12 Movies Releasing in 2022

After an extremely difficult year rebooting the box office, movies made a triumphant return in 2021 with brand new feature films releasing on a weekly basis once again. It is with immense excitement and incredible anticipation that I bring you previews for 12 movies releasing in 2022:

1. Scream (January 14th, 2022) directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

Technically the fifth installment in the Scream franchise from Paramount Pictures, Scream (2022) is a sequel to Scream 4 (2011). Despite its misleading title, Scream sees returning characters Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), and Dewey Riley (David Arquette) entangled in another series of vicious murders committed by the Ghostface killer (voiced by Roger L. Jackson). This is the first film in the franchise not to be directed by the late, great horror legend, Wes Craven; however, hope remains high this film will maintain the terrific standard set by the original Scream (1996).

2. Uncharted (February 18th, 2022) directed by Ruben Fleischer

Based on the incredibly popular video game series of the same name, Uncharted (2022) follows a young treasure hunter, Nathan Drake (Tom Holland), and his partner in crime, Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg), as they travel the globe together and endure treacherous conditions to uncover hidden riches. This is the first film from PlayStation Studios, a production company owned by Sony Pictures with a specific focus on adapting Sony PlayStation video games for film and television. After approximately ten years in recurring development, PlayStation Studios will finally adapt their long-gestating Indiana Jones tribute.

3. The Batman (March 4th, 2022) directed by Matt Reeves

A brand new interpretation of the caped crusader descends in the form of The Batman (2022), starring a younger Bruce Wayne / Batman (Robert Pattinson) in his second year of crime fighting throughout Gotham City. Originally intended to be a Batman film set in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) with Ben Affleck starring, writing and directing, this film ultimately became an isolated project fully disconnected from any existing cinematic universe when director Matt Reeves joined the production. With a reinvigorated focus on the detective skills of Batman, this film presents a fresh take on a character wholly consumed by vengeance as he comes to terms with his intricate role in a crime-riddled city occupied by the likes of Selina Kyle / Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot / Penguin (Colin Farrell) and Edward Nashton / Riddler (Paul Dano).

4. Turning Red (March 11th, 2022) directed by Domee Shi

From Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Turning Red (2022) is a curious coming-of-age story about a thirteen-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl named Mei Lee who happens to transform into a giant red panda whenever she becomes overly excited or stressed out. Set in Toronto, Canada during the early 2000s, this film centers on Lee’s contrasting desires to appease her mother’s expectations for her as well as indulge in the anarchy of adolescence. Writer / Director Domee Shi impressed with her excellent Pixar short film, Bao (2018), and it looks like she’ll deliver another heartfelt tale with Turning Red.

5. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (April 8th, 2022) directed by Jeff Fowler

An icon in the video game industry, Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) adapted the blue blur into live-action for the first time with mostly positive feedback despite Sonic’s initial design for the film. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022) sees Sonic (voiced by Ben Schwartz) return to the big screen and team-up with Tails the two-tailed fox (voiced by Colleen O’Shaughnessey) in an attempt to thwart the evil Doctor Robotnik’s (Jim Carrey) latest scheme. Knuckles the echidna (voiced by Idris Elba) will also debut in the film although it’s unclear what this version of the character’s motivations will be. While much of the film’s plot has yet to be officially revealed, odds are the story will introduce the Master Emerald and Chaos Emeralds, objects of unlimited energy which often serve as the MacGuffins for many Sonic the Hedgehog video games.

6. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (April 15th, 2022) directed by David Yates

Despite the lukewarm critical reception and moderate box office performances of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) as well as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) compared to the tremendously successful Harry Potter films, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) assures additional emphasis on franchise standout, Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law). Dumbledore places Magizoologist Newt Scamandar (Eddie Redmayne) in charge of a team of wizards and witches as they embark on a dangerous mission to combat the growing influence of dark wizard, Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen). Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore should feature a number of reveals for the title character and, in the process, shine a brighter light on Dumbledore’s complicated relationship with Grindelwald as well as explore how significant the corrosion of that relationship will be to the future of the Wizarding World franchise.

7. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6th, 2022) directed by Sam Raimi

The long awaited sequel to the psychedelic Doctor Strange (2016), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) will considerably up the ante and theoretically follow up on loose ends from recent Marvel fare, including WandaVision (2021), Loki: Season 1 (2021) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). When Doctor Stephen Strange’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) mystical research becomes obstructed by Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), his former friend who has committed to ridding the world of sorcerers, the ensuing conflict results in Strange unleashing an unspeakable evil throughout the multiverse à la Pandora’s Box. With the stakes higher than ever, Doctor Strange will team-up with Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Wong (Benedict Wong) to protect the multiverse from this undisclosed evil, potentially featuring appearances from other popular Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) characters along the way.

8. Jurassic World: Dominion (June 10th, 2022) directed by Colin Trevorrow

The third film in the Jurassic World trilogy, Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) pays off on the frightening prospect that dinosaurs will rule the planet once more if humans fail to contain their reanimated numbers. The events of Jurassic World (2015) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) ultimately bring about this nightmare scenario with Jurassic World: Dominion illustrating how dinosaur handler Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and former Jurassic World executive Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) are adjusting to life in this new age of the dinosaur. The film will also feature the long-awaited return of Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), appearing onscreen together for the first time since the original Jurassic Park (1993).

