Summary

• Fans await with bated breath as upcoming movies like Wicked and Megalopolis face high expectations and early criticism.
• The Wicked movie adaptation may fall short, with underwhelming visuals and polarized early reactions, despite a talented cast.
• Movies like Gladiator 2 and Mufasa: The Lion King have to find an interesting way to continue stories that seem to be complete.

Some highly-anticipated movies coming up in the next couple of years have given fans reason for concern. For a variety of reasons, there are plenty of upcoming films which could either be huge hits or horrible flops. Until they are released, audiences will continue to wait nervously, hoping that these fears are quickly banished. However, these movies already face a high level of expectation, either because of the talent involved or because they are part of big franchises.

High hopes always come with a certain amount of nervousness. Movies with a lot of buzz, like Wicked and Megalopolis, get judged long before they are released, as each trailer, review and interview is pulled apart and analyzed for clues. In other cases, there are movies which nobody saw coming, like Mufasa: The Lion King, and these come with so many unknowns that they could turn out to be masterpieces or disasters.

10 Wicked

Release date: November 27, 2024

Wicked is one of the most popular stage musicals of the 21st century, but it has taken over 20 years for a movie adaptation to come along. Although this adaptation won’t be released until November, fans have already sounded concerns over some aspects of the movie. The Wicked movie is split into two parts, with the second act coming in 2025. This means that the story has been expanded, and some new songs have been added.

The Wizard of Oz
remains one of the most visually gorgeous fantasy movies ever made, but the colors and lighting in
Wicked
seem a little underwhelming.

Wicked faces plenty of problems already. The early footage and trailers have been met with a mixed response, which doesn’t bode well for the movie’s chances. The Wizard of Oz remains one of the most visually gorgeous fantasy movies ever made, but the colors and lighting in Wicked seem a little underwhelming. With a cast led by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Wicked is projected to do well at the box office, but it has the potential to become a classic movie musical, and it could fall short of this.

9 Mufasa: The Lion King

Release date: December 20, 2024

2019’s The Lion King was the most successful of all Disney’s live-action remakes so far, at least in terms of how much money it made. However, the remake divided audiences, with some turned off by the lack of expression in the characters and the failure of the remake to add a new dimension to the story. The Mufasa prequel looks to remedy both of these concerns, with an entirely new story following Simba’s father from the time he was just a cub.

The Lion King
remake divided audiences, with some turned off by the lack of expression in the characters and the failure of the remake to add a new dimension to the story.

Mufasa: The Lion King features original songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda, but there’s a lot that remains unknown about the musical. The trailer suggests that the story will follow Mufasa throughout his life, similar to how The Lion King tracks Simba’s journey from a cub to a king. This has raised concerns that the movie will fail to differentiate itself from The Lion King, and it could be an unnecessary prequel based on a character who didn’t need one.

8 The Mandalorian & Grogu

Release date: May 22, 2026

The Mandalorian and Grogu is set to become the first Star Wars movie since 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, although it won’t hit theaters until 2026. Season 3 seemed to provide a fitting end to Din Djarin and Grogu’s story, as they finally settled down to enjoy some peace, so there’s no clear indication what the movie could focus on, although there are already plenty of fan theories.

There are a lot of question marks surrounding
The Mandalorian and Grogu
already, and more casual fans may not want to watch the movie if they haven’t seen the show.

The Mandalorian and Grogu needs to find a completely new story for its characters, which could be a big challenge. It’s possible that the movie will include other Star Wars characters, either from other TV shows like Ahsoka or through the use of CGI and de-aging technology. The show included Luke Skywalker in this way in season 2. Any Star Wars movie has huge box office potential, but there are a lot of question marks surrounding The Mandalorian and Grogu already, and more casual fans may not want to watch the movie if they haven’t seen the show.

7 Gladiator 2

Release date: November 22, 2024

Gladiator is one of Ridley Scott’s best movies, and he has since developed his reputation as a master of historical epics, but this doesn’t mean that fans were calling for a sequel. It has been 24 years since Gladiator, and Gladiator 2 could be a very different prospect. Based on the prestige and awards-season glory of the first movie, the sequel faces a challenge to live up to these standards.

Russell Crowe will not be returning for
Gladiator 2,
and it remains to be seen how a story without Maximus Decimus Meridius will play out.

Russell Crowe will not be returning for Gladiator 2, and it remains to be seen how a story without Maximus Decimus Meridius will play out, and whether it will be as gripping. Fortunately, the sequel boasts an exciting cast, which includes Denzel Washington making a rare sequel appearance. Another big issue is Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. The historical epic fell short of expectations in 2023, which could spell bad news for Gladiator 2.

6 Bond 26

Release date TBA

It has been three years since Daniel Craig’s last appearance as James Bond in No Time to Die, but there has still been no concrete news about the 26th film in the franchise. The big question is who could be the next James Bond, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson currently looking like the most likely candidate. While his casting remains nothing more than a rumor, actors like Henry Cavill, Theo James and Regé-Jean Page are also being mentioned.

It has been three years since Daniel Craig’s last appearance as James Bond in
No Time to Die,
but there has still been no concrete news about the 26th film in the franchise.

