The 11 Most Anticipated Movies Coming This Fall
With the existence of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, many film studios were forced to withhold and postpone the production and release of new movies. Because of this, moviegoers have been deprived of doing what they love: going to a theater and seeing a new movie. However, this lack of new content means that the upcoming three months are filled with the release of plenty of great movies. Essentially, the next three months will contain about two years worth of new movies.
October
October 1, 2021 - Venom: Let There Be Carnage - Directed by Andy Serkis
The first Venom movie, released in 2018, had a split reception. Some people found it pretty forgettable, while others (me) found it enjoyable. Either way, it made over $850 million at the box office. I think Tom Hardy is a generational actor, and he carried the first installment sufficiently. Venom was also just entertaining, and I hope the follow-up is the same. Serkis’ sequel has a 90-minute runtime, a pleasant surprise considering every movie that comes out now is two hours and thirty minutes long. Plus, there’s a chance that Venom eventually ties in with Marvel’s Spider-Man, so it might be worth a watch. — VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE - Official Trailer
October 8, 2021 - No Time to Die - Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
The long-awaited No Time to Die, the 25th James Bond film, is finally coming out. After being postponed seven times due to creative issues and then the pandemic, Daniel Craig’s last hurrah as the famed 007 will finally be seen by the public. Craig has had an up-and-down ride as Bond: Casino Royale was a genuinely great movie, Quantum of Solace was not good, Skyfall was very good, and Spectre was forgettable. Still, I’m excited to see how Craig wraps up his stint as the British spy. No Time to Die gives Rami Malek the role of Lyutsifer Safin (yeah, I don’t know how to pronounce it either), the villain in the film. It has also been confirmed that Cristoph Waltz will be reprising his role as Blofeld, one of 007’s past villains. Waltz previously played Blofeld in Spectre. While the runtime of nearly three hours is somewhat intimidating, I think it is fair to say No Time to Die will give us the classic Bond action (and sometimes not-so-subtle sexism) that we have been deprived of for the past six years. — NO TIME TO DIE Trailer
October 15, 2021 - The Last Duel - Directed by Ridley Scott
Almost a year after its initial release date, Ridley Scott’s 14th Century historical drama, starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Adam Driver, is coming. Damon and Affleck also co-wrote the screenplay. This is the first of two Ridley Scott movies that are coming out in the next few months, both with Adam Driver in a leading role. Not much is known about this film, but the combination of Ridley Scott, Damon, and Driver means it’ll probably be very good. I could see this being nominated for a few Oscars. — THE LAST DUEL | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios
October 22, 2021 - Dune - Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune is arguably the most anticipated film of the year. Starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac, and more, Dune will tell the story of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel of the same title. While I have not read the book, I recently watched the original film, directed by David Lynch, and I was not a fan. However, this did not change my anticipation of the upcoming Dune as I find the actors compelling and considering Villeneuve’s great past works, I am excited for this to come out, nearly a year after it was supposed to. — DUNE Official Trailer
October 22, 2021 - The French Dispatch - Directed by Wes Anderson
This is, without a doubt, my most anticipated movie of the year. I thoroughly enjoy Wes Anderson’s movies, and I have been waiting for this new film for about two summers. The film stars Timothée Chalamet, Christoph Waltz, Elisabeth Moss, and the rest of Anderson’s typical troupe. The film will bring to life the stories and articles published in a fictional, New Yorker-esque magazine, called The French Dispatch. My worry for this movie, and many on this list, is that the anticipation building in us will make the film inevitably be a letdown. We’ve all been waiting for these movies for a long time, so naturally, our expectations are higher than they normally would be. Nevertheless, I trust Wes Anderson and the laundry list of actors that are in The French Dispatch, so I think it will be pretty good. — THE FRENCH DISPATCH | Official Trailer
October 29, 2021 - Last Night in Soho - Directed by Edgar Wright
I do not like horror movies, but I will make an exception for Last Night in Soho. Edgar Wright’s new one, starring Anya-Taylor Joy, seems intriguing. As I said, I don’t like horror movies, but knowing Wright’s previous works (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Hot Fuzz, Baby Driver), I think Last Night in Soho is going to be the type of horror movie that I like: the ones that use horror as a vehicle for the plot, rather than….. Movies like Get Out or The Shining embody this idea. I think this film is going to be memorable and, even though it makes me nervous to see a horror movie in the theatres, I intend to do so. — LAST NIGHT IN SOHO- Official Teaser Trailer
