This year has already been an impressive one at the movies, from new horror stories like M3GAN, Infinity Pool, and Knock at the Cabin, to continuations of major franchises like Magic Mike's Last Dance and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. 2023 started off with some heavy hitters, and the next few months show that this year shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. This spring, we get the return of Adonis Creed, Shazam!, John Wick, and Ghostface. We'll see Mario exploring the Mushroom Kingdom, the demons of Evil Dead rising once more, and Adam Driver fighting dinosaurs. What more could you want??
Let's take a look at some of the new releases coming out this spring.
RELATED: The 100 Most Anticipated Films of 2023
Creed III (March 3)
Despite being around for nearly fifty years, the Rocky franchise proved there’s still plenty of gas left in this tank with the Creed series, which put Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed, at the center of the story. While this new angle on this boxing story has been quite a revitalization of this series, Creed III might be one of the most fascinating installments in this franchise, as this will be the first film in this series without Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky Balboa. Also fascinating is that Creed III marks the directorial debut of Jordan, and it will be exciting to see if Jordan has learned from close friend and Creed director Ryan Coogler for his first time behind the camera. But, oh yeah, there’s a story to Creed III! This time, Jordan’s Creed will face off against his childhood friend Damian Anderson, played by Jonathan Majors—who is already clearly claiming 2023 as his year. With Stallone out, and Jordan as director, it’s going to be very interesting to see how this series moves out of the past and into the future.
Scream VI (March 10)
After eleven years away, the Scream franchise returned last year, killing off long-time franchise favorites, and setting up new characters who have a past deeply ingrained with the stars of the previous films. Scream VI continues this beloved horror series’ breaking the mold of what worked before, as we find our cast coming against Ghostface in New York City. It will also be curious to see how this series explains the absence of series-lead Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell)—an integral part of these films up to this point. Scream hasn’t had a shortage of characters obsessed with the past, and the murderer in Scream VI seems to be taking it even further than previous killers, complete with a museum dedicated to past Ghostfaces. Will the series’ new directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett’s attempts to change up the formula in a new location and shifting cast help or hurt this series?
65 (March 10)
Really, all you probably need to know about 65 is that it involved Adam Driver and dinosaurs. Driver stars as Mills, a pilot who crashes on an unknown planet and finds he’s on the Earth 65 million years ago (hence the name), and he and the other survivor of the crash, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt) have to find their way to safety. 65 comes from writer/director team Scott Beck and Bryan Woods—best known for writing A Quiet Place—and is produced by Sam Raimi. In a year that has already given us the killer doll of M3GAN and the cocaine bear of Cocaine Bear, 65 seems like another excellent addition to 2023’s list of weird-as-shit movie ideas that work.
Champions (March 10)
It has almost been a decade since Bobby and Peter Farrelly have made a movie together, and in that time, Peter has gone on to write and direct the Oscar-winning Green Book and last year’s The Greatest Beer Run Ever. However, Bobby will be making his solo directorial debut with Champions, about a minor-league basketball coach (Woody Harrelson) who as part of a community service requirement, ends up coaching a team to prepare them for the Special Olympics. A remake of the 2018 Spanish film of the same name, Champions sounds more in line with the types of comedies that the Farrelly brothers used to make together, and it will be interesting to see how Bobby’s solo work differs from that of his brother.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March 17)
Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be the first film from DC since James Gunn announced the upcoming plans for where this universe is heading, and while Fury of the Gods was filmed prior to Gunn and Peter Safran taking over as the co-chiefs of DC Studios, who knows what threads the latest DC film will be setting up for the future. Zachary Levi will return as Billy Batson/Shazam, and this Shazam! sequel will also introduce the Daughters of Atlas, played by Rachel Zegler, Lucy Liu, and Helen Mirren. Fury of the Gods seems to exist in this weird middle ground, like The Flash, where it’s borne out of the DCEU, but could mean important things for the future of DC’s upcoming plans.
Boston Strangler (March 17)
Who doesn’t love an intense and engaging crime drama, as well as a story about great reporting? Boston Strangler checks both of those boxes, exploring the story of Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley), the reporter who broke the story of the Boston Stranger in the 1960s. In addition to Knightley, the cast includes Carrie Coon, Alessandro Nivola, Chris Cooper, and David Dastmalchian.
The Magician’s Elephant (March 17)
Netflix has been on a roll with their animated original films lately, last year alone giving us films like Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood, Wendell & Wild, and earning two nominations in the Animated Feature category at the Academy Awards with The Sea Beast and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. Netflix will hopefully continue this trend with their first animated original of 2023, The Magician’s Elephant, based on the beloved Kate DiCamillo book of the same name, which follows Peter (voiced by Noah Jupe), who is trying to find his sister Adele (Pixie Davies). In order to do so, a fortune-teller gives Peter advice to find a magician with an elephant (hence the name!). The Magician’s Elephant also features Benedict Wong, Brian Tyree Henry, Mandy Patinkin, and What We Do in the Shadows’ Natasia Demetriou.
