The Northman, Spider-Verse 2, The Batman and more: 22 must-see movies for 2022

Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Matrix Resurrections made for a thrilling end of the year on the big screen but fear not movie fans, 2022 promises just as many buzzed-about films to look forward to. This year gives us Robert Eggers' latest epic The Northman starring Anya Taylor Joy, Robert Pattison donning the cape in The Batman and the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Part One. Not to mention sequels to Avatar and Jurassic World, the long-awaited release of Top Gun: Maverick and Olivia Wilde’s hotly anticipated Don’t Worry Darling.

See below for our top 22 picks for 2022!

Scream

Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Marley Shelton, Melissa Barrera
Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Release Date: January 14, 2022

Do you like scary movies? It’s hard to believe it’s been two decades since Scream made teenagers everywhere afraid to pick up their (landline) phones and inspired a new take on the horror movie genre. Now, 25 years after the murders in Woodsboro began, a new killer has emerged (in a Ghostface mask obvs) prompting the return of Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott. Courteney Cox and David Arquette also reprise their roles as Gale and Dewey Riley. 

“I want (the fans) to know they’re going to experience a movie that’s very similar to the first one,” Cox told ETonline.  “It’s scarier, probably, than it was 25 years ago. So, it’s up to date in a different way.”

The fifth film in the series – and the first without the late Wes Craven - will also feature newcomers Melissa Barrera, Jack Quaid, and Jasmin Savoy Brown. 

Marry Me

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Maluma, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Sarah Silverman
Director: Kat Coiro
Release Date: February 11, 2022  

It’s been a while since we’ve had a good rom-com grace our screens and what better way to mark the return than one starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. J.Lo stars as music superstar Kat Valdez, who’s about to marry fellow star Bastian (Maluma) in front of a crowd of fans and streaming live online. But when Kat finds out her fiancée cheated on her with her assistant moments before the wedding, she instead picks high school teacher Charlie (Wilson) out of the crowd to marry instead. As well as being the ultimate pick for a Valentine’s Day date, the movie is sure to provide some much-needed feel-good moments for everyone regardless of their dating status.

Uncharted

Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Sophia Ali, Antonio Banderas, Tati Gabrielle 
Director: Ruben Fleischer 
Release Date: February 18, 2022  

Seeking some adventure to kick off 2022? Look no further than Uncharted, a new action-adventure film that is a prequel to the popular video game series of the same name. Tom Holland stars as a young Nathan Drake who teams up with treasure hunter Victor ‘Sully’ Sullivan (Wahlberg). Together they will criss-cross the globe in search of a lost $5 billion fortune.

The Batman

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, Peter Sarsgaard  
Director: Matt Reeves
Release Date: March 4, 2022

No matter how many times Batman gets rebooted, we are always 100 per cent in. Arguably the best superhero of them all, we’re super excited for Matt Reeves’ take on the Caped Crusader, and especially to see what Robert Pattinson does with the role. The film also features Zoë Kravitz as Cat Woman and Paul Dano as The Riddler. We’re expecting this to be just as dark as Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, but a fresh take on the iconic hero.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre

Starring: Jason Statham, Josh Hartnett, Aubrey Plaza, Hugh Grant
Director: Guy Ritchie 
Release Date: March 18, 2022

An all-star cast comes together in Guy Ritchie’s latest action comedy, including a big return for heartthrob Josh Hartnett. Here he plays a movie star who is recruited by a special agent (Jason Statham) for an undercover mission. Also starring Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza, and Cary Elwes, you can expect big action, laughs, and a feast for your eyes.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 

Starring: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Jim Carrey, Idris Elba
Director: Jeff Fowler 
Release Date: April 8, 2022

Fans of the iconic blue video game character should get excited, because Sonic is back for another wild adventure. With a very fun cast, including Jim Carrey’s brilliant take on supervillain Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and the addition of Idris Elba as Knuckles, buckle up for another speedy adventure that will be fun for the whole family.

