Robert Eggers (The VVitch, The Lighthosue) is back with a brazen-looking viking epic. The Northman is, on paper, a brutal revenge-flick, starring Alexander Skarsgård as Amleth, the heir to a Viking throne whose future is taken from him when his father (played by Ethan Hawke) is killed by his uncle Fjolnir (Claes Bang). This massive-looking film, which looks far more ambitious than Eggers' previous work, co-stars Anya Taylor Joy and Nicole Kidman. Skarsgård is nearly hypnotic in the trailer, with how he repeats Amleth's vows of vengeance and revenge. And since it's from Eggers, we know that The Northman will look as beautiful as it is brutal. — Henry T. Casey
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6, 2022)
What's more dangerous than a MCU with the multiversal rifts we've seen in Loki and Spider-Man: No Way Home? Well, one with two Doctor Stranges. In the teaser for Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (which, surprisingly, was just one of the Spider-Man: No Way Home post-credits scenes), we saw that Strange Supreme (last seen in Marvel's What If…?) has broken through to the reality that our Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is inhabiting.
Strange Supreme, if you skipped What If…? is the result of what happens when one Doctor Strange shatters reality into many pieces trying to alter the timeline so his beloved Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams) doesn't die. Oh, and expect a bunch of big MCU names, including Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston). The former is likely trying to track down her lost children, while the latter knows a thing or few about the multiverse. — Henry T. Casey
Jurassic World: Dominion (June 10, 2022)
If there was anything missing from the previous Jurassic World movies, it was time for the characters we care about the most from this series. Fortunately, Jurassic World: Dominion has a trio of PHd's we've been waiting to see again: Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) are all returning for real — and not just that small cameo that Goldblum had in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The most interesting note about Dominion is that it will break free from the patterns of previous movies, and not restrict the story to just a contained island or park. The hyped first-look trailer for the film looked to frame Dominion as the story all of the Jurassic movies have been building towards, taking us back to where it all started with the dinosaurs and that tiny fly who sucked up some dino DNA and would later be encased in amber. — Henry T. Casey
Lightyear (June 17, 2022)
I thought I'd never wind up seeing Toy Story 4. "Who needs another Toy Story?" I'd mutter to nobody. But I wound up seeing (the pretty impressive) Toy Story 4, which is why I can't really write-off Lightyear. Lightyear is the origin story of one Buzz Lightyear, the space ranger that became an iconic action figure in Toy Story. Interestingly enough, this movie will treat Buzz Lightyear as a real character, and not the fictitious TV character he was in Toy Story. This Buzz looks to explore the depths of outer space, and is voiced by Chris Evans (Tim Allen's out for no apparent reason other than the want to have a different voice). Taika Waiti is the only other announced voice actor for the film. — Henry T. Casey
Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8, 2022)
For a while, it seemed that Thor (Chris Hemsworth) wasn't going to ever see his beloved Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) again. All signs pointed to Portman being permanently on the outs with Marvel Studios. But then, at one of the biggest MCU Comic-Con panels ever, Portman returned to the stage only to be handed the biggest prize: Mjolnir. Yes, Thor: Love and Thunder is going to draw on one of the more interesting Thor comic arcs from recent history: that time Jane became Thor.
Complete with powers and all, the good doctor Foster will have all that power, and we're curious how her former intern Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) is going to react. Christian Bale is coming to play the vengeful Gorr the God Butcher, who is angry about the gods not protecting his family. Thor and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) will be joined by some of the Guardians of the Galaxy, including Star-Lord. Reported cameos include Russel Crowe as the Greek god Zeus. — Henry T. Casey
Mission: Impossible 7 (September 30, 2022)
It's time to light the fuse one more time. After Mission: Impossible – Fallout saw a return to form for the Tom Cruise-led franchise, two more sequels were greenlit. Thankfully, Christopher McQuarrie is back in the director's chair, as he seems to be one of the few people who truly understands how to save Tom Cruise from his worst ideas (let's forget some of those middling chapters). No story details have been revealed, but we know Cruise will be joined by returning cast members Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby and Henry Czerny. Mission: Impossible 7 will also introduce many new characters, with the new cast additions including Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Esai Morales, Rob Delaney and Cary Elwes. — Henry T. Casey
Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever (November 11, 2022)
We knew Wakanda was forever back when Black Panther first came out, but everything else has shifted since. The passing of the late Chadwick Boseman left us without a T'Challa, and Marvel Studios is refusing to recast the role. So, the big question surrounding Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever is simply "who's next?" Recent rumors had led many to think Letitia Wright's Shuri was out of the running, as reports surfaced that the actress was in danger of being written out of the MCU or recast due to a desire to not get a vaccination against Covid-19. Marvel has since confirmed that Wright will be joining the cast of Wakanda Forever. — Henry T. Casey
