The most highly anticipated films of 2024

As 2024 is in full swing, moviegoers are looking forward to see what movies will be headed to the box office and streaming services this year. 2024 is already shaping up to be fulled with plenty of highly anticipated films starring a number of A listers, including Gal Gadot, Ryan Reynolds, Michael Keaton, Zendaya, Lady Gaga and Tom Cruise, among many others.

From action, animated and rom coms, to live action re imaginings and thrillers, 2024 will have a movie for everyone. While some are months away, there have been sneak peeks of some of this year's can’t miss movies, including “Wicked Part 1,” “Joker: Folie a Deux” and “Dune: Part Two.” Then there are films like “Beetlejuice 2” and “Deadpool 3” that have fans of the franchises excited to see their favorite character reprising their iconic roles.

Below, we've rounded up a number of films that are expected to make waves in 2024. The Broadway show “Mean Girls” — based on Tina Fey’s 2004 teen comedy — gets the big screen adaptation. This time, the musical features Reneé Rapp as infamous queen bee Regina George, who welcomes new student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) into her Plastics group which includes Gretchen (Bebe Wood) and Karen (Avantika Vandanapu).

Much like the original, Cady falls for Regina's ex Aaron Samuels (Christopher Briney) and befriends outcasts Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey). Tina Fey and Tim Meadows from the original film are featured in the musical. Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. co directed the film.

Kaley Cuoco is Emma, an undercover assassin for hire whose husband, David (David Oyelowo), finds out that she has a secret life and has been lying to him and their children. The film, also co starring Connie Nielsen and Bill Nighy, will stream on Prime Video. Kingsley Ben Adir stars as reggae legend Bob Marley in this Valentine's Day premiering biopic.

The film will highlight the life and legacy of the late music icon, seeing his global rise to fame and hardships. Lashana Lynch plays his wife Rita Marley, with “King Richard” director Reinaldo Marcus Green helming the drama. The first trailer dropped in July , showing how Marley was beloved by many, but also survived an assassination while singing for peace.

Based on a true story, Hilary Swank stars as Sharon, a small town struggling but fierce hairdresser who meets Ed (Alan Ritchson), a widower trying to make ends meet for his two daughters. When his youngest daughter is on a wait list for a liver transplant, she does everything in her power to help the family.

Nancy Travis, Tamala Jones and Amy Acker co star with Jon Gunn directing a script by Meg Tilly and Kelly Fremon Craig. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt co star in this action filled comedy inspired by the hit 1980s TV series. The film follows Gosling as former stuntman Colt Seavers, “a battle scarred stuntman” who left the industry to focus on his physical and mental health.

However, he returns to the business when the star of the big budget movie his ex Jody Moreno (Blunt) is directing goes missing. Hannah Waddingham, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Stephanie Hsu and Winston Duke co star. “The Fall Guy” is directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce. Jack Black returns as Po, the kung fu loving panda with an appetite, as he goes on another adventure in ancient China.

For the fourth installment in the animated franchise, Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu and Seth Rogen are joining in on the fun. Rachel Zegler will star in the live action version of the Disney animated classic “Snow White.” Despite some online backlash about the Latina actor taking on the role, the film is set to add a “modern edge” to the story.

While not much is known about the remake, it is set to follow the original 1937 musical “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” In it, the jealous wicked queen orders the murder of her stepdaughter Snow White, who is later rescued by seven dwarfs that live in the woods. Gal Gadot is set to play the Evil Queen, with Andrew Burnap taking on the role of Jonathan.

The plot of the film is under wraps, but it has been said that the storyline is not a continuation of “A Quiet Place: Part II,” rather a spinoff. “Day One” features Alex Wolff, Denis O’Hare, Lupita Nyong’o, Djimon Hounsou and “Stranger Things” star Joseph Quinn. The film is directed by Michael Sarnoski and written by John Krasinski, Scott Beck and Jeff Nichols.

Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Javier Bardem return for the highly anticipated sequel to the sci fi hit. After his family was under attack, Paul Atreides (Chalamet) teams up with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen, the native inhabitants of Arrakis, in search of revenge. Fighting against the conspirators, he must decide between following his heart or saving the universe.

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, Florence Pugh and Austin Butler also co star. Zendaya is involved in a love triangle in this steamy sports drama. Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name”) directs Zendaya as Tashi, a former tennis prodigy and now coach who is helping her husband Art (Mike Faist) prepare for an upcoming tournament against her ex boyfriend and his past best friend, Patrick (Josh O’Conner).

The tension rises as their previous personal history starts to complicate their relationships. Upon announcing the third film in the franchise, Ryan Reynolds teased High Jackman's return as Wolverine. Jackman had retired as the X Men character in 2017's "Logan," but couldn't resist the invite from his pal.

"Deadpool 3," directed by Shawn Levy, will see Deadpool crossing paths with a recovering Wolverwine before they team up to fight evil together. Break out actor Marisa Abela takes on the role of the iconic late singer songwriter Amy Winehouse in “Back to Black.” Told from Winehouse’s perspective, the film follows her early rise to fame and the release of her groundbreaking album “Back to Black.” Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan and Lesley Manville co star.

“Back to Black” is directed by Sam Taylor Johnson and written by Matt Greenhalgh. The iconic Monday hating, lasagna loving cat Garfield is returning to the big screen in “The Garfield Movie.” Voiced by Chris Pratt, the orange tabby cat is set for a wild outdoor adventure when he unexpectedly reunites with his long lost father — a scruffy street cat Vic (voiced by Samuel L.

