We have already entered the second half of 2024 and thankfully there are still great movies heading to theaters and streaming services. Whether you’re looking for a scary psychological mystery like The Trap, or you’d rather watch a natural disaster thriller like Twisters, here’s everything you need to know.
The next six months promise big thrills for moviegoers, with Ridley Scott delivering a sequel to the epic Gladiator and Tim Burton back with the iconic horror comedy Beetlejuice. In addition, studios are offering new installments of revered franchises such as Alien, Despicable Me, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Lord of the Rings.
If superhero and comic book movies are more your thing, there are many promising options here too, such as Deadpool & Wolverine, and Joker: Folie à Deux.
From Beetlejuice – Beetlejuice to Gladiator II and beyond: Here’s a guide to the best films coming out in the second half of 2024. Got the popcorn ready?
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley
Release Date: Wednesday, July 3
Director: Mark Molloy
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Taylour Paige, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kevin Bacon, Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser
Genres: Action, Comedy, Crime
Golden Globe, Grammy and Emmy winner Eddie Murphy is back as Axel Foley. It’s been nearly 3 decades since we last saw the daredevil Detroit cop, but he finally has a new case.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley (aka Beverly Hills Cop IV) is the fourth film in the popular action-comedy franchise starring Murphy. Directed by Mark Molloy, written by Will Beall, Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, this film brings back the Detroit native, with old friends and new.
According to Netflix’s official synopsis:
“Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.”
Despicable Me 4
Release date: Wednesday, July 3
Directors: Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Pierre Coffin
Genres: Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Over the years, the Despicable Me franchise has grossed more than $3.5 billion and has become an audience favorite. There is no doubt that Gru, and especially the fun-loving Minions, are a cultural phenomenon of sorts.
Despicable Me 4 is one of the most anticipated family films of the year and, although Illumination is still not revealing details about the plot, important clues have already been given ahead of its release. This time, Gru, Lucy and their daughters – Margo, Edith and Agnes – welcome a new family member, Gru Jr., who is determined to torment his father. In addition, Gru faces a new nemesis in the form of Maxime Le Mal and his evil girlfriend Valentina.
Legendary comedian Will Ferrell joins the new film as supervillain Maxime Le Mal, and is joined by Sofia Vergara, who voices Valentina.
Twisters
Release Date: Friday, July 19
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Cast: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Maura Tierney, Anthony Ramos
Genres: Adventure, Thriller, Drama
In 1996, the movie Twister starring Helen Hunt and the late Bill Paxton became an instant hit. With epic tornadoes, non-stop action, and a sizzling love story it not only garnered a huge box office and devoted fans, but over time has been recognized as a cult classic.
Now, more than 25 years after the original film’s release, Minari director and screenwriter Lee Isaac Chung is throwing himself wholeheartedly into a standalone sequel: Twisters. With a star-studded cast and a solid first film behind it, Twisters could easily become a big favorite of 2024 for old fans and new audiences alike.
The official synopsis for Twisters reads:
“Edgar-Jones stars as Kate Cooper, a former storm chaser haunted by a devastating encounter with a tornado during her college years who now studies storm patterns on screens safely in New York City. She is lured back to the open plains by her friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos) to test a groundbreaking new tracking system. There, she crosses paths with Tyler Owens (Powell), the charming and reckless social-media superstar who thrives on posting his storm-chasing adventures with his raucous crew, the more dangerous the better. As storm season intensifies, terrifying phenomena never seen before are unleashed…”
Deadpool & Wolverine
Release Date: Friday, July 26
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Superhero
Ryan Reynolds reprises his starring role in the third installment of the franchise, in which he reunites with Hugh Jackman’s X-Men character Wolverine.
As you might expect, much of the plot is being kept under wraps. However, in June 2022, Deadpool & Wolverine, co-writer Rhett Reese hinted that the latest installment would include the arrival of the anti-hero Deadpool to the MCU as an inherent part of the story, directly addressing the fact that he is now in a totally different universe.
Plus, in footage released exclusively to attendees at this year’s CinemaCon, it was revealed that, at the start of Deadpool & Wolverine, Wade Wilson is no longer Deadpool and appears to be going through a mid-life crisis.
While Tim Miller and David Leitch directed the first and second installments of the franchise, the third will be helmed by Shawn Levy, who has already worked with Reynolds on productions such as The Adam Project and Free Guy.
Borderlands
Release Date: Friday, August 9
Director: Eli Roth
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Bobby Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt y Édgar Ramírez.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action Comedy, Post-apocalyptic Future
We are just a few months away from the premiere of Lionsgate’s live-action film Borderlands. Based on the popular video game of the same name, the production takes place on an abandoned planet called Pandora where corporate greed, convict labor and deadly monsters rule.
From Lionsgate, the official synopsis is as follows:
“Lilith, an infamous outlaw with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home planet of Pandora to find the missing daughter of the universe’s most powerful S.O.B., Atlas. Lilith forms an alliance with an unexpected team – Roland, a former elite mercenary, now desperate for redemption; Tiny Tina, a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg, Tina’s musclebound, rhetorically challenged protector; Tannis, the scientist with a tenuous grip on sanity; and Claptrap, a persistently wiseass robot. These unlikely heroes must battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits…”
The film is directed by Eli Roth, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Joe Crombie. For his part, Roth is known for his work in the horror genre, such as Cabin Fever, Hostel and Thanksgiving.
Trap
Release Date: Friday, August 9
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills, and Allison Pill
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
M. Night Shyamalan, the prolific director behind Knock at the Cabin, Split, and The Sixth Sense, returns with Trap, a film starring Josh Hartnett.
