If you love action, horror and superheroes, 2023 is for you!
23 Most anticipated movies of 2023
By Valerie Cameron
I think we have all earned a year of fun movie watching! Nerds, action movie addicts and visual abundance is what is going to happen. Not to mention the killer soundtracks attached to most of the 23. These are in order of release and they only scratch the surface of what's to come. I will have my top 100 coming soon, and would love to hear from you. What movies are you most excited to see in 2023?
M3gan (Jan. 6)
Named after a killer robot child that is already taking the internet by storm, “M3gan” stars Allison Williams as a roboticist who programs M3gan to help her orphaned niece cope with a recent tragedy. The film is produced by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan, so those who are easily frightened should beware.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Feb. 17)
The third entry in Marvel Studios’ “Ant-Man” franchise finds Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang and his Ant-Family trapped inside the Quantum Realm, forced to face Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. Also starring Evangeline Lily, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, the film will kick off Phase 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Creed III (Mar. 3)***Tied with Across the Univers for my #1
Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors jump in the ring for the third “Creed” film, which marks the ninth installment in the “Rocky” franchise. The film is a directorial debut for Jordan, who stars as Adonis “Donnie” Creed. Majors will make his first appearance in the franchise as Damian “Dame” Anderson,” Adonis’ former friend and new opponent.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Mar. 17)
Zachary Levi returns as teen-turned-superhero Billy Batson in DC’s “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” but this time, his foster siblings become powered-up heroes as well. The David F. Sandberg-directed film also stars Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, Lucy Liu, Djimon Hounsou and Helen Mirren.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Mar. 31)
****Yes Yes Yes! Let all the nerds rejoice.
Directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the action-fantasy film follows Chris Pine (as a bard), Michelle Rodriguez (as a barbarian), Justice Smith (as a sorcerer) and Sophia Lillis (as a druid) attempting to rectify a mistake after one of their heists goes awry. Regé-Jean Page, Chloe Coleman, Jason Wong, Daisy Head and Hugh Grant also star in the upcoming feature based on Hasbro’s Dungeons & Dragons.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Apr. 7)
All the stars come out to bring the characters of the Mushroom Kingdom to life as Mario embarks on a quest to save Luigi from Bowser’s destruction. The cast includes Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Jack Black as Bowser, Keegan-Michael Key as Toad, Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong, Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong and more.
Renfield (Apr. 14)
Nicolas Cage is an odd Dracula for the horror-comedy “Renfield,” bringing a fresh take to his interpretation of the iconic vampire for director Chris McKay’s film adaptation of “The Book of Renfield: A Gospel of Dracula.” But the main star of the film is Nicholas Hoult as the titular character Renfield, who decides to abandon his post as Dracula’s henchman when he falls in love. Co-stars include Shohreh Aghdashloo, Awkwafina, Jenna Kanell, Ben Schwartz, Adrian Martinez and more.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May 5)
Director James Gunn is signing off from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise with a third and final intergalactic mission that unveils Rocket Raccoon’s (Bradley Cooper) origin story and the return of Gamora (Zoe Saldaña). In addition to Will Poulter making his Marvel debut as antagonist Adam Warlock, returning cast members include Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Elizabeth Debicki and Maria Bakalova as Cosmo the Spacedog.
Fast X (May 19) ***Yes Fam! Yes
The 10th installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, finds the family of criminals and professional street racers, led by Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, embarking on another high-octane adventure. Jason Momoa, Brie Larson and Rita Moreno join the Fast Family, along with returning stars Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Charlize Theron, John Cena, Sung Kang, Jason Statham, Helen Mirren and more.
The Little Mermaid (May 26)
Halle Bailey is making waves as princess Ariel in Disney’s reimagining of “The Little Mermaid,” which concretes her status as the first Black actor to play the character and second Black actor to ever be dubbed a Disney princess. Directed by Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Mary Poppins Returns”), the live-action adaptation brings previously unseen depth to the classic story as well as four new songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June 2) ***This is tied at my #1 with Creed III
This sequel to Sony’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, my favorite Spider-Man movie! We get to see older Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) as they battle other Spider-Man variants they encounter in the multiverse, including Issa Rae’s Spider-Woman, Oscar Isaac’s Spider-Man 2099 and Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk.
Elemental (June 16)
Set in a world where beings made of the four elements — water, fire, earth and air — coexist, Pixar’s upcoming 27th film follows unlikely duo Ember (Leah Lewis) and Wade (Mamoudou Athie) who, despite their fundamental differences, discover that they have a lot of similarities. The animated feature is directed by Peter Sohn, who helmed Pixar’s “The Good Dinosaur.”
