Margaret Qualley and Demi Moore arrive on the red carpet for the premiere of 'The Substance' at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, during the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto on Sept. 5, 2024 (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston)
Share
The seasonal differences of the movie calendar have eroded a little bit with time. Neither of the last two Oscar juggernauts -- "Oppenheimer," "Everything Everywhere All at Once" -- opened in the fall, the traditional launching pad of Academy Awards hopefuls.
And just the same, fall tends to be nearly as stuffed as summer is with sequels, horror thrillers and would-be blockbusters.
Still, some of the old rules still apply. A large percentage of 2024's best movies are set to unspool in the coming months.
So with that in mind, here are some of the most anticipated films of this fall, from large to small and everything in between.
My Old Ass
A psychedelic trip makes for an unusual meeting in the latest from director Megan Park ("The Fallout"). After sipping some mushroom-infused tea, 18-year-old Elliott (Maisy Stella) finds herself joined by her future self, played by Aubrey Plaza, on a camping trip on the lakes of Muskoka, outside Toronto. (Sept. 13, in theaters)
Will & Harper
When former "Saturday Night Live" writer Harper Steele came out as trans, she sent an email to friends and family. An old friend and "SNL" colleague, Will Ferrell, responded with the suggestion that they travel the country together. The result is this tender and contemplative documentary, by "Barb and Star Go to Del Mar" director Josh Greenbaum, about their 16-day road trip. (Sept. 13; on Netflix Sept. 27)
Speak No Evil
Christian Tafdrup's 2022 Danish horror film was potent enough that it led to this Blumhouse remake just two years later. James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis and Aisling Franciosi star in a thriller about how much can go wrong on a idyllic countryside vacation. (Sept. 13, in theaters)
A Different Man
Sebastian Stan stars as Edward, an actor with neurofibromatosis who, after experimental surgery, is cured of his facial disfigurement. But the changes for Edward, who lives next to a friendly playwright (Renate Reinsve of "The Worst Person in the World"), turn out to be a mixed blessing. With a compelling co-starring turn by actor Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis. (Sept. 20, in theaters)
His Three Daughters
Writer-director Azazel Jacobs' latest stars Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen as sisters who gather in the New York apartment of their dying father. A highlight of the season, "His Three Daughters" is one of the most memorable tales of siblinghood, and of a death in the family, in recent memory. (Sept. 20 on Netflix)
The Substance
A hit out of the Cannes Film Festival, Coralie Fargeat's body-horror parable stars Demi Moore as a TV star who's deemed too old by male producers. A mysterious service, though, offers her the ability to change into a younger twin (Margaret Qualley) -- so long as she doesn't remain so for too long. "The Substance" seems sure to go down as a classic satire of Hollywood ageism and youth obsession. (Sept. 20, in theaters)
Wolfs
Brad Pitt and George Clooney play rival fixers who discover they've been hired for the same job in Jon Watts' comic caper. Presumably more charming actors weren't available, so Watts had to suffice with Clooney and Pitt. (Sept. 20, in theaters; Apple TV+ on Sept. 27)
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui's documentary seeks to capture the full arc of Reeve's life, from the massive stardom that followed 1978's "Superman" to his resiliency following an accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down in 1995. (Sept. 21, in theaters)
The Wild Robot
This DreamWorks Animation release, adapted from Peter Brown's popular book series, follows a robot (voiced by Lupita Nyong'o) who crash lands in a forested wildness where it, seeking a task, raises a runt goose (Kit Connor) until it's able to fly. (Sept. 27, in theaters)
Megalopolis
Francis Ford Coppola's first film in 13 years stars Adam Driver as Caesar, a visionary with dreams of a utopian New York. Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne and Shia LeBeouf co-star in this wildly ambitious epic that has already earned a wide spectrum of reaction. (Sept. 27, in theaters)
Joker: Folie a Deux
Five years after their rabble-rousing Oscar nominated DC Comics blockbuster, director Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix are back for more antihero fun. This time, it's a musical, and Lady Gaga is playing Harley Quinn. (Oct. 4, in theaters)
The Outrun
Saoirse Ronan stars in Nora Fingscheidt's adaptation of Amy Liptrot's memoir of addiction. Ronan plays a young woman just out of rehab and returning home to the Orkney Islands in Scotland. (Oct. 4, in theaters)
