There will be an onslaught of films to see during this summer movie season, and while we don’t know if most of them will be good or bad, there are still some that look more appealing than others. If you’re looking for a way to better plan your summer moviegoing, we’ve compiled a list of 20 movies that you should keep on your radar for the months ahead. While some are massive blockbusters you were probably going to see no matter what, we’ve also included some indies that you should definitely keep an eye out for. It promises to be an exciting summer at the movies, so let’s dive into what you should be excited for!
Avengers: Endgame (April 26)
Directors: Joe and Anthony Russo
Writers: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, and Josh Brolin
Why We’re Excited for It: Summer really does begin when a Marvel movie launches. They’ve taken that first week of May slot for most of the last decade, and now that the movie is launching in April, the rest of the summer is launching with it. It will be one of the biggest movies of the year, and the conclusion to not only last year’s box office behemoth Avengers: Infinity War, but a conclusion to the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film is absolutely epic, but it’s also thrilling and emotional and pretty much everything you could want from a Marvel movie. – Matt Goldberg
Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (May 10)
Director: Rob Letterman
Writers: Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Derek Connelly, and Rob Letterman
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Bill Nighy, Rob Delaney, Ken Watanabe, Rita Ora
Why We’re Excited for It: Who could have guessed that the first live-action Pokemon movie would look so appealing to people who’ve never played the game or watched the ‘toons in their life! And yet here we are, with Ryan Reynolds as the unexpectedly wise-cracking voice behind the titular Detective Pikachu and Goosebumps helmer Rob Letterman in the director’s chair, Pokemon Detective Pikachu looks like a legit delight. With all the adorable oddities of the beloved fantasy properties brought to life on screen, tied up in an emotional coming-of-age tale about a young boy (Justice Smith) dealing with the death of his father, Detective Pikachu looks to have all the right moves for a possible breakout hit, and would make a fitting next chapter for Pokemon’s longtime pop culture dominance. — Haleigh Foutch
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (May 17)
Director: Chad Stahelski
Writers: Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, Marc Abrams
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Halle Berry
Why We're Excited for It: Listen, if you don’t want to see Keanu Reeves kill a goon with a book, I’m not really sure what to tell you. The John Wick films kind of came out of nowhere, but by now have firmly planted themselves in action movie history as endlessly sleek, beautiful violent love-letters to all things that go ka-boom on film. For John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, director Chad Stahelski looks to have turned an already amped-up franchise all the way to 11: There’s ninjas! There’s a fight on horseback! Halle Berry has a fleet of trained attack dogs! And at the center of all that chaos is Reeves, still a sturdy action icon exactly 20 years after The Matrix. - Vinnie Mancuso
Booksmart (May 24)
Director: Olivia Wilde
Writers: Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Katie Silberman, Sarah Haskins
Cast: Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Skyler Gisondo, Will Forte, Billie Lourd, Jason Sudeikis, Lisa Kudrow
Why We’re Excited for It: Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut was one of the biggest breakout titles coming out of SXSW this year, earning a heap of rave reviews. In fact, it’s still sitting at 100% on RT with 30+ reviews. Billed as a hilarious and poignant coming-of-age tale about two A-student BFFs who just want to party a little before they graduate, Booksmart stars Kaitlyn Dever and Lady Bird breakout Beanie Feldstein as the dynamic duo, who set out to cram four years worth of partying into a single night. The trailer is jam-packed with heart and humor, and considering the film has already earned a reputation as a new teen classic, that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the raunchy-meets-heart-warming content the film has in store for audiences. — Haleigh Foutch
