20 of this summer's most anticipated films

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Xochitl Gomez, Chiwetel EjioforDirector: Sam RaimiBenedict Cumberbatch’s Sorcerer-No-Longer-Supreme busts out an extra helping of Touch of Gray as he enters multiple Marvel universes alongside a newly powered-up Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and lifelong dimension-hopper America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Strange’s disillusioned ex-friend Mordo. The movie also marks the return of director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, duh) to comic-book films.In a film that focuses on multiple realities (cinematic and otherwise), some Marvel fans will be looking at Multiverse to deliver on the implied promise of cameos from previously non-canonical movies, especially after a Super Bowl teaser may or may not have included the voice of Patrick Stewart as the X-Men’s Charles Xavier. Expect a front-loaded weekend from fanatics terrified that anything might be spoiled, or aybe spoiling things themselves after they see it.While we can’t say if Multiverse will one-up in the surprise appearance game, we do know this sequel features tentacle monsters, dinosaurs, and zombies. And with Raimi’s horror pedigree, expect a much scarier Marvel movie than usual. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Cast: Colin Firth, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Jason Isaacs Director: John MaddenIt may sound delicious, but the tastiest part of this film is the intrigue of its story. The “mincemeat” in question is a dead body used as part of a World War II military operation to mislead the Axis powers into thinking the Allies planned to invade Greece and Sardinia, rather than Sicily, the real target . The plan was to dress a dead homeless man up as a Royal Marines officer, stuff his pockets with fake documents, and let him wash ashore in southern Spain. According to some accounts, it was based on an idea by a Lieutenant Commander named Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn), who went on to develop a pedigree of his own in international espionage—fictional, anyway.James Bond this is not, but it may offer enough of a fix for those seeking handsome English actors talking about espionage. Colin Firth plays Ewen Montagu, the Lieutenant Commander assigned to develop the plan, whose book The Man Who Never Was became a movie of the same name in 1956. Reviews thus far have been mildly positive, indicating a standard period drama that delivers exactly what audiences expect, but no more. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Cast: Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kurtwood Smith, Michael GreyeyesDirector: Keith ThomasThe latest film based on the work of the ever-prolific Stephen King comes from the equally prolific nightmare-maker Blumhouse Productions. Director Keith Thomas, who broke out last year with The Vigil, adds fuel to the King film resurgence with . A second adaptation of the 1980 novel, following the 1984 film starring Drew Barrymore, the story centers on Charlie (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), a young girl with pyrokinetic powers and her father, Andy (Zac Efron), as they fight a shadowy government organization that seeks to control and use her.The trailer suggests a film very aware of the current comic book movie climate, with Charlie being referred to as a “real-life superhero.” But even in a world where everyone is aware of Marvel’s X-Men, Firestarter still has a chance to circumvent expectations if it maintains the emotional core and truly horrific burn sequences of the novel. While a more accurate adaptation of the novel, and Greyeyes’ portrayal of one of King’s best villains, John Rainbird, is certain to pique the interests of King and horror enthusiasts, the biggest highlight may be that John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter, and Daniel Davies are composing the score for the film. It’s a bit of cinematic justice considering the senior Carpenter was removed as director from the ’84 film following the critical and financial disappointment of The Thing. [Richard Newby]

Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Jim CarterDirector: Simon CurtisThe franchise has started to take in the lesson that the Saw series learned long ago: if there are no plans to actually end the story, be wary of giving your most popular character a terminal disease. Thus, while Maggie Smith’s tart-tongued Dowager Countess ended the previous movie with the medical equivalent of a death sentence, she’s still above ground and driving the plot here, inheriting a French villa that comes with all manner of new revelations attached. Similarly, the palsy-afflicted butler Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) seems to be in unremarked-upon remission.Meanwhile, back in England, one of those newfangled motion pictures starts filming on location at Downton, allowing for all sorts of meta-humor about the annoyances of movies. Writer Julian Fellowes couldn’t possibly have foreseen this sort of thing would one day make it into his period drama of manners, but characters and settings do take on a life of their own after a while.No doubt the French air will do wonders for the Dowager’s health. At this point, they have to be going for a trilogy. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen PowellDirector: Joseph KosinskiAfter 36 years (well, 34 if you don’t count the COVID shutdown which pushed the film to this year’s release date) Tom Cruise is back in the cockpit for the sequel to 1986’s Top Gun. Trailers for the film revel in nostalgia with an aging Pete “Maverick” Mitchell still sassing higher ranking officers and hot-dog flying, having repeatedly dodged a promotion that would have relegated him to teacher status. Top Gun references and homages abound, including Maverick’s flight jacket and sunglasses, a beach football game with buff, shirtless dudes, and some kind of bar room singing. If all of this doesn’t get your blood pumping, well, then you probably aren’t a fan of the original film.Relative newcomer Joseph Kosinski directs the film and worked with Cruise on 2013’s Oblivion which was…an okay movie, especially compared to his narrative debut, 2010’s TRON: Legacy. So it remains to be seen what chops Kosinski. Miles Teller stars as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, son of Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, who apparently has some feelings about his late father’s former partner. Val Kilmer is back as “Iceman,” and Jon Hamm and Ed Harris appear as Navy brass who are unimpressed by Maverick’s pedigree. [Don Lewis]

Cast: H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Kristen SchaalDirectors: Loren Bouchard, Bernard DerrimanAnimation’s favorite mustachioed restaurateur, his unstoppably sing-y wife, and their three trouble-making kids go on their biggest adventure yet in the first-ever movie. Series creator Loren Bouchard co-directs with frequent collaborator Bernard Derriman as the Belchers embark on a mission to save the family business when overdue bank loans and a massive sinkhole threaten their iconic Ocean Avenue home. The film’s voice cast includes the five main Belchers—H. Jon Benjamin as Bob, John Roberts as Linda, Dan Mintz as Tina, Eugene Mirman as Gene, and Kristen Schaal as Louise—as well as series regulars like Larry Murphy as Teddy, Zach Galifianakis as Felix Fischoeder, Kevin Kline as Calvin Fischoeder, David Herman as Mr. Frond, Aziz Ansari as Darryl, Jenny Slate as Tammy, and Brain Huskey as Regular-Sized Rudy.Bob’s Burgers fans caught wind of the feature-length trip to Wonder Wharf back in late 2017, and were justifiably elated. But production delays (some pandemic related, others not) kept the film from audiences until now. Can The Bob’s Burgers Movie—a spinoff of an already beloved property further heightened by an agonizing, five-year postponement—possibly live up to our expectations? I’m on the edge of my sesame-seat to find out. [Alison Foreman]

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, DeWanda WiseDirector: Colin TrevorrowWay back in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg briefly gave us a tyrannosaurus rex smashing San Diego. Four movies later, a whole lot more cities are in trouble. With dinosaurs now loose in urban areas, the wilderness, and everywhere in between, the Jurassic World title finally becomes literal, rather than just a theme park name. A canvas that big allows for more than two heroes, so Pratt’s Owen Grady and Howard’s Claire Dearing are joined by original trilogy protagonists Alan Grant (Neill), Ellie Sattler (Dern), and Ian Malcolm (Goldblum). They’ll face off against newer, more brutal atrociraptors, and the Giganotosaurus, also called the “Giga,” whom Trevorrow has compared to the Joker. Plus the usual humans, like Campbell Scott’s Lewis Dodgson, who are looking to make a buck off of deadly predators. And with a name like “Lewis Dodgson”—a portmanteau of Lewis Carroll and his real name, Charles Dodgson—we can probably expect a whole lot of references to looking glasses, red queens, and, of course, “Eat me.”Co-written by Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim: Uprising), Jurassic World: Dominion is being marketed as both a trilogy capper for Jurassic World, and a series finale for the six-film Jurassic Park saga. But it seems unlikely that Universal won’t continue expanding this world—unless the dinosaurs win. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Cast: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, Dale Soules, Taika Waititi, James BrolinDirector: Angus MacLaneBack in the ’80s, it was pretty common for toys to be developed ahead of any media tie-ins, and the accompanying animated shows or movies figured out afterward how to promote them. Pixar’s latest kinda-sorta does that to Buzz Lightyear, introduced in 1995’s Toy Story as the hottest action figure of the year. Three decades later, we’ll get to see the in-universe “live-action” movie that the Buzz figure was theoretically based on. (We’ve already seen the in-universe spin-off animated series, which became Buzz Lightyear of Star Command in our reality.) will lean into the notion that it was an ’80s sci-fi movie that young Andy would have been obsessed with on VHS, like many have been with Star Wars. Coincidentally, 1995 was the year Star Wars toys were officially relaunched, so that tracks, though Lightyear’s inclusion of an is more progressive than ’80s Disney. The traditionally heroic Evans takes over as Buzz’s voice from the previous campy intonations of Tim Allen and Patrick Warburton, though he retains the character’s historic self-regard. But stranded on an alien world and propelled forward in time like Buck Rogers, Buzz may be humbled in encounters with a talking robot cat (Sohn) and, of course, Emperor Zurg (Brolin). [Luke Y. Thompson]

