Movies That Will Blow Everyone Away In 2024

Hollywood is always working years in advance. Movies that filmmakers are working on for one year may not be something that audiences get to see until years later. This isn't just limited to epic series like "Lord of the Rings" that require extensive post-production phases.

Some films, like Richard Linklater's "Boyhood," take over a decade to come to fruition. The universal truth that major motion pictures take so long to complete means that there are already tons of movies scheduled for the far-off era of 2024. What may still sound like the backdrop for a high-concept sci-fi movie will soon be just the reality we all live and breathe in and Hollywood is preparing to deliver a deluge of productions for that year.

The films currently slated to release in 2024 are largely big-budget blockbuster sequels that will continue beloved stories people have been enamored with for years. However, there are also a handful of original features set for release this year that will hail from some of the most iconic filmmakers in history. All of these projects inhabit a variety of genres, including family films, action titles, and horror features, and they all have unique qualities that make them the likeliest must-sees of 2024.  If anything should put "The Electric State," an upcoming sci-fi film from directors Anthony and Joe Russo, on people's watchlists, it's its extraordinary cast.

Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt play the lead roles, but it's in the supporting cast where things get wild and interesting. Everyone from Ke Huy Quan to Brian Cox to Jenny Slate is providing either live-action performances or voice-over work in the feature. On top of all that, Jason Alexander is also around in the cast in a live-action capacity and it's always a great sight to see the former "Seinfeld" star in a major motion picture marquee.

Beyond that, it'll also be interesting to see how the Russos translate the striking imagery of the original "Electric State" graphic novel by Simon Stålenhag into a feature. While this duo has been known for more grounded action fare like "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "The Gray Man," the images from the source material make use of evocative deep blue hues and feature massive robots just lingering around everyday environments. It could be a challenge for the duo to work within that kind of confines, but this material could also push them into exciting new territory as filmmakers.

Those visual possibilities are just one of the many aspects of "The Electric State" that tantalize the mind and make one curious about how this sci-fi feature will turn out. Adrian Molina's days at Pixar date back to 2007 when he worked as an animator on the end titles of "Ratatouille." Since then, Molina has moved up in the ranks at Pixar to, among other credits, provide additional screenplay material for "The Good Dinosaur" and "Monsters University" as well as serving as co-director and screenwriter on the 2017 smash hit "Coco." Come 2024, Molina will move up to solo director on the Pixar title "Elio." Details on the project are minimal, but it will be a sci-fi yarn about a young boy who winds up in the far reaches of outer space and is mistaken by alien lifeforms as the ambassador for Earth. The film's title is the name of its protagonist, who will be voiced by Yonas Kibreab, while America Ferrera will voice Elio's mom, Olga. "Coco" was such an extraordinary feature that the prospect of any new production from Molina would be a reason for celebration.

However, the concept behind "Elio" is extremely promising. It'll also be interesting to see Pixar's take on the world of sci-fi storytelling, a domain the studio has explored sporadically throughout the years in projects ranging from "Wall-E" to "Lightyear." There's a lot of promise in "Elio" and it has the potential to be another storied chapter in Molina's prolific career at Pixar. It's been a while since audiences got to explore the vast and imaginative world of Miles Morales/Spider-Man as imagined by the 2018 feature "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." However, not only is a sequel to that movie imminent, but a pair of follow-ups are on the docket.

The second of those sequels, "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse," is set to hit theaters in March 2024. Given how scant few details are available for the first of these sequels, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," it's no surprise that "Beyond the Spider-Verse" is shrouded in mystery. This includes details regarding which characters from the first two films will appear, though it has been confirmed that Jason Schwartzman's Spot will serve as the main villain in "Across the Spider-Verse." Still, the vibrancy of "Into the Spider-Verse" makes the concept of spending more time in this vision of a multiverse of Spider-people incredibly exciting.

Plus, the title of "Beyond the Spider-Verse" suggests truly trippy storytelling possibilities regarding where this sequel could take audiences. We'll have to wait and see to find out more about what this particular "Spider-Man" movie has up its sleeve, but if the quality of "Into the Spider-Verse" is any indication, audiences should get stoked for what "Beyond the Spider-Verse" has in store. The world of "A Quiet Place" is preparing to expand significantly with the forthcoming spin-off "A Quiet Place: Day One." While plot details are largely being kept under wraps, it does appear that new characters beyond the original "Quiet Place" protagonists will be taking center stage here, with Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn tapped to play two of the new lead characters.

