The films we just can't miss in 2024
From Mean Girls to Nosferatu, it's going to be an exciting year
G-Club
January 12th, 2024
January 12th, 2024
Welcome to the fascinating world of cinema, where every year new stories with incredible casts come to life on the big screen, making us fall in love with a different crush every month, and we have the embarrassment of choice. In 2023, it was the turn of Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Cillian Murphy, and Ryan Gosling, who enchanted us with excellent performances ranging from comedy to drama. As for actresses, Margot Robbie - the undisputed queen of Barbiecore - Florence Pugh, and Jennifer Lawrence dominated the year, the latter undergoing a strong rebranding in terms of style. What awaits us in 2024? A series of new releases destined to accompany us during these months, eagerly awaited by fans. From art films to blockbusters, it seems that the film industry is emerging from the deep crisis it plunged into due to the pandemic, ready to captivate us once again.
Mean Girls - Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne (January 12)
Our Roman Empire is Mean Girls, a cult film that marked a generation of girls. Although we are very attached to the OG released in 2004, the adaptation of the Broadway musical inspired by the film will be in US cinemas from January 12, and the hype is high. Especially because at the film premiere held in New York Cady Heron herself, Lindsay Lohan, was present. Whether any of the stars from twenty years ago will be in this new film (even just for a cameo) remains to be discovered because Tina Fey didn't want to spoil the surprise. The lead role is played by Australian actress Angourie Rice, and Reneé Rapp seems particularly comfortable in the role of the queen bee Regina George. Final thought: will the Jingle Bell Rocks scene at the Christmas show be as iconic as the previous one?
Poor Things! - Yorgos Lanthimos (January 25)
Yorhos Lanthimos' film Poor Things! - winner of two Golden Globes for Best Musical or Comedy Film and Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Film - will finally arrive in Italian theaters on January 25. Emma Stone unrestrainedly catapults herself into the knowledge of life, experiencing everything, both beauties and sordid situations, in the role of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). "It's a period film, that's for sure, but above all, it's a female adventure, a visionary, even literary horror," were Lanthimos' words at the Venice Film Festival. In Poor Things!, there is a controversial and scandalous sex scene that had to be re-edited to allow the film to be screened in the UK, where it arrives on January 12 in a censored version.
Drive-Away Dolls - Ethan Coen (February 26)
Drive-Away Dolls tells the story of Jamie (Margaret Qualley), a free spirit in crisis after the end of her relationship with her ex-girlfriend, and her friend Marian, who, unlike her, is very modest and needs to take life more lightly. The two embark on a journey for a fresh start to Tallahassee, Florida. Along the way, they encounter a group of criminals, and things take a turn. In short, a perfect queer road trip for Gen Z. The film is infused with the subversive humor the Coen brothers are known for, but with a fresh and raw perspective, all focused on the odyssey of a young woman recovering from a breakup with her girlfriend. In an interview with Collider, the director and the screenwriter Tricia Cooke hinted at the possibility of making another similar film to Drive-Away Dolls in the future. "The idea was to write three low-budget films that I always thought would stay in the drawer, and our children would watch them one day when they grew up, to have a good laugh. And now we've made one."
Dune - Part 2 - Denis Villeneuve (March 1)
After the delay in its release caused by the actors' strike, here is finally the second part of Dune, the film adapted from the famous novel by Frank Herbert. Among the most anticipated films of 2024, it will explore Paul Atreides' journey as he joins Chani and the Fremen on the path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. A cast of excellence with regard to the two protagonists: Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. The two actors get along really well. Zendaya herself told Empire Magazine after the first Dune: "We met during the script reading, and it was as if we had known each other forever. I immediately considered him as a childhood friend, and we became really good friends. I respect him a lot and believe he has incredible talent." Alongside Chalamet and Zendaya in the cast are also Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and Léa Seydoux.
Challengers - Luca Guadagnino (April 26)
This film was supposed to be the opening film of the Venice Film Festival in 2023, but the SAG-AFTRA strike by Hollywood actors caused a postponement for it too. Once again, Zendaya is the protagonist in the role of Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy who becomes an instructor. Married to a declining champion (Mike Faist), Tashi's strategy for her spouse's redemption takes an unexpected turn when he finds himself facing the now fallen Patrick (Josh O’Connor), once his best friend and Tashi's former companion. The past and present collide, generating an escalation of love tension among the three. A curiosity: to better portray her character, Zendaya had to undergo three months of training.
Beetlejuice 2 - Tim Burton (September 6)
Beetlejuice 2 Poster pic.twitter.com/vyDGH5qlNi
— SHAZAM COMICS (@shazamcomics) March 28, 2016
The possibility of a sequel to Beetlejuice has been discussed for so long that it's hard to believe. However, now it's certain: the sequel will happen - production ended in November - with Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, and Catherine O'Hara reprising their roles. In July, images from the set were leaked, featuring Winona Ryder and Jenna Ortega (a new entry in the cast). The two were photographed wearing ceremonial dresses. In the cast is also Monica Bellucci, Burton's partner. The horror comedy was a critical and commercial success, grossing $74.2 million from a budget of $15 million, and won the Oscar for Best Makeup in 1989. Can the sequel replicate this success?
Joker: Madness a Deux - Todd Phillips (October 4)
Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga: need I say more? In the sequel to the successful film Joker, the protagonist will meet Harley Quinn, with whom he will immediately establish a relationship that is not exactly healthy. The first photos of Lady Gaga on the set in the role of the female protagonist have excited fans. The singer has now proven to be a versatile actress, fitting perfectly into the roles assigned to her, and this (eccentric and colorful) seems to have been tailored to her. The Phoenix and Gaga combo can only bring us satisfaction and many social media edits, but the best part is that, with its release on October 4, we will still be in time to put together a Harley Quinn costume for Halloween.
Gladiator 2 - Ridley Scott (November 22)
Apparently, 2024 is the year of sequels to great cults. Ridley Scott's Gladiator transformed Russell Crowe into a star, crowning him as one of the most acclaimed actors in Hollywood and bestowing upon him the Oscar for the Best Film. The sequel will be considered a great success if it manages to approach even one of these milestones. The protagonist, Paul Mescal, holds promising prospects. It remains to be seen if this film will do for his career what it did for that of his predecessor.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim - Kenji Kamiyama (December 13)
Fresh from an agreement with Warner Bros for the production of additional content for The Lord of the Rings, New Line Cinema returns to Middle-earth with the animated film The War of the Rohirrim. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the story unfolds almost 200 years before the events of The Two Towers. When it comes to fantasy worlds, The Lord of the Rings is undoubtedly one of the most iconic and globally recognized, boasting an unequaled fanbase. After the original trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, it seemed there was no hope of seeing more works inspired by Tolkien's genius. In 2022, however, Amazon Studios surprised everyone by officially launching The Rings of Power, and now it's the turn of the animated prequel.
Nosferatu - Robert Eggers (December 25)
Eggers' next film will be a remake of the 1922 classic directed by F.W. Murnau. Not a simple copy, of course, but a reinterpretation of the vampire myth in its more classic facets: forget about Edward Cullen and Damon Salvatore. In the cast, we will find Anya Taylor-Joy, Lily Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, and Bill Skarsgård in the role of the titular vampire. A cast of great respect to conclude beautifully this year of extraordinary cinematic releases that traverse varied genres and feature the faces already loved and revered.