Aladdin (May 24)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Writers: John August and Guy Ritchie
Cast: Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Nasim Pedrad, and Billy Magnussen
Why We’re Excited for It: The Disney live-action movies have been, for the most part, pretty good, and Aladdin was one of their marquee titles of Disney Animation’s Second Golden Age. While the film certainly has some hurdled in translating it to live-action, Ritchie has quietly been making some pretty fun movies lately with the underseen The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. While Aladdin will likely get overshadowed by The Lion King no matter what happens, it still looks like it could be a godo time on its own merits. – Matt Goldberg
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (May 31)
Director: Michael Dougherty
Writers: Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Sally Hawkins, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Charles Dance, Bradley Whitford, Thomas Middledtich, David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe
Why We’re Excited for It: If you were one of the folks who wanted a little more monster action in the English-language 2014 Godzilla reboot, good news — Godzilla: King of the Monsters looks absolutely packed to the brim with the good stuff. We got King ‘Zilla! We got Ghidora! We got Mothra! There even seems to be another mystery monster popping up in some of the trailers! Get ready for pure giant monster mayhem, from the writer/director behind the delights of Trick ‘r Treat. For me, that sounds like a personal dream come true, and Godzilla has been my #1 most-anticipated movie of the year for a while. Fortunately, the wait is almost over! — Haleigh Foutch
Men in Black: International (June 14)
Director: F. Gary Gray
Writers: Matt Holloway and Art Marcum
Cast: Tessa Thompson, Chris Hemsworth, Rebecca Ferguson, Liam Neeson, Kumail Nanjiani, and Emma Thompson
Why We’re Excited for It: Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth proved themselves a dynamic duo for the books with Thor: Ragnarok and their unique hybrid goofball-meets-action-star charms seem a perfect fit to lead us into the future of the Men in Black franchise. The original MIB trilogy was a delightful sci-fi adventure series — and we already know Thompson and Hemsworth work well with aliens! If filmmaker F. Gary Gray (Fate of the Furious) can recapture that breezy slapstick sci-fi slant, then Men in Black: International might just prove to be a perfect popcorn cinema-going experience for some classic summer movie thrills, backed by two of the most charismatic performers in the business. — Haleigh Foutch
The Dead Don't Die (June 14)
Writer/Director: Jim Jarmusch
Cast: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Caleb Landry Jones, Carol Kane, Danny Glover, Tom Waits, Selena Gomez, Austin Butler, Rosie Perez, RZA, Iggy Pop
Why We’re Excited for It: News of Jim Jarmusch’s zombie movie popped up last year, but this one quietly slipped under the buzz radar for a while until the first trailer popped up. Then it immediately shot to the top of must-watch lists, with the promise of self-aware humor (served extra dry in the Jarmusch tradition), a knockout cast (another Jarmusch tradition), and an absolutely bonkers looking spin on the zombie genre. Oh, and Tilda Swinton wielding a freaking sword against the undead. If you’re not hype, I don’t think we’re on the same page. And considering the singular spin Jarmusch brought to the vampire mythology with Only Lovers Left Alive, there’s no doubt he’s going to do something unique with the similarly well-exhausted zombie genre. And I can’t wait. — Haleigh Foutch
Toy Story 4 (June 21)
Director: Josh Cooley
Writers: Stephany Folsom and Andrew Stanton
Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Keanu Reeves, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Joan Cusack, and Bonnie Hunt