The Flash (June 23) ***Crossing my fingers and closing one eye.
Finally! Ezra Miller will get a standalone movie as the Scarlet Speedster in director Andy Muschietti’s “The Flash,” following the hero’s previous appearance in 2017’s “Justice League.” The film also sees the return of Ben Affleck as Batman, as well as Michael Keaton back in the cape and cowl.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30) ***My #2
Harrison Ford returns for his last time as Indiana Jones, in the long-awaited fifth movie. Also starring Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas and Phoebe Waller-Bridge also star in the film, plus John Rhys-Davies returns as Sallah from Indy’s previous adventures.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (July 14)
Tom Cruise is back in the seventh installment of the spy thriller franchise Mission Impossible. Written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the movie of course has multiple death-defying stunts and action sequences, including Cruise driving a motorcycle off a cliff. He does all of these stunts himself. Also starring Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Henry Czerny, Vanessa Kirby and Frederick Schmidt reprise their “Mission: Impossible” roles.
***For the stunts alone, I am excited!!!
Barbie (July 21)
Margot Robbie is the iconic fashion doll Barbie in Greta Gerwig’s newest movie. Ryan Gosling plays Barbie’s boy toy Ken, also starring Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Hari Nef and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
Oppenheimer (July 21) ***Very excited for this one. I hope it is as good as the trailer looks.
“Oppenheimer” is a welcomed reunion for long-time collaborators Cillian Murphy and director Christopher Nolan, starring Murphy in the main role of J. Robert Oppenheimer, one of the original creators of the atomic bomb. Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh and Rami Malek are also among the star-studded cast.
The Marvels (July 28)
The sequel to Marvel’s 2019 origin story for Captain Marvel, Brie Larson’s powerful character is joined by Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris’ Monica Rambeau in the latest MCU team-up. “Candyman” director Nia DaCosta helms the film, which finds the three superheroes swapping places each time they use their powers. Samuel L. Jackson also reprises his role as Nick Fury in the sequel after playing a prominent role in the first film.
Next Goal Wins (Sept. 22)
Taika Waititi’s sports comedy-drama stars Michael Fassbender as unorthodox soccer coach Thomas Rongen. Based on directors Mike Brett and Steve Jamison’s 2014 documentary of the same name, the film follows the true story of Rongen as he attempts to turn the American Samoa national soccer team into champions. Elisabeth Moss, Will Arnett, Uli Latukefu, Oscar Kightley, David Fane, Beulah Koale, Lehi Falepapalangi, Semu Filipo, Rachel House and Kaimana round out the cast.
The Exorcist (Oct. 13)
Prepare for more spine-tingling and faith-shaking horror as a new “Exorcist” movie haunts theaters in October 2023. Ellen Burstyn reprises her role from the 1973 original as Chris MacNeil, who helps a new father with his possessed child. Ann Dowd and Leslie Odom Jr join the cast, as does the fictional demon Pazuzu from previous “Exorcist” movies. David Gordon Green directs the first film in a planned trilogy from a script he co-wrote with Peter Sattler.
Dune: Part Two (Nov. 3)
Denis Villeneuve’s sequel continues the journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he embarks on a warpath of revenge against those who destroyed his family, while also attempting to prevent a terrible future. Chalamet will be joined by Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling and Stephen McKinley Henderson. Newcomers include Austin Butler, Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux and Souheila Yacoub.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Nov. 17)
Set decades before the events that occurred in the “Hunger Games” franchise, the prequel follows Tom Blyth as 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, who is chosen to mentor District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) during the 10th annual Hunger Games. Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, Viola Davis, Jason Schwartzman, Ashley Liao, Sofia Sanchez, Kjell Brutscheudt and Josh Andrés Rivera also star in the film, with Francis Lawrence directing.
Wonka (Dec. 15)
Timothée Chalamet stars as the eccentric chocolatier in the Warner Bros. musical fantasy prequel. Based on the beloved character created by renowned author Roald Dahl, the movie revolves around the adventures of a young Willy Wonka and will show how he met the Oompa-Loompas. The cast includes Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Keegan-Michael Key, Mathew Baynton, Matt Lucas, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter and Natasha Rothwell.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Dec. 25)
Jason Momoa returns as the aquatic king of Atlantis in “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” a sequel to the 2018 DC Comics film. James Wan returns to direct alongside co-stars like Amber Heard, Willem Dafoe, Patrick Wilson, Dolph Lundgren, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Nicole Kidman.