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Jeremy DaviesDirector: Scott DerricksonStephen isn’t the only King with a film adaptation hitting this summer. Joe Hill has followed in his father’s illustrious footsteps, while carving out his own distinct legacy of horror fiction. Scott Derrickson (Sinister) re-teams with Ethan Hawke for an adaptation of Hill’s novella, The Black Phone, which created sizeable buzz on the festival circuit last year. Set in 1978, a serial killer known as The Grabber (Hawke) has been kidnapping children. When Finney Shaw (Mason Thames) ends up as The Grabber’s latest captive, he discovers he can connect with the spirits of the previous victims through a mysterious black phone, one that may help his sister, Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) find him and bring the child killer to justice. Derrickson created one of the scariest films of the past decade with Sinister, proving he wasn’t one to pull punches, even when the horror involved children. If early reactions are any indication, Derrickson will once again deliver the scariest film of the summer, one that also manages to be a moving reflection on childhood. And Hawke, who rarely plays villains, looks to deliver an unhinged performance worthy of our nightmares. [Richard Newby]

Cast: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Olivia DeJongeDirector: Baz LuhrmannBaz Luhrmann is back after an 8-year absence from the big screen with his take on rock and roll God Elvis Presley. Luhrmann is never afraid of a big swing, and his latest seems no different—both in ambition and with a style that evokes some of his other films, most notably 2001’s Moulin Rouge! Starring fairly unknown actor Austin Butler as Presley, the film seems to cover the gamut of The King’s career—from raw upstart to overweight bellower, when Presley became more of a punchline than an icon. There’s also a relatively fresh discovery, Olivia DeJonge, in the role of Pricilla Presley. And lastly, Tom Hanks stars as Colonel Tom Parker, the would-be mastermind behind Presley’s meteoric success. As is to be expected of any new Luhrmann joint, the Elvis trailer is full of garish colors, soaring music, cross-faded editing and shots framing Butler’s Elvis in a loving, almost worshipful way. It remains to be seen whether we have a classic on our hands, or another Cats. But it’s a bad idea to count out the always-imaginative Luhrmann. [Don Lewis]

Cast: Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA, Jean-Claude Van DammeDirector: Kyle BaldaAs long as Universal needs to fill seats on its Despicable Me Minion Mayhem theme park rides there are likely to be Despicable Me and Minions sequels. So here comes the COVID-delayed Minions: The Rise Of Gru, the sequel to 2015’s Minions, which is the prequel to the Despicable Me series, which is the highest grossing animated franchise of all time. Steve Carell returns to voice Gru, a 12-year-old wannabe supervillain living in the 1970s who dreams of joining the evil Vicious 6. Instead, he becomes their mortal enemy and needs the help of the Minions (voiced, once again, by Pierre Coffin) to set things right. Illumination, the animation company responsible for the series, has a sub-Pixar record of success. They’ve given us two Secret Life Of Pets films, a couple of Sing movies and the Dr. Seuss adaptations, The Lorax and The Grinch. Still, The Rise Of Gru features a kickass voice cast that includes Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, and Julie Andrews as Gru’s mother. Plus, Alan Arkin. Because Alan Arkin makes everything better. The soundtrack is produced by Taylor Swift bestie and six-time Grammy Award winner Jack Antonoff. [Mark Keizer]