November
November 5, 2021 - Eternals - Directed by Chloe Zhao
Marvel does a great job getting young, up-and-coming directors for their films — Taika Waititi for Thor: Ragnarok, Ryan Coogler for Black Panther, Jon Watts for Spider-Man — and Eternals is no different. I have high hopes for this movie. I’m specifically excited to see how Chloe Zhao follows up Nomadland, for which she received Best Director and won Best Picture. There’s little to say about this movie, as Marvel limits prior knowledge about the large majority of their films. The cast is also very compelling: Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kumail Nanjiani headline. Whether it's for Chloe Zhao or just because I’ll see any movie Marvel releases, I am going to see Eternals. — MARVEL STUDIOS’ ETERNALS | Final Trailer
November 24, 2021 - House of Gucci - Directed by Ridley Scott
This is the second Ridley Scott film to release this year, and, I’ll be honest, it looks ridiculous. I don’t necessarily think it will be bad, but from the trailer, it looks like everyone is going all out the whole time. The star-studded cast includes Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, and Salma Hayek, and in the trailer, they all have the most exaggerated Italian accents. Even if it is the hot mess it seems like it has the potential to be from the trailer, it will surely be fun to watch. — HOUSE OF GUCCI - Official Trailer (Universal Pictures)
November 26, 2021 - Licorice Pizza - Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Just as I was submitting this article to be edited, the trailer for this film was released to the public. To me, it was a perfect trailer; we saw lots of footage from the film, a few funny moments, but most importantly, I still have no clear idea of what the movie is about. Too many trailers these days spend 20 seconds introducing the idea of the film to you and then spend the next 2 minutes telling you everything that is going to happen. Thankfully, this was the opposite of that. Cooper Hoffman, the son of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, stars as the main character: a teenage actor who falls in love with a young woman. The young woman will be played by Alana Haim, famous for her band HAIM. Bradley Cooper plays Jon Peters, who was a film producer and dated Barbara Streisand. The supporting cast alone would make me excited for any film: Sean Penn, Maya Rudolph, John C. Reily, and Benny Safdie. This will be Paul Thomas Anderson’s third film set in the 1970s; the first, Boogie Nights, is one of the best films of the last 30 years,in my opinion, and Inherent Vice was fairly decent. Honestly, what makes me so excited about Licorice Pizza is that Paul Thomas Anderson is back. — LICORICE PIZZA | Official Trailer
December
December 10, 2021 - Don’t Look Up - Directed by Adam McKay
I have extremely high hopes for Adam McKay’s upcoming film. After starting off with comedies like Anchorman, Step Brother, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, McKay’s career has taken a dramatic turn. His last two movies have been dramas, pretty heavy ones at that: The Big Short and Vice. The movie is about two scientists (DiCaprio and Lawrence) who discover a giant asteroid is going to destroy Earth in six months and they have to warn everyone, but nobody will listen; it is a dark comedy about climate change. Additionally, the cast of Don’t Look Up is stacked: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Timothée Chalamet, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Ariana Grande, and Kid Cudi all star in the film, and that’s just a handful. — DON’T LOOK UP | Official Teaser Trailer | Netflix
December 17, 2021 - Spider-Man: No Way Home - Directed by Jon Watts
I am worried about this movie. I am excited for this movie, but I am worried. Expectations for it are so unbelievably high that I feel like I am going to be let down no matter what happens. I’ve been trying to not get my hopes up about Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire reprising their roles as Peter Parker, but the trailer didn’t help — seeing Alfred Molina playing Doctor Octavius again, along with teases as Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin and Jamie Foxx’s Electro, only made me more convinced that we are going to see all three Spider-Men swing together. If they can get the villains, why can’t they get the heroes?— SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME - Official Teaser Trailer
I didn’t want to make this too lengthy, but there are several other films that I could have included and am very excited to see: The Power of the Dog, King Richard, West Side Story, Spencer, The Matrix Resurrections,tick, tick… Boom!, The Harder They Fall, Bergman Island, C’mon C’mon
By Daniel Rosen