My 5 Most Anticipated Films of 2024

Yeah, I know. We are two months into the year already, and I am just now putting out a list of upcoming 2024 movies.

If I had put it out at the end of Dec. 2023, I probably would have had to extend the main list to seven and included Argylle and Ballerina. As it is, the former has already been released, and the latter has been re-scheduled for 2025. On the upside, I do have more up-to-date titles and release dates.

So, in order by release date (subject to change, of course), here are my most anticipated films of the year…

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Mar. 29, 2024)

There’s just something about giant apes and lizards… Seriously, though, I love these particular kaiju and their Legendary incarnations. It may seem a little hokey, but teaming them up again — this time against more apes and one especially cunning one, apparently — looks from the trailer to be a really good move.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Apr. 19, 2024)

This film, directed by Guy Ritchie, hasn’t been on my radar for long, but I’m all for it. The fact that it’s about a crazy, violent, special strike force — including Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson — pulled together for a special mission during WWII makes it all the more appealing. And it’s based (however loosely) on a real, historical team, too!

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May 10, 2024)

These apes are smaller than in the film mentioned above, but the characters and story are very interesting for other reasons. I hope this is the beginning of another ‘Planet of the Apes’ trilogy, and that we will eventually see 20th- or 21st-century human astronauts flung into the future to encounter this ape-dominated Earth developing before our eyes.

Deadpool & Wolverine (July 26, 2024)

To be honest, I don’t care for some of Deadpool’s humor (which is typical of Ryan Reynolds), due to its often profane or vulgar nature. That aside, I do find Reynolds to be very creative and clever. The biggest draw for me, however, is the team-up with Wolverine. Gotta problem with that, bub?

Alien: Romulus (Aug. 16, 2024)

This horror/sci-fi film is co-written and directed by Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe, The Girl in the Spider’s Web). It sounds like the vibe will be similar to that of the original Alien film, though the endangered humans will be a group of “young people”. What is most encouraging to me is that Ridley Scott saw a rough cut and said, “It’s f*#%ing great!”

Since I can’t seem to limit my lists to the number I decided on, here are four more that I am also quite hopeful about:

The Fall Guy (May 3, 2024)

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24, 2024)

Twisters (July 19, 2024)

Venom 3 (Nov. 8, 2024)

I notice that most of my choices are parts of franchises. (In the case of Twisters, it being only the second film, I guess this film makes the property a “franchise”. I’m not sure if The Fall Guy film is technically part of a franchise, though I did enjoy the original TV series with Lee Majors.) I guess that’s a good thing, ‘cuz it indicates that I have enjoyed previous films about the same subject, or at least in the same fictional universe.

Excuse me while I go pop some popcorn (extra butter)…

Hawley’s Aliens

Last we saw Noah Hawley (“Fargo”, “Legion”), or at least last I wrote about him, his proposal for a Star Trek 4 film was in a “soft prep” phase, until Paramount’s Emma Watts put all Star Trek film development on “pause”. Well, Watts is out at Paramount, but Hawley isn’t working on anything Trek, either. Now, he is involved in another big franchise…. Alien(s).

Hawley | xenomorph

But, it’s not going to be an Alien(s) film. As you may recall, there were tentative plans to develop Neill Blomkamp’s Alien 5 project, and Sigourney Weaver was excited to do it. (Michael Biehn was likely to sign on, too.) But, by the time Ridley Scott’s Prometheus films aired to mixed reviews and some controversy, it seemed like Alien 5 was in limbo and likely dead. (Did Disney/Fox decide this for their own reasons? Or, did Scott throw his weight around and get it nixed?) Not sure if Scott’s third Prometheus film will be made, either, though IMDB does have an “Untitled Alien Prequel” listed as a directing/producing project for him.

In a couple 2020 interviews (see link above), franchise helmer Scott brought up some interesting questions that he felt would be fruitful to address in any new Alien project. He also spoke of the franchise needing to “re-evolve” and possibly a need to “rethink the whole bloody thing”. I have to admit, that made me nervous.

Back to Noah Hawley…

It was confirmed in Dec. 2020 that Hawley would be the showrunner on a new “Alien” FX series from Disney/20th Century Studios. As a hint of his plans, Hawley’s remarks to Variety last July included,

“It’s a story that’s set on Earth also. The alien stories are always trapped. Trapped in a prison, trapped in a spaceship. I thought it would be interesting to open it up a little bit so that the stakes of ‘What happens if you can’t contain it?’ are more immediate.”

His description of the series’ premise in a recent interview with Esquire has caused some concern from fans, as it will focus on a tech war rather than the popular formula of unsuspecting(?) astronauts and/or marines “dealing with” one or more xenomorphs.

“In the movies, we have this Weyland-Yutani Corporation, which is clearly also developing artificial intelligence. But, what if there are other companies trying to look at immortality in a different way, with cyborg enhancements or transhuman downloads? Which of those technologies is going to win?

‘Alien’ is a fascinating story because it’s not just a monster movie; it’s about how we’re trapped between the primordial past and the artificial intelligence of our future, where both [are] trying to kill us. Even if the show was 60% of the best horror-action on the planet, there’s still 40% where we have to ask, ‘What are we talking about it, beneath it all?’ Thematically, it has to be interesting. It’s humbling to get to play with the iconography of this world.”

In August 2021, FX Chief John Landgraf had said that the series was “a beast… a really big, world-building exercise” for Hawley. When asked for an update in the Esquire interview, Hawley said,

“It’s going great. It’s going slowly, unfortunately, given the scale of it. I’ve made a certain business out of reinvention.”

I don’t have anything against exploring the tech war angle. But, I’m not sure if the target audience (myself included) will be satisfied with an “Alien” show whose focus is such a strong departure from that which the brand was built on. Yes, there was corporate corruption in the first movies and questions of “creation” in the Prometheus films, so there are connections. Attention to the human drama element usually makes for better stories, too. Rather, I mean the apparent lack of xenomorph-oriented horror or action. But, I could be wrong about that. An early Disney statement said to “Expect a scary thrill ride set not too far in the future here on Earth.” Then there’s the “What happens if you can’t contain it?” remark. From Hawley’s latest comments, though, it’s not even clear if we’ll see any xenomorphs (except maybe in a lab?).

Frankly, I’d rather see Blomkamp’s Alien 5 get made. On the other hand, the new series could turn out to be a well-written piece of sci-fi all on its own. We shall see…

Ridley Scott is executive producing with Hawley. Likely premiere is some time in 2023.