ONE37pm's Most Anticipated Movies for the Second Half of 2022

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Taika Waititi, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Russell Crowe

Directed by: Taika Waititi

Release Date: July 8

In a few days, the world will be getting the follow-up to the hilarious and revolutionized Thor: Ragnarok. The fourth film in the Thor franchise is looking to be an absolute hit and a smash at the box office for a few reasons. Firstly, this film has some fantastic new additions to the cast including the villain being played by Christian Bale, the greek god Zeus played by Russell Crowe, and the return of Natalie Portman as a female version of Thor. Some of the ideas that have been presented to us in the trailers might look a little too far out there, but if any director can mix all of these elements together it's the talented director Taika Waititi, who is returning for his second Marvel Cinematic Universe feature film. Definitely have Thor: Love and Thunder on your radar if you consider yourself a fan of superhero movies.

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun

Directed by: Jordan Peele

Release Date: July 22

Coming later in the month is writer and director Jordan Peele’s third feature film Nope. If you have somehow fallen off the face of the earth, Peele has brought us two exceptional horror films in the past five years and this one is sure to be considered great too. While promoting this movie, Peele has done an excellent job at keeping the general premise a secret having little to no revealing information in his trailers. Described by Peele as a horror epic, Nope is bound to be one of his best thrill rides to date and another great film collaboration between actor Daniel Kaluuya and Jordan Peele.

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Chris Evans

Directed by: Anthony & Joe Russo

Release Date: July 22 (Netflix)

What should be a smash Summer hit, The Gray Man definitely has some potential. The minds behind this one have proven their talent in the past by directing some of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But, since then, they’ve made only one film which was a total miss called Cherry. I believe they are due for a rebound, especially with the A-list actors leading this film: Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, and Chris Evans.

Starring: Brad Pitt

Directed by: David Leitch

Release Date: August 5

If you watched any of the NBA Finals games in June you’ll know that this movie is coming. Every single damn advertisement was for this movie and it honestly became laughably annoying. Nevertheless, it still seems like a solid action movie with the loveable Brad Pitt playing the lead role. Additionally, the director of this flick, David Leitch, has proven he has filmmaking skills by making solid films like Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Hobbs & Shaw. Definitely don’t sleep on this one, it might just end up being one of the better action movies this year.  

Starring: Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen, Joel Edgerton

Directed by: Ron Howard

Release Date: August 5 (Prime Video)

Based on the real-life story, Thirteen Lives follows a group of young boys and their soccer coach who gets trapped in an underground cave in Thailand. With a great cast and a visionary director who has proven his talent before, who knows how good this one could be. It has all the ingredients to succeed which is why I think it will be a must-see.

Starring: Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde

Directed by: Olivia Wilde

Release Date: September 23

Now, this is a tricky one, and I’m genuinely not sure what to think about it. There are many reasons in favor of why this could be great, but if I’m being honest, the trailer throws me off. It seems like Olivia Wilde is a little over her head and I could see this film falling flat. Nevertheless, I’ll go over why it is more likely to be great. The cast is flawless with the lead being one of the best female actresses working in Hollywood today, Florence Pugh. Additionally, Olivia Wilde proved that she has the talent behind the camera after directing the successful Booksmart in 2019. This could definitely turn out to be one of the best films of 2022, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it flopped.

Starring: Ana de Armas

Directed by: Andrew Dominik

Release Date: September 23 (Netflix)

If the last movie on this list was a risky one, this is an extremely high-risk film. Blonde takes an in-depth look at the life of actress Marilyn Monroe and doesn’t shy away from anything. Given an NC-17 rating, Netflix has delayed the film significantly, imploring director Andrew Dominik to cut the film's sexual violence down to maintain an R rating. As of now it’s still NC-17 and will release on Netflix, on September 23 of this year. We’ve seen actress Ana de Armas do incredible things before so who knows what to expect with this film, just know that it probably won’t be your typical biopic.

Starring: Dwayne Johnson

Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra

Release Date: October 21

Who isn’t excited for a Dwyane ‘The Rock’ Johnson superhero movie, that man is an absolute unit. Sure he may not be the greatest actor, but he consistently brings us entertaining action movies year after year and Black Adam will certainly do the same. Helmed by the experienced action and adventure director Jaume Collet-Serra, this superhero film is no doubt a highly anticipated movie of 2022.

Starring: Christian Bale, Anya Taylor-Joy, Margot Robbie, Zoe Saldaña, Robert De Niro, Rami Malek, John David Washington Chirs Rock, Taylor Swift, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon

Directed by: David O. Russell

Release Date: November 4

Acclaimed writer and director David O. Russell finally returns after a seven year absence and is sure to be back with a bang. Stacked with an unbelievable cast, Amsterdam follows three friends who witness a murder, become suspects themselves, and ultimately uncover one of the craziest stories in American history. If unfamiliar with David O. Russell’s prior work, he has rarely missed and before taking his absence from directing was consistently churning out entertaining and interesting films on the regular. Definitely put this one high on your radar, it is sure to be a future hit.  

Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh

Directed by: James Cameron

Release Date: December 16

Now, this is what we’ve all been waiting for. If a film buff says they aren’t outrageously excited for this film they are probably lying to your face. Legendary director James Cameron FINALLY returns to the big screen with a sequel a decade in the making. Maybe the Avatar hype train has died down to a certain degree, but when this releases on IMAX screens, movie fans will no doubt be sprinting to the theaters to see this as quickly as possible.

Starring: Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, Finn Wolfhard, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, David Bradley

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson

Release Date: December 2022 (Netflix)

Some of you may be confused by my next statement but I never thought that we would get two Pinocchio movies in the same year. Yes, that’s right, this is only one of the two Pinocchio remakes coming out this year, but I have no doubt this version will be better. The other version is a live-action Disney take on the classic tale. But this version is a darker take on the story and is filmed in a stop-motion style. But when it comes down to it, the main reason this film will be superior is because of the mind behind the madness. This is a Guillermo del Toro film, and if unfamiliar with his work, he is a master at creating spectacular sci-fi spectacles, who won an Oscar for his beautiful work in 2017s The Shape of Water.