There are many exciting movies set to hit theaters in the future, but these 11 upcoming films in particular are intriguing because of their stacked casts of A-List actors and actresses. 2023 still has many exciting films in store for the second half of the year, and 2024 is shaping up to be a fascinating year for movies as well. Famous faces are often an enticing reason for audiences to check out a movie, and there are many future films with ensemble casts full of many talented and recognizable actors.
A good movie with an interesting premise can be made even better with a great ensemble cast, and the rosters for these upcoming films look impressive. Of course, a film can have an A-List cast and not be well-received, but the thought of a group of talented stars sharing the screen with each other is still exciting. Here are some upcoming films that have an impressively-stacked, A-List cast of talent.
11 The Fall Guy
Directed by John Wick producer David Leitch, The Fall Guy is an action thriller based on the 1980s show of the same name that starred Lee Majors as Colt Seavers, a stuntman moonlighting as a bounty hunter. In the Fall Guy movie, Colt is a past-his-prime stuntman who has left the industry behind, until he is called to work on a movie set with the star he used to double for before getting replaced. When the movie star goes missing, Colt must save the film by finding him.
Ryan Gosling, of La La Land and Blade Runner 2049 fame, stars as Colt, but the ensemble of The Fall Guy also includes Emily Blunt (A Quiet Place, The Devil Wears Prada) as Colt’s ex-girlfriend, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Bullet Train) as the movie star who goes missing, Everything Everywhere All at Once’s Stephanie Hsu as the star’s personal assistant, Black Panther‘s Winston Duke as Colt’s best friend, and Ted Lasso‘s Hannah Waddingham as a movie producer. The Fall Guy is set to be released on March 1, 2024.
10 Gladiator 2
Gladiator 2 is the long-awaited sequel to Gladiator, Ridley Scott’s historical epic about Maximus (Russell Crowe), a former Roman general who is reduced to slavery after a betrayal and rises through the ranks as a gladiator in order to get revenge. Gladiator 2 is set to follow Lucius, the son of Maximus’ first love, Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of Roman emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). There are no other plot details available yet, but it’s possible that the film could follow Lucius’ own journey as a gladiator. Gladiator 2 is set to release on November 22, 2024.
Paul Mescal, best known for the Hulu miniseries Normal People and an Oscar-nominated role in the British coming-of-age drama Aftersun, is starring as Lucius. The Gladiator sequel will also see some familiar faces return: Connie Nielsen is back as Lucilla, as is Derek Jacobi as Gracchus, a member of the Roman senate who is Lucilla’s ally. Joseph Quinn, who was fan-favorite Eddie Munson in Stranger Things, will be portraying Emperor Caracalla, and Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) is Emperor Geta, replacing Barry Keoghan due to scheduling conflicts. There are a few stars in undisclosed roles, including Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian, The Last of Us), and May Calamawy (Moon Knight).
9 Wicked
Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu is at the helm of Wicked, an adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway musical that’s based off of the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked follows Elphaba and Galinda, better known as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, as they room together and navigate college life at Shiz University. The Wicked movie is being separated into two parts, with Wicked: Part One dropping on November 27, 2024.
The musical has a star-studded cast, led by pop singer and Grammy winner Ariana Grande as Glinda and Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Genius: Aretha) as Elphaba. Other notable names in the Wicked cast include Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Madame Morrible, the headmistress of Shiz, Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) as Fiyero, Elphaba’s love interest, Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and SNL‘s Bowen Yang as Pfannee, one of Glinda’s college friends.
8 Beetlejuice 2
Over 35 years later, audiences are finally getting a sequel to the 80s fantasy horror comedy Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice 2 sees Tim Burton back in the director’s chair, joined by some returning faces. Michael Keaton is back as the devious Beetlejuice, as are Winona Ryder as a now grown-up Lydia Deetz and Catherine O’Hara as Delia Deetz, Lydia’s stepmother. However, the newcomers to the world of Beetlejuice are just as exciting. Jenna Ortega of Wednesday and the Scream franchise joins the cast as Lydia’s daughter, Monica Bellucci (Spectre) is Beetlejuice’s wife, Willem Dafoe (the Spider-Man films) is an afterlife law enforcer, and Justin Theroux (The Leftovers) plays an undisclosed role.
7 Thunderbolts
The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 5 is underway, and Thunderbolts is an intriguing upcoming film. The movie is based on the Marvel Comics team that debuted in The Incredible Hulk vol 2., #449. Thunderbolts‘ plot is unknown, but it focuses on a group of antiheroes. Thunderbolts has an impressive cast of Marvel alums: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep) as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Florence Pugh (Little Women, Midsommar) as Yelena Belova, David Harbour (Stranger Things) as Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian, Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as John Walker, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace, Black Widow) as Antonia Dreykov/Taskmasker.
There’s also a great bunch of Marvel newcomers in Thunderbolts‘ cast. Steven Yeun (The Walking Dead, Minari) joins the MCU in an unconfirmed role (rumored to be superhero the Sentry), as does Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) and Harrison Ford, who is replacing the late William Hurt as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, who helps put together the Thunderbolts team in the comics. Thunderbolts is shaping up to be an exciting movie based on the cast list alone, and there could be more casting announcements to come that make it even better. Thunderbolts is heading to theaters on July 26, 2024.
6 Argylle
Argylle is the latest spy film from Matthew Vaughn, who has also directed the Kingsman film franchise. Based on an upcoming novel by first-time author Elly Conway, Argylle is about a world-class spy with amnesia who is tricked into believing he is a best-selling spy novelist. When he regains his memories, he sets out for revenge against the Division, the organization he formerly worked for.
