Upcoming Sci-Fi Movies You Won't Want To Miss

Release Date: March 25, 2022

The filmmaking team Daniels, made up of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, are known for their out-of-this-world weirdness. Their feature directorial debut "Swiss Army Man" is about the unlikely friendship between a suicidal man and a farting corpse, and their upcoming film, "Everything Everywhere All At Once," looks just as beautifully bizarre.

"Everything Everywhere All At Once" stars Michelle Yeoh as a Chinese-American woman who is trying to finish her taxes but ends up going on a multiverse-hopping adventure. The movie looks like a visual treat, with enough strange, stunning moments in the trailer to catch anyone's attention. Multiverses are popular right now, with Sony, Marvel, and DC all taking swings at the trope, so it will be fun to see a completely different take. Yeoh is an action-movie superstar with loads of charisma, so "Everything Everywhere All At Once" should be a blast of butt-kicking joy. (Danielle Ryan)

Release Date: April 28, 2022 on Netflix

What is sci-fi, if not a place to break the rules of nature? Netflix's "Bubble" is taking that to the next level by completely destroying the laws of gravity. The film centers around an alternate version of Tokyo, years after bubbles mysteriously descend from the sky and break the laws of gravity within the city. Completely cut off from the rest of the world, the city becomes a playground for a group of young people without families, who've mastered the art of leaping from bubbles to buildings. After nearly falling to his death, one such teen named Hibiki is rescued by a mysterious girl, which kickstarts an epic love story. Screenwriter Gen Urobuchi came up with this as a play on the typical mermaid narrative: "Instead of a girl ending up as bubbles after falling in love, why not have a bubble fall in love and transform into a girl?"

If this enchanting presence isn't enough to win you over, the team of anime all-stars working behind the scenes will certainly do the trick. "Bubble" comes from Tetsuro Araki, the director behind the hugely popular "Attack on Titan." Screenwriter Urobuchi is known for work on "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," character design is done by "Death Note" alum Takeshi Obata and the music comes from Hiroyuki Sawano of "Promare." (Shania Russell)

Release Date: May 13, 2022

In Japanese, the word "shin" can translate to "heart," or "God," or "true." When Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi made "Shin Godzilla" in 2016, it was perhaps a response to America's recent attempt to make their own version of Godzilla, a character who is, to remind you, a Japanese citizen and a tourism ambassador for the Japanese government. Anno and Higuchi's version of Godzilla was, then, touted as the "true" version.

With the upcoming "Shin Ultraman," Anno and Higuchi have reteamed to give the same clarion of verisimilitude to everyone's favorite ultra-evolved, superpowered robot-like space alien being that ever hailed from 1960s Japanese tokusatsu television. (Witney Seibold)

Release Date: June 17, 2022

Pixar may not be making "Toy Story 5" but they are finding a creative way to continue with the franchise that started it all. Chris Evans is set to star in "Lightyear," a movie that will show us the actual space hero Buzz Lightyear in action. Not the toy, but the man behind the toy. Directed by Angus MacLane ("Finding Dory") this looks to be a true-blue action/adventure flick with Pixar's signature creative twist.

In a world absolutely overflowing with sequels and reboots, this looks to be one of the more unique ones coming down the pipeline. Also, there is a talking robot cat named Sox in it. (Ryan Scott)

Release Date: July 22, 2022

With the runaway success of "Get Out" and "Us," Jordan Peele has earned the kind of goodwill that sells tickets based on name recognition alone. Which is perfect — because even though the first trailer for "Nope" gave us a solid two minutes worth of footage, we still don't know very much about what Peele has in store. Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, and Steve Yeun all star as residents of a small California town who make an uncanny and chilling discovery. So far we've seen a lot of ominous sky shots and a pretty creepy-looking cloud which doesn't sound like much to go on, but the internet is nothing if not clever. The secrecy surrounding the film has made lots of room for speculation and wild theories and the most popular guess promises a chilling sci-fi surprise: aliens.

An especially memorable moment from the trailer sees Keke Palmer whisked into the sky by an invisible force, which is pretty much a staple of alien horror. Some internets sleuths have dug a little deeper and begun to theorize that the title "Nope" is actually an acronym for Not Of Planet Earth." We don't have much to go on and Peele certainly hasn't let anything slip, but the tagline "What's a bad miracle?" also points us to the sky. After all, miracles are thought of as a gift from the heavens and aliens come from up above. But whether "Nope" delved into aliens or just intensely bad weather, Jordan Peele's track record is pristine and whatever's he's hiding up his sleeve makes this a must-see movie. (Shania Russell)

Release Date: Summer 2022 on Hulu

The "Predator" franchise has certainly seen its ups and downs over the years, culminating with the critical and box office failure of Shane Black's "The Predator" in 2018. However, the upcoming "Prey" promises to take the property back to its roots while telling a lean, mean, survival story set 300 years before the events of the previous "Predator" movies.

