2021, though heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, was full of incredibly entertaining films. This year was the return of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with 4 films accompanied by 5 shows on Disney Plus. Movies such as Dune and Don’t Look Up captivated audiences across the world with their impressive stories and ideas. It also had great animated movies like Mitchells v. The Machines and Disney’s Encanto. But 2022 is already looking to be an exciting year with many good films in the making. Let’s take a look at what films are in store for us this year. 

First off, 2022 is full of new MCU projects. Starting on May 6th, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will bring back the titular Doctor Strange as he must tangle with the consequences of his actions in the last few movies which have upset the balance of countless universes. This is planned to be a more horror-focused film and is directed by Sam Raimi, who directed the Tobey Maguire trilogy of Spider-Man movies. 

After that, Thor: Love and Thunder comes out on July 8th and has Thor returning to face a new threat known as Gorr the God Butcher who is played by the iconic Christian Bale. Directed by Taika Waititi, who directed the previous Thor film, this movie will include many members of the Guardians of the Galaxy and will also have the return of Natalie Portman as Jane Foster as she takes on the responsibility of wielding Thor’s hammer. 

Then, on November 3rd, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever comes out, following the death of Chadwick Boseman who played the main character of the first film. Now with his passing, it is rumored that his sister in the films named Shuri, played by Letitia Wright, will take on the role of Black Panther to protect the people of Wakanda from some new threat. Not much is known regarding the plot of the movie, though rumors state that characters like Namor the Sub-Mariner and/or Storm from the X-Men might make appearances. Currently, there is also a great deal of controversy surrounding how exactly Marvel Studios should move on with the Black Panther role following Boseman’s death in 2020. 

Other than the MCU, exciting new animated films will be coming out to theatres. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Part One has been confirmed to come out later this year on October 7, 2022. Following the events of the first film, Miles Morales must now enter the Multiverse itself as a new threat emerges that has yet to be named. Many characters from the first film are returning such as the alternate universe Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy. There will also be new characters like Spider-Man 2099 who will be played by Oscar Isaac and Spider-Woman who will be played by Issa Rae. The directors and writers have promised even more dazzling animation sequences with each new universe having a distinct animation style. This will surely be one of the best movies of the year. 

In other superhero news, the long-awaited The Batman with Robert Pattinson taking on the iconic role will come out on March 4th. This will be disconnected from the DC Entertainment Universe, or DCEU, that is still finding its footing and direction. Rumors surrounding the possibility of a connection between this movie and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker film from 2019 have been widely shared on social media, though no confirmation has been made. The movie will take a darker look at characters like Batman, Catwoman who will be played by Zoe Kravitz, and the villain Riddler who will be portrayed by Paul Dano. 

In Disney news, Pixar will be releasing the film Lightyear on June 17th. This movie proposes the backstory behind the character of Buzz Lightyear from the now-iconic Toy Story franchise. In this film, a young astronaut voiced by MCU icon Chris Evans will embark on a story across the galaxy, making friends and enemies along the way. This will let audiences know the true story behind the action figure. This seems to be looking like a very entertaining movie for the whole family to enjoy. 

There is a lot of movies for people to enjoy coming out this year, whether you are a superhero fan or a Disney fan. There are probably many more that we didn’t touch on in this article so make sure to keep on the lookout for any movies that catch your eye coming out over this year. Get your popcorn ready, movie-goers!