The best new films we can't wait to watch in 2022

We love to escape for the evening to the cinema and catch up on all the best new films, popcorn bucket in hand. Whether with friends, a cinema trip with your partner or some valuable solo time, there's nothing quite like losing yourself in a film, in the dark, snacks in place and nowhere to be. Luckily, there's lots of exciting films arriving this year - in both the cinema and on streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney +. Here are the best new films to watch in 2022...

What films will be released in 2022?

From the Downton sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era, to Olivia Wilde's directorial debut Don't Worry Darling (watch the steamy teaser trailer starring Harry Styles and Florence Pugh below) and Emma Stone's Frankenstein reimagining in upcoming adaptation Poor Things — it seems we have lots to look forward to this year.

Plus, it's been announced that a brand new Luther Netflix film is in the works and Legally Blonde 3 has been given an official release date. Jennifer Lawrence has also signed on to her first film in two years for screwball comedy No Hard Feelings.

It was recently confirmed that The Crown's Josh O'Connor and Normal People's Paul Mescal will star as lovers in WW1 gay romance, The History of Sound. The universal love story will follow the stars as young men setting out to record the lives, voices and music of their countrymen during the conflict in the early 1900s.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot will star as the Evil Queen in Disney's live action remake of Snow White. West Side Story's Rachel Zegler is playing the titular Disney princess.

Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, Glenn Close, Naomie Harris and Awkwafina star in Benjamin Cleary's directorial debut Swan Song. Set in the near future, where human cloning is possible, Ali stars as Cameron, a husband and father diagnosed with a terminal illness who finds himself deciding whether he wants to live or die in the minds and eyes of his family.

The trailer for Jordan Peele's highly-anticipated third film Nope has also been released, which stars Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. Fans can expect another horror epic with this mystery sci-fi/neo-western movie, written and directed by Get Out's Peele. More below.

Plus, there will be many more available to watch via streaming services such as Curzon Home Cinema, BFI Player, Netflix, Disney + and Amazon Prime — all from the comfort of your own home.

Here's our round up of the best new films to watch now, and those to look forward to throughout 2022...

Release date: TBC

The trailer for Jordan Peele's highly-anticipated third film Nope has been released. The sci-fi neo-western horror stars Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer. The movie follows the residents of an isolated town who witness a mysterious and abnormal event.

Euphoria's Barbie Ferreira and Minari's Steven Yeun co-star.

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Release date: 18 March 2022

The Crawley clan are back with a teaser trailer and first look images at the new Downton Abbey film promising exciting times ahead, as the estate gets ready for a big occasion: the wedding of Allen Leech's Tom Branson to new love interest Lucy Smith (Tuppence Middleton).

The entire cast of Downton will be returning for the film sequel, with some new faces set to join, including Hugh Dancy, Dominic West and Laura Haddock.

Downton Abbey: A New Era will debut at cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 18 March 2022.

Out now on Apple+TV

Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali, Glenn Close, Naomie Harris and Awkwafina star in Benjamin Cleary's directorial debut Swan Song.

Apple says: "Set in the near future, husband and father Cameron Turner (Ali) is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Presented with an experimental solution - cloning has become fully accessible - to shield his wife and son from grief, he grapples with altering their fate in this exploration of love, loss, and sacrifice.

"As Cam grapples with whether or not to alter his family's fate, he learns more about life and love than he ever imagined."

Release date: Out now on Netflix

Kirsten Dunst, Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons star in Oscar winner Jane Campion's acclaimed western, The Power of the Dog.

Netflix says: "Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love."

Dunst, Cumberbatch, Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee have all been Oscar nominated for their performances, while Campion has now become the first woman to be have been nominated twice for Best Director.

Release date: TBC

Gal Gadot will play the Evil Queen in Disney's live action remake of Snow White. West Side Story star Rachel Zelger will take the lead as the titular Disney princess in the fresh adaptation of the classic 1938 animation.

The film will also feature new music from Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, the Oscar- and Tony-winning duo behind La La Land, The Greatest Showman and Dear Evan Hansen, The Hollywood Reporter reports.

Release date: TBC

Normal People's Paul Mescal and The Crown's Josh O'Connor will play lovers in WW1 drama, The History of Sound.

The story follows two young men Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor) who set out to record the lives, voices and music of their countrymen during the conflict in the early 1900s.

The official synopsis for the film reads: "In this snatched, short-lived moment in their young lives, and while discovering the epic sweep of the US, both men are deeply changed."

