Coming Soon: Working Title's Most Anticipated 2024 Releases
Let's talk about what's coming this year
As I said in our Best of 2023 newsletter, 2023 was a very good movie year. There was a litany of good stuff and towards the end of the year, there were almost TOO many good movies. Studios love to cram a bunch of movies in a row across the last 6 weeks of the year, making it almost impossible to see everything you’d maybe like to see. Spread ‘em out baby! No need for everybody’s movie to come out December 15th.
We should take the time to appreciate 2023 because we might not have it as good in 2024. If you keep up with the movie industry, this might not be news to you. If you keep up with the movie industry via this newsletter, hell yeah, thank you. Let me break it down for you super briefly: due to the historic (and necessary) writer’s and actor’s strikes in 2023, many productions either halted or never got started on their original shoot dates. Movies that were supposed to be released were pushed back or taken off release schedules due to studios not being able to use actors to promote them (like DUNE 2 or DRIVE AWAY DOLLS). That means that movies that were on track to be released this year are now in danger of missing that deadline or are being held till 2025 for various reasons. There are various weekends on the 2024 movie calendar that straight up do not have any new releases from major studios attached to them. That is surely going to change, but it’s not the most encouraging sign to start the year.
Also, streaming is in a really weird, fragmented place right now. You’ve probably noticed it as a consumer; there are one thousand different streaming services all tied to major studios that you have to be subscribed to now to catch movies that you might want to watch when they’re released. Some of these streamers are just straight up awful when it comes to the user experience and the heads of these studios are very mercurial when it comes to letting movies go to theaters vs putting them on their services or sometimes not even releasing them at all. It’s all very annoying. Just show me your movie!
However, Working Title is in the business of being excited about movies and we’re not going to let a little down year outlook keep us down. There are still a bunch of great movies coming out this year and we’re excited for a lot of them.
I am joined (as I always am when Working Title needs to look forward or backward) by my good friend, correct movie opinion haver, Canadian, and Movie Slut™️ Steph Mill!
Our usual notes before we look ahead at the year in movies.
1. Spiritually, The Movie Sluts™️ are excited for every new new movie that’s going to be released this year. Go movies, love da movie. Practically, The Movie Sluts™️ are more excited about certain films than others and also we do not have time to write about every single movie that’s coming out although maybe we should start a Patreon or something so we CAN do that.
Not writing about every movie also lends itself to one of the best parts of the moviegoing experience: showing up to a movie you have no/marginal expectations for and having your shit rocked by how good it is. Nothing better.
2. Movie release timing is a weird thing. As mentioned above, the strikes have done a number on the calendar and movies sometimes shuffle off their proposed release dates during a regular year. Each movie listed will have their tentative release date, but those are always subject to change. Some are absolutely locked in while some movies won’t have a confirmed date outside of “2024.”
3. There are movies that might be listed here that were technically released in 2023 but “released” is always a flexible term. Sometimes that means they just played festivals. Sometimes it means they played festivals and limited runs in major cities. Steph and I are luck to live in LA and Toronto because we are often (though not always) included in these theatrical runs. That said, even we sometimes don’t get everything. 2024 is the year that some of these 2023 movies will finally be available to a larger viewing audience. That will also be noted.
4. If available, trailers are linked in the movie’s title!
Okay, enough rules. There are movies. We are excited about them. Let’s talk.
Movie: A Different Man
Tentative Release Date: Premiering at Sundance 2024. Release TBD.
