Asteroid City (TBA)
We don’t know very much about Wes Anderson’s next film, but what we do know gives us plenty to get excited about. Billed as a romantic comedy-drama, Asteroid City was at least partially shot on a Western-style desert set and will be scored by Alexandre Desplat (as have the last five Wes Anderson films). The involvement of DP Robert D. Yeoman and production designer Adam Stockhausen – two more regular behind-the-camera collaborators of Anderson’s – suggests we can expect another generous helping of the sumptuous maximalist aesthetic the director has become synonymous with.
Anderson’s 11th feature will also reunite him with many, many familiar onscreen faces: Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Tony Revolori, Steve Park, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Jeffrey Wright, Fisher Stevens, Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Liev Schreiber, and Bryan Cranston among them. This behemoth of an ensemble cast doesn’t stop there, though: Asteroid City will also induct Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Matt Dillon, Hope Davis, Sophia Lillis, and Maya Hawke into the Anderson troupe. Suffice it to say: our excitement is off the charts. (Farah Cheded)
Blonde (TBA)
Director Andrew Dominik recently clarified some things about his long-gestating Netflix movie Blonde. First, he confirmed that the Ana de Armas-led film is a “demanding movie” that will earn its NC-17 rating. He also said that if the audience doesn’t like it, “that’s the f–king audience’s problem. It’s not running for public office.” As fans of filmmakers calling their shots in big, audacious ways, we simply can’t wait to find out what he means. (Neil Miller)
Crimes of the Future (TBA)
It’s been nearly eight years since we were last blessed with a feature film from David Cronenberg. And while Maps to the Stars toed the line for the Baron of Blood’s modern preference for dramas, his latest project will see the Canadian auteur returning to the genre well in more ways than one. In an unexpected (but thoroughly delightful) move, Cronenberg has pledged to revisit one of his earliest projects, Crimes of the Future. More fleshed out than his prior work, Stereo, the original 1970 feature is an exemplary artifact of Toronto’s experimental film scene: it’s scrappy, rough around the edges, and full of the themes, images, and ideas that would fester throughout Cronenberg’s career.
Word on the street is that Cronenberg’s 2022 film will not be a by-the-book remake, but as the film’s star (and long, long-time collaborator) Viggo Mortensen puts it in an interview with GQ, Cronenberg is going “back to his origins.” And considering that the original Crimes of the Future told a futuristic story of a plague spread through cosmetics, a sinister dermatology clinic called “House of Skin,” and a character called “Adrian Tripod,” we’re giddy to go back to where it all began. (Meg Shields)
Disappointment Blvd. (TBA)
The rumors are true: our favorite indie-horror darling, Ari Aster, is back with his third feature film, Disappointment Blvd. After scaring our socks off with Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019), Aster is teaming up with A24 once more; but this time he’s venturing away from horror and dipping his toes into the black comedy realm. (Don’t worry; I’m sure he’ll be back to his roots in no time.) But this pivot feels promising, as, between his moments of deeply disturbing horror, Aster has a unique talent for depicting fraught interpersonal relationships, (the dinner scene in Hereditary, anyone?)
Not much has been released about the film, except that it is a decades-long portrait of a prosperous entrepreneur played by Joaquin Phoenix. Also in the cast are Nathan Lane, Patti LuPone, Amy Ryan, Kylie Rogers, Parker Posey, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Denis Ménochet, Hayley Squires, Michael Gandolfini, Zoe Lister-Jones, Richard Kind, and last but not least, Meryl Streep. If those names don’t spell “dream team” to you, then I simply don’t know what will. (Aurora Amidon)
Hellraiser (TBA)
Time and unscrupulous producers have done the Cenobites dirty. Ever since they were first introduced by Clive Barker in his 1987 adaptation of his novella The Hellbound Heart, the Cenobites — and their ringleader Pinhead — have been arguably the most unique horror movie maniacs to come out of the 1980s. But ever since the fifth sequel, Hellraiser: Inferno, the Cenobites have found themselves injected into screenplays that were not originally envisioned as Hellraiser films.