007’s casting is not the only issue facing Bond 26. The new era carries a lot of uncertainty, and the Bond franchise will have to strike the right tone. It also remains to be seen how the franchise will deal with Bond’s death in No Time to Die. The franchise could easily ignore it and treat the new era as a soft reboot, but it could take a more radical approach and take the timeline back to a period before Bond’s death.

5 Lord Of The Rings: The Hunt For Gollum

Release date: 2026

Although The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will hit theaters in December 2024, the recently-announced The Hunt for Gollum could be even more exciting. Unlike The War of the Rohirrim, The Hunt for Gollum will be a live-action movie, and Andy Serkis will return to the role which he first played in Peter Jackson’s critically-acclaimed Lord of the Rings trilogy. Jackson will act as a producer, with Serkis himself taking over directing duties.

The film could have a major problem with casting the Aragorn and Gandalf, since Viggo Mortensen and Sir Ian McKellen are now 20 years older.

The links to the original trilogy make The Hunt for Gollum an exciting project, but little else is known about the movie. Fans have speculated, based on the title, that it could take place during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. The movie doesn’t show it, but the book features a subplot with Aragorn and Gandalf hunting Gollum to prevent him from contacting Sauron about the Fellowship. If this story is the focus of The Hunt for Gollum, the film would have a major problem with casting the two parts, since Viggo Mortensen and Sir Ian McKellen are now 20 years older.

4 Sam Mendes’ Beatles Biopics

Release date: 2027

The story of The Beatles has been told countless times, in documentaries, movies, books and TV shows, but Sam Mendes’ new project is still breaking new ground. The Skyfall and 1917 director is developing four biopics, one for each member of the band, that will all be released in 2027. Recent projects keeping Beatlemania alive include Peter Jackson’s retouched documentary Get Back and the alternative history comedy Yesterday.

While the four movies could provide the definitive story of The Beatles, they could just as easily be a tangled mess.

Mendes’ Beatles biopics don’t have any historical equivalents. Never before have there been four interconnected biopics from the same director about the same time period, so there are plenty of mysteries about the project. While the four movies could provide the definitive story of The Beatles, they could just as easily be a tangled mess. Mendes’ challenge will be to keep each movie interesting without telling the same story four times.

3 Megalopolis

Release date: TBA

Francis Ford Coppola’s passion project cost him $120 million of his own money, and this is probably because no studio would take the financial risk of funding such a strange and unprecedented film. Megalopolis boasts an all-star cast, including Adam Driver in the lead role, but this does not mean it has a broad appeal. In fact, early reviews from Cannes all suggest that Megalopolis is likely to baffle audiences.

The one thing critics seem to agree on is that
Megalopolis
is quite unlike anything that has ever been made.

The sci-fi epic has divided critics, with some proclaiming it as the magnum opus of one of cinema’s greatest directors, while others suggest it is a jumbled mess that reaches for the stars and falls woefully short. The one thing critics seem to agree on is that Megalopolis is quite unlike anything that has ever been made. Megalopolis‘ reported behind-the-scenes drama is another reason to be concerned, but since there is no release date yet, audiences will have to wait and see what all the fuss is about.

2 Monopoly

Release date: TBA

It’s often been said that Hollywood can make a movie out of anything, and Margot Robbie is set to push this theory to its limits with an adaptation of the board game Monopoly. Robbie has already produced another strange adaptation, and Barbie became the biggest box office hit of 2023. Monopoly could prove to be an even bigger challenge, however, and it’s unknown if Robbie will also star in the movie, or if she will just be a producer.

With the success of
Barbie,
there could be a lot of pressure on a Monopoly movie, but the board game doesn’t seem to lend itself to the medium of film.

With the success of Barbie, there could be a lot of pressure on a Monopoly movie, but the board game doesn’t seem to lend itself to the medium of film. One possibility is that Robbie’s Monopoly movie tells a story of competing property tycoons, just like the competing players in a game of Monopoly. Until more details are revealed, the movie remains a puzzle. Robbie is also set to produce an adaptation of the popular video game, The Sims, which also doesn’t have much of a story.

1 Quentin Tarantino’s Final Film

Release date: TBA

Quentin Tarantino has stated that he only wants to direct a total of ten movies, and this means that there’s a lot of pressure on his next film. For a while, it looked as though this would be called The Movie Critic, and that it would take place in Los Angeles in the 1970s. However, reports indicate that Tarantino has scrapped The Movie Critic and gone back to the drawing board to create an entirely new project.

Tarantino’s final film has a good chance at both box office success and critical praise, but rumors that he canceled
The Movie Critic
because he didn’t see it as a fitting finale for his career could be bad news.

Tarantino’s final film has a good chance at both box office success and critical praise, but rumors that he canceled The Movie Critic because he didn’t see it as a fitting finale for his career could be bad news. If Tarantino is overly concerned with his legacy, he may heap even more unnecessary pressure on himself. The director may have cornered himself into a situation where he has to make the perfect film, and it may be hard for fans to enjoy what’s on screen without thinking about the context surrounding it.