A24, Sebastian Stan, crazy prosthetics, Renate Reinsve (the girl from The Worst Person In The World who made me want to uproot and change my entire life over the course of two hours)? What more could you ask for! - Steph
Movie: Madame Web
Tentative Release Date: February 14th
It’s insane to start my list with this movie, but chronologically speaking it’s the first on the list. I have to clarify that I am anticipating this movie the same way you anticipate seeing a car crash once you finally get to the bottleneck of a particularly nasty bit of traffic. Sometimes you just have to stare into the abyss. Have you seen the trailer for this movie? I am there opening night. - Saul
Movie: Bob Marley: One Love
Tentative Release Date: February 14th
I have seen the trailer this movie so many times in the past calendar year that it has finally beaten me into submission. I will go see the Bob Marley biopic. Kingsley Ben-Adir is great. Please let my family go. - Saul
Movie: Drive-Away Dolls
Tentative Release Date: February 23rd
Ethan Coen and his wife Tricia Cooke are planning a triptych of lesbian B-movies, and this is the first one. Don’t ask me why this married straight couple is making lesbian movies. It’s a goofy little caper story in Tallahassee. It’s gonna be good. - Steph
Interested to see a Coen not attached to his brother! There’s always weird shit going down in Florida, time to let the girlies get in on that. - Saul
Movie: Dune Pt II
Tentative Release Date: March 1st
I’m DUNE waiting for this!!! Give me the worm!!! - Steph
(Using THE VOICE from the first Dune movie) I actually cannot have said it better than Steph. - Saul
Movie: Spaceman
Tentative Release Date: March 1st
From the man who directed fucking Chernobyl, comes a sci-fi drama starring Adam Sandler and Paul Dano. And that rules. But as the pessimist I am at heart, I can’t help but hate the fact that this is a big screen movie with an “ONLY ON NETFLIX” stamp on it. I just want to see good movies on big screens. Sue me!! - Steph
Movie: Love Lies Bleeding
Tentative Release Date: March 8th
(Director) Rose Glass did ‘women going insane’ (my favourite sub-genre) really well in Saint Maud. This time around we’ve got sweaty women lifting weights, lots of frames of said sweaty women cocking guns, and a Las Vegas backdrop. I can’t guarantee anyone will go insane, but consider me seated either way. - Steph
Rose Glass’ ST. MAUD was a nice little horror movie that got swallowed up by an unfortunate release date that coincided with a worldwide pandemic. Excited to get to see her get to cook again. This movie falls into the genre of “I not only support women’s rights, I also support their wrongs.” There’s gonna be a lot of wrongs. I want buff Kristen Stewart to hurl me into the sun. - Saul
Movie: Civil War
Tentative Release Date: March 26th
I have yet to forgive Alex Garland for the atrocity that was Men, and we really especially don’t need a movie of this exact genre any time in the near future, but then I’m like… the guy made Ex-Machina and Annihilation so he deserves some rights. Plus I’ll watch anything where Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemmons get to act together. Who gave Plemmons Ozempic though? - Steph
Very interested to see A24 branch out into Summer Blockbuster adjacent territory. Jesse Plemmons Hive we’re eating!!! - Saul
Movie: Challengers
Tentative Release Date: March 26th
One request: Make the boys kiss. Luca Guadagnino made buddy fuck a peach, I’m sure he can make the two grown boys kiss a little on the lips. - Steph
I just know Luca Guadagnino is gonna show Zendaya’s knee injury in the grossest detail possible. I can feel it. Also, get to know the name Mike Faist, folks. - Saul
Movie: Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Tentative Release Date: May 24th
Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the sickest action movies probably ever, so I have high expectations for this one. Offering my sincerest apologies to all who enter the same theater as me if I get to see a pole vaulting guy for even half a second. (Standing ovation) (Not at the end of the movie but actually immediately when it happens) - Steph
If there is a cooler movie than MAD MAX: FURY ROAD made in the last decade then I haven’t seen it. Anya Taylor-Joy seems more of a quiet, internal actor for most of her parts so I’m excited to see what she does with this one and I’m REALLY excited to see Chris Hemsworth do his weird little voice - Saul
Movie: The Bikeriders
Tentative Release Date: June 21st
This movie has been teased for so long and it was caught in distribution hell but it finally has a release date. It’s about to be an Austin Butler summer baby. Let’s ride. - Saul
Movie: A Quiet Place: Day 1
Tentative Release Date: June 28th
These movies are good! We all need more blockbuster thrillers in our lives! Alex Wolff belongs in blockbuster thrillers! Also Michael Sarnoski directed Pig and Pig made me sob! - Steph
Steph is right! These movies are good and I think it’s really smart to go back and show the origin of this universe since we don’t get it in the first A QUIET PLACE, which was also a very smart move. - Saul
Movie: Twisters
Tentative Release Date: July 19th
Now THIS? This is what the world needs. Twister is a 90s classic - it’s not bad, it’s not amazing, but Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton are hot and there is nothing better than a disaster movie with more practical effects than CGI. I kinda hope Glen Powell blows away. - Steph
Lee Isaac Chung directed MINARI which was a wonderful family drama so I’m excited to see if he’s got the juice for a big summer action movie. I rebuke what Steph said above, we need Glenn Powell now more than ever. - Saul
Movie: Trap
Tentative Release Date: August 2nd
If you saw me talking shit on M Night in our ‘Best of 2023’ newsletter a mere week before I discovered this A24-produced joint starring Josh Hartnett… no you didn’t. - Steph
I am glad to be alive to witness the Josh Hartnett-aissance - Saul
Movie: Alien: Romulus
Tentative Release Date: August 16th
So I did some research* and found out that Romulus is one of the twins who discovered Rome and the Roman Kingdom. And all I’m thinking of is the producers trying to rack their brains for a name for this movie because they’ve already used up Aliens. That being said, I’ll put money on there being two freaky guys in this movie.