The Apprentice
Opening just weeks before the U.S. election is Ali Abbasi's portrait of a young Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) under the tutelage of Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). The film, which the Trump reelection campaign has called "pure malicious defamation," is made with some of the '80s aesthetics of its setting. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
Piece by Piece
What's cooler than a documentary about your life? What about a documentary made with Lego? In this film, directed by Morgan Neville ("Won't You Be My Neighbor?"), Pharrell Williams tells his life story brick by brick. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
Saturday Night
While all eyes will be on "Saturday Night Live" on the small screen this fall, the sketch comedy show will also have an origin story in theaters. Director Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Up in the Air") directs this mid-'70s dramatization of the chaotic infancy of the NBC institution, with Gabriel LaBelle as creator Lorne Michaels. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
We Live in Time
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield star in this human-scaled drama, directed by John Crowley ("Brooklyn," "The Goldfinch") about a relationship charted not always chronologically, through romance, sickness and parenthood. Tissues are recommended. (Oct. 11, in theaters)
Anora
Sean Baker ("The Florida Project," "Red Rocket") has long been one of most vital American independent directors. But he takes a step further with "Anora," the Palme d'Or winner at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It stars Mikey Madison as a Brooklyn sex worker whose Vegas marriage to the son of a Russian oligarch prompts a farcical effort by his family's henchmen to have it annulled. (Oct. 18, in theaters)
Nickel Boys
RaMell Ross' feature directorial debut, selected as the opening night film at the New York Film Festival, adapts Colson Whitehead's 2019 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about two Black teens (Ethan Harisse, Brandon Wilson) who become wards of juvenile reform school in 1960s Florida. Ross previously directed the Oscar-nominated documentary "Hale County This Morning, This Evening." (Oct. 25, in theaters)
Venom: The Last Dance
Tom Hardy is back as the most volatile split-personality superhuman: Eddie Brock and his symbiote Venom -- arguably the most captivating double act in comic book movies. In this, the third in the series following 2018's "Venom" and 2021's "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," both are on the run. (Oct. 25, in theaters)
Dahomey
Writer-director Mati Diop ("Atlantics") creates testimonials for a few dozen African artworks taken from the West African kingdom of Dahomey during France's colonial rule in this, the winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Diop dramatizes the artworks' stories through what she's called "magical documentary." (Oct. 25, theaters)
Memoir of a Snail
Adam Elliot's stop-motion drama, some 10 years in the making, follows the life of Grace Puddle (voiced by Sarah Snook), who begins collecting snails after her mother's death. After her father dies, too, she and her twin brother (Kodi Smit-McPhee) are separated. (Oct. 25, theaters)
Blitz
Director Steve McQueen ("12 Years a Slave") returns to World War II for this drama set in a London under siege from Nazi bombs. Saoirse Ronan plays a single mother trying to protect her young son (Elliott Heffernan). (Nov. 1, theaters)
Conclave
A new Pope is needed. Enter Ralph Fiennes. In director Edward Berger's follow-up to "All Quiet on the Western Front," Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, one of the Vatican figures who gather for a conclave to choose a new pontiff. When Lawrence uncovers a secret that others would rather stay hidden, the conclave teeters toward going up in smoke. (Nov. 1, theaters)
Emilia Perez
It's not every day we get a musical about a Mexican drug lord who transitions into a woman. Even more surprising is that French director Jacques Audiard pulls it off. Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascon and Selena Gomez star in one of the more audacious movies of the year. (Nov. 1 in theaters; on Netflix Nov. 13th)
Here
Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks have a long and fruitful history together dating back to "Forrest Gump" and "Cast Away." Less good was 2022's "Pinocchio," so hopefully the pair are back on track in "Here." Appearing to be filmed in one take, Zemeckis' latest chronicles a single spot of land through history. After a home is built on it, Hanks and Robin Wright move in and raise a family. (Nov. 1, in theaters)
A Real Pain
Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed and stars in this buddy dramedy about two cousins (the other is played by Kieran Culkin) who travel to Poland to honor their grandmother. The two are near opposites played to type: Eisenberg is a sensitive neurotic, Culkin a charismatic idler. Together, they create a funny, poignant two-hander. (Nov. 1, in theaters)
Bird
British filmmaker Andrea Arnold has dabbled in TV and documentary in recent years, which makes "Bird" her first film since 2016's "American Honey." Here, she returns to a working-class English backdrop for a gritty story laced with fable. A 12-year-old girl (Nykia Adams) who lives with her father (Barry Keoghan) is visited by a peculiar stranger (Franz Rogowski). (Nov. 8, in theaters)
Heretic
The distance Hugh Grant has traveled from rom-com protagonist seems likely to reach a new peak in this A24 horror thriller from "A Quiet Place" co-writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East play a pair of proselytizing Mormon missionaries who knock on the wrong door. (Nov. 15, in theaters)
All We Imagine as Light
Payal Kapadia's ode to female friendship, a prize-winner at Cannes, is about two Mumbai nurses (Kani Kusruti, Divya Prabha) striving for love and happiness while working and commuting long hours in the Indian metropolis. (Nov. 15, in theaters)
Gladiator II
Twenty-four years after "Gladiator," Ridley Scott is back with more swords, sandals and … a rhino. Yes, that horned mammal makes its way into the Colosseum this time, but it's far from the only new addition. Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal star in this sequel, set several decades following the events of the original movie. (Nov. 22, in theaters)
Wicked
Before "Wicked" was a Broadway smash, it was a 1995 book and nearly a movie. The big-screen was, perhaps, always the most fitting medium for a "Wizard of the Oz" riff. In this Jon M. Chu-directed film, Cynthia Erivo plays the woman who'll become the Wicked Witch of the West, while Ariana Grande plays Glinda. This "Wicked" will be split in two, with part two arriving in late 2025. (Nov. 22, in theaters)
The Piano Lesson
Washington has set himself the task of bringing August Wilson's plays to the big screen. In this adaptation of Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winner, he produces while son Malcolm Washington directs, and son John David Washington stars. Led by a powerhouse performance by Danielle Deadwyler, "The Piano Lesson" depicts a Pittsburgh family in 1936 reckoning with a family heirloom, a piano, which doubles as a metaphor for the legacy of slavery. (Nov. 22, on Netflix)
Moana 2
A little "Moana" confusion would be understandable. There's a separate live-action "Moana" in development and this film was originally planned as a series. But "Moana 2" ultimately, came together as a big-screen sequel to the 2016 original. Lin-Manuel Miranda isn't returning on the music front, but most everyone else is, including voice actors Auli'li Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson. The film, set about three years after the original, finds Moana heading back on an ocean adventure, this time with her sister (voiced by Khaleesi Lambert-Tsuda) aboard, as well as several others. (Nov. 27, in theaters)
During the campaign, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has repeatedly said people are "dying on the streets" in the province – and on Tuesday he claimed to have witnessed that very thing in downtown Vancouver while he was on his way to the leaders' debate.
Sheriff's deputies in Washington's Kitsap County frequently get calls about animals -- loose livestock, problem dogs. But the 911 call they received recently from a woman being hounded by dozens of raccoons swarming her home near Poulsbo stood out.
President Joe Biden warned on Wednesday that Hurricane Milton carried incredible destructiveness and urged people to take safe shelter while condemning misinformation about the storm as un-American.
The leader of the Bloc Quebecois says his party 'might play a role' in helping the Liberals get House of Commons business rolling again — after days of Conservative-led debate on a privilege matter — but that his assistance would come at a cost.
A Turkish Airlines jetliner headed from Seattle to Istanbul made an emergency landing in New York on Wednesday after the captain died on board, an airline official said.
During the campaign, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has repeatedly said people are "dying on the streets" in the province – and on Tuesday he claimed to have witnessed that very thing in downtown Vancouver while he was on his way to the leaders' debate.
American actor and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo is weighing in on British Columbia politics, lauding the B.C. Green Party's stance on fossil fuels ahead of the Oct. 19 election.