Director Oliver Hermanus said: "This is an unexpected love story that needs to be told — it is a journey through the life of America, across the 20th century and the traditions of American folk music, all seen through the bond between two men immersed in the history of sound. This undeniably powerful story will certainly resonate with audiences the world over."

The film is based on the Pushcart Prize-winning book by American author Ben Shattuck, who will write the screenplay.

Out now on Netflix

Netflix has released the first trailer for Sandra Bullock's thriller The Unforgivable, co-starring Viola Davis, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, and Rob Morgan.

The synopsis reads: "Released from prison after serving a sentence for a violent crime, Ruth Slater (Bullock) re-enters a society that refuses to forgive her past. Facing severe judgment from the place she once called home, her only hope for redemption is finding the estranged younger sister she was forced to leave behind."

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Out now on Netflix

Netflix has released the unnerving trailer for The Lost Daughter, Maggie Gyllenhaal's anticipated directorial debut and adaptation of Elena Ferrante's novel of the same title.

The drama follows Olivia Colman as a professor and mother named Leda, whose solo holiday is disrupted by a large and unruly family – including a young mother (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter.

Leda becomes transfixed by their relationship, and reflects on her own memories of the intensity of early motherhood.

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Out now on Amazon Prime TV

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star as Hollywood couple Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Amazon Prime's Being the Ricardos.

The biopic isn't a remake of the I Love Lucy show, Kidman recently revealed, but explores Lucille and Desi's marriage, and navigate the racial barriers the pair had to face. Desi was discriminated against for being Cuban, and Lucille had to fight for him to remain on their show.

Kidman and Bardem have both been Oscar nominated for their performances.

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Release date: TBC

Jennifer Lawrence has signed on to her first film after a two year hiatus for raunchy comedy No Hard Feelings. The movie has bee compared to Tom Cruise's classic coming-of-age drama Risky Business and Cameron Diaz's Bad Teacher.

The film will be set in Montauk in a hamlet on the east end of Long Island. The rest of the cast has yet to be announced.

Release date: May 2022 in cinemas

The news we've all been waiting for is finally here. Legally Blonde 3 — aka the third film in the iconic franchise — has officially been confirmed and will be arriving on screens in a mere matter of months.

Reese Witherspoon — who is set to both produce and star in the film — will be reprising her role of Elle Woods and will be joined by best friend Paulette (aka Jennifer Coolidge). Rumoured to be joining the two are Elle's Delta Nu sorority sisters, Serena and Margot (played by Alanna Ubach and Jessica Cauffiel), but no words on whether Luke Wilson will be returning as Elle's husband Emmett yet.

Most excitingly of all, Mindy Kaling has been confirmed as a writer on the film and Witherspoon has confirmed the new film will be 'full of fashion and “awesome feminist ideas”.'

Release date: TBC 2022

Everyone's favourite rough and ready London detective — played superbly by Idris Elba — is heading back to screens, in the form of a Netflix film, the streaming site confirmed this week.

Joining Elba will be Chaos' Cynthia Erivo and Lord of the Rings' Andy Serkis, both of whom will play the two baddies Luther will be battling against in the feature film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter: "[Luther] will have to contend with a double threat. Erivo is playing a detective who is also Luther’s nemesis while Serkis is the story’s criminal villain."

In the recent Twitter announcement, Netflix wrote: "Luther is coming back! Idris Elba will reprise his iconic role — joined by Cynthia Erivo and Andy Serkis — in a new feature film written by series creator Neil Cross."

We can't wait to watch this, but as it's only just been announced, we imagine it won't hit screens until late 2022 sometime!

Release date: 22nd September 2022

As of 15th September, we were finally given a sneak peek of Olivia Wilde's hotly-anticipated directorial debut in the form of a teaser trailer of upcoming film Don't Worry Darling.

Although not much is given away in the 11 second clip, which Wilde posted to her social channels, we do catch a glimpse of lead stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles passionately kissing, a brief shot of Hollywood star Chris Pine — who also stars in the psychological thriller — and Pugh sitting poolside in the opening shot, looking every inch the bored housewife...

Oh, and we also got a confirmed cinematic release date of 22nd September 2022.

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Release date: TBC 2022

Hot off the heels of her recent Cruella success, Emma Stone has now been cast in an upcoming reimagining of Mary Shelley’s gothic classic Frankenstein.