Jackson). Garfield and his buddy, dog Odie (voiced by Harvey Guillén), then leave their perfectly pampered life with their owner Jon Arbuckle (voiced by Nicholas Hoult) and join Vic on “a hilarious, high stakes heist.” Directed by Mark Dindal, “The Garfield Movie” also includes voices by Hannah Waddingham, Ving Rhames, Cecily Strong, Brett Goldstein and Bowen Yang.

Nine years after “Inside Out” made people feel all the feels, the sequel is headed to the big screen in 2024. The Pixar movie is set to follow Riley, now in her teenage years, as she encounters new emotions. Amy Poehler returns to voice Joy, while Phyllis Smith is Sadness and Lewis Black is Anger.

Diane Lane also returns as Riley’s mom. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return as Mike and Marcus, taking on a new set of bad guys. Plot details are unknown at this time, however, you can count on there being a lot of action and laughs. Joining them on the fourth film in the franchise is Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Rhea Seehorn and Eric Dane.

Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah direct, with Chris Bremner and George Gallo as writers. Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel “It Ends With Us” was inspired by her parents’ marriage — and is now headed to the big screen. “It Ends With Us” follows Blake Lively as Lily Bloom, a woman who grew up with an abusive father and goes on to marry controlling and also abusive neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, portrayed by Justin Baldoni, who is also directing the film.

During her childhood, and amid her tumultuous marriage, Lily finds solace in her childhood friend Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar). Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, continues his seemingly impossible missions in the eighth installment of the "Mission Impossible" franchise. A follow up to "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One," at this time there are no further details on what is expected to be an action packed feature.

However, expect to see Rebecca Ferguson, Hannah Waddingham, Vanessa Kirby, Simon Pegg and Nick Offerman alongside Cruise. Christopher McQuarrie takes the lead as director with Bruce Geller, Erik Jendresen and Christopher McQuarrie co writing the script. Twenty eight years after “Twister” wreaked havoc in movie theaters, a sequel is headed to the big screen.

According to Variety , plot details are scarce and it’s unknown how the first and second film will be related. However, Universal described the sequel as “a new chapter from the 1996 movie.” IMDB also describes it as centering “on a pair of storm chasers who risk their lives in an attempt to test an experimental weather alert system.” Kiernan Shipka, Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar Jones are all starring alongside, Maura Tierney, Anthony Ramos and Sasha Lane.

It’s unclear if “Twister” star Helen Hunt will make an appearance. Bill Paxton, who played Bill Harding, an ex storm chaser turned TV weatherman, in the film, died Feb. 2017 after complications from heart surgery. Lee Isaac Chung directs a script by Michael Crichton and Mark L. Smith. Plot details are unknown but Gru and his minions will undoubtedly have a new villain to take on in the fourth installment of the family fun franchise.

Steve Carell returns as the supervillain with a heart, as does Kristen Wiig as the voice of Lucy, Gru's wife. Gru's adopted daughters, Margo, Edith and Agnes, will most likely also capture audiences' hearts with their lovable antics. Barry Jenkins directs the live action styled prequel to "The Lion King." Per IMDB, After Simba becomes king of the Pride Lands, "he is determined for his cub to follow in his paw prints while the origins of his late father Mufasa are explored." Aaron Pierre voices Mufasa, while Seth Rogen reprises his role as Pumbaa, with Billy Eichner as Timon and John Kani as Rafiki.

The fourth movie in the Captain America franchise sees Anthony Mackie as the titular character, also known as Sam Wilson. Taking the lead after Chris Evans' Steve Rogers retired, the new Captain America will embark on his own heroic, world saving adventure. Julius Onah directs a script by Dalan Musson and Malcolm Spellman.

Harrison Ford, Liv Tyler, Danny Ramirez co star, with a rumored Sebastian Stan reprising his role as Bucky Barnes. Michael Keaton reprises his role as Beetlejuice in Tim Burton's sequel. Not much is known about the follow up to the 1998 film, but Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara are among the actors returning to the Beetlejuice world.

Newcomers include Jenna Ortega as Ryder's on screen daughter and Monica Bellucci as Beetlejuice's wife, as well as Justin Theroux and Willem Dafoe. After winning the best actor Oscar, Joaquin Phoenix puts his clown makeup back on for the sequel. This time, Lady Gaga joins him as Harley Quinn in a role many are excited to see her take on.

Director Todd Phillips shared the first photo from the “Joker” sequel on Valentine’s Day, showing the two stars interacting as their psychotic characters. Zazie Beetz, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener also co star in the thriller. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will be making their Emerald City debut as Glinda and Elphaba in the two part movie adaptation of the Broadway musical "Wicked." Directed by Jon Chu, the story shows how the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch were best friends before they became enemies.

The first look at the witches was shared by the leading ladies and Chu in April of this year. Ridley Scott returns to the Roman Empire with a sequel to his 2000 film starring Russell Crowe. Per IMDB , “Gladiator 2” will follow Lucius, the son of Maximus’ love Lucilla, after Maximus’ death. Paul Mescal will star as Lucius, with Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal also co starring.

Other actors involved in the film include Connie Nielsen as Lucilla, Djimon Hounsou as Juba and Joseph Quinn. It is presumed that Crowe will not be involved in the sequel. CORRECTION (Oct. 4, 2023, 12:28 p.m.): An earlier version of this article misstated that it was unclear if Bill Paxton would reprise his role in 2024's "Twister." Bill Paxton died Feb.

25, 2017 after complications from heart surgery..