Amber Midthunder stars in the film as Naru, a young Comanche warrior who fights to protect her tribe from the very first member of the Predator species to make its way to Earth. "Prey" will also serve as director Dan Trachtenberg's long-awaited followup to his feature debut on "10 Cloverfield Lane," an excellent thriller that proves he knows a thing or two about how to make a riveting sci-fi monster movie. (Sandy Schaefer)

Release Date: September 23, 2022

In her first film as a director since the excellent "Booksmart" in 2019, Olivia Wilde returns — with "Booksmart" co-screenwriter Katie Silberman — to present a mysterious psychological thriller that Wilde described as "'The Feminine Mystique' on acid." Starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, "Don't Worry Darling" is about an suburban experimental utopian community in the 1950s that, perhaps naturally, houses a dark secret.

Wilde has promised her film to be an adult and frank exploration of female lust, something Wilde feels isn't seen enough in mainstream feature films, and that's on top of it being a skeleton key to unlocking post-war America's haphazard experiments of Hegelianism. (Witney Seibold)

Release Date: November 2, 2022

Ezra Miller returns as DC's resident speedster in "The Flash," the first standalone film based on the superhero character. Argentine filmmaker Andy Muschietti directs the movie — it is inspired by the "Flashpoint" comic book crossover story, where Barry Allen travels back in time to prevent his mother's murder. If there's anything we've learned from Barry Allen's story arc, it is that bad things happen when you mess with time, and changing the past rarely ever changes the future ... in a good way, at least. The comic book story follows the character as his actions bring unintended consequences.

In the film, Miller's superhero opens a multiverse by traveling back in time and runs into two different versions of the caped crusader — the Batman (portrayed by Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck, respectively) during his missteps. Whether the film achieves the emotional complexity as the Arrowverse television show episode that adapted the same story remains to be seen. Sasha Calle makes her silver screen debut as Supergirl. Kiersey Clemons plays Iris West, Michael Shannon will be seen as General Zod, and Maribel Verdú will play Barry's mother, Nora Allen. (Fatemeh Mirjalili)

Release Date: November 23, 2022

Get ready for a brand new animated adventure from Disney when "Strange World" heads your way this Thanksgiving! Little has been announced about the film thus far, but Disney Animation did reveal concept art, describing "Strange World" as a film that "journeys deep into an uncharted and treacherous land where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades, a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest — and by far — most crucial mission."

This marks the 61st animated feature from the Mouse House, and will be written Qui Nguyen, who will also co-direct with Don Hall. The pair previously worked together on "Raya and the Last Dragon." No voice cast has been announced as of yet and little is known about the plot. However, Hall has cited pulp magazines as a major inspiration for "Strange World," which should give Disney's newest animated feature a unique spin. (Jamie Gerber)

Release Date: 2022

On the long list of horrifying sci-fi scenarios looming on our horizon is a world where we can successfully clone human beings. The thought of large-scale cloning has inspired all sorts of dystopia and horror, but "Dual" proves that it can also be a source of comedy.

From Riley Stearns, the same mind that brought us 2014's "Faults" and 2019's "The Art of Self-Defense," comes a darkly comedic tale of human cloning. Karen Gillan ("Doctor Who," "Guardians of the Galaxy") is Sarah, a woman recently diagnosed with a rare and incurable disease. To save her boyfriend and mother from the impending loss, she decides to undergo a medical procedure called "Replacement," which is just as horrifying as it sounds — Sarah is thus cloned and plans to spend her last days on Earth preparing her copy to take over her life. If this sounds a little familiar, it's because AppleTV's "Swan Song" told a very similar tale of a terminally ill man replacing himself with a clone. But there's one major difference — Sarah makes a miraculous recovery. Because no advanced society would be complete without horrific dystopian rules, it turns out that humans can't exist alongside their clones and the pair are scheduled to fight to the death. Whoever comes out on the top gets the pleasure of living Sarah's life. With the help of her combat trainer (played by "Breaking Bad" alum Aaron Paul) Sarah prepares for a duel to the death. (Shania Russell)

Release Date: January 22, 2023

Frant Gwo's "The Wandering Earth" is the fourth highest-grossing non-English-language films of all time, but — thanks to a half-hearted Netflix distribution deal and the caprices of streaming algorithms — was not widely seen in the United States. The original took place in a future when the sun is about to go supernova, and humanity must band together to build giant rocket engines that will push the Earth out of its orbit and fly it to the next sun over. Farfetched, of course, but a fun premise. Humanity, meanwhile, had moved into underground bunkers for the duration of the centuries-long voyage.

The sequel, starring Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau, will continue with the Earth's interstellar voyage, and will doubtless boast impressive special effects and a further delve into the mind-boggling technology required to turn the whole planet into a spacecraft. (Witney Seibold)

Release Date: May 23, 2023

Fans of James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy" have been waiting for the third installment for more than five years. Thankfully, we'll all get a chance to hear Star-Lord's fantastic mixtapes again in May of 2023, when "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" hits theaters. The Guardians of the Galaxy are a team of misfit heroes that includes Chris Pratt as Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, and the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper as Groot and Rocket Raccoon. The first two films are candy-colored space adventures full of humor and heart, and it will be great to follow the adventures of this rag-tag crew once more.