Saskatchewan's highest court has granted Dillon Whitehawk an appeal and a new trial has been ordered for the 2019 deaths of Jordan Denton and Keenan Toto.
Hurricane Milton crashed into Florida as a Category 3 storm Wednesday, pounding the coast with ferocious winds of over 100 mph (160 kph) and producing a series of tornadoes around the state. Tampa avoided a direct hit.
Ratan Tata, a former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons hailed as a visionary business leader, died at a Mumbai hospital on Wednesday night. He was 86.
Sheriff's deputies in Washington's Kitsap County frequently get calls about animals -- loose livestock, problem dogs. But the 911 call they received recently from a woman being hounded by dozens of raccoons swarming her home near Poulsbo stood out.
President Joe Biden warned on Wednesday that Hurricane Milton carried incredible destructiveness and urged people to take safe shelter while condemning misinformation about the storm as un-American.
Israel's defence minister warned on Wednesday that his country's retaliation for a recent Iranian missile attack will be "lethal" and "surprising," while the Israeli military pushed ahead with a large-scale operation in northern Gaza and a ground offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah militants.
A new book's assertion that former U.S. president Donald Trump may have had as many as seven private phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin since leaving the White House has refocused attention on their politically fraught relationship and on Trump's sustained dialogue with world leaders as he seeks a return to power.
Canada is adding another $15 million to its humanitarian aid package for Lebanon after an escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah.
The leader of the Bloc Quebecois says his party 'might play a role' in helping the Liberals get House of Commons business rolling again — after days of Conservative-led debate on a privilege matter — but that his assistance would come at a cost.
The national security and intelligence adviser is rejecting the notion there are traitors in the House of Commons, despite an eyebrow-raising report from a spy watchdog that flagged questions about politicians' loyalties.
One in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in their lifetimes, according to the American Cancer Society. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States, with 42,000 women dying every year from this cancer.
As if the largest bug to ever live – a monster nearly nine feet long with as many as 64 legs – wasn’t terrifying enough, scientists could only just imagine what the extinct beast’s head looked like.
A severe solar storm is headed to Earth that could stress power grids even more as the U.S. deals with major back-to-back hurricanes, space weather forecasters said Wednesday.
The research that won Geoffrey Hinton a Nobel Prize for physics was the product of plenty of work carried out before artificial intelligence was the buzzword it is today.
The theme of the next Met Gala and its celebrity chairs have been announced: Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky and LeBron James will help the museum launch an exhibit examining Black style in menswear over the centuries.
A new report says growth in average asking rents across Canada last month slowed to the lowest rate since October 2021, at 2.1 per cent year-over-year.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
While there's debate among experts about the stages of grief, 'people who are in the pain of grief are just saying, ‘Help me,'' death and grieving expert David Kessler said. Here's what the five stages of grief are, and how you can consider and process them in whichever order you experience them.
Buffalo Sabres centre Dylan Cozens had just finished a gruelling summer off-ice session when he and trainer Ben McPherson drove out into the Yukon wilderness to go fishing.
There was a time J.T. Miller struggled to work his way into an NHL lineup. Now the 31-year-old is a stalwart centre for the Vancouver Canucks — and he's set to play his 800th regular-season game Wednesday.
Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz will get the start in place of injured Joseph Woll when the Maple Leafs visit the Montreal Canadiens to open their NHL season on Wednesday night.
Mercedes-Benz has partnered up with the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and the provincial government to launch a new “incubator program”. One of the first three locations is Windsor, with the other two going to Toronto and Kitchener-Waterloo.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
Have you ever seen videos of hovercrafts online or on TV and thought, 'Wow, I wish I could ride one of those.' One Alberta man did, and then built his own.
Videos of a meteor streaking across the skies of southern Ontario have surfaced and small bits of the outer space rock may have made it to land, one astronomy professor says.
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
On the heels of a commanding performance at the only televised leaders’ debate of the 2024 provincial election, the leader of the BC Green Party was scheduled to speak at a lively rally after making a public safety announcement in downtown Vancouver, but lost her voice and missed it at the last minute.