*typed the word Romulus into google - Steph
Cailee Spaeny in an ALIEN movie set between the first ALIEN and ALIENS? Brother, you have my attention. - Saul
Movie: Wolfs
Tentative Release Date: September 20th
Brad Pitt and George Clooney are two fixers who find themselves hired for the same job. If that doesn’t get your motor running then I don’t know what to tell you. - Saul
Movie: Saw XI
Tentative Release Date: September 27th
Steph:
Movie: Gladiator 2
Tentative Release Date: November 22nd
I haven’t liked a Ridley Scott movie since maybe 2012 and I don’t know if it’s necessary for a Gladiator sequel but who am I to hate on a jacked Paul Mescal? If Mr. Scott is responsible for that, I simply can’t hate on the man. However if this is anything like Napoleon with epic battle scenes and not much else besides a runtime that ISN’T longer than a Scorsese movie but FEELS longer than a Scorsese movie, I’ll have to do what I have to do - hate on the man. - Steph
As a longstanding member of the “Late Period Ridley Scott is pretty good, actually” club, I am ready for this one. I can’t exactly back NAPOLEON but I really enjoyed PROMETHEUS, THE MARTIAN, and EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS (Directors Cut ONLY) so I’ve got faith in my man. I was bummed to hear Barry Keoghan left the production but was immediately rewarded with the casting of Fred Heschinger. - Saul
Movie: Nosferatu
Tentative Release Date: Christmas Day
Preparing for this to be my movie of the year, to be honest. I have a Nosferatu tattoo so it’s my moral obligation to be super annoying about this. My only qualm is Anya Taylor-Joy having to drop out (for good reason) (Furiosa, duh). Otherwise this is set to be a visual feast for my silly little eyes, and probably completely overlooked by any sort of award ceremony. - Steph
C’mon now. That’s what I’m talking about. That’s COUNT ORLOCK BABY. It doesn’t get any better than this. All your favorite weird little freaks are here. Willam Dafoe, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult. They’re gonna do weird, period accurate accents. It’s gonna get spooky. LET’S GO. - Saul
Movie: MaXXXine
Tentative Release Date: TBD 2024
In a post-Pearl and X world, and rumoured to be a gory homage to Dario Argento (legend of horror responsible for Suspira), we follow Mia Goth as Maxine yet again, who finally is getting her real chance at stardom. Maybe. I don’t know yet. Whatever she gets up to, I’m sure it will be 1980’s-illegal. - Steph
Mia Goth is my #1 overall pick in the “I Could Fix Her Draft.” This movie is set in the world of 1980’s porn in Los Angeles. I’m CERTAINLY not into that, like AT ALL, but if you are this movie could be good. - Saul
Movie: Long Legs
Tentative Release Date: TBD 2024
The only thing available about this is a teaser trailer DONE RIGHT - leaves you with nothing but dread and curiosity. Nic Cage and Maika Monroe star, I’m sure she’s trying to get away from some sort of evil entity, as she does. As white people say, sign me up! - Steph
The teasers for this movie are SO SCARY imo. - Saul
Movie: Blitz
Tentative Release Date: TBD 2024
It has been 6 years since we got a new movie from Steve McQueen (shoutout WIDOWS). He’s returning with BLITZ, the story of some Londonors during the blitz of WWII. It’s got Saoirse Ronan and Harris Dickinson who I am all the way in on. Feels like a major Oscars movie. Give it to me. - Saul
Movie: Oh, Canada
Tentative Release Date: TBD 2024
As WORKING TITLE’s resident Canadian contributor, I find Schrader calling the title a “metaphor for death” to be rather rude… but I digress. This guy is good at making me almost feel bad for a man (First Reformed, The Card Counter, etc). I’m front and center for the Jacob Elordi pity party. - Steph
Movie: Den of Thieves 2: Pantera
Tentative Release Date: TBD 2024
Dudes rock - Saul
You can find Steph on Letterboxd here.
You can find Saul on Letterboxd here.
We’ll see you soon.