This, and this reason alone, is why David Bruckner’s (The Ritual) new film, written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (The Night House), is one to watch. Not only will we get a Cenobite story that was actually written to feature Cenobites, but it’s offering us a new vision for Pinhead in the casting of trans actress Jamie Clayton. With Barker back on board as a creative voice, Hellraiser 2022 is set to be the best Hellraiser film we’ve seen since the Cenobites went to space in 1996. (Jacob Trussell)
Killers of the Flower Moon (TBA)
Adapted from the book by journalist David Grann, Killers of the Flower Moon chronicles a series of real murders committed in Oklahoma in the 1920s. After oil was discovered on the land of the Osage people, the newly wealthy Indigenous residents were targeted and exploited, with a number of them even killed. The conspiracies at play are thorny, but Grann recounts the investigation with an eye for detail and a sensitive approach to the truly heartbreaking experiences of those directly involved. With Martin Scorsese taking the reins on the film adaptation and a cast that includes Leonardo Dicaprio, Lily Gladstone, and Jesse Plemons, the talent here is immeasurable. (Anna Swanson)
Knives Out 2 (TBA)
Rian Johnson’s Knives Out was one of the biggest box office hits of 2019, grossing a whopping $311.4 million worldwide. It was also met with an onslaught of critical acclaim, so it only makes sense that the creators immediately set their eyes on a sequel, the rights for which were quickly bought by Netflix for $469 million.
Not a lot has been released on the plot for Knives Out 2, but I think it’s safe to assume that it’s going to be another Clue-esque ensemble-cast murder-mystery. Daniel Craig is reprising his role as Detective Benoit Blanc, but otherwise, we’re looking at a bunch of fresh faces, including Dave Bautista, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, Ethan Hawke, Madelyn Cline, and Jessica Henwick. (Aurora Amidon)
Poor Things (TBA)
It was only a matter of time before Yorgos Lanthimos and Willem Dafoe worked together. One is an extraordinarily versatile actor who is nevertheless most closely associated with a character wardrobe of absolute freaks, the other is a certified sicko who pioneered the Greek Weird Wave. The project that unites the two is equally as perfect a match for their eccentric sensibilities: based on Alasdair Gray’s Frankenstein-esque Victorian tale of a dead woman who is brought back to life with the brain of her unborn child, Poor Things feels like it contains exactly the right blend of macabre horror and outré comedy that best suits the pair.
Dafoe will play the madcap doctor who brings the aforementioned Belle (Emma Stone) back to life to be his sexual companion, while also thrown into the mix are Ramy Youssef and Mark Ruffalo (as Dafoe’s love rivals), Jerrod Carmichael, and Kathryn Hunter, who most recently wowed as all three witches in Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth. With the script coming courtesy of The Favourite co-screenwriter Tony McNamara, Poor Things is more than set up to be one of the year’s best. (Farah Cheded)
The Killer (TBA)
After Mank fever swept the globe, there was a fair question to be asked about what direction David Fincher would head in next. And it appears the answer is that he’s returning to his bread and butter: serial murder. The film is still relatively early in its development, but we do know that it’s adapted from the graphic novel by Alexis Nolent and follows an assassin who begins to develop a conscience. With Michael Fassbender slated for the starring role and Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker once again collaborating with Fincher, there’s a whole lot of talent ready to bring the film to life. (Anna Swanson)
The Listener (TBA)
It feels like a thousand years ago at this point, but there was a period in the early aughts in which Steve Buscemi had a nice little run as a director, putting out 2005’s Lonesome Jim and 2007’s Interview. In the 15 years since the latter’s release, he’s continued to find fun projects as an actor. But in 2022, he returns to the director’s chair with what promises to be an intimate drama about a helpline volunteer fielding calls from people feeling lonely and broken. The even better news is that he’s cast Tessa Thompson in the lead role. Given that it’s been so long since he’s made a feature and we are honor-bound to always show up for Buscemi, putting The Listener on this list is an easy call. (Neil Miller)
White Noise (TBA)
Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel White Noise is one of the most revered examples of postmodern literature. A screen adaptation has been in the talks since the 1990s but never made it out of the development phase. Noah Baumbach is here to finally change that. His rendition stars Adam Driver as Jack Gladney, a professor of Hitler studies, and frequent Baumbach-collaborator Greta Gerwig as his wife, Babette. The two’s lives are thrown into turmoil when a train accident saturates their idyllic college town with chemical waste, the long-term effects of which are unknown.
DeLillo’s novel does a superlative job at expressing contemporary American existential anxieties, as well as the issues with consumerism. Given Baumbach’s filmography, which often focuses on these issues (The Squid and the Whale, The Meyerowitz Stories, in particular), I have no doubt in my mind that he’s just the guy for White Noise. (Aurora Amidon)
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