The most exciting movies still to come in 2022 from 'Nope' to 'Avatar 2'

From crowd-pleasing hits like Top Gun: Maverick and The Batman, and family favourites Minions: The Rise of Gru and Sonic The Hedgehog 2, to genre gems like Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Black Phone, 2022 is already shaping up to be a great year for movies.

As we move towards the second part of the year, this is usually the time to start thinking about all the movie releases that could eventually end up in the running for awards season.

Read more: The most exciting TV still to come in 2022

With Cannes yielding some worthy contenders and Venice just around the corner, here are the movies we can't wait to see before the end of the year.

Where the Crawdads Sing - 22 July

This long awaited adaptation of the popular novel of the same name by Delia Owens stars Normal People’s Daisy Edgar Jones, The King's Man’s Harris Dickinson and Taylor John Smith.

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Directed by Olivia Newman, the film tells the story of Catherine "Kya" Clarke, a resourceful young girl who grows up in a North Carolina marsh.

Bullet Train - 3 August

John Wick and Deadpool 2 director David Leitch returns with this action comedy in which Brad Pitt stars as a trained killer who wants out, but is pulled back in by his handler.

Sandra Bullock, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Zazie Beetz also star.

Prey - 5 August (Disney+ exclusive)

The fifth Predator movie (not counting the dreadful AvP movies) takes the alien hunter-killer back in time, and is set in the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. Taking the sci-fi horror series back to its roots, it sees a young warrior tackling the greatest predator to ever stalk the plains, and the trailers have promise a return to form for the mandibled-terror.

Nope - 12 August

After giving us one of the best directorial debuts of all time with his post-race horror comedy Get Out in 2017, and the outstanding US in 2019, writer-director Jordan Peele is back with Nope, yet another groundbreaking — potentially twist-laden — production, this time in glorious IMAX.

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Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer star as two siblings living on a remote ranch who make an otherworldly encounter.

The Invitation - 26 August

After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) takes a DNA test and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. The stylish looking horror film is directed and co-written by Jessica M. Thompson.

Beast - 26 August

Idris Elba and Sharlto Copley star in Baltasar Kormákur’s film about a father and his two teenage daughters who find themselves hunted by a massive rogue lion. Icelandic filmmaker Kormákur knows how to create tension on screen, and this premise sounds promising, Riley Keough also stars alongside Iyana Halley and Leah Jeffries.

The Forgiven - 2 September

Starring Ralph Fiennes, Jessica Chastain and Matt Smith, John Michael McDonagh’s The Forgiven takes place over a weekend in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The film from the acclaimed Irish director of The Guard and Calvary explores the fallout from a random accident on the lives of both the locals and western visitors to the region.

Three Thousand Years of Longing - 2 September

Mad Max and Mad Max: Fury Road director George Miller is back with an adaptation of a short story by A. S. Byatt. The film follows a scholar who encounters a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba star, and you can expect the unexpected.

Crimes of the Future - 9 September

Body horror maestro David Cronenberg returns with another mind-bending chiller. This new offering stars Viggo Mortensen, Oscar nominee Kristen Stewart and Léa Seydoux. The Canadian filmmaker premiered his new film at Cannes earlier this year, prompting some walkouts and jeers. The film is a return to his horror roots.

See How They Run - 9 September

An American film producer visits London in the 1950s to adapt a play, but things go off the rails when crew members are murdered in this mystery comedy from director Tom George. Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Reece Shearsmith and Harris Dickinson star in the farcical romp.

Moonage Daydream - 16 September (IMAX), 23 September (wide release)

The first officially sanctioned David Bowie documentary was hailed at Cannes Film Festival for its unique approach to the incredible legacy of a unique artist. Described as an 'experiential cinematic odyssey', the film — directed by Brett Morgen (Montage of Heck) — is guided by Bowie's narration and told through sublime, kaleidoscopic, never-before-seen footage, performance and music.

Don’t Worry Darling - 23 September

Olivia Wilde’s long awaited second foray into film direction stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles and Chris Pine. It follows the life of a 1950s housewife living in a utopian experimental community with her husband who begins to worry that his glamorous company may be hiding some disturbing secrets.

The Woman King - 4 October

This historical epic from director Gina Prince-Bythewood is inspired by real life events. It tells the story of the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The film stars Lashana Lynch, Viola Davis and John Boyega

Halloween Ends - 14 October

The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode finally comes to an end in this final instalment of this rebooted franchise. Jamie Lee Curtis stars alongside Will Patton and Kyle Richards. Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021) director David Gordon Green is back at the helm, but what Myers has in store for Haddonfield remains to be seen.

My Policeman - 21 October

The second Harry Styles movie release of the autumn sees him taking his first lead role in the adaptation of the book of the same name by Bethan Roberts. Starring alongside Emma Corrin and David Dawson, the pop star plays a closeted copper in the 1950s, and will also debut on Prime Video on 4 November.

Black Adam - 21 October

Orphan and Jungle Cruise director Jaume Collet-Serra returns with this adaptation of the popular DC comic in which Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is the titular character. Pierce Brosnan plays Dr. Fate, while Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge and Aladdin’s Marwan Kenzari also star. The Rock has been teasing his DC debut for years now, so we'll finally find out if it was worth the wait.

Amsterdam - 4 November

Acclaimed writer-director David O. Russell (The Fighter, American Hustle) returns with this star-studded comedic caper set in the 1930s. Russell's first new film in seven years follows three friends who witness a murder and become suspects themselves.

It stars Margot Robbie, Christian Bale, Anya Taylor-Joy and Oscar winner Rami Malek.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - 11 November

Ryan Coogler is back at the helm in this sequel to his groundbreaking 2018 MCU hit. While we don’t yet know the fate of T'Challa after the untimely death of Chadwick Boseman, we are told the film will continue to explore the world of Wakanda.

Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright and Martin Freeman reprise their roles, while Michaela Coel makes her MCU debut.

Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical - 2 December

Matthew Warchus directs this adaptation of the Olivier award-winning, and earworm-inspiring musical based on Roald Dahl’’s much loved children’s book. The film will star Emma Thompson as Trunchbull and Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, while newcomer Alisha Weir plays the title role. Expect Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough to steal the show as Matilda's obnoxious parents.

Avatar: The Way of Water - 16 December

James Cameron’s long awaited follow up to the highest-grossing film of all time follows the life of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) on the planet of Pandora. Zoe Saldana reprises her role as Neytiri, while newcomers to the franchise include Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh and Jemaine Clement. Coming 13 years after the original, the sequel has a lot to live up, but as history has proven over and over again: never bet against James Cameron pulling off the impossible.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods - 21 December

Director David F. Sandberg is back for a second helping in this follow up to his 2019 film about the much loved DC superhero story. Zachary Levi is joined by Helen Mirren, Adam Brody and West Side Story sensation Rachel Zegler.