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman, Christian BaleDirector: Taika Waititi“I need to figure out exactly who I am,” says Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in the ’80s-inspired trailer for Thor: Love And Thunder. Hopefully he’ll be exactly who he was in 2017’s well-received , a refreshingly daft about-face after the first two, marginally more self-serious entries in this Marvel series. Credit returning director Taika Waititi for the turnaround and for coaxing Natalie Portman back to the MCU as Thor’s love interest, Jane Foster. The film is based on writer Jason Aaron’s acclaimed run on the Thor comic, which explains the OMG moment in the trailer when Jane holds a reconstituted Mjolnir in her guise as The Mighty Thor. It also explains the film’s primary villain, Gorr the God Butcher, whose quest for vengeance against all deities coaxes Thor out of retirement. Gorr is played by Christian Bale, moving to Marvel after his run in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Also switching sides is Jor-El himself, Russell Crowe, here playing Zeus. Look for the Guardians of the Galaxy to make an appearance alongside series veterans Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie and, if the rumors are true (please be true!), Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster. [Mark Keizer]

Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Garret Dillahunt, Harris Dickinson, David StrathairnDirector: Olivia Newman With some footage recently introduced at this year’s CinemaCon, director Olivia Newman and writer Lucy Alibar’s adaptation of Delia Owens’ bestselling mystery novel sounds like an unclassifiable young-adult drama with a touch of Big Little Lies. The film stars Normal People and Fresh’s exciting and prolific talent Daisy Edgar-Jones as the enigmatic and often mistreated outcast Kya Clark, a young South Carolina woman who has raised herself in the swamps after being abandoned as a child. Involved with two men as an adult, Kya—referred to as the “Marsh Girl” in her fictional town of Barkley Cove—becomes the prime suspect when one of them gets murdered. Featuring a new Taylor Swift song called “Carolina” (already used in the film’s intriguingly atmospheric trailer) and produced by multi-hyphenate Hollywood powerhouse Reese Witherspoon, Sony Pictures’ high-profile thriller is bound to draw major audience interest upon its July release. [Tomris Laffly]

Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael WincottDirector: Jordan PeeleOnly a handful of contemporary directors have managed to sell a movie as an event simply on their name alone. Jordan Peele is one of them. With only two features under his belt, Peele has managed to become one of the most essential and exciting voices in the genre space. His third feature, Nope, has been shrouded in secrecy, leading to a gamut of fan theories. What we do know, based on the film’s logline and teaser trailer, is that the inhabitants of a small California town, including the Haywood siblings (Kaluuya and Palmer) who run a historic Hollywood horse ranch, witness a terrifying…something. Most bets have been placed on aliens, but given the ways in which Peele pulls from so many elements, including real-world events and the movies that inspired him, it’s possible that extraterrestrials are only part of the horror at the center of the film. And that’s if it’s not a misdirect. The fact that we know so little about Nope makes the film even more exciting; there’s much to be said about a culture that thrives on spoilers and early plot details wanting to be surprised and terrified by the experience of not knowing exactly what we’re going to experience. [Richard Newby]

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, John Krasinski, Keanu ReevesDirectors: Jared Stern and Sam LevineThe delayed Black Adam may no longer be changing the hierarchy of summer movies, but that doesn’t mean Dwayne Johnson’s hanging up the cape for the season. Johnson is voicing Superman’s trusty partner, Krypto, the super-dog in DC League Of Super-Pets, and re-teaming with co-star Kevin Hart, who’s taking on Ace, the Bat-Hound. The animated movie follows the super-powered pets of DC’s greatest heroes, who must join together after their owners, members of the Justice League, are kidnapped in a villainous plot. Featuring a host of comedic voice talents including Kate McKinnon, Vanessa Bayer, Natasha Lyonne, Ben Schwartz, and Marc Maron, and boasting Krasinski as Superman and Reeves as Batman, the movie aims to give younger audiences an entryway into the DC Universe, while also promising in-jokes and Easter eggs for older DC fans. Co-director Jared Stern has already carved out a space in the DC film universe, having written . If Super-Pets can match the wit and fun of that film then audiences of all ages will be in for a treat. [Richard Newby]

