Last Updated on August 3, 2021
After a somewhat middling Summer box office we get a second chance with the next big season; the Fall Movie Season! This year’s crop is full of stuff to choose from; horror, action, comic book, drama, comedy and yes, a few of those golden-trophy chasers. There’s certainly something for everyone and we’ve selected our most-anticipated flicks of the season below to get you hyped for what’s in the pipeline as the weather turns cold. Also, be sure to check out our video preview below, where we discuss our Top 15 picks of the season thus far and what they have to offer. Let us know what YOU GUYS are looking forward to in the comments!
1) Star Wars: The Last Jedi (December 15th)
After a massively successful relaunch of the Star Wars franchise with THE FORCE AWAKENS and ROGUE ONE, we’re back to the next chapter in the Skywalker series with THE LAST JEDI, which reunites our new favorite characters of Rey, Finn, BB-8 and Poe with old favorites Luke, Leia, Chewbacca and more. Director Rian Johnson takes over for JJ Abrams in the second part of this planned trilogy and with a fresh new blend of mystery and character invested in this long-standing series, we’re anxiously awaiting the reveals, twists, thrills and everything that makes it great to return to a galaxy far, far away. – Paul Shirey
2) Blade Runner 2049 (October 6th)
This is probably my most anticipated movie of the year- but it’s also a movie I’m afraid of. Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner is a perfect film, but I don’t think it’s an especially commercial one, and I’m worried that director Denis Villeneuve might bow to commercial pressures and make this too action-driven, something the original was NOT. Ryan Gosling looks to be in fine form, but to me, Ford doesn’t quite seem to be playing Deckard, but rather Han Solo – again. Add to that the rumors that parts of the movie have been re-scored by Hans Zimmer, and the fact that it’s not going to TIFF and I’m a bit…worried. – Chris Bumbray
3) IT (September 8th)
Based on Stephen King’s renowned horror classic, IT was adapted once before in a TV mini-series form, burning the visage and likeness of the iconic Pennywise into our brains forever with actor Tim Curry in the role. Now, director Andy Muschietti (Mama) adapts the first half of the book, featuring the famed “Losers”, a group of kids fighting off an evil force in their hometown of Derry. The evil force in question is now played by Bill Skarsgard, bringing the infamous scary clown to life again for new audiences in what looks to be a massive horror hit for WB that will continue to terrify folks for decades to come. – Paul Shirey
4) Thor: Ragnarok (November 3rd)
Pretty much everyone’s excited for Taika Waititi’s take on Marvel – THOR RAGNAROK, and to be sure, that trailer is a blast, with Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo looking really loose in this buddy sequel, with Hemsworth playing a down and dirty version of Thor, while we finally find out what the Hulk – who now talks – has been up to since AGE OF ULTRON. Add in Cate Blanchette, Jeff Goldblum and Tessa Thompson and I’m very interested. – Chris Bumbray
5) Justice League (November 17th)
While starting off in a rocky position with director Zack Snyder stepping away after a family tragedy with Joss Whedon taking the reigns to finish, Justice League has been plagued with rumors and shuffles that can cast doubt in even the most optimistic moviegoer. And yet…the prospect of seeing Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Cyborg and a resurrected Superman join forces on the big screen is still a fascinating and exciting prospect. While there’s some question if they can pull it all off after such a bumpy journey, there’s also just as much anticipation to see these heroes on the big screen, regardless of any behind-the-scenes drama.- Paul Shirey
6) American Made (September 29th)
TOM CRUISE. Enough said. If you need more than that, American Made reteams Tom with his EDGE OF TOMORROW director, Doug Liman, in a bio of real-life drug smuggler Barry Seal. The early reviews on this one are very good, saying it’s a strong return to form for Cruise after a few underwhelming movies, and I’m happy to see him break out of action for a real character driven drama, although the trailer suggests a jokey vibe I’m not super into. – Chris Bumbray
7) Kingsman: The Golden Circle (September 22nd)
