From the new Scorsese starring Leonardo DiCaprio to Sofia Coppola’s look at the life of Priscilla Presley, here are the best tickets in town.
(Bloomberg) — If you love movies, you can usually look forward to a deluge of awards season contenders and blockbusters that come out in the fall. This year, after studios shuffled release schedules because of the labor strikes, things look a little different.
The deal reached Sunday night between Hollywood writers and studios is welcome news, but it likely won’t bring forward delayed releases, such as two movies starring Zendaya: Luca Guadagnino’s tennis drama Challengers and the Warner Bros. sequel to Dune, both pushed to the spring.
There will, however, be plenty to see. And keep an eye on those release dates if you want to see something on its opening weekend: They’re still moving targets.
Among the most promising films is Killers of the Flower Moon, the new Martin Scorsese production with Oscar buzz. Lily Gladstone could make history by becoming the first Native American nominee for Best Actress. Away from prestige films to the world of popcorn flicks: A prequel to Hunger Games is hitting the big screen, and The Marvels will test whether superhero fatigue has truly set in. Here are the 13 most anticipated films this fall.
Fair Play
Mixing work and pleasure turns toxic in this new erotic thriller. Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich star as a couple whose relationship goes downhill after Dynevor gets a promotion over Ehrenreich at the hedge fund where they both work. In theaters Sept. 29, on Netflix Oct. 6.
Cat Person
The Kristen Roupenian short story that went viral after being published in the New Yorker has been turned into a feature film starring Emilia Jones (Coda) and Nicholas Braun, best known for playing Cousin Greg on Succession. It’s about a college student’s ill-advised romance with an older man. In theaters Oct. 6.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
If you couldn’t get tickets to the wildly popular Eras tour, here’s your chance to see the superstar’s gig on the big screen. Presales are already higher than for such superhero films as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, according to Deadline, proving that Swifties won’t just sell out stadiums: They’ll storm the multiplexes, too. In theaters Oct. 13.
Killers of the Flower Moon
Scorsese’s latest film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons in a story about the murders of the Osage native people in Oklahoma and the FBI investigation into the crimes. The film premiered at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year to critical acclaim and is already an awards season front-runner. It’ll stream on Apple TV+ following its theatrical run. In theaters Oct. 20.
Priscilla
Sofia Coppola adapts Priscilla Presley’s memoirs, telling the story of her relationship with Elvis that started when she was a teenager and he was one of the most famous faces on the planet. Coppola is no stranger to making films about young women trapped in gilded cages—see her take on Marie Antoinette (2006)—and in this film Graceland is a prison, much as the palace of Versailles was. Jacob Elordi (Euphoria) plays the King of Rock and Roll, while Cailee Spaeny is Priscilla. In theaters Nov. 3.
The Marvels
Carol Danvers, or Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), teams up with Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani) from the eponymous Disney+ show and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) fromWandavision to take down the newest big-bad threatening the universe. It’s a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, which grossed over $1 billion globally at the box office and garnered generally positive reviews. In theaters Nov. 10.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The wildly popular young adult book and film series of the 2010s gets a prequel. Set before Katniss Everdeen picked up her bow and arrows, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes focuses on a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and a girl from District 12 (Rachel Zegler, from Spielberg’s West Side Story) that he’s assigned to mentor in the Hunger Games. In theaters Nov. 17.
May December
Julianne Moore stars as a woman who has become a household name because of a scandal, while Natalie Portman is the actress playing her in an independent biopic of her life. The story is based loosely on that of Mary Kay Letourneau, who was convicted of raping a student in her middle school. Indiewire called this Todd Haynes-directed flick a “deliciously campy” drama. In theaters Nov. 17, on Netflix Dec. 1.
Next Goal Wins
The American Samoan soccer team lost a match in 2001 with a stunning score: 31-0. Years later, they bring on a new coach, the cranky Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender), fresh from being fired by the US team, for a shot at qualifying for the World Cup. The film, based on a true story, is directed by Taika Waititi. In theaters Nov. 17.
Maestro
Bradley Cooper directs and stars in this decades-spanning biopic of legendary composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, while Carey Mulligan plays his wife. At one time, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese were attached to direct; they’ve both stayed on as producers. Cooper could direct himself to a fifth acting Oscar nomination for this movie, which received rave reviews out of the Venice Film Festival. In theaters Nov. 22, on Netflix Dec. 20.
Napoleon
Ridley Scott takes on history’s famous conqueror, with Joaquin Phoenix playing the the French military leader and Vanessa Kirby as the Empress Joséphine. The historical epic documents his rise from officer to emperor. Expect grand battle scenes. It’s also the first time Phoenix and Scott have worked together since Gladiator dominated the box office more than 20 years ago. In theaters Nov. 22.
Saltburn
Emerald Fennell’s follow-up to her Oscar-winning debut Promising Young Women is set in the mid-2000s and follows struggling Oxford University student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), who gets mixed up with his upper-crust classmate Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), which nabs him an invite to the family’s palatial estate. Think shades of The Talented Mr. Ripley. In theaters Nov. 17.
Poor Things
Director Yorgos Lanthimos teams up again with star Emma Stone and The Favourite screenwriter Tony McNamara for a variation on Frankenstein. Stone plays a Victorian-era woman brought back to life, while Willem Dafoe is the mad scientist. There’s already talk of Stone’s bravura performance nabbing her a second Best Actress trophy. In theaters Dec. 8.
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