2022 was an explosive year for film across all genres as theaters worldwide reopened. From “Battinson” (Robert Pattinson’s debut as Bruce Wayne in “The Batman”), Jordan Peele’s third directorial feature “Nope”, and who could open any social media without seeing whatever new development came out of the fever dream that was the “Don’t Worry Darling” press tour? With 2023 on the horizon, film lovers have a lot to look forward to, so trust us, here’s your ultimate guide to essential films coming next year!
Comedy
Get your pink jumpsuits and roller skates out of the closet and make sure to hit the theaters to see Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” on July 21, 2023! Featuring a platinum bleach blonde Margot Robbie as the titular character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, who many have seen skating down Malibu earlier this year as set pictures released, donned in 80s-inspired roller-skating attire and cowboy get-ups. The film is briefly described to be about Barbie having been exiled from Barbieland and her, the other Barbies -which consists of a wonderfully diverse cast with the likes of Issa Rae, Hari Nef, and America Ferrera- and Ken along with Simu Liu and Ncuti Gatwa as Ken dolls as well, have to navigate the human world.
Gerwig, a three-time Oscar nominee who previously wrote and directed “Lady Bird” and “Little Women”, wrote the screenplay with her husband Noah Baumbach, who is also a three-time Oscar nominee having been nominated for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture for the 2020 drama “Marriage Story”. If this writing and directing duo’s previous work gives us any inclination to what “Barbie” will be like, then we’re in for a wild ride as it’s sure that this film will be more than just adventures in the dreamhouse!
Drama
Anyone who is active on film Twitter, or other cinephile social media pages will remember what it was like to see someone new get cast in Christopher Nolan’s dramatic biopic “Oppenheimer ” almost every day. The star-studded cast featuring Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, and more are led by Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in telling the story of the American physicist who cemented himself in history as the “father of the atomic bomb” due to his contributions in the “Manhattan Project”, which was the code name for the American development of atomic weaponry during World War 2.
Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan are one of Hollywood’s favorite actor-director duos having worked together on a number of films including “Dunkirk”, “Inception”, “Batman Begins, The Dark Knight”, and “The Dark Knight Rises”. The two come together to create thrilling and iconic drama films that leave indisputable marks in the film industry for decades to come. In a time where there’s a new biopic announced about whatever 20th-century rockstar or Hollywood starlet one can think of, “Oppenheimer” is looking to be a dark and unique force.
This film is set to release in theaters July 21, 2023, along with “Barbie” in case anyone is interested in the most contrasting double feature ever!
Romance
Love triangle? Rivalry? Zendaya as a badass in cute tennis outfits? All that will be delivered to you on the silver screen on August 11, 2023, in Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers”. Starring Zendaya as Tashi, the wife and coach of husband Art (Mike Faist), who is in a rough patch in his tennis career. In order to get him out of his losing slump, Tashi signs him up for a Challenger event where Art must compete against rival Patrick (Josh O’Connor), who is Tashi’s former lover, “igniting a tense love triangle with queer undertones” as described by IndieWire.
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom serves as the film’s cinematographer who also worked and was Academy Award-nominated for “Call Me By Your Name”, which was also directed by Guadagnino. So along with promising to be visually stunning, “Challengers”, Guadagnino’s first comedy, is looking to be a completely new field for Zendaya to thrive in. “She is a remarkable filmmaker. She is a woman in command and at the same time, she is totally ready to become, to change, to be convinced to do something different. She’s super smart. I truly admire her.” Guadagnino remarked to Jonathan Anderson (creative director of couture brand Loewe and the film’s costume designer) in Interview Magazine.
Sci-Fi/Fantasy
An incredible year for sci-fi and fantasy is emerging, with pictures targeting all ages. Starting with the May 26, 2023, release of Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid”, starring Grammy-nominated singer Halle Bailey. She was announced to have been cast as Princess Ariel in June 2019, facing both positive and negative feedback, but her stunning vocals and ethereal beauty are enough to silence any doubter or troll. The release of the teaser trailer which revealed the first look of Bailey as Ariel with red tinted locks and a flowing purple tail excited the nation from die-hard Disney fans, members of the ChloexHalle fanbase (the musical group Halle is in with her sister Chloe), and especially young Black girls who were elated to see themselves on screen in such a coveted role! Shot between England and Sardinia, Italy, “The Little Mermaid” will surely be a beautiful, musical, can’t-miss moment that appeals to the entire family.
The second half of 2023 brings a more adult side to the science fiction genre with “Dune: Part Two” being released on November 3. The already distinguished cast of Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, and Rebecca Furgeson welcome Florence Pugh and Austin Butler to the mix. Variety reports that “This follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.” (Sharf, 2022). “Dune: Part Two” is set to be a major success, following “Dune” which was nominated for ten Oscars, including Best Picture, and it reunites Chalamet and Pugh who starred alongside each other in “Little Women”.