The A-List cast includes Henry Cavill (The Witcher), starring as the titular spy, along with Sam Rockwell (Jojo Rabbit, See How They Run), Bryce Dallas Howard (the Jurassic World franchise), Samuel L Jackson, Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), John Cena (The Suicide Squad), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Catherine O’Hara, and pop star Dua Lipa. More details about Argylle are under wraps, though the novel is set to be released on November 9, 2023, and Argylle is planned to be the first part of at least a trilogy of films.
5 Megalopolis
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Megalopolis is a science fiction drama about an architect who wants to rebuild New York City as a utopia after a devastating natural disaster destroyed the city’s infrastructure. Megalopolis has quite an impressive ensemble cast, including Adam Driver (Marriage Story, the Star Wars sequel trilogy), Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Recreation, The White Lotus), Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones, the Fast and Furious franchise), Laurence Fishburne (the John Wick film series), Jason Schwartzman (known for his collaborations with Wes Anderson), and Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Boys). A release date for Megalopolis has yet to be announced, but this film is sure to be highly anticipated.
4 Asteroid City
This science fiction romantic-comedy drama is the 11th film from noted director Wes Anderson. Set in 1955, Asteroid City focuses on a Junior Stargazer convention in a fictional American desert town that is disrupted by an encounter with aliens. The Asteroid City cast is impressive, featuring a good mix of Wes Anderson regulars as well as newcomers. Returning collaborators include Adrien Brody (Blonde, Winning Time), Edward Norton (Birdman, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), Jason Schwartzman, Bryan Cranston, Tilda Swinton (the Chronicles of Narnia series), Jeffrey Wright (The Batman), Jake Ryan (The White Lotus), Rupert Friend (Obi-Wan Kenobi), and Scarlett Johansson.
There are also many actors in the Asteroid City cast who are Wes Anderson first-timers. Maya Hawke (Stranger Things, Do Revenge) plays schoolteacher June Douglas. Tom Hanks plays the grandfather of Woodrow, Jake Ryan’s character. Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) is J.J. Kellogg, the father of a Junior Stargazer awardee, Sophia Lilis (It, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) is Shelly, a scout. Hong Chau (The Whale, The Menu), plays Polly Green, wife to Adrien Brody’s character, Schubert. Steve Carrell (The Office) is a motel manager, and Margot Robbie (Birds of Prey, I, Tonya) is a television actress. Asteroid City debuts in theaters on June 16, 2023.
3 Dune: Part Two
Dune: Part Two is the second part of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the original Dune novel by Frank Herbert. Dune: Part Two sees Paul Atreides uniting with the Fremen people of the planet Arrakis in a war against House Harkonnen. Timothée Chalamet (Little Women, Call Me by Your Name) returns as Paul, the duke of House Atreides, as does Zendaya (Euphoria) as Chani, Paul’s Fremen love interest, Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, Skyfall) as Stilgar, a Fremen tribe leader, Rebecca Ferguson (Silo, the Mission: Impossible series) as Paul’s mother, Lady Jessica, and Dave Bautista (Glass Onion, the Marvel Cinematic Universe) as Glossu Rabban, Baron Harkonnen’s nephew.
In addition to the returning cast, the Dune sequel has some exciting new additions. Austin Butler (Elvis) plays Feyd-Rautha, Baron Harkonnen’s younger nephew and planned successor. Christopher Walker plays Shaddam Emperor Shaddam IV. Florence Pugh is Princess Irulan, the Emperor’s daughter. Léa Seydoux (the James Bond series) plays Lady Margot, wife of Count Hasmir Fenring and a close friend of the Emperor. Dune: Part Two will be released on November 3, 2023.
2 Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan’s first-ever biopic. The biographical thriller is based on the book American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin and follows the life of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer focuses on his involvement in the Manhattan Project in World War II, which led to the atomic bomb’s creation. Oppenheimer has a massive cast of talented players, with Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders) starring as Oppenheimer. Emily Blunt plays Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty. Florence Pugh is Jean Tatlock, a United States Communist Party member who was romantically involved with Oppenheimer. Matt Damon (The Martian, the Bourne series) plays Leslie Groves, who oversaw the Manhattan Project.
The rest of the Oppenheimer cast is filled with recognizable faces, many of whom are also playing historical figures. A further look at the cast includes Robert Downey, Jr. as naval officer Lewis Strauss, Josh Peck (Drake & Josh, How I Met Your Father) as atomic bomb tester Kenneth Bainbridge, as well as Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) and Jack Quaid (The Boys, the Scream franchise) in undisclosed roles. Oppenheimer hits theaters on July 21, 2023.
1 Barbie
Based on the iconic Mattel doll, the live-action Barbie film has become one of the most anticipated movies of the summer. The film was directed by Greta Gerwig and co-written by her and her partner, Noah Baumbach. The Barbie movie shows that all is perfect in Barbieland until weird phenomena start happening, including Barbie gaining flat feet. Barbie heads to the real world for answers, with Ken tagging along for the ride. Barbie stars Margot Robbie as the titular doll, with Ryan Gosling as her boyfriend, Ken.
Barbie‘s cast is incredibly stacked, with Issa Rae (Insecure), Kate McKinnon (SNL), Emma Mackey (Sex Education), Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton, Derry Girls), Dua Lipa, and Alexandra Shipp (the X-Men franchise, tick, tick…BOOM!) as multiple Barbies and Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Kim’s Convenience), Ncuti Gatwa (Sex Education, Doctor Who), Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami…, The OA), and John Cena playing multiple Kens. Other additions are Will Ferrell as a toy company CEO, Emerald Fennell (Call the Midwife) as Barbie’s friend Midge, Helen Mirren as the film’s narrator, and America Ferrera (Superstore) in an undisclosed role. Like Oppenheimer, Barbie premieres in theaters on July 21, 2023.