The Most-Anticipated Movies of 2024

No, 2024’s “Mean Girls” isn’t exactly a remake of the 2004 iconic original film, but an adaptation of the Broadway musical that premiered in 2018. Still, it features much of the same storyline, just with songs included — Cady (Angourie Rice) enters the unfamiliar world of high school, only to get pulled into The Plastics, the circle of queen bee Regina George (Renée Rapp). When Cady develops a crush on Regina’s ex-boyfriend, Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney), she and her friends forge a plan to sabotage Regina and destroy her place in the high school hierarchy. This new iteration is directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. and is once again written by Tina Fey.

Action-comedy film “Argylle” from director Matthew Vaughn features a star-studded cast with the likes of Dua Lipa, Henry Cavill, John Cena, Samuel L. Jackson and Ariana Debose. At the heart of it all is Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays Ellie Conway, a spy novelist who finds that the events of her novels are coming to life — and now the spies she thought were fictional are after her.

Marvel’s “Madame Web” stars Dakota Johnson as the titular character, a clairvoyant paramedic who develops the ability to see into the future. She then must try and survive deadly forces with three women — played by Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor and Isabela Merced.

Looking for an emotional and tuneful Valentine’s Day watch? Produced in cooperation with the singer’s family, this biopic stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as the iconic reggae artist. It covers his life and music, from the beginning of his career to a 1976 shooting at his home and his death in 1981 at just 36 years old.

Denis Villeneuve’s sequel continues the journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he embarks on a warpath of revenge against those who destroyed his family, while also attempting to prevent a terrible future. Chalamet will be joined by Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling and Stephen McKinley Henderson. Newcomers include Austin Butler, Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux and Souheila Yacoub.

The fourth installment of the beloved DreamWorks franchise, “Kung Fu Panda 4” sees panda Po (Jack Black) being told by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) that he will no longer be the Dragon Warrior, but instead become Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. That’s soon interrupted by a new antagonist, The Chameleon (Viola Davis), a shape-shifting sorceress who absorbs the kung fu of every villain and who seeks to destroy Po. Guess the noodles will have to wait.

In Kobi Libii’s comedy satirizing the “magical negro” trope, Justice Smith stars as Aren, a young man recruited into a society of magical Black people who use their powers to ease the discomfort of white people. Aren, however, struggles to follow the rules of the society when he falls for a woman (An-Li Bogan) whom his client (Drew Tarver) also becomes interested in.

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a former UFC fighter-turned-bouncer in Doug Liman’s upcoming remake of the 1989 cult classic of the same name, which featured Patrick Swayze in the lead role. Working at a Florida Keys roadhouse (owned by Jessica Williams’ Frankie), Gyllenhaal’s Dalton comes face to face with some shady characters. Conor McGregor, who has fought in the UFC in real life, makes his acting debut opposite Gyllenhaal.

The sequel to 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” follows the Spengler family leaving Oklahoma and going to the original New York fire station of the original 1984 “Ghostbusters” film. There, they meet with the original Ghostbusters and end up needing to “bust” a villainous force aptly named the Death Chill.

Godzilla and King Kong are no longer opponents, but instead allies in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The film is the sequel to 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” and follows the two iconic characters banding together to face off against a new threat.

Directed and written by Alex Garland (“Ex Machina”), this apocalyptic action film depicts a United States in the midst of conflict, with 19 states having seceded and the U.S. government facing off against a Texan and Californian army called the Western Forces. Kristen Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Cailee Spaeny all star. As voiced in the trailer, “God bless America.”

Directed by Luca Guadignino, “Challengers” is a steamy romantic comedy sports drama starring Zendaya as Tashi, a tennis coach who has trained her husband, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), to tennis stardom. After a string of losses for Art, Tashi signs up him for a challengers event against none other than Tashi’s ex-boyfriend — and Art’s former best friend — Patrick (Josh O’Connor). Quickly, it becomes clear that tensions in the court stem from tensions off of it.

“Barbie” star Ryan Gosling returns in an action comedy film adaptation of the 1980s series “The Fall Guy.” The film follows stuntman Colt Seavers (Gosling) as he works on a film directed by his ex-girlfriend, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). As one can guess, things don’t go smoothly once the star of the film disappears and Colt sets off to find her.

Marisa Abela of “Industry” stars as the late sultry singer Amy Winehouse in a biopic directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. Told from the singer’s point of view, the film looks at her rise to fame, troubled life and the release of the “Back to Black” album. Jack O’Connell and Leslie Manville co-star.

Written and directed by John Krasinski, comedy film “IF” stars Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds and Phoebe Waller-Bridge in this tale that asks: what if your imaginary friends weren’t imaginary? One young girl will find out the answer to that question after she starts seeing the imaginary friends created by those around her.

George Miller’s “Mad Max” franchise continues with “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” in which Anya Taylor-Joy stars as young Imperator Furiosa (the younger version of Charlize Theron’s character). Furiosa is thrown into a Biker Horde led by Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and must find her way back home.

Chris Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson join comic creator Jim Davis’ universe in the franchise’s newest animated feature, following Bill Murray’s 2004 film “Garfield: The Movie” and its 2006 sequel “Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties.” Pratt will star as the titular orange feline, with Jackson portraying his father Vic — a new character.

Picking up after the death of Caesar in 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes,” the newest addition to the 20th Century Studios franchise will be set several generations later, with apes now the dominant species. As a new tyrannical ape starts building an empire, a young ape is forced to grapple with decisions that will define the future for both apes and humans. The cast is comprised of Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, Freya Allen, William H. Macy and Peter Macon.

Based on Skip Hollandsworth’s 2001 Texas Monthly magazine article of the same name, this new Richard Linklater Netflix film sees Glen Powell star as a Houston police associate who disguises himself as an assassin to catch willing clients. But hijinks ensure when he finds himself getting invested in saving a woman in an abusive relationship, played by Adria Arjona. Austin Amelio, Retta and Molly Bernard round out the cast.

“The Crow” franchise gets a reboot with this fifth iteration, starring Bill Skarsgard, Danny Huston and FKA Twigs. Rupert Sanders directs the long-in-the-works supernatural superhero film that sees Skarsgard as the Crow, a murdered musician who sets out to avenge his own death and that of his fiancée.

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence will reunite for the fourth installment in the action series, serving as a sequel to “Bad Boys for Life” — which earned $426.5 million at the worldwide box office. “Bad Boys for Life” directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are returning for the fourth film, with Chris Bremner penning the script.