Poor Things is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Alasdair Gray. A Victorian tale of love, discovery and scientific daring, it tells the story of Belle Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by eccentric yet brilliant scientist (Willem Dafoe), but reborn with the brain of an infant.

Also starring Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef and Christopher Abbott, we can't wait for this. However since the film is only now in pre-production, it probably won't be on screens until 2022 sometime.

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Out now in cinemas

Luckily filming for Respect, the biopic of Aretha Franklin's life starring Jennifer Hudson in the lead role, wrapped just before the pandemic, and we're now be able to catch it in cinemas as of this week - having been pushed back from the original release date of January 2021.

Following Franklin's beginnings as a singer in the church choir through to her breakthrough as a music superstar, Mary J Blige and Forest Whitaker also star.

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Watch in cinemas now

Dev Patel stars as the headstrong nephew of King Arthur, embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight.

Also starring Hollywood stars Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) and Joel Edgerton (The Gift).

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Release date TBC 2022

It's been quite a while since we've had a good old fashioned Reese Witherspoon romcom, these days the 45-year-old actress can normally be found starring in — and producing — more dramatic roles like Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere, The Morning Show and Where The Crawdad's Sing.

All of which have been produced by Reese's female-led production company Hello Sunshine, which is also producing her upcoming Netflix film.

Starring Ashton Kutcher as the romantic lead, alongside the in-demand Hollywood star, the plot sees two best friends who live on opposite coasts, swap homes for a week and watch their whole lives change.

The film's been written by the same team as The Devil Wears Prada and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, so that — combined with the fact that Reese is both starring in and producing it — has made us very excited for this release.

Unfortunately, as news of this upcoming project was only recently announced, we can't imagine this will be release any time soon, we'll keep you posted!

Release date TBC 2022

Despite our sadness that Regé-Jean Page will not be appearing the second season of Netflix’s regency drama Bridgerton, it seems the duke will be back on screens sooner than than we originally thought, as he’s just landed a major Hollywood film role.

Adventure thriller The Saint was originally made famous by former Bond star Roger Moore, who starred in the original series in the 1960s, before Val Kilmer took on the role in the film adaption in 1997.

Page shared a picture of Moore on his social media with a halo over his head, as he confirmed the news of his new role.

The 31-year-old actor will play enigmatic and wealthy adventurer Simon Templar — AKA The Saint — whose life mission is to prevent criminals from succeeding, in the upcoming drama based on the early 20th century adventure novels by Leslie Charteris.

No word yet on when filming will start but we hope soon!

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Release date: 8th July 2022 in cinemas

The I May Destroy You star is set to join one of the biggest scheduled films of next year, Marvel's Black Panther sequel: Wakanda Forever

33-year-old Coel will be joining original cast members Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Lupita Nyong’o, Florence Kasumba and Angela Bassett in the franchise, although details of her character have not yet been revealed.

One star who will not be reprising their role is Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa, king of Wakanda in the first film, before tragically passing away from colon cancer in 2020. Marvel Boss Kevin Feige has since confirmed that they will not be recasting Boseman's role in the sequel, as they wish to "honour the legacy that Chad helped us build."

Release date: TBC 2022

Fresh from picking up awards aplenty for her incredible turn in Promising Young Woman, Carey Mulligan will soon be back on set to play one of the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalists who helped bring down convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein.

The book She Said by Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor is the inside story of their 2017 investigation into the film producer's numerous sexual misconduct scandals. As a result of their reporting (and Ronan Farrell's subsequent story), 80 women came forward to speak out against Weinstein (sparking the #MeToo movement) and he was charged and later jailed for rape. Now the book is being adapted to the big screen.

Mulligan will play Twohey, while Zoe Kazan (Revolutionary Road, The Big Sick) takes on the role of Kantor, according to Deadline. Unorthodox's Maria Schrader will direct. Filming is due to start soon.

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Release date: TBC

It was recently announced (by Deadline) that everyone’s favourite Bridgerton Duke, Regé-Jean Page, has been cast in the lead role of a Hollywood blockbuster.

Joining A-listers Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez and Justice Smith, Page will feature in the upcoming Paramount film Dungeons and Dragons — based on the iconic video game franchise.

According to the Hollywood Reporter: "It is not known whether the movie adaptation will be a straight-up fantasy film, set in the world of the game, or incorporate the storytelling and game-playing aspects."

But what we do know, is that it’ll be a very different vibe to the regency glamour of Bridgerton.