There's also change a-foot behind the scenes, with "Pig" writer/director Michael Sarnoski taking the reins of director from John Krasinski. That amount of significant shifts in the talent involved in a "Quiet Place" film suggests that "Day One" could offer something noticeably different from its predecessors. The title also indicates that moviegoers will be returning to the very start of the alien invasion of noise-sensitive monsters, a backdrop briefly explored in a prologue in "A Quiet Place: Part II." Exploring that domain and how humans react to the suddenly changing world could be quite interesting, especially since Sarnoski proved so gifted with exploring the process of grappling with loss in "Pig." Though the "Quiet Place" universe is quite familiar at this point after two movies, there are plenty of ingredients in place with "A Quiet Place: Day One" for it to potentially deliver something truly new and eerie.

For much of the history of the live-action "Transformers" movies, human beings have been the central focus of the narrative. While "Bumblebee" in 2018 shifted more of the focus onto the robots, primarily, the rule has been for Autobots and Decepticons to take a backseat to human-centric elements like John Turturro wearing a jock strap. This has been a disappointing development on several fronts, including in how simply uninteresting the vast majority of the humans in this franchise have been.

In 2024, though, that status quo will get radically upended with an untitled fully animated motion picture that will concentrate exclusively on the robot world of Cybertron. It's still unknown how much or how little the feature will tie into the continuity of the pre-existing "Transformers" movies, but it is confirmed that the dynamic between Optimus Prime and Megatron will be at the heart of the movie. Also confirmed is its director, Josh Cooley, the Oscar-winning filmmaker responsible for "Toy Story 4." Cooley proved that Woody and Buzz could headline satisfying stories after "Toy Story 3," perhaps he can also prove the value of robot-centered movies in the "Transformers" franchise.

There's a lot of potential within this animated "Transformers" spin-off, and if it works, perhaps this saga can finally stop putting ho-hum human characters as a priority above all else. One of the vaguest concrete projects that have been set up for a 2024 release date is an untitled new thriller from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan.

Though it is set to hit theaters on April 5, 2024, there's no information about the production, which isn't surprising. Not only is April 2024 quite a while from now, but Shyamalan still has another upcoming movie, "Knock at the Cabin," that will hit theaters beforehand, in February 2023. The focus will almost certainly remain on "Cabin" until its theatrical run is in the rearview mirror.

Only then will information on this unknown 2024 title from the "Sixth Sense" auteur begin to trickle out to the public. Even with nothing really known about it, though, this untitled M. Night Shyamalan film can't help but grip the imagination simply because of this director's public persona.

M. Night Shyamalan's movies can be divisive, but his willingness to embrace non-sequels and outright original movies over the last decade (save for the big crossover feature "Glass") has resulted in titles like "Glass" and "The Visit" that, regardless of what you might think about them, got people talking. Shyamalan's willingness to deliver something fresh into a cinematic landscape dominated by familiar brand names is something to be cherished and makes even a totally unknown quantity like his untitled 2024 movie something to look forward to.

The fantastical world of Oz created by L. Frank Baum over a century ago is always in the pop culture consciousness. Inspiring a film as beloved as the 1939 musical "The Wizard of Oz" has doubtlessly aided its reputation, but it also doesn't hurt that, every few years, somebody takes a swing at trying to make a new big-screen adaptation of this fictional universe.

2024 will be home to multiple movies rooted in the merry old land of Oz, with one of these productions being a fully-animated motion picture entitled "Toto." Hailing from Warner Bros. and Warner Animation Group, the conceit behind "Toto" is that it will tell the events of "The Wizard of Oz" from the perspective of Toto, Dorothy's plucky dog. Admittedly, returning to the events of "The Wizard of Oz" for a big-screen movie set in Oz is a bit disappointing, since it's well-trodden territory and there are so many corners of Oz's mythology that have never been explored in films.

Otherwise, "Toto" sounds like an incredibly promising enterprise, especially since it comes courtesy of director Alex Timbers. His work on Broadway productions like "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson" and "American Utopia" makes it apparent that he knows how to put on a musical show you'll never forget. If "Toto" is anywhere near as good as his prior creative forays, then Oz is about to get another iconic big-screen adaptation.