The Northman

Starring: Alexander Skarsgard, Anya Taylor Joy, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe
Director: Robert Eggers
Release Date: April 22, 2022

Director Robert Eggers has made a name for himself with films like The Witch and The Lighthouse, and his latest epic might just be his most dark and terrifying yet. The story follows a Viking prince who is seeking revenge for his father, who was murdered. If we have learned anything from his previous films, it’s that this will likely be filled with disturbing but beautiful imagery and will likely keep us up at night.

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams
Director: Sam Raimi
Release Date: May 6, 2022

If you, like us, watched Spider-Man: No Way Home and longed for more Doctor Strange, then your wishes are coming true this spring. The long-awaited sequel to Doctor Strange arrives, and it looks like it’ll be an even more complicated exploration of the multiverse than we just got with Spidey. With Sam Raimi stepping into the director’s seat for this one, this is easily one of the most exciting films of 2022. We’re excited to see Doctor Strange work closely with Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and watch even more of the Marvel universe collide.

65

Starring: Adam Driver
Director: Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
Release Date: May 13, 2022

All we really know about 65 is that it’s an astronaut movie starring Adam Driver, but that’s literally enough to get us excited. Directed by the duo who wrote the screenplay for A Quiet Place (1&2), we’re expecting a scary space-set story, where Adam Driver crashes on a mysterious planet to find out that he’s not alone. Sign us up please.

Top Gun: Maverick

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Ed Harris 
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Release Date: May 27, 2022 

It’s been more than 35 years since Top Gun was released in 1986 but we’re as pumped as ever to see Tom Cruise reprise his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the long-awaited sequel. (We’re also hoping to hear Highway to the Danger Zone one more time).

Hot shot naval pilot Maverick is now a flight instructor training a batch of new recruits for a dangerous mission, including his late friend Goose’s son (Miles Teller). While Kelly McGillis will not be returning as Charlie, Maverick has a new love interest named Penny (Jennifer Connelly), a single mother who owns a bar. Val Kilmer also returns to his role as Maverick’s nemesis Iceman.

Jurassic World: Dominion

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern
Director: Colin Trevorrow 
Release Date: June 10, 2022  

The plot of this much-anticipated new film in the Jurassic Park franchise has been kept tightly under wraps but director Colin Trevorrow has offered a few clues as to what could be in store. Taking place four years after 2018’s Fallen Kingdom and the release of the dinosaurs, Trevorrow told ew.com the dinosaurs are now living amongst humans all over the world – and clashing with them. “It's exciting to see these creatures navigate environments that they weren't built to survive in. They grew up in a theme park and now they're here!" he told the site. 

Not only will Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt reprise their roles as Claire and Owen, but the film will also feature the return of Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern – reunited for the first time since the original 1993 film Jurassic Park. 

Elvis

Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Release Date: June 24, 2022

The director of films including Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby is back for a biopic about Elvis, so you just know that this is going to be one lavishly told story. Known for his extravagant visual style, Luhrmann is the perfect person to showcase the King of Rock and Roll. It stars relative newcomer Austin Butler in what is sure to be a star-making performance, alongside Tom Hanks and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Thor: Love and Thunder

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Chris Pratt, Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Karen Gillan, Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson
Director: Taika Waititi 
Release Date: July 8, 2022 

Chris Hemsworth returns as the God of Thunder in the aptly named Thor: Love and Thunder, a sequel to 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok. Natalie Portman also returns to the franchise as Jane Foster after a surprise appearance in Avengers: Endgame, and this time we hear Jane will be wielding a hammer herself!

Tessa Thompson is also back as Valkyrie alongside newcomer Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher. How's that for a supervillain name?

Bullet Train

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Brad Pitt, Zazie Beetz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon
Director: David Leitch
Release Date: July 15, 2022

A-listers Sandra Bullock and Brad Pitt, alongside an impressive supporting cast, star in this new thrill ride from the director of John Wick. Bullet Train follows five assassins on a fast-moving train who realize their missions all have something in common. This sounds like it’ll be a thrilling, psychological ride and we can’t wait to see it.

