26 Movies You Should Look Forward To In 2012 [Lists]

Here’s a raw list of movies to look forward to in 2012. Tomorrow, we’ll give you a rundown of why you should see them.

Gone

February, 24

Summit Entertainment

Synopsis: When her sister disappears, Jill is convinced the serial killer who kidnapped her two years ago has returned and she sets out to once again face her abductor.

Starring: Heitor Dhalia (director); Allison Burnett (screenplay); Amanda Seyfried, Jennifer Carpenter, Sebastian Stan, Wes Bentley, Michael Pare

John Carter

March, 9

Walt Disney Pictures

Synopsis: The film is largely based on A Princess of Mars, the first novel to feature John Carter. It was originally serialized from February though July, 1912, in six monthly issues of the pulp magazine All-Story, under the title Under the Moons of Mars, and then those chapters were collected as a hardcover book in 1917. In the novel John Carter is a former American Civil War Confederate Army captain who is mysteriously transported to Mars, known to its inhabitants as Barsoom. In the course of his adventures he learns that the planet is dying from the loss of its atmosphere and water, and that only a peaceful alliance of its intelligent inhabitants can save all the species of Barsoom from extinction.

Starring: Andrew Stanton (director/screenplay); Mark Andrews, Michael Chabon (screenplay); Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Samantha Morton, Mark Strong, Willem Dafoe, Ciarán Hinds, Thomas Haden Church, Dominic West, James Purefoy, Daryl Sabara, Polly Walker, Bryan Cranston

The Hunger Games

March, 23

Lionsgate

Synopsis: In a not-too-distant future, North America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcast throughout Panem. The 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss’ young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district’s female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole lives

Starring: Gary Ross (director/screenplay); Suzanne Collins, Billy Ray (screenplay); Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Amandla Stenberg, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Toby Jones, Donald Sutherland, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman

The Raid

March, 23

Sony Pictures Classics

Synopsis: Rama, a member of a special forces team, arrives at a rundown apartment block with a mission to remove its owner, a notorious drug lord. The building has become a sanctuary to killers, gangs, rapists and thieves seeking accommodation in the one place they know they cannot be touched by the police. When a spotter blows their cover, Rama and his team must fight their way through every floor and every room not just to complete their mission but to survive their bloody ordeal.

Starring: Gareth Evans (director/screenplay); Iko Uwais, Ray Sahetapy, Joe Taslim, Donny Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian

Wrath of the Titans

March, 30

Warner Bros.

Synopsis: A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year-old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans led by Kronos: father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus (Liam Neeson), Hades (Ralph Fiennes), and Poseidon (Danny Huston). The triumvirate had overthrown their powerful father long ago, leaving him to rot in the gloomy abyss of Tartarus, a dungeon that lies deep within the cavernous underworld.

Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades and Ares (Édgar Ramírez) make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’s remaining godly powers are siphoned, and hell is unleashed on earth. Enlisting the help of the warrior Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike), Poseidon’s demigod son Agenor (Toby Kebbell), and fallen god Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), Perseus bravely embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, overthrow the Titans and save mankind.

Starring: Jonathan Liebesman (director); Dan Mazeau, David Leslie Johnson (screenplay); Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Edgar Ramirez, Rosamund Pike, Danny Huston, Bill Nighy, Toby Kebbell

Lockout

April, 20

FilmDistrict

Synopsis: Guy Pearce is Snow, a loose-cannon government agent convicted of a crime which he did not commit. When it comes to breaking the rules, he’s the best in the business. He is offered his freedom if he can rescue the President’s daughter from a prison in space which has been overtaken by its prisoners.

Starring: James Mather, Stephen St.Leger (director/screenplay); Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare, Lennie James, Vincent Regan, Tim Plester, Anne-Solenne Hatte, Yan Dron, Patrick Cauderlier, Milorad Kapor, Bojan Peric, Mark Tankersley

The Raven

April, 27

Relativity Media

Synopsis: The Raven is an upcoming American thriller film directed by James McTeigue, based on a screenplay by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare.[2] It stars John Cusack, Alice Eve and Oliver Jackson-Cohen. It is due for release on April 27, 2012.

It’s a fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe’s life, in which the poet and author pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in Poe’s stories.

Starring: James McTeigue (director); Ben Livingston, Hannah Shakespeare (screenplay); John Cusack, Alice Eve, Luke Evans, Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Jackson-Cohen

Safe

April, 27

Lionsgate

Synopsis: A former elite agent (Statham) takes on a two-tier mission: rescue a Chinese girl who has been abducted by the Triads, then use a highly desired safe combination to outwit the Russian Mafia, corrupt NYC officials, and the Triads themselves.