John Wick: Chapter 4 (March 24)
“Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back” is an understatement at this point. Not only do we have the Ballerina, a TV show set in the Wickiverse coming in the near future, but John Wick: Chapter 4 seems like it’s going to be the biggest adventure for John Wick (Keanu Reeves) so far. Not only is the upcoming fourth installment close to 3 hours of Wickified adrenaline, but this cast continues to grow, with this latest film adding Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama, Clancy Brown, Mark Zaror, and Bill Skarsgård. It’s been almost four years since we’ve seen Wick kick an absurd amount of ass, but yeah, we’re thinking he’s back.
A Good Person (March 24)
Nearly twenty years ago, Zach Braff became an immediate icon of indie cinema, and for better or worse, quirk, after writing and directing his 2004 debut Garden State. A decade later, he upped the eccentricity with his 2014 film Wish I Was Here. But in this decade’s film, A Good Person, it looks as though Braff has taken on a much more serious approach to his latest project. A Good Person stars Florence Pugh as Allison, who was part of a fatal accident, and years later, begins an unexpected relationship with the man who would’ve been her father-in-law (Morgan Freeman). It will be interesting to see how Braff and Pugh worked together, but also to see a Braff project written and directed by him, but without him starring. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a new side to Braff with his newest film that takes him out of the shadow of Garden State?
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (March 31)
We’ve seen attempts to bring Dungeons & Dragons to the screen before, but Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves might actually be the film to bring the role-playing game to life effectively. Directed by Game Night’s John Francis Daley and JonathanGoldstein, Honor Among Thieves looks to be just enough of an action-adventure comedy to lure in D&D beginners, but with plenty of references to keep the diehard fans content. Plus with a cast that includes Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant, that’s quite a group to bring this fantasy world to the big screen, and maybe even turn some viewers into potential players.
Murder Mystery 2 (March 31)
Look, Adam Sandler’s Netflix comedies haven’t always been the best, but especially of his earliest films with the streamer, the comedy-mystery of Murder Mystery, which reunited Sandler with Jennifer Aniston was certainly one of the better films in this agreement. In one of the rare sequels of Sandler’s career, Murder Mystery 2 reunites Sandler and Aniston’s characters, who have now become full-time private detectives and are trying to get their agency up and running. Of course, it doesn’t take long before they’re invited to a private island wedding where they’re asked to prove their talents. Also featuring Mark Strong, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith, Tony Goldwyn, and Annie Mumolo, Murder Mystery 2 has the potential to be another charming and fun murder mystery for Netflix.
A Thousand and One (March 31)
A Thousand and One, from writer/director A.V. Rockwell, already made a splash earlier this year, when the film won the Grand Jury prize at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and with the staggering amount of praise Rockwell’s film is getting, we could be talking about A Thousand and One at next year’s Oscars. Teyana Taylor stars as Inez, a woman struggling to survive in the 90s, who kidnaps her 6-year-old son out of foster care in order to start a new life with him. Years later, both mother and son have to deal with the ramifications of this choice. Recent Grand Jury winners have included films like Minari, Whiplash, and CODA, so it’s entirely possible A Thousand and One could be a major award contender by year’s end.
Air (April 5)
Seven years after Ben Affleck’s last film as director, 2016’s Live by Night, the director is back with what might be his biggest project yet. Air: Courting a Legend follows Nike’s attempt to sign Michael Jordan back in the 1980s, when he was just an up-and-coming basketball player. Not only does Affleck direct and star, but he’s reunited with Matt Damon, and whenever those two get together, it’s always something worth checking out. In addition to this reunion, Air also boasts an impressive cast that includes Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, Chris Messina, and Marlon Wayans. It’s good to have Affleck back behind the camera, and with an impressive team behind it, Air could end up being the surprise hit of this spring.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie (April 5)
Thirty years after Nintendo last attempted to bring the Mario Bros. to the big screen, Nintendo tries again, this time with the help of Illumination—the team behind Despicable Me and The Secret Life of Pets—to create something that looks far more what our childhoods looked like. The trailers for this trip into the Mushroom Kingdom have so far been bright, fun, and seem to have a good grasp of what has made this series so beloved for decades, as Mario (yes, voiced by Chris Pratt) helps Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her entire kingdom take out the threat caused by Bowser (Jack Black). From the hints of other galaxies to a quick flash of Mario and friends on karts, it looks like The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be a burst of nostalgia and an appreciation of all things this lil plumber has done over the years. Let's a-go.
