2024 is not just a year of great movie releases, but a year of great films going into production all over the world.
Here are the major projects (mostly confined to US productions) that are shooting their primary footage this year:
Screen projects in production this year
Blade
What we know: The further adventures of vampire hunter Blade (played by Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali). Part of Marvel Studio’s next phase. Bassam Tariq is directing. No plot details as of yet. Blade is scheduled for release on Friday, November 7, 2025.
Heat 2
What we know: The long awaited sequel to Michael Mann’s Heat (1995), Heat 2 gives us both the background and conclusion of the major characters’ story arcs. The movie will be an adaptation of the August 2022 novel of the same name by Michael Mann and author Meg Gardiner. The plot of takes place both before and after the events of Heat.
Avatar 4
What we know: Avatar 4 (working title) is an upcoming American epic science fiction film co-written, co-edited, co-produced and directed by James Cameron. Distributed by 20th Century Studios, it will be the sequel to the upcoming 2025 Avatar 3 (which has already been shot), and the fourth instalment in the Avatar franchise.
Minecraft
What we know: Minecraft is an upcoming American animated kid’s film based on the video game of the same name by Mojang Studios. Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge and Jack Black star. Directed by Jared Hess, and produced by Legendary Pictures, Mojang, and Vertigo Entertainment, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros on 4 April, 2025.
Tron: Ares
What we know: Tron: Ares is an upcoming American science fiction film, the sequel to 2012’s Tron: Uprising, to be produced by Walt Disney Pictures and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It’s directed by Joachim Rønning and stars Jared Leto, Evan Peters and Greta Lee.
M3GAN 2.0
What we know: The next instalment in the M3GAN franchise. Stars Violet McGraw, Jenna Davis and Amie Donald. No plot details as of yet. Directed by Gerard Johnstone. The film releases on 17 January, 2025.
The Bear S3
What we know: The third season of The Bear is filming this year. No plot details as of yet. Stars Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri. It will release on Disney+ either in late 2024 or early 2025.
Euphoria S3
What we know: The third season of Netflix drama Euphoria is shooting this year. No plot details as of yet. Zendaya will return as Rue, alongside Hunter Schafer (Jules), Jacob Elordi (Nate), Alexa Demie (Maddy), Algee Smith (Chris), Sydney Sweeney (Cassie), Maude Apatow (Lexi), Storm Reid (Gia), Nika King (Leslie), Austin Abrams (Ethan), Colman Domingo (Ali), and new recruit Dominic Fike (Elliot). Expect a release date in 2025.
Fantastic Four
What we know: Principal photography is scheduled to begin in January 2024, in London. Fantastic Four is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 2, 2025, as part of Phase Six of the MCU. No plot details as of yet. Directed by Matt Shakman and starring Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.
The Batman 2
What we know: Matt Reeves’ The Batman sequel reportedly begins filming in August 2024 and is set to release in October 2025. No plot details as of yet, but there are rumours that Clayface may be the primary villain. It stars Robert Pattinson in the lead role once again.
Wednesday S2
What we know: When Wednesday Season 2 was renewed in January 2023, the series promised more ‘torture’ ahead in an announcement video. ‘[Wednesday] sticks to her guns, and she’s not out to please anybody,’ Jenna Ortega (who plays the titular character) told Netflix’s Tudum festival in February 2023. ‘Which, as someone who used to be an immense people pleaser, I really respect.’
The Last of Us S2
What we know: Season 2 of this post-apocalyptic series will continue to follow the plot of the game closely, which may shock those that don’t know what happens between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in the second instalment. The series will stream on Binge at a later date.
Community movie
What we know: The Community movie is a feature film adaptation of the five-season sitcom series. No plot details as of yet. It’s written by showrunner Dan Harmon and Andrew Guest, and stars Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash and Ken Jeong.
Superman Legacy
What we know: Superman embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent. Directed by James Gunn. Rumours of this film containing Milly Alcock’s first appearance as Supergirl are just that – rumours.
Final Destination 6
What we know: The sixth instalment of the Final Destination franchise sees a group of first responders escaping death’s grasp, as they are killed by increasingly unlikely mishaps. It’s directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B Stein.
