Don’t let the date on the calendar or those still chilly early mornings fool you. As far as the film studios are concerned, the summer movie season has already started. It’s a time when the days (and running times) are generally longer, a more than normal amount of stuff blows up, and your hearing might come under assault. Here’s a select list of some promising looking mainstream offerings and a few of the under-the-radar art-house titles coming out in the next few months.
Please note: all release dates are subject to change.
April 22
‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’
Film poster for "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent." Lionsgate
In what could be the textbook example of Meta self-awareness, Nicolas Cage stars as Nick Cage, an actor going through a professional dry spell who is offered $1 million to attend the birthday party of one of his biggest fans. Chaos and hilarity soon follow.
‘The Northman’
The third effort from director Robert Eggers (“The Witch,” “The Lighthouse”) is based on “The Legend of Amleth” (as was Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”) and stars Alexander Skarsgard as the title character who, after many years away, returns home to avenge the murder of his father (Ethan Hawke) by the hand of his uncle (Claes Bang) and salvage the honor of his mother (Nicole Kidman).
May 6
‘Operation Mincemeat’
Film poster for "Operation Mincemeat." Warner Bros. Pictures
Delayed from January (which is a good sign), this fact-based World War II drama from director John Madden (“The Debt,” “Shakespeare in Love”) stars Colin Firth as British Intelligence officer Ewan Montagu, the point man heading a mission charged with creating a diversion to help ensure the successful Allied defense of Sicily. Co-stars include Jason Isaacs and Matthew Macfadyen.
May 20
‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’The second feature based on the enormously popular British TV series sees the return of the entire principal cast. Again penned by show runner Julian Fellowes, it’s directed by Simon Curtis (“The Art of Racing in the Rain”) taking over for first installment helmer Michael Engler.
May 27
‘Top Gun: Maverick’Delayed by almost three years because of the COVID-19 fallout and being released nearly 36 years after the first installment, “Maverick” sees the return of Tom Cruise as the title character and Val Kilmer whose character in now an admiral. Jennifer Connelly co-stars as Cruise’s love interest.
June 10
‘Hustle’
Film poster for "Hustle." Netflix
After wowing critics and audiences alike with his performance in “Uncut Gems,” Adam Sandler again takes on a dramatic role as a former basketball scout who tries to jump-start his ailing career by recruiting a European player (Juancho Hernangómez) with a dark past. Robert Duvall, Ben Foster, and Queen Latifah co-star.
June 16
‘The Father of the Bride’The third feature film adapted from the best-selling 1949 novel by Edward Streeter includes a predominantly Latin cast led by Cuban Americans Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan and is directed by relatively unknown Mexican-American Gary Alazraki.
June 24
‘Elvis’The hotly anticipated cradle-to-grave biography directed by Baz Luhrmann (“Romeo + Juliet,” “Moulin Rouge,” “The Great Gatsby”) stars Austin Butler (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”) as Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, his shady Dutch-born business manager.
‘Marcel the Shell With Shoes On’
Film poster for "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On." Cinereach
Judging by its winsome, cloying trailer, this offbeat, yet heart-tugging live-action and animated dramatic comedy hybrid could be a tough sell to the family demographic yet might turn out to be a sleeper hit with the art house crowd. Screenplay co-writer Jenny Slate also voices the title character.
July 1
‘The Forgiven’If this latest from filmmaker John Michael McDonagh is anything like his past efforts (“Cavalry,” “The Guard”), anyone who appreciates dark comedy is going to love this movie. Starring Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain, it’s a mystery thriller set in Morocco where all is not what is seems.
July 8
‘Thor: Love and Thunder’
"Thor." Marvel Studios
Director Taika Waititi’s follow-up and sequel to “Thor: Ragnarok” again stars Chris Hemsworth as the title character, this time butting heads with “Gorr the God Butcher” (an unrecognizable Christian Bale). Reprising their roles from previous Marvel outings are Natalie Portman, Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Jeff Goldblum, Karen Gillan, and Dave Bautista.
July 15
‘Where the Crawdads Sing’Echoing Harper Lee and William Faulkner, this haunting Southern gothic mystery thriller (based on the novel by Delia Owens) stars Daisy Edgar-Jones as a woman that was abandoned by her parents as a child and who is being tried for the murder of an abusive ex-boyfriend.
‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’
‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’ is directed by Anthony Fabian and based on the 1958 novel by Paul Gallico. Lesley Manville stars as the title character, a London charwoman who, inspired by the wardrobe of her employer, makes a journey to Paris to find a dress designer. Co-stars include Isabelle Huppert and Jason Isaacs.
July 29
‘Bullet Train’
"Bullet Train." Columbia Pictures
If the trailer is any kind of indicator, this looks like an over-caffeinated comedic crime thriller and a day-glow Asian mash-up of Hitchcock and Tarantino. Brad Pitt stars as a courier charged with delivering a mysterious metal briefcase which several nefarious types wish to steal from him. As it is directed by David Leitch (“John Wick,” “Atomic Blonde,” “Deadpool 2”) expect lots o’ action and laughs.
August 5
‘Not Okay’The second feature from actress-turned-director Quinn Shephard (“Blame”) is a satire starring Zoey Deutch (“The Outfit”) as young woman desperate for social media attention who believes the solution is in documenting her European vacation. To her chagrin, nothing goes as planned.
August 12
‘The Man From Toronto’
Film poster for "Man from Toronto." Sony Pictures
Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson are the leads in this fish-out-of-water comedy about an assassin and a perpetual loser who are mistaken for one another and, against both of their wills, team up to save each other’s hides. Co-stars include Kaley Cuoco and Ellen Barkin.
September 23
‘Don’t Worry Darling’For her second feature effort, Olivia Wilde (“Booksmart”) directs this slow-boil thriller set in the 1950s about a disgruntled housewife (Florence Pugh) whose mild-mannered husband (singer Harry Styles) does everything he can to keep a dark secret from his past hidden.
