50 Most Anticipated Movies Of 2022
2. The Batman
Though a few years ago it was impossible to consider any filmmaker living up to the majesty of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Saga, Matt Reeves sure looks like he's taking a good, hard swing with The Batman.
The first entry into a new shared universe incorporating movies and spin-off series for HBO Max, The Batman casts Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, while he's joined by a veritable who's who of terrific actors in support: Zoë Kravitz (Catwoman), Paul Dano (The Riddler), Jeffrey Wright (Jim Gordon), John Turturro (Carmine Falcone), Colin Farrell (The Penguin), and Andy Serkis (Alfred).
The trailers make a firm case that this might be the most visually stunning Batman film to date, with a mood more comparable to David Fincher's Se7en than anything else.
For anyone who's been craving a movie that really digs deep into Batman as a detective, this seems like the one.
The Batman releases on March 4.
1. Avatar 2
As much as it's oft-parroted that James Cameron's Avatar didn't leave much of an imprint upon pop-culture, it was a staggering commercial success that remains the highest-grossing film of all time, even fending off a gallant attempt by Avengers: Endgame to snatch the crown.
Avatar 2 has basically been in development ever since, alongside three other planned sequels, with much of the second film said to revolve around water and requiring the creation of complex aquatic performance capture technology.
We've not seen a scrap of footage yet, but as much as people love to complain about Avatar being style-over-substance, it's aged spectacularly well aesthetically, and fans can't wait to see how Cameron has raised the bar for blockbuster filmmaking yet again.
It's unlikely to out-gross the original Avatar for a number of reasons, but betting against Cameron or his movies at this stage is straight-up naive.
Avatar 2 releases on December 16.