As A24 continues to build its empire as a distributor of fan favorites, fans are eager to watch their upcoming releases. This year alone, A24 has released their most successful film to date, the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once, along with Ti West’s slasher revival X, and Kogonada’s emotional sci-fi drama After Yang, based on a short story.
2022 is a stacked calendar, looking to continue the hits for A24, with a variety of horror, animation, and dramas slated to be released. Beyond this year, there are films in production that have already been acquired by the company that are sure to be hits simply because of the directors and actors attached to them, proving that A24 knows how to choose their roster long before their films hit theaters.
8 Bodies Bodies Bodies Is A Gen Z Satire
Bodies Bodies Bodies is a dark comedy slasher directed by Halina Reijn, and stars Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova (known for her breakout role in the Borat sequel), Lee Pace, and Pete Davidson. It follows a group of young friends one night as they have a house party in a remote mansion.
The film is a social satire of the digital age and Gen Z behavior, which some have praised. In addition, the actors’ performances have been applauded at the film’s few screenings thus far, especially Rachel Sennott, who had her breakout role in 2020’s Shiva Baby. Bodies Bodies Bodies is slated for theatrical release on August 5, 2022.
7 A24 Takes On Animation With Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is an animated mockumentary directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp and slated to be released on June 24, 2022. It follows Marcel, voiced by Jenny Slate, a shell searching for his family with the help of a documentary filmmaker.
This feature is based on a series of shorts from Fleischer-Camp and Slate that were uploaded to Youtube in 2010. Marcel premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 2021, but was not acquired by A24 for distribution rights until shortly after.
6 God’s Creatures Showcases A Tense Moral Dilemma For A Mother
God’s Creatures debuted at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where critics applauded its eerie tone, in line with many past A24 acquisitions. It stars Emily Watson and Paul Mescal as a mother and son from a rural, tight-knit fishing village who face immense difficulty when a lie forces them apart.
Written by Shane Crowley and directed by Saela Davis and Anna Rose Holmer, God’s Creatures is just beginning its festival run, so it doesn’t have a wide release date set. Still, as Paul Mescal is starting to become a popular name after his breakout role in the series Normal People based on the novel by Sally Rooney, the film will likely be widely available in theaters.
5 When You Finish Saving The World Is Jesse Eisenberg’s Directorial Debut
Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg in his first time in the director’s seat, When You Finish Saving the World stars Julianne Moore, Finn Wolfhard, and Alisha Boe. The film follows Evelyn (Moore), who runs a women’s shelter, and her son Ziggy (Wolfhard), a musician, as the pair’s personalities clash.
The film had its world premiere this January at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received acclaim for its story and the complications of parenthood and growing up. In addition, the film has received praise for the performances from Moore and Wolfhard, who fall into their roles effortlessly. When You Finish Saving the World does not yet have a set wide release date.
4 Funny Pages Follows A Teenage Cartoonist Finding Himself
Written and directed by Owen Kline in his feature directorial debut, Funny Pages premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival at the end of May. It follows a teenage cartoonist who decides that he must reject his suburban life for one of a “struggling artist” in order to find himself.
Funny Pages is produced by the Safdie brothers, known for films like Good Time, Uncut Gems, and others. Early word from Cannes says that Funny Pages film has similar, bleak humor to some Safdie films. However, as the film has just had its festival debut, it doesn’t yet have a set release date.
3 Michelle Williams Is A Neurotic Artist In Showing Up
Kelly Reichardt’s most recent film and her fourth collaboration with Michelle Williams is Showing Up. The film had its premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d’Or. It was well-received at its premiere, with special citation for its effective, muted humor and Williams’ performance.
Showing Up portrays Michelle Williams as a high-strung visual artist with one week left to complete a series of sculptures as she also navigates the dramas of her friends and family. The film also stars Andre 3000 and Hong Chau, and is at the beginning of its festival run.
2 Disappointment Blvd. Was Described As A Nightmare Comedy
Ari Aster’s third film with A24 will be Disappointment Blvd. starring an ensemble cast that includes Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Gandolfini, and Amy Ryan. Aster has described the film as a “nightmare comedy.” While plot details are thin at the moment, the film’s story is said to be an epic that follows one of the most successful entrepreneurs of all time.
Beyond what Aster has said about the film, much of the hype stems from A24 and Aster’s previous collaborations, with Hereditary and Midsommar being some of the most successful films to come from the distributor. There are no trailers or set dates for Disappointment Blvd. as of yet, but it is currently set to be released in 2022.
1 Stars At Noon Won The Grand Prix At Cannes
A 2022 Cannes debut, Stars at Noon, directed by Claire Denis, is adapted from the Denis Johnson novel of the same name. At Cannes, it competed for the Palme d’Or and was the co-winner of the Grand Prix. It stars Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, and Benny Safdie. The film takes place in Nicaragua during the height of a pandemic as two Americans who strike up a romance must find a way to escape the country.
The original novel is set during the Nicaraguan Revolution, but Denis changed the context to have the protagonists team up for a more modern Nicaragua during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