After the huge success of the first outing, Kingsman: The Golden Circle is going bigger and better in the Matthew Vaughn directed sequel, reuniting Taron Egerton with both (the obviously NOT dead) Colin Firth and Mark Strong, while introducing the Kingsman’s counterparts in the U.S.; The Statesman, who are fronted by Jeff Bridges, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry and Pedro Pascal. Toss in Julianne Moore as the main villain (and trust me, she IS a nasty one) and the same adventurous, violent and cheeky nature of the first film and this is likely to be another great watch that will hopefully open the doors for more. – Paul Shirey
8) The Disaster Artist (December 8th)
Another TIFF title, THE DISASTER ARTIST actually played to raves at SXSW back in April, and is James Franco’s passion project about the making of Tommy Wiseau’s THE ROOM, with him playing Wiseau himself. It looks like a blast, with Franco nailing his Wiseau impersonation, and it looks like his most accessible movie to date as a director. What a bizarre twist in the already remarkable THE ROOM saga. – Chris Bumbray
9) mother! (September 15th)
While seeped in secrecy and leaving us very little to go off of outside those wonderfully creepy and mysterious trailers, Darren Aronofsky’s mother! is at the top of the intriguing projects list. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris and Michelle Pfieffer, the film looks to be like a mind-bending mash-up of horror and thrills and, in the end, is a new Aronofsky film, which is enough in itself to get to the theater. Here’s to hoping it’s as wild as those trailers. – Paul Shirey
10) The Shape of Water (December 8th)
Guillermo Del Toro returns to the indie world after a few big-budget outings, with this being the film he famously dropped out of directing Pacific Rim 2 to do. I see this one at TIFF in a few weeks, and in it, Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer play workers at a top-secret government project in the Kennedy era, run by Michael Shannon, revolving around a mer-man. Sound a bit like an Abe Sapien prequel? – Chris Bumbray
11) Molly’s Game (November 22nd)
Aaron Sorkin makes his big-screen directorial debut with Molly’s Game, the true story of Molly Bloom, played by Jessica Chastain, who ran an underground poker game for Hollywood stars – most infamously Tobey Maguire – whose reputation got dragged through the gutter after her book revealed him to be a king-sized jerk. Obviously, Maguire will not be depicted, but it looks like Michael Cera, as the so-called Player X, is playing a version of him. It should be pretty intriguing, and Sorkin definitely knows his way around a script, even if it may be a little overwritten – as I find his stuff tends to be at times. – Chris Bumbray
12) Bright (December 22nd)
Director David Ayer had a financially successful year in 2016 with SUICIDE SQUAD, but the critics slashed it to ribbons. Now, he’s back with a new concept and a new venue; BRIGHT on Netflix. Ayer has heralded the creative freedom at Netflix as a huge bonus to working on the project, which reunites him with his Skwad star Will Smith, as well as Joel Edgerton and Noomi Rapace in a street-level real-world/fantasy cop flick written by Max Landis. The trailer looks like a cross between a David Ayer cop thriller and Lord of the Rings, which is a hell of a combo and one that will surely have me watching from the comfort of my living room on opening night. – Paul Shirey
13) Battle of the Sexes (September 22nd)
This is a big title at TIFF, noteworthy for two reasons – 1 – it’s Emma Stone’s follow-up to her Oscar winning turn in LA LA LAND, and 2 – it reteams Steve Carrell with his LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE directors, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Stone plays tennis player Billie Jean King, who, in the seventies, famously played chauvinist Tennis champ Bobby Riggs, played by Carrell, and the trailer for this one makes it seem like a good time in the AMERICAN HUSTLE vein. – Chris Bumbray
14) Murder on the Orient Express (November 22nd)
Having seen quite a few scenes from Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s famed MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS, I can say that it looks and feels like an absolute throwback delight. Classically told and acted, the film is crisply shot (in 70mm no less) and features an outstanding cast, including Branagh (as renowned detective Poirot), Daisy Ridley, Dame Judi Dench, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz, Leslie Odom Jr., Josh Gad and more. If you’re looking for something new (yet classic) this is the perfect substitute for all the glam and glitz of the fall season. – Paul Shirey
15) The Greatest Showman (December 25th)
A passion project for star Hugh Jackman, this is a musical biography of P.T Barnum. Of course, that genre is newly hot now following the success of LA LA LAND, and sure enough, the song writers from that film have been hired here. Co-starring Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Zac Efron, it looks like a big undertaking – but I’ll admit that I’m not ultra-optimistic – as for every LA LA LAND, there’s an INTO THE WOODS. – Chris Bumbray