Paint (April 7)
Thank god we are knee-deep in the Owen Wilson renaissance, as projects like Morbius and Marry Me have brought the actor back into the spotlight in a major way. And yet, we haven't seen him headline a comedy by himself in quite some time. That's about to change with Paint, an indie comedy that sees Wilson as Carl Nargle, a very Bob Ross-ian figure, who has hosted Vermont's #1 painting show for almost three decades. Yet when the station hires an artist who is better than he is, everything Carl had is now in jeopardy. It's been a while since we've seen a big, broad Wilson-led comedy, and thankfully, Paint gives us what we've been missing for so long.
Renfield (April 14)
With Renfield, Universal's latest reenvisioning of their classic movie monsters, Nicolas Cage takes on a role perfect for him: Count Dracula. Yet this isn't Dracula's story, it's the story of R. M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), who after nearly a century under the wing of his master Dracula begins to question his choices and his life. Directed by Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie), and written by Rick and Morty's Ryan Ridley, based on an idea by Robert Kirkman, Renfield also stars Awkwafina and Ben Schwartz in this modern update that, with this team and cast, unlike Dracula, certainly won't suck.
Evil Dead Rise (April 21)
Evil Dead has been around since the late 70s in some form or another, but it's been almost a decade since the last film in the installment, 2013's Evil Dead. Now, a decade after the last film in the series, Evil Dead Rise brings the evil out of the woods and to Los Angeles, where a mysterious book (wonder which one it is??) is found in the building of Ellie (Alyssa Sutherland), a mother of three who has become possessed. The trailers so far show an interesting new direction for this franchise, yet one that maintains the series' insane horror and pitch-black comedy. Hell, what other franchise could make the line "mommy's with the maggots now" both extremely disturbing and oddly hilarious?
The Covenant (April 21)
Only a month after Guy Ritchie's Operation Fortune finally gets its theatrical release, Ritchie returns with The Covenant, which looks unique from any film the director has made before. The Covenant follows Jake Gyllenhaal's Sergeant John Kinley, who on his last tour in Afghanistan, is teamed with a local interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim) to check out the region. After the unit is ambushed, this duo are the only ones left standing, and Ahmed carries the injured Kinley to safety. But back home, when Kinley discovers that Ahmed was not allowed into America like he was promised, Kinley goes back to Afghanistan to save the man who saved his life. In recent years, Ritchie has attempted to tell stories that are different from the ones he's used to telling, so it will be intriguing to see how Ritchie does playing outside his comfort zone with this one.
Chevalier (April 21)
Kelvin Harrison Jr. has been one of the most promising young actors in Hollywood for years now, standing out in such films as Cyrano, Waves, and Luce. But with Chevalier, it looks as though Harrison Jr. will get to be front and center in a film that shows off his talents. Harrison Jr. plays the title character, the illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, who becomes a part of French society thanks to his talents as a violinist, composer, and fencer. Inspired by the true story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Chevalier could be the perfect film to make Harrison Jr. a major name.
Beau Is Afraid (April 21)
After the horror stories of Hereditary and Midsommar, Ari Aster is back with Beau Is Afraid, a film that looks entirely different from anything he's ever done before. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Beau Is Afraid's is being called a surrealist horror film, and the first trailer definitely gives off that vibe, with plenty of Charlie Kaufman-ish ruminations on life and the insanity that life entails. Aster has given us beheadings, boyfriends in bear suits catching aflame, and Toni Collette hanging out on the ceiling, yet Beau Is Afraid looks like it has the potential to be the most insane and ambitious project from Aster so far.
April 21 - Carmen
Benjamin Millepied's modern take on the classic opera Carmen brings this story to Mexico and Los Angeles, as the title character searches for her freedom. But what makes this version of Carmen so promising is the cast, which sees Scream VI and In the Heights' Melissa Barrera as Carmen, and Oscar nominee Paul Mescal hot off the adoration from Aftersun. And truly, who wouldn't want to see a romantic musical drama from these two up-and-coming stars?
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (April 28)
It is sort of wild that Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret—arguably the most popular book from Judy Blume—has never received a film adaptation. However, Blume's iconic novel will finally get the big screen treatment this April, from writer and director Kelly Fremon Craig, whose debut was also the incredible coming-of-age film, The Edge of Seventeen. Abby Ryder Fortson (Cassie Lang in the first two Ant-Man films) plays the title character of Margaret, who moves with her family from New York City to New Jersey as she explores her religious identity. Rachel McAdams also stars as Marget's mother Barbara, while Benny Safdie and Kathy Bates will play Herb and Sylvia Simon, respectively.
Big George Foreman (April 28)
Considering the absolutely incredible life story of George Foreman, and cinema's love of boxing stories, it's truly shocking that it's taken us this long to get a George Foreman biopic. The incredibly verbose Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World will star Khris Davis (Judas and the Black Messiah) as Foreman, as we follow his career through highlights such as him becoming a gold medal Olympian, and becoming the World Heavyweight Champion multiple times—including becoming the oldest champion ever.