This will be the final outing for this team of Guardians under Gunn's direction, which means that anything could happen and the stakes are higher than they've ever been. Will Star-Lord ever get the hero status he desires? Is alternate-universe Gamora the same as the Gamora we knew and loved before the Blink? Will Rocket steal any body parts? We'll have to wait until 2023 to find out, which seems way, way too far away. (Danielle Ryan)

Release Date: July 23, 2023

It seems like forever before we'll get to see "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania," on July 23, 2023. The details are scarce on this film, but there is something we do know and that's the important part; Jonathan Majors will appear as Kang the Conqueror! We saw him monologuing as a Kang variant in the "Loki" Disney+ series, but now that the multiverse has been broken wide open after "Spider-Man: No Way Home," all the universes could potentially become Kang's playgrounds.

The "Ant-Man" movies haven't been hugely pivotal to the MCU as a whole, but they've been a joy to watch. We know we'll see the return of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and a grown up Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton). What's even more fun though, is that Bill Murray will likely be in it as well as a villain! Peyton Reed is returning to direct the third "Ant-Man" film, and he reportedly impressed Murray, which is one of the highest compliments you can get in Hollywood. (Jenna Busch)

Release Date: August 4, 2023

No rubbers suits or CG characters eating pizza here. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Next Chapter" will be a computer animated affair. It's coming to us from some comedy heavy hitters with Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg's Point Grey Pictures. This time around we're focusing on the "teenage" side of things. Maybe we'll see turtle acne and awkward turtle crushes!

This film will be followed by a series of villain-driven films in the franchise for Paramount+. Though we don't have any info on the cast yet, we do know that Jeff Rowe will direct. This is the man who wrote and co-directed "The Mitchells vs the Machines," which was an absolute delight. Not a bad tidbit for fans! The script comes from Brendan O'Brien who wrote "Neighbors" and its sequel. We'll keep you updated as news breaks for this one. The film is currently in pre-production, and will hit theaters in August 2023. (Jenna Busch)

Release Date: 2023

Director J.J. Abrams famously jump-started the "Star Trek" franchise with the 2009 movie, bringing together an all-star cast to step into the legendary roles of James Kirk, pointy-eared Spock, and the rest of the beloved crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Thanks to an alternate universe twist, Abrams was able to boldly go and create brand-new adventures that eventually led to 2016's "Star Trek Beyond," directed by Justin Lin. The threequel's somewhat disappointing box office performance temporarily derailed plans for a potential sequel. First, director S.J. Clarkson's time travel plot featuring the return of Kirk's father (portrayed by a then-unknown Chris Hemsworth) became shelved, followed swiftly by Quentin Tarantino's grounded take on the material, and ultimately Noah Hawley's pitch, as well.

Thrillingly, however, we recently heard news that "Star Trek 4" has been given new life and will bring back the fan-favorite cast of Chris Pine's Captain Kirk, Zachary Quinto's Spock, Karl Urban's Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Zoe Saldana's Lieutenant Uhura, John Cho's Sulu, and Simon Pegg's Scotty. "Star Trek" has been flourishing on television and it's about time it did so once more on the big screen. (Jeremy Mathai)

Release Date: TBD on Netflix

One of the greatest first-person shooters of all time is getting a feature-length adaptation, and it's about time. BioShock instantly made waves among gamers upon release in 2007, building out an incredibly well-realized underwater labyrinth full of dystopian architecture, fearsome creatures, steampunk aesthetics, and — oh yeah — one of the most compelling video game villains ever created. "Would you kindly" raise your excitement levels for the potential of seeing Rapture's unforgettable world-building brought to life in all its cinematic glory?

Netflix will be taking a shot at adapting the tricky material and hopefully breaking the dreaded "video game curse." No director, writer, or cast have yet been announced, but the mere promise of seeing this project brought to life easily makes this a must-watch. (Jeremy Mathai)

Release Date: TBD

Thanks to the acclaim of films like "The Handmaiden," "Burning," and (of course) "Parasite," all eyes are on South Korea. Unfortunately, the country's movie industry has struggled to find a new normal in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. It's kept a number of films from their scheduled theatrical releases. Some have been stuck in limbo since the pandemic began. But with a new year comes new chances for the most anticipated South Korean films to finally find their audience.

Kim Tae-yong's sci-fi romance "Wonderland" is one project slated for a promising 2022 release. The film takes place in a virtual world where people can reconnect with loved ones that have passed on, and touts big names like Bae Suzy ("Start-Up"), Choi Woo-shik ("Parasite," "Our Beloved Summer"), Park Bo-gum and Gong Yoo ("Train to Busan," "Goblin") — performers who have definitely helped keep the hype alive.

Using technology as a means to cheat death hasn't always had the best results on screen, but South Korean films are pretty well-known for surpassing expectations with genre-bending stories. Even if it doesn't quite live up to its hype, "Wonderland" will be a great showcase for some of South Korea's most popular actors. (Lyvie Scott)