The last few months of 2021 have been kind of a cinematic bonanza. Tons of fantastic movies, many from some of the biggest directors of their generation, and a whole lot of serious Oscar contenders. We’ll surely be spending the early months of 2022 thinking and talking about those films as the awards season conversation heats up. But there are also some major movie premieres fast approaching. Here’s what we’re most looking forward to in the first quarter of the new year:
Scream
Despite what the title suggests, the latest installment in the Scream franchise isn’t a remake. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette return to help a new generation of Woodsboro teens fend off a new killer sporting that iconic Ghostface mask. The 1996 original was a hit partly for its knowing deconstruction of slasher film conventions. What might a new Scream be in the age of Folk Horror, Blumhouse and Jordan Peele? In theaters January 14.
Aline
The trailer for this French-Canadian film describes it as “a fiction freely inspired by the life of Celine Dion,” and that’s not even the oddest part. Aided by visual effects, 57-year-old director Valérie Lemercier plays pop star Aline Dieu throughout her fictional life, from childhood to middle age. Meanwhile, though Dion’s management reportedly approved the project, her family has spoken out against it. What even is this movie?! In theaters January 21.
Cyrano
Joe Wright’s musical adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac is a sumptuous experience. Peter Dinklage plays the lovelorn poet with wit and warmth, and the songs by Aaron and Bryce Dessner, with lyrics by Matt Berninger of The National are rousing and heartbreaking. In theaters January 21.
Death on the Nile
Kenneth Branagh follows up his intimate Oscar fave Belfast with another sprawling, bombastic take on Agatha Christie. Branagh reprises his role as Detective Hercule Poirot who must investigate a murder on an Egyptian pleasure cruise. Annette Bening, Gal Gadot, Russell Brand, Letitia Wright, Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French round out the star-studded cast of suspects. In theaters February 11.
The Batman
The time has come for another new Batman—our third since 2005, not that anyone’s counting. Director Matt Reeves has populated his detective noir take on the world of Gotham City with gritty versions of comic book villains like The Riddler (Paul Dano), Penguin (Colin Farrell) and Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) to battle Robert Pattinson’s Dark Knight. In theaters March 4.
Downton Abbey: A New Era
Another Downton Abbey movie? Sure, why not? Return to everyone’s favorite manor house this spring for more low-stakes upper crust antics. This time around, Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess of Grantham—still alive and quipping—reveals a secret romance from her past resulting in a lovely trip to a gorgeous villa for some reason. Again, why the hell not? In theaters March 18.
The Northman
After giving us a tale of creepy Puritan superstition in The Witch and a bonkers yarn about lighthouse keepers in The Lighthouse, director Robert Eggers is taking on a Viking epic! A primarily shirtless Alexander Skarsgård stars as Amleth, a deposed prince seeking revenge against his uncle (Claes Bang) for the murder of his father (Willem Dafoe). Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke and Björk round out the cast, with Nicole Kidman appearing in yet another wig and with, presumably, yet another noteworthy accent. In theaters April 22.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
The Cage-aissance is real! This comedy finds Nicholas Cage playing a fictional version of himself, playing on his real-life public persona, who has to rescue his wife (Sharon Horgan) and daughter (Lily Sheen) from a drug lord fan (Pedro Pascal). In theaters April 22.
