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Ryan Reynolds, left, as Deadpool/Wade Wilson and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine/Logan in "Deadpool & Wolverine."
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Summer movie preview: 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' 'Furiosa,' 'Inside Out 2' and more

Jay Maidment/Disney

Summer movie preview: 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' 'Furiosa,' 'Inside Out 2' and more

Remember when I predicted in January that 2024 was shaping up to be a profoundly strange year at the movies? Four months later, nothing has changed.

This year’s theatrical slate still seems a bit barren compared to even fall 2023’s offerings, likely due to production slowdowns and release date shuffling stemming from the recent SAG-AFTRA and Writer Guild of America strikes. There also aren’t any obvious “Barbenheimer” candidates, unless social media declares May 24 “Gariosa” day and inspires scores of cinephiles to attend double features of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” and “The Garfield Movie.”

It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Moviegoers can still look forward to a new Marvel movie, a highly anticipated Pixar sequel, two Kevin Costner-directed westerns, and much more both in theaters and via various streaming services. Here’s what Hollywood has on tap for audiences this summer:

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Avantika, left, as Karen Shetty, Angourie Rice as Cady Heron, Renee Rapp as Regina George and Bebe Wood as Gretchen Wieners in "Mean Girls."
Joshua Axelrod
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May 3

“The Fall Guy”: A fading stuntman must find the missing star of his ex-girlfriend’s directorial debut. Directed by David Leitch and starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Hannah Waddingham.

“Unfrosted” (Netflix): Jerry Seinfeld co-wrote, directed and stars in this comedy that loosely recounts how a competition between Kellogg’s and Post Cereal to create the perfect breakfast pastry resulted in the Pop-Tart’s invention. Its ensemble also includes Rachael Harris, Melissa McCarthy, Hugh Grant and Jim Gaffigan.

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“Tarot”: Members of a friend group start dying in ways that uncannily resemble the tarot card fortunes they recently received. Written and directed by Spenser Cohen and Anna Halberg, and starring Avantika, Jacob Batalon and Harriet Slater.

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May 9

“Mother of the Bride” (Netflix): A young woman’s upcoming nuptials are complicated by her mother’s lingering resentment toward the groom’s father. Directed by Mark Waters and starring Brooke Shields, Benjamin Bratt and Miranda Cosgrove.

Timothée Chalamet, center, as Willy Wonka in "Wonka."
Joshua Axelrod
Fall movie preview: 'Wonka,' 'The Marvels,' 'Napoleon' and much more

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May 10

“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”: This latest “Planet of the Apes” sequel flash-forwards hundreds of years to a period in which a young ape begins to question everything he has been taught about his kind and humans. Directed by Wes Ball and starring Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, Freya Allen and William H. Macy.

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May 17

“IF”: John Krasinski wrote, directed and stars in this fantasy comedy about a few folks who can see the imaginary friends abandoned by their original creators. It also stars Ryan Reynolds, Cailey Fleming and Fiona Shaw alongside an expansive voice cast led by Steve Carrell, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emily Blunt and Matt Damon.

“Back to Black”: Marisa Abela plays Amy Winehouse in this biopic of the late singer-songwriter’s tragically truncated life. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and also starring Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan and Lesley Manville.

“Thelma the Unicorn” (Netflix): This musical adaptation of the similarly named children’s book series follows a pony whose life profoundly changes after her wish to become a unicorn unexpectedly comes true. Directed by Jared Hess and Lynn Wang, and featuring the voices of Brittany Howard, Will Forte, Jon Heder and Zach Galifianakis.

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May 24

“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga”: This prequel to 2015’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” chronicles Furiosa’s journey from the Green Place to her life-changing encounter with the franchise’s titular figure. Directed by George Miller and starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth.

“The Garfield Movie”: Everyone’s favorite lasagna lover leaves the comforts of Jon Arbuckle’s home to embark on an adventure with his long-lost father. Directed by Mark Dindal with a voice cast that includes Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Nicholas Hault, Harvey Guillen, Hannah Waddingham and Cecily Strong.

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June 7

“Bad Boys: Ride or Die”: Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are forced to go on the run while trying to clear their late captain’s name. Directed by Adil El Arb and iBilall Fallah, and starring Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig and Eric Dane.

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June 14

“Inside Out 2”: As Riley becomes a teenager, new emotions join the previously existing quintet of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust.  Directed by Kelsey Mann and featuring the voices of Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Tony Hale, Lewis Black, Ayo Edebiri, Maya Hawke and Paul Walter Hauser.

“The Watchers”: A young woman lost in the woods finds shelter alongside three strangers being stalked by mysterious creatures. Written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan and starring Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell, Olwen Fouéré and Oliver Finnegan.