16) Downsizing (December 22nd)
Having seen the opening to this film myself and now hearing the tremendous reviews for it, I think DOWNSIZING is going to be one of the most talked about films of the year. The concept is brilliant and under Alexander Payne’s direction it has all the quirks, comedy and drama that we’ve come to expect from him. Matt Damon plays a married man (to Kristen Wiig) who undergoes a shrinking process to “live smaller” while making the most of his money in order to “live larger”. It’s an amazing allegorical style concept, much in the vein of The Truman Show and feels like it could be something tremendously special. Can’t wait to see it. – Paul Shirey
17) Untitled PT Anderson
PT Anderson is back with a period drama set in the world of haute couture fashion, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, in what he says is his final role. Will this be THEIR WILL BE BLOOD in the fashion world? The fact that it’s Anderson makes this a must-see; although I’ll admit that I’m more a fan of the Altman-esque Anderson from BOOGIE NIGHTS and MAGNOLIA, so part of me hopes this will be a bit more like those than his more recent work. That said, at the very least it’ll be fascinating and worthy of much study. – Chris Bumbray
18) All The Money In The World (December 8th)
Based on the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III in 1973, the story revolves around the Getty billionaire family refusing to pay the ransom to get John Paul back and the subsequent fallout of their negotiations. Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Kevin Spacey, Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams, little is known outside of the historical story, so how Scott tackles the film (in tone, at least) is up in the air, but, in the end, it’s Ridley Scott with a great cast and that’s just a combination we can’t miss. – Paul Shirey
19) The Current War (December 22nd)
Michael Shannon and Benedict Cumberbatch play George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison in this big-screen dramatization of their race to determine whose electrical system would dominate in the eve of the modern world. These were complicated me, and certainly, The Weinstein Company seems to have a major prestige title on their hands. We’ll know more after it hits the fall festival circuit in a few weeks. – Chris Bumbray
20) Roman Israel, Esq. (November 3rd)
Nightcrawler director Dan Gilroy teams up with powerhouse actor Denzel Washington in the legal drama ROMAN ISRAEL, ESQ. which follows a liberal lawyer (Washington) who must become the front man for his law firm when his partner dies and discovers things that challenge his place there, while prompting him to take action. While we haven’t seen a trailer as of yet, having both Gilroy and Washington together on a project is more than enough to generate heat and this is sure to be one of those golden-trophy chasers. – Paul Shirey
21) The Post
Anyone ever hear of this Steven Spielberg guy? Yeah, thought not. Well, apparently this guy is a bit of a cult fave, and he’s doing a drama about The Pentagon Papers with these other, little-known actors, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. I dunno, could be good, I guess. Seriously though, with that trio, could THE POST not wind-up one of the year’s major awards contenders? – Chris Bumbray
22) Only The Brave (October 20th)
Based on the true life account of the Granite Mountain Hotshot, a group of local firefighters who take on a ravenous mountain fire, ONLY THE BRAVE sports a hell of a cast and as surprising director; Joseph Kosinski. Thus far, Kosinski has tackled big-budget sci-fi pics (TRON: LEGACY and OBLIVION), so it’s a unique change of pace. The film is written by BLACK HAWK DOWN’s Ken Nolan and the cast includes Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, James Badge Dale and Taylor Kitsch, which sure doesn’t hurt when trying to tell a story like this. – Paul Shirey
23) Brawl in Cell Block 99 (October 6th)
S. Craig Zahler’s BONE TOMAHAWK was one of my fave films of 2015, and the fact that he’s back, filming an ultra-violent prison thriller with a cast against-type Vince Vaughn is an intriguing prospect. It plays TIFF in a few weeks, and actually goes out to VOD not long after, and hopefully this will be a real diamond in the rough, with Midnight Madness programmers saying it’s like an American STORY OF RICKY, with Vaughn a memorable big-screen bad-ass. Oh yeah, and a little actor known as DON FUCKING JOHNSON, co-stars. DON. JOHNSON. HEARTBEAT!!!