9. Lightyear (June 17th, 2022) directed by Angus MacLane

Lightyear (2022) is a fictional film set within the world of Toy Story that inspired the Buzz Lightyear action figure seen throughout the Toy Story franchise from Pixar Animation Studios. In this origin story, Buzz Lightyear (Chris Evans) travels across galaxies to space ranger headquarters, Star Command, exploring the outer reaches of space and encountering alien species on strange planets. Not much is known about the Toy Story spinoff at this point, but the recent teaser trailer shows off amazing visuals, fascinating characters and moving callbacks: “To infinity…!”

10. Thor: Love & Thunder (July 8th, 2022) directed by Taika Waititi

Five years removed from the release of the massively charismatic, Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Thor: Love & Thunder (2022) sees Thor (Chris Hemsworth) traverse life without his adopted brother, Loki, either of his parents, or even his home world of Asgard to return to. Having experienced such monumental loss within a relatively short period of time in comparison to his hundreds of years of existence, Thor finds himself back in touch with his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), currently undergoing cancer treatment. At some point, Foster finds herself bestowed with the powers of Thor, becoming the Mighty Thor; together, Thor and Jane will face a dangerous new enemy, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale). Appearances by Asgardian warriors, Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) and Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), as well as the Guardians of the Galaxy, including Peter Quill / Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), have also been confirmed for the film.

11. Halloween Ends (October 14th, 2022) directed by David Gordon Green

The fourth chapter in the contemporary Halloween quadrilogy, Halloween Ends (2022) will bring the iconic 40 year rivalry between Michael Myers (Nick Castle) and Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) that started with Halloween (1978) to a close. While Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021) take place on a single Halloween night in 2018, Halloween Ends will move the franchise forward to the year 2022 and study the ramifications of Myers’ deadliest killing spree yet. Established characters, such as Laurie’s granddaughter, Allyson Nelson (Andi Matichak), and Deputy Frank Hawkins (Will Patton), are expected to return for the final faceoff, but precise details of the plot remain scarce for now.

12. The Flash (November 4th, 2022) directed by Andy Muschietti

After nearly ten years in active development, The Flash (2022) will finally bring Barry Allen / The Flash (Ezra Miller) back to film in his first theatrical appearance since Justice League (2017). Loosely based on the graphic novel, Flashpoint (2011) written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Andy Kubert, the story of the film revolves around Allen traveling back in time through the use of his unbelievable super speed to save his mother from the night of her murder when he was a child. This substantial change to the timeline creates unforeseen issues for the oft-proclaimed “fastest man alive.” With the highly-anticipated returns of Bruce Wayne / Batman (Michael Keaton) from Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) as well as Bruce Wayne / Batman (Ben Affleck) from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) of the DCEU, the first teaser trailer promises The Flash to be a wild timeline-hopping ride with nothing off limits to the imagination of the filmmakers.

In addition to these 12 feature films, here are 22 honorable mentions of other movies releasing in 2022:

1. Morbius (January 28th, 2022) directed by Daniel Espinosa
2. The Black Phone (January 28th, 2022) directed by Scott Derrickson
3. Moonfall (February 4th, 2022) directed by Roland Emmerich
4. Downton Abbey: A New Era (March 18th, 2022) directed by Simon Curtis
5. Bob’s Burgers: The Movie (May 27th, 2022) directed by Loren Bouchard
6. John Wick: Chapter 4 (May 27th, 2022) directed by Chad Stahelski
7. Top Gun: Maverick (May 27th, 2022) directed by Joseph Kosinski
8. Where the Crawdads Sing (June 24th, 2022) directed by Olivia Newman
9. Minions: The Rise of Gru (July 1st, 2022) directed by Kyle Balda
10. Nope (July 22nd, 2022) directed by Jordan Peele
11. Black Adam (July 29th, 2022) directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
12. Salem’s Lot (September 9th, 2022) directed by Gary Dauberman
13. Don’t Worry Darling (September 23rd, 2022) directed by Oliva Wilde
14. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (September 23rd, 2022) directed by Joel Crawford
15. Mission: Impossible 7 (September 30th, 2022) directed by Christopher McQuarrie
16. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) (October 7th, 2022) directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin Thompson
17. Killers of the Flower Moon (October 14th, 2022) directed by Martin Scorsese
18. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11th, 2022) directed by Ryan Coogler
19. Creed III (November 23rd, 2022) directed by Michael B. Jordan
20. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December 16th, 2022) directed by James Wan
21. Avatar 2 (December 16th, 2022) directed by James Cameron
22. The Nightingale (December 23rd, 2022) directed by Michelle MacLaren

Barring any unforeseen release date changes, 2022 looks to be another year packed with plenty of new films releasing exclusively in movie theaters on a weekly basis.

Thank you for reading this list, covering 12 movies releasing in 2022!

The Mercer County Library System (MCLS) catalog features an enormous number of films, including titles released in 2021.

What 2022 films are you looking forward to the most? Comment with your thoughts below!

- Jamie Anderson, Lawrence Headquarters Branch