Why We’re Excited for It: It’s never wise to bet against Pixar, especially the Toy Story franchise. While the studio has had its fair share of misses, that initial Toy Story trilogy tracks a beautifully emotional arc over three films, and the fact that WALL-E and Finding Nemo filmmaker Andrew Stanton co-wrote the script for Toy Story 4 bodes well. It’s a bit unclear just where the story will be going, but the return of Annie Potts’s Bo Peep as a complex, independent character who’s seemingly been thriving without her old pals throws an interesting wrench into the proceedings. So while hesitation is understandable, there’s reason to believe Toy Story 4 may indeed turn out to be a pleasant surprise. – Adam Chitwood
Yesterday (June 28)
Director: Danny Boyle
Writer: Richard Curtis
Cast: Himesh Patel, Lily James, Ana de Armas, Kate McKinnon, Lamorne Morris, James Corden, and Ed Sheeren
Why We’re Excited for It: When Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle was offered the chance to direct Bond 25, he said, “Okay, but I have to make this little musical movie first.” And while Boyle ultimately left Bond, his enthusiasm for Yesterday speaks volumes. The film revolves around a young aspiring musician who hits his head then wakes up the next morning to find he’s the only person on the planet who knows the music of The Beatles. He starts playing their songs off as his own and becomes an international superstar. If that premise wasn’t intriguing enough, the man behind sweet and compassionate movies like About Time and Love, Actually—Richard Curtis—wrote the screenplay. So to recap, we’ve got a wild premise, a tremendously ambitious (and visually arresting) director, and a writer known for emotional gut-punches. Yes please! – Adam Chitwood
Spider-Man: Far From Home (July 2)
Director: Jon Watts
Writers: Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers
Cast: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Zendaya, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, and Jake Gyllenhaal
Why We’re Excited for It: This is the palette cleanser we’re probably going to need after the epic Avengers: Endgame. 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming was an excellent refresh for the character, embracing his youth and throwing him headfirst into the trials of being a teenaged superhero. The sequel will see Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and his classmates headed on a class trip to Europe but he can never leave his superhero responsibilities behind as he’s forced to team up with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to defeat a new threat. Holland and Watts on Spider-Man have proven they’re a winning combination, and I’m eager to see what they do with their follow-up. - Matt Goldberg
Midsommar (July 3)
Writer/Director: Ari Aster
Cast: Florence Pugh, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, Jack Reynor
Why We’re Excited for It: Ari Aster delivered one of the most downright impressive directorial debuts with 2018’s spine-tingling, stomach-wrenching, soul-crushing (and just about every other hyphenate descriptor you can slap on a horror movie), Hereditary. For his sophomore features, he’s leaving behind the cramped, dark hallways of a hell house in favor of the bright, beautiful fields of a Scandinavian paradise — where I have no doubt all manner of twisted terrors lie in wait. But it sure looks lovely, and it’s an exciting opportunity to see a stylist like Aster flex a new side of his cinematic palette. — Haleigh Foutch
The Farewell (July 12)
Writer/Director: Lulu Wang
Cast: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, and Shuzhen Zhou
Why We’re Excited for It: Don’t let this indie fly under the radar this summer. Lulu Wang has crafted a sweet, funny, and moving film about lying to your family. When the matriarch of a Chinese-American family is given a terminal diagnosis, the rest of the family resolves not to tell her so that she can be happy in her final months. They all fly out to see her under the pretense of another family member’s wedding, but the film is about how they choose to wrestle with their grief while putting on a brave face for a loved one. The cultural divides Wang explores are fascinating, and she manages to make this family both relatable and unique. - Matt Goldberg
The Lion King (July 19)
Director: Jon Favreau
Writer: Jeff Nathanson
Cast: Donald Glover, Beyonce Knowles, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner, John Oliver, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and James Earl Jones.