Where the Crawdads Sing 

Starring: Harris Dickinson, David Strathairn, Garret Dillahunt, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith
Director: Olivia Newman
Release Date: July 22, 2022 

Based on Delia Owen’s best-selling 2018 novel of the same name, Where the Crawdads Sing is a coming-of-age story of a young girl who grows up in the marshes of North Carolina and later becomes a murder suspect. After choosing the book for her book club, Reese Witherspoon signed on to produce the film that stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as lead character Kya. 

Don’t Worry Darling

Starring: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine
Director: Olivia Wilde
Release Date: September 23, 2022

There’s been a lot of buzz around Olivia Wilde’s second directorial feature, with some real-life drama including the firing of Shia LaBeouf, and the on-set romance between Wilde and Styles – but that’s just part of what makes Don’t Worry Darling so intriguing. The film follows a 1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian community, when dark secrets come to the surface. Here Wilde reteams with Booksmart writer Katie Silberman, and we’re confident this is going to be a must-see.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – Part One

Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae, Jake Johnson
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Release Date: October 7, 2022 

If you ask us, there could never be enough Spider-Man movies, so we’re pretty pumped to get another one so soon. This animated adventure that brought the idea of the Spider-Verse to a mass audience is going to get even more complex in the sequel. Here Miles Morales joins forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to fight a villain more powerful than anything they’ve ever faced before

Halloween Ends

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Kyle Richards, Nick Castle
Director: David Gordon Green
Release Date: October 14, 2022 

David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy reboot ends this fall. Spoiler alert, but almost everyone in the previous film died, while Michael Myers went on a massive killing spree. We’re very curious how the iconic horror villain’s story will end, seeing as he seems to be immortal. This long-awaited conclusion will hopefully give horror fans some closure, and will potentially be the final Michael Myers film (pending another reboot in the future).

The Flash 

Starring: Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton, Michael Shannon, Temuera Morrison, Kiersey Clemons 
Director: Andy Muschietti 
Release Date: November 4, 2022 

The Flash isn’t set to hit theatres until November, but the film is already receiving plenty of buzz and could bring major changes to the DCEU. We guess that's an occupational hazard when you run so fast, you can break reality.

Fans were worried the new film could break Ezra Miller's Flash off from Zack Snyder's Justice League continuity, but the star himself has assured us that's not the case.

Best of all, though? Michael Keaton has jumped timelines and is back as Batman. We've been waiting for this since 1992!

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 

Starring: Martin Freeman, Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya 
Director: Ryan Coogler
Release Date: November 11, 2022 

After the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman in August 2020, the sequel to Black Panther will instead focus on the other characters from the first film including Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia and the Kingdom of Wakanda.

Rumour has it that Shuri, Black Panther’s younger sister, will be the focus of this film, and we can’t wait to see a powerful Black woman headline this anticipated sequel.

Avatar 2

Starring: Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington 
Director: James Cameron 
Release Date: December 16, 2022 

James Cameron’s Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time, and the visionary director hopes to capture some of that magic again with Avatar 2 set for later this year. The sequel to the 2009 Oscar-winning film is the first of four planned sequels. Picking up several years after the original, Avatar 2 returns to Pandora where Jake Sully (Worthington) and Neytiri (Saldana) are now parents. Much of the film was shot underwater, which required the actors to learn how to hold their breath for minutes at a time.  

The film also features the return of Sigourney Weaver in an undisclosed role and new cast member Kate Winslet, who reunites with Cameron for the first time since Titanic.

Babylon

Starring: Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Olivia Wilde, Tobey Maguire  
Director: Damien Chazelle
Release Date: December 25, 2022

We’re going to have to wait until Christmas Day for Babylon, but with a stacked cast that includes Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Olivia Wilde and Tobey Maguire, this is a gift worth waiting for. Damien Chazelle (who won a best director Oscar for La La Land and had our hearts pumping with Whiplash) directs this epic period drama set in 1920s L.A. Much of the plot is still under wraps but early buzz indicates it will tell the story of both real and fictional Hollywood heavyweights.