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June 21

“The Bikeriders”: A fledgling motorcycle club slowly evolves from a makeshift family for outsiders into something more dangerous and violent. Directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon and Mike Faist.

“Kinds of Kindness”: Yorgos Lanthimos follows up 2023’s “Poor Things” with this anthology film containing vignettes starring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley, Joe Alwyn, Hong Chau, Hunter Schafer and Mamoudou Athie.

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June 28

“A Quiet Place: Day One”: This prequel to the first two “A Quiet Place” films takes audiences back to when the world was first plunged into silence. Directed by Michael Sarnoski, and starring Lupita Nyong’o, Djimon Hounsou, Joseph Quinn and Alex Wolff.

“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1”: Kevin Costner directed and co-wrote not one, but two westerns scheduled to be released this summer. Both films are set in the mid-1800s as the United States is expanding west. “Chapter 1” stars Costner, Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Giovanni Ribisi and Michael Rooker.

“Daddio”: A woman and her cab driver have a candid conversation about life, relationships, loss and more. Written and directed by Christy Hall, and starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn.

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July 3

“Despicable Me 4”: Gru and his family must contend with both a new arrival and arch nemesis. Steve Carrell once again leads an all-star voice cast that also includes Kristen Wiig, Will Ferrell, Joey King, Sofia Vergara, Steve Coogan and Miranda Cosgrove.

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July 5

“MaXXXine”: The final installment in writer-director Ti West’s “X” trilogy finds Maxine pursuing her acting dreams in Los Angeles while trying to outrun her blood-drenched past. Mia Goth once again portrays the film’s titular figure alongside a cast that also includes Elizabeth Debicki, Moses Sumney, Lily Collins, Bobby Cannavale and Giancarlo Esposito.

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July 12

“Fly Me to the Moon”: Set during the 1960s space race, this romantic comedy follows the personal and professional exploits of a NASA bigwig and marketing specialist both working on the Apollo 11 mission. Directed by Greg Berlanti and starring Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Woody Harrelson, Jim Rash and Ray Romano.

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July 19

“Twisters”: It’s unclear what exactly this film’s relationship to the 1996 disaster epic “Twister” is. Whatever their connection ends up being, director Lee Isaac Chung helmed this popcorn flick about 21st-century tornado chasers starring Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Maura Tierney and Kiernan Shipka.

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July 26

“Deadpool & Wolverine”: The merc with a mouth’s third big-screen outing will likely serve as Deadpool’s official introduction to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s sacred timeline. Directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Morena Baccarin, Emma Corrin, Leslie Uggams and Matthew Macfadyen.

“Didi”: Sean Wang wrote and directed this dramedy about the teenage misadventures of a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy coming of age in 2008.

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Aug. 2

“Harold and the Purple Crayon”: This pseudo-sequel to the original 1955 children’s book of the same name finds a grown-up Harold exploring the physical world. Directed by Carlos Saldanha and starring Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel, Lil Rel Howery, Benjamin Bottani and Jemaine Clement.

“Trap”: M. Night Shyamalan wrote and directed this story centered around a father-daughter outing to a pop concert that quickly turns sinister. It stars Josh Hartnett, Hayley Mills and Saleka Shyamalan.

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Aug. 9

“The Fire Inside”: Barry Jenkins wrote the screenplay for this biographical tale of boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields’ road to becoming the first American woman to win a boxing gold medal. Directed by Rachel Morrison and starring Ryan Destiny, Brian Tyree Henry and Olunike Adeliyi.

“It Ends With Us”: Justin Baldoni directed and stars in this adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel of the same name about a woman whose childhood trauma carries over into her adult life. It also stars Blake Lively, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Alex Neustaedter.

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Aug. 16

“Alien: Romulus”: A group of young space colonists run into a horrifying foe while scavenging the remains of a seemingly abandoned space station. Directed by Fede Alvarez and starring Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced, David Jonsson and Archie Renaux.

“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 2”: See the previous entry for “Horizon: An American Saga — Part 1.”

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Aug. 23

“The Crow”: A resurrected Eric Draven seeks revenge against those who murdered him and the woman he loves. Directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Bill Skarsgard, FKA twigs, Danny Huston and Isabella Wei.

“Blink Twice”: Zoe Kravitz co-wrote and directed this thriller about a waitress whose vacation to a tech mogul’s private island ends up being less than idyllic. It stars Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Geena Davis, Christian Slater, Kyle MacLachlan and Haley Joel Osment.

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Aug. 30

“Kraven the Hunter”: This Sony Pictures-distributed Marvel project follows Sergei Kravinoff’s efforts to establish himself as the world’s premier hunter. Directed by J.C. Chandor and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott and Alessandro Nivola.

Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and X @jaxelburgh.

First Published: April 25, 2024, 9:30 a.m.
Updated: April 26, 2024, 2:03 a.m.

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