William Osler Health System is apologizing for an incident in which an elderly Sikh patient’s facial hair was shaved 'without consent and without medical necessity' by staff at Brampton Civic Hospital.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is expressing regret for not attending a massive vigil held earlier this week where the city’s Jewish community commemorated one year since the October 7 terrorist attack. But her explanation isn’t adding up, event organizers say.
Calgary police say more charges are expected against a man accused of intentionally starting a fire that caused an explosion in northeast Calgary over the weekend.
Halloween is right around the corner, but residents of a South Kanata community say they've been living in what feels like a horror movie for over a month.
The City of Cornwall says it has “parted ways” with Mathieu Fleury as the city's chief administrative officer, though the details of his departure are unclear.
Sam Montembeault made 47 saves, Cole Caufield scored the game-winning goal and the Montreal Canadiens opened the NHL season with a 1-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday at the Bell Centre.
Residents are once again calling for the removal of the bike path along Terrebonne Street in NDG to be taken down because of disruptions to traffic and parking.
Connor McDavid is slated to skate with a familiar offensive duo while Leon Draisaitl will line up with two of the newest Edmonton Oilers hired guns Wednesday night at Rogers Place to open their National Hockey League (NHL) season.
A 14-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy near a Halifax mall earlier this year.
A Saskatchewan Party candidate publicly apologized on Wednesday after it was revealed that he used a racial slur in caucus offices a year and a half ago.
Lithium batteries, found in everything from cellphones to electric vehicles, have become a part of our daily lives – but recent fires have prompted concerns about their use.
A Saskatchewan Party candidate publicly apologized on Wednesday after it was revealed that he used a racial slur in caucus offices a year and a half ago.
Milton is shaping up to be a monster of a storm, expected to strike Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, just weeks after Hurricane Helene hit the region.
For the last few weeks, fighter jets have been spotted soaring over Greece’s Peloponnese peninsula, part of the ‘Ramstein Flag 24’ that includes military personnel from 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base North Bay.
This latest crash was the second fatal and third serious accident at this intersection in the past couple of months - when asked, locals said that the intersection is 'kind of blind.'
A Barrie man accused of assaulting a police officer in late September, which then became the topic of conversation in parliament last week, has been denied bail.
The team responsible for rescuing a man found on the metal deck beneath the main roadway of the Ambassador Bridge is one of only four such teams in the province.
Abbas Motalebizadeh is a PhD candidate at the University of Victoria’s Mechanical Engineering Department and on Wednesday he was at the Victoria International Marina to test the Inner Harbour for microplastics.
During the campaign, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad has repeatedly said people are "dying on the streets" in the province – and on Tuesday he claimed to have witnessed that very thing in downtown Vancouver while he was on his way to the leaders' debate.
American actor and environmental activist Mark Ruffalo is weighing in on British Columbia politics, lauding the B.C. Green Party's stance on fossil fuels ahead of the Oct. 19 election.
A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.
Alberta's police watchdog says the Medicine Hat police officers who were involved in an in-custody death in August 2023 acted reasonably and with appropriate force in dealing with a suspect armed with a machete.
An annual international mining conference is underway in Greater Sudbury, Ont., marking the first time the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Conference of Mining Regions and Cities has been held in North America.
Jeff Warner from Aidie Creek Gardens in the northern Ontario community of Englehart has a passion for growing big pumpkins and his effort is paying off in more ways than one.
A woman in Greater Sudbury, Ont., said "It doesn't get more Canadian than this" when she spotted a black bear dumpster diving at a Tim Hortons last month.
A Conservative MP from Newfoundland and Labrador says some small towns in his rural riding are overrun with crime, but police say they haven't received reports to that effect.
As millions in federal funding flow into a Labrador group whose claims of Inuit identity have been rejected by Indigenous organizations across Canada, a national Inuit leader worries the Liberal government is putting the rights of Indigenous Peoples at risk.
He may not have logged the fastest time or even gone the full distance, but residents of a Newfoundland town agree the goat who unexpectedly joined the local weekend half marathon was the event's undisputed champion.