Why We’re Excited for It: Jon Favreau showed an absolute mastery of creating life-like CGI animals with his adaptation of The Jungle Book, but now he has an even greater challenge ahead of him with The Lion King, which is deeply beloved and one of the biggest hits in Disney Animation’s history. Thankfully, he’s assembled an outstanding cast and I’m curious to see how he translates the animated film’s impressive color palette to a realistic setting. While I’m a bit dismayed that “Be Prepared” won’t be in the movie, I’m going to give Favreau the benefit of the doubt in how this “live-action” version comes together. - Matt Goldberg
Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (July 26)
Writer/Director: Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Margot Robbie, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt
Why We're Excited for It: Any time Quentin Tarantino reveals a new creation it’s going to feel like an event, but this is the first time it feels like he brought all of Hollywood along with him. Appropriate, since this one is all about Tinseltown. Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood follows Western star Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) as they navigate the ins and outs of the 1970s movie industry on the eve of the infamous Manson Family murders. Margot Robbie is here as doomed actress Sharon Tate, as is Al Pacino appearing in his very first Tarantino movie. Oh, and there’s also Bruce Dern, Dakota Fanning, Scoot McNairy, and Damian Lewis. This cast is absurd, and yet in the wake of the first trailer the standout was still relative-unknown Mike Moh as martial arts icon Bruce Lee. - Vinnie Macusco
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (August 2)
Director: David Leitch
Writer: Chris Morgan
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, Idris Elba
Why We're Excited for It: Thanks to trailers, teases, and this extremely titillating photo of Idris Elba holding a comically large flamethrower, it’s become clear that the tone of Hobbs & Shaw is just like the Fast & Furious franchise, except miraculously more absurd. That’s a compliment, as this spin-off starring jacked n’ bald duo Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham)—plus Mission: Impossible - Fallout star Vanessa Kirby as Shaw’s sister, Hattie—looks like everything you could possibly want in a high-octane blockbuster. - Vinnie Mancuso
The Kitchen (August 9)
Director/Writer: Andrea Berloff
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Common, Domhnall Gleeson, Margo Martindale, Bill Camp, James Badge Dale, and Brian d’Arcy James
Why We’re Excited for It: The crime drama The Kitchen has a ton of potential. The story is based on a Vertigo graphic novel and takes place in 1970s Hell’s Kitchen, revolving around a trio of women whose Irish mobster husbands get arrested by the FBI, forcing them to step up and take over the criminal operations. Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss lead the unexpected ensemble, and the whole film marks the directorial debut of Straight Outta Compton co-writer Andrea Berloff. That Warner Bros. bet this big on a debut project, with against-type casting, means we could be in for a major surprise. – Adam Chitwood
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (August 9)
Director: André Øvredal
Writers: Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman
Cast: Zoe Colletti, Michael Garza, Austin Zajur
Why We're Excited for It: If you remember the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark book series from your childhood, you probably also remember it as a large part of the reason you’re still in therapy. The collections of fireside bone-chillers by author Alvin Schwartz are written simply and clearly enough to technically be for children, but remain absolutely spine-tingling to this day. (Helped, to great effect, by the horrific artwork by Stephen Gammell.) Newly-minted Oscar-winner and modern-day monster maestro Guillermo del Toro is on-board as producer, with André Øvredal—whose The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a close-quarters nail-biter—handling directing duties. Together, the creative team seems to have brought all of Schwartz’s most terrifying creations to life, from Harold the homicidal scarecrow to the black-eyed woman from “The Dream”. Say it with me now, "Where is my to-o-o-o-o-e?!" - Vinnie Mancuso
Good Boys (August 16)
Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Writers: Lee Eisenebrg & Gene Stupnitsky
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, Keith L. Williams, and Will Forte
Why We’re Excited for It: Almost 12 years to the day since Superbad came out we’re getting Good Boys, an R-rated comedy produced by Superbad writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and a movie that seems very much in the vein of that film except it’s middle schoolers instead of high schoolers. The film follows three best friends who accidentally destroy a drone belonging to one of their dads and must go on a raunchy adventure to replace the device before he gets home. The trailers have been hilarious, and I’m excited to see what young leads Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, and Keith L. Williams do with the material. - Matt Goldberg
Blinded by the Light (August 14)
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Writers: Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor
Cast: Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra
Why We're Excited for It: Maybe I’m slightly biased as a native of a small New Jersey suburb by the shore, but I think we can all agree the music of Bruce Springsteen is a universal source of joy. Case in point: Blinded by the Light, a film based on the memoir by journalist Sarfraz Manzoor that follows a Muslim teenager coming of age in 1980’s England to the tune of The Boss. Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha helmed the movie that absolutely slayed at Sundance, selling to New Line almost immediately. Get revved up, possibly even like a deuce, for this one. - Vinnie Mancuso