Starring: Boaz Yakin (director/screenplay); Jason Statham, Catherine Chan, Chris Sarandon, Anson Mount, Robert John Burke

The Avengers

May, 4

Walt Disney Pictures / Marvel Studios

Synopsis: When an unexpected enemy emerges who threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, the director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team of superheroes to pull the world back from the brink of disaster.[1]

Starring: Joss Whedon (director/screenplay); Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård

Battleship

May, 18

Universal Pictures

Synopsis: In the Hawaiian Islands, an international naval fleet at Pearl Harbor engage in a dynamic and intense battle against an alien species known as “The Regents”. The aliens come to planet Earth on a mission to build a power source in the ocean. Upon their visit, they come in contact with the naval fleet. The film is also purported to show both sides of the story, from the aliens’ perspective, as well as the humans’ so the audience knows exactly where the opponent’s ships are.[4]

Starring: Peter Berg (director); Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber (screenplay); Alexander Skarsgård, Taylor Kitsch, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna, Liam Neeson, Asano Tadanobu

Men in Black 3

May, 25

Columbia Pictures / Amblin Entertainment

Synopsis: J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

Starring: Barry Sonnenfeld (director); Etan Cohen (screenplay); Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Emma Thompson, Josh Brolin, Nicole Scherzinger, Jemaine Clement, Alice Eve, Michael Stuhlbarg

Snow White & the Huntsman

June, 1

Universal Pictures

Synopsis: In a twist to the fairy tale, the Huntsman ordered to take Snow White into the woods to be killed winds up becoming her protector and mentor in a quest to vanquish the Evil Queen.

Starring: Rupert Sanders (director); Evan Daugherty (screenplay); Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin, Chris Hemsworth, Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Eddie Izzard, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, Stephen Graham, Ray Winstone, Lily Cole, Sam Spruell, Liberty Ross, Noah Huntley, Nick Frost

Prometheus

June, 8

20th Century Fox

Synopsis: In the late 21st Century, the crew of the Prometheus explore the advanced civilization of an extraterrestrial race as part of a mission to uncover the origins of humanity.

Starring: Ridley Scott (director); Damon Lindelof, John Spaihts (screenplay); Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

June, 29

Paramount Pictures / MGM

Synopsis: The film will feature the G.I. Joe Team coming into a conflict with Zartan, Storm Shadow and Firefly all serving under the newly released Cobra Commander. Zartan (who is last seen in disguise as the President of the United States) frames all G.I. Joe operatives as traitors and wipes most of them out in a sneak attack leaving only Duke, Roadblock, Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, Mouse, Flint and Jinx. Zartan and the Commander now have all the world leaders under Cobra’s control, with warheads headed towards innocent populaces. Badly beaten, outnumbered, and outgunned the Joes make a desperate plan to expose the truth and stop Cobra from taking over the world.

Starring: Jon Chu (director); Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick (screenplay); Channing Tatum, Ray Park, Dwayne Johnson, Lee Byung-hun, Bruce Willis, Elodie Yung, RZA, D.J. Cotrona, Adrianne Palicki, Ray Stevenson, Joseph Mazzello, Walton Goggins, DeRay Davis

The Amazing Spider-Man

July, 3

Columbia Pictures / Marvel Studios

Synopsis: Peter Parker, a teenager who is an outcast from high school and abandoned by his parents when he was young and is now living with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, spends his days trying to unravel the mystery of his own past and winning the heart of his high school crush, Gwen Stacy. Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase belonging to his dad which leads him to his dad’s former partner, Dr. Connors. The discovery of his father’s secret will ultimately shape his destiny of becoming “Spider-Man” and bring him face to face to Connor’s alter ego, the Lizard.

Starring: Marc Webb (director); James Vanderbilt (screenplay); Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field, Denis Leary, Irrfan Khan, Campbell Scott

The Dark Knight Rises

July, 20

Warner Bros.

Synopsis: Following the death of District Attorney Harvey Dent, Batman assumes responsibility for Dent’s crimes in order to protect Dent’s reputation and is subsequently hunted by the Gotham City Police Department. Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Batman returns to Gotham where he must discover the truth regarding the mysterious Selina Kyle, while stopping the villain Bane’s plans to destroy the city.