24) Coco (November 22nd)
This past summer’s CARS 3 did pretty well for Pixar, but left us all hungry for more of their original stuff. Enter COCO, a fantasy tale about a boy, Miguel, who heads on a magical adventure through the Land of the Dead. Featuring the voice talent of newcomer Anthony Gonzalez, as well as Benjamin Bratt, Edward James Olmos, Gael García Bernal, Alanna Ubach and Cheech Marin, this has many similar shades to the Guillermo del Toro produced BOOK OF LIFE, but ultimately is still a ripe concept to explore, especially if Pixar’s visual style has anything to say about it. – Paul Shirey
25) Suburbicon (October 27th)
George Clooney’s back behind the camera for this Coen Bros’s scripted piece of film noir, which is said to be highly evocative to classics like DOUBLE INDEMINITY and THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE. Matt Damon stars as a harried suburbanite whose wife is killed during a home invasion, possibly as the result of his shady doings with gangsters. It looks like a gore-soaked blast, and if anyone’s capable of faithfully filming a Coen Bros-screenplay, it’s their fave leading man, Clooney. The supporting cast looks delicious, with Julianne Moore as Damon’s peppy foil, and Oscar Isaac as a suave insurance investigator. – Chris Bumbray
26) The LEGO Ninjago Movie (September
What happens when you take a long-running LEGO TV series and make it into a movie? Well, you start printing money, that’s what. After the huge success of THE LEGO MOVIE and THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE, WB is continuing to build their LEGO franchise, brick by brick, and it’s pretty damn hard to resist. Told in the same humor and style as the other two LEGO movies, NINJAGO has the benefit of an established base of characters and has already won the support of both kids and adults alike, so really, it’s probably the safest bet in town in terms of pleasing the whole family. Plus, it spawns a shitload of more LEGO toys to build, am I right? – Paul Shirey
27) Geostorm (October 20th)
GEOSTORM, starring Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess, and Ed Harris, marks Dean Devlin’s directorial debut, and boy oh boy, has it had a tortured journey to the big screen or what? It was shot way back in 2014, only for the studio to call for major reshoots that involved hiring mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Has he salvaged the movie? Frankly, I don’t care if it’s good – as long as it’s fun. The trailers look like a silly yarn in the Roland Emmerich-mold (apropos considering his history with Devlin), so I’ll be seeing it. – Chris Bumbray
28) Thank You For Your Service (October 27th)
Based on the biographical book by David Finkel, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE tracks the service and lives of a group of Soldiers returning from the war in Iraq and how it affects their lives when they get home. Adapted and directed by screenwriter Jason Hall (AMERICAN SNIPER), the film stars Miles Teller, Haley Bennett, Keisha Castle-Hughes and Amy Schumer and is already generating great buzz as a raw and real film that depicts the struggle of homecoming Soldiers. As a combat veteran, I’m just happy that films like this are being made and told, so I’m thankful for THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE being a part of that. – Paul Shirey
29) Jigsaw (October 27th)
Truth be told, the SAW franchise felt endless when it was going-on, and a re-launch isn’t a particularly exciting propect. That said, The Spierig Brothers are behind the camera, and I generally like their work, especially the recent, underrated PREDESTINATION. While this does seem like a bit of a paycheck job that allowed them to make WINCHESTER, a more ambitious horror outing that’s due out in the winter, JIGSAW might end up being a stylish addition to the franchise and good for a few scares. – Chris Bumbray
30) Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (December 22nd)
True story: In my college days we had one DVD to play out front at the electronics store I worked for and that DVD was JUMANJI. I’ve seen it hundreds of times and it haunts me to this day. That said, the stigma hasn’t affected my perception of this follow up, which stars Dwayne Johnson, Karen Gillan, Jack Black and Kevin Hart as kids who get sucked into a videogame version of Jumanji and must fight their way back out. it’s a fun concept that evolves past the boardgame and it looks like a really stupid riot, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Sometimes you just need a little fun and this looks to offer just that in the big catalog of fall flicks. – Paul Shirey
31) A Bad Moms Christmas (November 3rd)
Remember when this was gonna be BAD DADS? Luckily, that idea got quashed and STX, which hasn’t had any other moneymakers of note, are going back to the well for A BAD MOM’S CHRISTMAS, giving us some Yuletide Yuks. I can’t say I found the original BAD MOMS hilarious, but I did like it. It was pleasant, and the chemistry between Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, and Kristen Bell was spot-on, and I figure this one, which matches the gals up with their just-as-bad-moms, including Susan Sarandon and Christine Baranski, should be a lot of fun. – Chris Bumbray
32) Daddy’s Home 2 (November 10th)
Will Ferrell had a rough summer with the flop that was THE HOUSE, but following up with the success of DADDY’S HOME is a much smarter and safer bet. Mark Wahlberg returns as Ferrell’s co-dad, marking another big-screen venture for the two actors. This time, however, the boys get their lives shook up by their own dads, perfectly cast with Mel Gibson and John Lithgow. The first one wasn’t a comedy classic by any means, but getting all of these guys in the same movie together is too much to resist and, if anything, it’s just great to see Gibson back in the comedy genre, which he’s always had a knack for. – Paul Shirey
Follow the JOBLO MOVIE NETWORK
Follow us on YOUTUBE
Follow ARROW IN THE HEAD
Follow AITH on YOUTUBE