2022 Upcoming Disney Movie and Releases Timeline

Deep Water (2022) (20th Century Studios) Release Date: January 14, 2022 Director: Adrian Lyne Starring: Ana de Armas, Ben Affleck, Rachel Blanchard This adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel centers on a husband who allows his wife to have affairs to stave off a divorce, only to become a suspect when her lovers begin to disappear. Director Adrian Lyne has form here: He directed both Unfaithful and Fatal Attraction. But this will be his first film in 18 years.

The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild (2022) Release Date: January 28, 2022 Director: John C. Donkin Cast: Simon Pegg Simon Pegg returns as the swashbuckling weasel in this 20th Century Studios film franchise. It will air in early 2022 on Disney+.

Death on the Nile (2022) (20th Century Studios) Release Date: February 11, 2022 Director: Kenneth Branagh Starring: Gal Gadot, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Bateman Branagh, who directed and starred in the 2017 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, returns to the universe of Agatha Christie mysteries. This one finds his Belgian detective Hercule Poirot forced to cut his beach-side vacation short when a young heiress turns up murdered. The film was scheduled to be released in December 2020, but was rescheduled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Sneakerella (2022) Release Date: February 18, 2022 Director: Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum Starring: Chosen Jacobs, Lexi Underwood A modern twist on the Cinderella story, this Disney+ film follows a budding sneaker designer who falls in love with the daughter of a basketball star. His best friend and a Fairy Godmother help me realize his dreams.

Turning Red (2022) Release date: March 11, 2022 Director: Domee Shi Starring: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh Domee Shi, who won an Academy Award for her Pixar short Bao, is directing this film. It’s about a teenage girl named Mei who is experiencing all the awkwardness of that age — except she turns into a giant red panda every time she gets too excited.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) Release date: May 6, 2022 Director: Sam Raimi Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong Benedict Cumberbatch returns as the Sorcerer Supreme with Elizabeth Olsen joining him as the Scarlet Witch in what is being touted as the first scary MCU movie. Director Scott Derrickson left the project, and Sam Raimi – who helmed the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films – confirmed in April 2020 that he was now overseeing it. However, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the film’s release date from November 2021 to March 2022. It was moved again to May 6, 2022, replacing Thor: Love and Thunder (which moved to July 2022).

The Bob's Burgers Movie (2022) (20th Century Studios) Release Date: May 27, 2022 Director: Lauren Bouchard Starring: H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal Oh to imagine all the burger-related puns that could fit into a full-length movie. Hoping to rekindle the box-office magic that The Simpsons Movie did in 2007 (it grossed $183,100,000), the movie adaptation of this popular Fox sitcom is now officially a go after a lot of red tape in the Disney-Fox acquisition. The film was slated to be released in April 2021, but coronavirus-related concerns have temporarily bumped it off the schedule before it was rescheduled for May 2022.

Lightyear (2022) Release date: June 17, 2022 Director: Angus MacLane Starring: Chris Evans In a bit of brilliant meta filmmaking, Pixar offers this movie – an origin story not about the toy Tim Allen voices in the Toy Story movies, but about the movie character that inspired that doll. Chris Evans voices the hero who infamously (also) goes “to infinity and beyond.”

Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) Release date: July 8, 2022 Director: Taika Waititi Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, Natalie Portman Shortly before Comic-Con 2019, Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi signed on to return for a fourth installment in the God of Thunder franchise. In a surprise move, Marvel revealed that Natalie Portman is returning to the series as the new Mighty Thor, a twist pulled from a Thor comic book series by Jason Aaron, Russell Dauterman, and others. Meanwhile, Tessa Thompson will return as Valkyrie, the king of New Asgard who must find a Queen. It was confirmed during The Walt Disney Company’s December 2020 investors day that Christian Bale would play villain, Gorr the God Butcher.

Disenchanted Release Date: Fall 2022 Director: Adam Shankman Cast: Amy Adams The Variety article that announces Shankman’s ties to Hocus Pocus 2 also states that Shankman was in pre-production on Disenchanted – a sequel to 2007’s Enchanted – when that news broke. It was confirmed during the December 2020 The Walt Disney Company investors day that Amy Adams would be reprising her starring role from the first film. Production on the sequel started in May 2021 and it was announced at the 2021 Disney+ Day that the film would premiere in fall 2022 on the streamer. James Marsden, Patrick Dempsey and Idina Menzel will also be reprising their roles while Maya Rudolph and newcomer Gabriella Baldacchino join the cast.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) Release Date: November 11, 2022 Director: Ryan Coogler Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett Much is at stake for the second chapter of Black Panther – including how it will pay tribute to star Chadwick Boseman, who died of complications related to colon cancer in August 2020. It was announced during The Walt Disney Company’s December 2020 investors day that lead character T’Challa will not be recast and, instead, the film “will explore the world of Wakanda & the rich characters introduced in the first film.” The film was scheduled to be released in July 2022, but was pushed to that November.

Avatar 2 (2022) (20th Century Studios) Release Date: December 16, 2022 Director: James Cameron Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver The long-awaited sequel to director Cameron’s box-office hit and Best Picture nominee checks in with Worthington’s former human, Jake Sully, and his partner, Neytiri (Saldana), a member of Na’vi royalty. Weaver, whose character died in the first film, is back in a new role. Lang, whose character also died in the first film, is also back (somehow). New cast members include Kate Winslet, Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis. Production was delayed on this film, as well as Avatar 3, 4, and 5 , due to coronavirus concerns.