Stranger Things S5
What we know: The show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, announced the final season of Stranger Things with a letter to fans on 17 February, 2022. ‘Seven years ago, we planned out the complete story arc for Stranger Things,’ they wrote. ‘At the time, we predicted the story would last four to five seasons. It proved too large to tell in four, but—as you’ll soon see for yourselves—we are now hurtling toward our finale. Season 4 will be the penultimate season; season 5 will be the last.’ No plot details as of yet.
Good Fortune
What we know: Aziz Ansari is making his feature directorial debut with Good Fortune at Lionsgate, a movie he’s also written and acted in, alongside with Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen. No plot details as of yet. The movie begins filming this month in Los Angeles.
Moana (live-action)
What we know: Next on Disney’s adaptation slate is the live-action adaptation of the 2016 animated film Moana. In ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by the demigod Maui reaches Moana’s island, she answers the Ocean’s call to seek out Maui to set things right.
The White Lotus S3
What we know: Season 3 of The White Lotus will take place in Thailand, and according to Mike White, it’ll be focused on ‘death in Eastern religion and spirituality’. The super-sized cast includes Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Carrie Coon, Miloš Biković, Christian Friedel, Morgana O’Reilly, Walton Goggins, Sarah Catherine Hook, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Aimee Lou Wood.
Young Sheldon spinoff series
What we know: In January 2024, it was announced that a spin-off series focused on Sheldon Cooper’s parents Georgie Cooper and Mandy McAllister was in development. This will be the second spin-off series to be born from highly successful sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
How To Train Your Dragon (live-action)
What we know: How To Train Your Dragon follows a young Viking as he aspires to hunt dragons, and how he becomes unexpectedly a friend of a young dragon. The live action is being directed by Dean DeBlois, who also directed the animated film. Both are adapted from the children’s novel of the same name.
Eddington (feature)
What we know: Eddington is Ari Aster’s next feature film. Reported to be a ‘western comedy ensemble’, it is rumoured to star Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal. The synopsis is as follows: Eddington tackles a couple (Lindsay and Marc) driving through New Mexico, on their way to Los Angeles, who run out of gas just outside of small town Eddington, New Mexico. Lindsay and Marc decide to enter the town for help. They are, at first, greeted very warmly, but, as nightfall comes, the picturesque setting soon turns into a nightmare. Production starts this March in Albuquerque.
Michael
What we know: Michael is an American biographical musical drama film about the life of singer, songwriter, and dancer Michael Jackson. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by John Logan and produced by Graham King. The film stars Jaafar Jackson (a nephew of Jackson) as Michael Jackson. Michael is scheduled to released on 18 April, 2025 by Lionsgate in the United States and by Universal Pictures internationally.
Untitled Jordan Peele film
What we know: Due to the strike delays, Jordan Peele’s fourth movie has been pushed from its 2024 release slot, along with another film from Peele’s production studio, Monkeypaw. Filming on Peele’s upcoming movie is expected to begin later in 2024 but there hasn’t been any news yet about casting. No plot details as of yet.
Martin Scorsese’s Jesus
What we know: Martin Scorsese is getting ready to make an 80-minute film about Jesus designed to ‘take away the negative[s] … associated with organised religion’. The film is an adaptation of A Life of Jesus by Japanese writer Shūsaku Endō (a Catholic whose novel Silence was also adapted by Scorsese). No casting has been announced yet.
The Mandalorian & Grogu
What we know: A new feature film based on the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, The Mandalorian & Grogu will lead Lucasfilm’s ongoing feature-development slate, including films helmed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, James Mangold, and Dave Filoni, who is also currently developing Ahsoka Season 2. Interestingly, Pedro Pascal has not yet been confirmed to be returning for the lead role.
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein
What we know: This new adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein follows Dr. Pretorious, who needs to track down Frankenstein’s monster who is believed to have died in a fire forty years before in order to continue the experiments of Dr. Frankenstein. It stars Australian Jacob Elordi alongisde Mia Goth, Pedro Pascal, and Christoph Waltz.
Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson film
What we know: Warner Bros has officially enlisted the acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson to lead an untitled film project. The ensemble cast is set to include Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, alongside Regina Hall. Anderson wrote the script, and he will produce the film with Sara Murphy and Adam Somner. No plot details are known.
The Movie Critic
What we know: Quentin Tarantino’s ‘final feature film’ is the story of an irreverent critic in 1970s California who reviews mainstream movies for a porno magazine called The Popstar Pages. No other details are known.