According to the official logline, Trap follows a “father (Josh Hartnett) and teen daughter (Ariel Donoghue) attending a pop concert, where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”
The story of Trap goes awry when dozens of police officers surround the concert venue, following a tip that a ruthless serial killer known as “The Butcher” may be there.
The twist? It turns out that Harnett’s character has a hostage trapped in his basement at that very moment, implying that he is the man the authorities are looking for. So instead of being a movie about a father and daughter trying to escape a concert and run from a killer, the plot follows the killer himself, who is trying to escape without being discovered.
However, given that this is a Shyamalan project, there are sure to be more surprises along the way.
Alien: Romulus
Release Date: Friday, August 16
Director: Fede Álvarez
Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Isabela Merced, Archie Renaux, Spike Fearn
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror
The latest chapter of the Alien franchise, approved by Ridley Scott and James Cameron, hits theaters this summer. This time around, Uruguayan ace director Fede Álvarez is taking up the torch for the saga and, has said that Alien fans can expect a film that is modern in approach but at the same time very familiar and recognizable.
So far, details about the story are scarce. What we do know is that Alien: Romulus is set between the events of Ridley Scott’s Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens. It should be noted that this film is not a sequel to the original film. Instead, it is a standalone feature film that follows a group of colonists who seek to discover something useful inside a space station. What they find there, however, is an infestation of Xenomorphs, which may prevent many of them from making it out alive.
Priscilla star Cailee Spaeny leads the cast, along with a bevy of rising stars playing fellow space travelers. Alien: Romulus is the seventh film in the Alien franchise.
The Crow
Release Date: Friday, August 23
Director: Rupert Sanders
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, FKA twigs, Danny Huston
Genre: Thriller, Fantasy, Crime, Revenge
After nearly sixteen years of development and a few false starts, the remake of The Crow will finally hit theaters in 2024. Based on James O’Barr’s 1989 comic book series of the same name, the upcoming supernatural fantasy film was first announced in 2008.
This time, the versatile Bill Skarsgård (star of the recent adaptation of Stephen King’s It) will play the title character, a murdered musician who is resurrected to avenge his death and that of his girlfriend.
“When soulmates Eric and Shelly are brutally murdered, Eric is given the chance to save his true love by sacrificing himself and sets out to seek revenge, traversing the worlds of the living and the dead to put the wrong things right,” states the official description.
As we recall, the original 1994 film was involved in a tragedy. An accident with a prop gun fatally injured lead actor Brandon Lee, son of legendary action star Bruce Lee.
Beetlejuice – Beetlejuice
Release Date: Friday, September 6
Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Catherine O’Hara
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Horror
It’s showtime: next September finally sees the arrival of the sequel to Beetlejuice, the hugely popular 1987 gothic comedy. The talented Tim Burton returns to direct the sequel to his cult classic, with Michael Keaton in the role of the eccentric ghost. Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara also return for the sequel. Jenna Ortega, Wednesday’s quirky leading lady joins the cast as the new face of the franchise.
Here is the plot synopsis for “Beetlejuice – Beetlejuice,” via Warner Bros:
“Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened…”
Joker: Folie à Deux
Release Date: Friday, October 4
Director: Todd Phillips
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener, Steve Coogan, Jacob Lofland, Ken Leung
Genre: Suspense, Drama, Psychological thriller, Musical
Joker fans can rejoice: the official release of the sequel entitled Joker: Folie à Deux is just a few months away. This irreverent musical thriller stars Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn, while Joaquin Phoenix reprises his role as Arthur Fleck, a washed-up comedian turned criminal.
In Joker: Folie à Deux, Arthur is incarcerated in Arkham State Hospital after murdering Murray Franklin on live television. It is there, where he meets Dr. Harleen Quinzel and the two fall madly in love. Meanwhile, Fleck’s followers start a movement to have him released.
“Folie à deux” literally translates from French as “folly of two,” and is used in medical circles to describe a rare psychological condition involving two people who share the same delirium or mental illness.
At the time, the acclaimed 2019 film Joker grossed more than $1 billion at the box office and earned Phoenix his first Oscar, for Best Actor.
Gladiator II
Release Date: Friday, November 22
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Paul Mescal, Fred Hechinger, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen, Djimon Hounsou, Derek Jacobi, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal
Genre: Epic drama, Action, Adventure
More than 20 years ago, Ridley Scott took the box office by storm and won several Oscars with the extraordinary film Gladiator . Now, it’s time to enter the arena once again!
The highly versatile Ridley Scott is back in action to direct Gladiator II, a sequel starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington. Considering that the epic action-adventure drama Gladiator ended with Commodus and Maximus dead, the sequel is obviously going to follow a new direction. Although not much is known about the plot, it has been revealed that the feature film will explore the story of Lucius Verus, the son of Lucilla, the sister of Emperor Commodus.
The next installment of Gladiator will be a direct successor to the Oscar-winning original film and will largely follow the journey and challenges Lucius faces as an adult (Paul Mescal) in Ancient Rome.
Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim
Release date: Friday, December 13
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Cast: Brian Cox, Miranda Otto, Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino, Laurence Ubong, Shaun Dooley
Genres: Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is an ambitious animated prequel that once again revives J.R.R. Tolkien’s magical universe. Although the film’s release is still a long way off, there is already quite a bit of information about the production and story.
As the name suggests, the animated fantasy explores the powerful kingdom of Rohan, which played a pivotal role in the fight against Sauron in The Two Towers. The plot revolves around Rohan’s elite army, known as the Rohirrim, and centers on the legendary King Helm Hammerhand as his home is besieged by the dangerous Dunlendings.
Japanese filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama will direct this project. Kamiyama is known for his work on Ghost in the Shell and the Ultraman series for Netflix.