Starring: Christopher Nolan (director/screenplay); Jonathan Nolan (screenplay); Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Juno Temple, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Josh Pence, Daniel Sunjata, Nestor Carbonell, Marion Cotillard, Matthew Modine, Tom Conti, Joey King, Brett Cullen, Chris Ellis, Josh Stewart, Christopher Judge, Adam Rodriguez, Rob Brown

Neighborhood Watch

July, 27

20th Century Fox

Synopsis: Neighborhood Watch is an upcoming science fiction comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Nicholas Braun. The film follows a suburban neighborhood watch group which is used as a front by its members to get away from their families. However, when they accidentally uncover an alien plot that threatens the world, they are forced into action.

Starring: Akiva Schaffer (director); Jared Stern, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg (screenplay); Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Will Forte, Billy Crudup

The Expendables 2

August, 17

Lionsgate

Synopsis: After taking a seemingly simple job for Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) the Expendables find their plans going awry and one of their own is brutally murdered by rival mercenary Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme). The Expendables set out into hostile territory — with their new members Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Yu Nan) — to put a stop to a deadly weapon and gain their revenge against the villain who killed their brother

Starring: Simon West (director), David Agosto, Ken Kaufman (screenplay); Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Liam Hemsworth

Premium Rush

August, 24

Columbia Pictures

Synopsis: The film centers on a New York City bicycle messenger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who picks up an envelope from Columbia University. A dirty cop (Michael Shannon), desperate to get his hands on the envelope, chases the bicycle messenger around the city

Starring: David Koepp (director/screenplay); John Kamps (screenplay); Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Shannon, Dania Ramirez, Jamie Chung

Dredd

November, 21

Lionsgate

Synopsis: Dredd takes us to the wild streets of Mega City One, the lone oasis of quasi-civilization on Cursed Earth. Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the most feared of elite Street Judges, with the power to enforce the law, sentence offenders and execute them on the spot – if necessary. The endlessly inventive mind of writer Alex Garland and the frenetic vision of director Peter Travis bring Dredd to life as a futuristic neo-noir action film that returns the celebrated character to the dark, visceral incarnation from John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra’s revered comic strip

Starring: Pete Travis (director); Alex Garland (screenplay); Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey

Looper

November, 28

TriStar Pictures / FilmDistrict

Synopsis: Filmmaker Rian Johnson (The Brothers Bloom) presents his newest spin on a familiar genre with Looper, a thriller in which time travel is utilized by hired killers. Johnson writes and directs the Endgame Entertainment picture, with collaborator Ram Bergman once again handling producing duties. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, and Piper Perabo head up the starring cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Starring: Rian Johnson (director/screenplay); Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Xu Qing, Noah Segan, Jeff Daniels, Piper Perabo

Wreck-It Ralph

November, 2

Walt Disney Pictures / Walt Disney Animation Studios

Synopsis: Wreck-It Ralph (voice of Reilly) longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (voice of McBrayer). Problem is, nobody loves a Bad Guy. But they do love heroes… so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (voice of Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan — win a medal — but soon wrecks everything, and accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. Ralph’s only hope? Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Silverman), a young troublemaking “glitch” from a candy-coated cart racing game who might just be the one to teach Ralph what it means to be a Good Guy. But will he realize he is good enough to become a hero before it’s “Game Over” for the entire arcade?

Starring: Rich Moore (director); John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch

Skyfall

November, 9

Columbia Pictures / MGM

Synopsis: Daniel Craig returns in this 23rd official James Bond outing as the secret agent is torn between his dedication to the agency and his superior, M (Judi Dench). Sam Mendes directs a script from Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan. Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Albert Finney head up the starring cast.

Starring: Sam Mendes (director); Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan (screenplay); Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Javier Bardem, Bérénice Marlohe, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw, Helen McCrory, Ola Rapace

47 Ronin

November, 21

Universal Pictures

Synopsis: The outcast Kai (Reeves) joins a group of Samurai, led by Oishi (Sanada), who seek vengeance on Lord Kira (Asano), who killed their master and banished the group. The Samurai embark on a journey whose challenges would defeat most warriors.[1]

Starring: Carl Eric Rinsch (director); Chris Morgan (screenplay); Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kou Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi, Jin Akanishi

Gravity

November, 21

Warner Bros.

Synopsis: In Earth’s orbit, satellite debris hits a space station, destroying most of it and killing all but two astronauts, Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalsky (Clooney). The remaining astronauts fight for survival and to return home.

Starring: Alfonso Cuaron (director/screenplay); Jonas Cuaron (screenplay); Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Hunter Killer

December, 21

Relativity Media

Synopsis: An untested American submarine captain teams with U.S. Navy Seals to rescue the Russian president, who has been kidnapped by a rogue general.

Starring: Antoine Fuqua (director); Arne Schmidt (screenplay); Gerard Butler

What movie are you looking forward to this year?