Cast: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree HenryDirector: David LeitchBrad Pitt is 58 years old but he’s still young enough to hop aboard Bullet Train, based on the 2010 Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka. What reportedly began life as a hard-R action flick is now a bonkers comedy thriller, which sounds about right coming from director David Leitch. The former stunt coordinator has become a modern-day action specialist and if the original John Wick (which he co-directed), Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw are any indication, Bullet Train should be a wild ride. Pitt plays Ladybug, an assassin returning to action after a relaxing hiatus, whose “simple job” of snatching a briefcase from the titular high-speed conveyance is complicated by a fivesome of colorfully nicknamed killers played by the likes of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, and Zazie Beetz. Sandra Bullock plays Pitt’s handler, replacing Lady Gaga. Leitch has said that Jackie Chan inspired the comedic bent of Bullet Train’s fight scenes, which makes the film sound even more promising. [Mark Keizer]

Cast: Owen Wilson, Michael Peña, Jesse Williams, Charlie ScobellDirector: Henry Joost, Ariel SchulmanDespite its proximity to The Samaritan in the summer schedule, Secret Headquarters has sleeper hit potential as the rare superhero film not based on a DC or Marvel property. Plot details are locked away in a secure vault, but we know the film is a superheroic spin on Home Alone. A boy discovers a secret lair underneath his home and comes to believe his father might be a superhero. When the lair is attacked, the boy and his friends fight to protect it. Secret Headquarters is directed by the team of Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, who gave us Netflix’s moderately well-reviewed Jamie Foxx superhero flick , along with Paranormal Activity 3 and 4. Even more intriguing is that the script was penned by Christopher L. Yost, who has plenty of comic cred, having written Thor: Ragnarok and contributed to animated series featuring the Fantastic Four, The Avengers, and The Batman. Owen Wilson tops the cast, and is joined by Michael Peña, Jesse Williams, and Charlie Scobell, who just landed the lead in the Percy Jackson series that’s heading to Disney+. [Mark Keizer]

Cast: Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, Ellen Barkin, Kaley CuocoDirector: Patrick HughesDelayed due to the pandemic, Patrick Hughes’ Big Apple-based action-comedy from Netflix is finally getting a release after being stuck in the pipeline since April 2020. While Hughes isn’t exactly known for delivering critical hits after the likes of The Expendables 3 and series, the amusing “mixed-up-identity” premise of his latest—the world’s deadliest assassin (Woody Harrelson) and New York’s biggest screw-up (Kevin Hart) are mistaken for each other at an Airbnb rental—sounds like retro-fun at first glance; a return to old-school popcorn flicks and original, standalone action films. (No, this isn’t a remake of Sinclair Hill’s 1933 pre-code film of the same name.) Also exciting is the movie’s all-star cast, including Ellen Barkin and The Flight Attendant’s Kaley Cuoco, who already skillfully proved her chops in navigating a world of spies and double-crossers on the small screen. [Tomris Laffly]

Cast: Nathalie Emmanuel, Thomas Doherty, Stephanie Corneliussen, Sean Pertwee, Hugh SkinnerDirector: Jessica M. ThompsonWhile very little information is thus far available about The Light Of The Moon writer-director Jessica M. Thompson’s The Bride, its creepy gothic ring is already giving us enough of a reason to eagerly anticipate its late-summer arrival. Billed as a contemporary thriller and starring Game of Thrones’ Nathalie Emmanuel, Gossip Girl’s Thomas Doherty, and Mr. Robot’s Stephanie Corneliussen, the joint script from Thompson and Blair Butler follows a young woman as she attends a lavish destination wedding in England and finds herself trapped in a mysterious and quite possibly deadly scheme. It’s hard to tell who’s who in the cast at this stage, but count us in for this horror ride from Screen Gems and Sony Pictures. [Tomris Laffly]