After years of stops, starts, and missed release dates, a feature film adaptation of "Wicked" is finally on the way. This beloved new vision of the world of L. Frank Baum's Oz reimagines Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, as a sympathetic protagonist with a rich story to tell.

Such a story is told through vibrant musical numbers like "Popular" and "Defying Gravity," which have become enormously popular with theater kids and the general public alike. Given that ubiquity — not to mention the popularity of Oz as a fictional realm — it's no surprise that a movie version of "Wicked" is highly anticipated by the general public.  This adaptation is being directed by Jon M. Chu, who proved his musical cinema chops while helming the "In the Heights" movie, while Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande headline a star-studded ensemble cast as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.

With actors like this around, there's no question that the beloved musical numbers in "Wicked" will be delivered with plenty of gusto and energy. The potential for memorable imagery in Chu's vibrant visual sensibilities being applied to the land of Oz is also incredibly exciting. It's taken countless years of anticipation, but the first installment in a two-part "Wicked" movie adaptation is finally going to defy gravity in movie theaters everywhere in December 2024.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), the protagonist of the various "Mission: Impossible" movies, has had to pull off some incredible feats throughout this franchise. However, soon, Hunt will have to pull off an especially daunting task: nailing a two-part blockbuster. The next installment in the franchise, "Dead Reckoning," is going to be split across a pair of motion pictures, the second of which will arrive in June 2024. As titles like "Divergent: Allegiant" have proved in the past, taking one story and splitting it across two movies can go really wrong really fast.

But if Hunt could climb the world's tallest building and survive, then it stands to reason he could manage to make "Dead Reckoning" a satisfying multi-film experience. The second part of the "Dead Reckoning" endeavor will, happily, feature some new cast members that won't be around for the first "Dead Reckoning," including Nick Offerman and Holt McCallany. While it's always cool to see actors like Offerman and McCallany around in any capacity, it's especially neat to see them here in this context since it indicates that the second part of "Dead Reckoning" will offer something unique, rather than just being a rehash of the first part.

That's just one of the countless reasons moviegoers are on the edge of their seats waiting for "Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part Two" to show up in movie theaters. After dominating the Academy Awards, Bong Joon Ho returns to both science-fiction cinema and English-language storytelling with his 2024 directorial effort "Mickey 17." Based on the book "Mickey7" by Edward Ashton, "Mickey 17" stars Robert Pattinson as a man tasked with working on an expedition to colonize a far-off ice planet. From there, if prior Joon Ho movies are any indication, things are bound to get twisty and full of potent social commentary on the world around us.

There are still so few details on what this adaptation will look and feel like, but Bong Joon Ho's incredible body of work makes it impossible to not get tantalized by this project. That excitement is bound to only increase when one remembers the kind of cast the director has assembled for this project: Toni Collette, Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, and Mark Ruffalo are all around in the supporting cast, while Robert Pattinson has the film's lead role. Pattinson has always shown a penchant for working with beloved auteurs like David Cronenberg and Robert Eggers and Claire Denis, and it's incredibly exciting to imagine what he'll accomplish as a performer working under the filmmaker responsible for "Parasite." Needless to say, there are far more than a few or even 17 reasons to be pumped for the release of Bong Joon Ho's "Mickey 17." "Furiosa" is a new George Miller movie.

That fact alone should send it rocketing toward the very top of any list of most anticipated 2024 movies. The fact that it's a George Miller directorial effort set in the "Mad Max" world, though, only makes it sound even more appetizing as a cinematic experience. This time around, the character of Furiosa from "Mad Max: Fury Road" will not be portrayed by Charlize Theron but by Anya Taylor-Joy.

This leading lady has been on a hot streak with her work in movies, including notable 2022 titles like "The Northman" and "The Menu," so the idea of her getting to work under the direction of George Miller sounds downright extraordinary. Within this film's cast, there's also Tom Burke, an actor who may not be a household name but delivered extraordinary work in Joanna Hogg's "The Souvenir." It'll be incredibly interesting to see what he does working with a much larger canvas than the small British indies he usually appears. Beyond the cast (which also includes Chris Hemsworth), "Furiosa" is bound to be home to a more practically realized spectacle that only Miller would have the gall and imagination to pull off.

If he manages to capture even a fraction of the "Fury Road" magic, then "Furiosa" will be only the latest example of why any new George Miller movie should be greatly anticipated. The "Planet of the Apes" franchise has been constantly going on for decades now, which might make one think that this saga would be running on fume