2023 is officially upon us, and the entertainment industry is hungry to steal as much money — to provide peak amusement for the calendar year. All of you ravenous media consumers have come to just the right place: we’ve got you covered for all the crucial details on the most anticipated movies and TV series coming to screens big and small this year.
Note: 2023 is chock-full of delicious new media for all to devour, and listing everything to come would be too exhaustive even for the most cinephilic of readers. Therefore, we’ve narrowed it down to two in-no-particular-order top 10 lists for films and TV series, respectively.
FILMS:
‘Dune: Part Two’
Say hello again to the sci-fi fad of the early 2020s: Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune” is back for another bite. Crowd favorites Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet are set to return, and Florence Pugh will join the cast in this exciting late-year release. If nothing else, we’re excited for Hans Zimmer to compose the outlandish and hypnotizing score once more. “Dune: Part Two” is set to release in theaters on Nov. 3.
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’
The latest addition to the MCU (Metaverse Cinematic Universe), the sequel to the critically acclaimed “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018), will witness the return of the beloved Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) along with many other Peter Parkers. We’re prepared for the chaos, and we hope you are too. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is set to release in theaters on June 2.
‘Barbie’
Sixty feet tall, stunning and already a queer feminist icon before the teaser trailer was even released, Margot Robbie as Barbie in the latest film from fan-favorite director Greta Gerwig will be dancing across Barbieland and obliterating summer box offices in the campiest of fashions. Also, bleached-hair bricked-abs Ryan Gosling as Ken! What’s not to love? “Barbie” is set to release in theaters on July 21.
‘Scream VI’
What’s your favorite scary movie? Ours may just be “Scream VI,” as the revived super-franchise takes scream queen Jenna Ortega (as Tara Carpenter) and company across New York City in typical blockbuster fashion. Who will die? Who is the killer? And how will this series continue to defy the horror franchise curse of bad-quality sequels? We’ll just have to wait in suspense. “Scream VI” is set to release in theaters on March 10.
‘Oppenheimer’
This two-and-a-half-hour epic is set to be the newest mind-bending film of beloved director Christopher Nolan. With Cillian Murphy playing the titular role and a supporting cast stacked with A-list actors, we’re ready for all of the explosions, bitter drama and beautiful cinematography guaranteed in any Nolan film. “Oppenheimer” is set to release in theaters on July 21.
‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’
With the potential to be the most meme-ified movie of all time, Chris Pratt as Mario in the animated “Super Mario Bros.”-inspired story is a guaranteed colorgasm and quip-filled 105 minutes. If nothing else, prepare to be entertained. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is set to release in theaters on April 7.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’
Chris Pratt — again? Yes! The infamously silly Star-Lord takes on an all-new Marvel adventure for the ages alongside favorites Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), Drax (Dave Bautista) and Baby Groot (Vin Diesel) in the last installment of the beloved trilogy. Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened! “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is set to release in theaters on May 5.
‘Cocaine Bear’
“Based on a true story” may be the least shocking part in this peculiar movie about the rampage of a drug-fueled bear set in the forests of our beautiful state of Georgia. A heavily anticipated and wildly outrageous story, we expect “Cocaine Bear” to be all over Twitter and TikTok. “Cocaine Bear” is set to release in theaters on Feb. 24.
‘The Color Purple’
We’ve all hopefully read Alice Walker’s gorgeous and heart-wrenching novel by the same name, but it’s coming to the big screen as a musical adaptation late this year. With Oprah Winfrey as producer and music star H.E.R. to unveil her debut acting role, this film is sure to make us laugh hysterically and ugly cry in its limited runtime. “The Color Purple” is set to release in theaters on Dec. 20.
‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’
The dystopian trilogy that took the malleable and Tumblr-obsessed Generation Z by storm in the 2010s is back on the big screen, this time in prequel form. With a cast boasting “Euphoria’s” Hunter Schafer, as well as Viola Davis and Rachel Zegler, the newest dystopian epic will have us all buying tickets, no matter how expensive. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is set to release in theaters on Nov. 17.
TV SERIES:
‘The Idol’
Supposedly coming to us “from the gutters of Hollywood,” the newest series from “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson will set Twitter alight as soon as it starts airing on HBO Max on an unknown date in 2023. We don’t know much yet, but we can count on a few things: drugs, sex, narcissists and utter chaos.
‘Yellowjackets’ season two
In season one of “Yellowjackets,” a plane crash in the 1980s forced a high school women’s soccer team to fight for survival in a sinister wilderness. Alternating between the present and the past, the show’s beloved ensemble cast and blood-soaked screen presence are sure to have audiences binging when released on Showtime on March 24 for the continued story of what exactly went down in those treacherous woods.
‘The Boys’ season four
Blood. Guts. Horrible people doing horrible things but with superhuman powers and embarrassing superiority complexes. The fan favorite is back for another round of equal parts social commentary and brutal violence, and there’s a lot to be excited about — and scared for. Season four is set to release sometime in mid-to-late 2023 on Amazon Prime Video.
‘You’ season four
Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) is unfortunately back, and this time, we’re abroad! We get the privilege of hearing Goldberg’s terrifyingly corny and frighteningly horny narration for a fourth time, and we don’t know how to feel. This time around, beloved psycho Goldberg is the stalked instead of the stalker. But one thing’s for sure: people are going to die. Season four is set to release on Netflix in two parts, the first on Feb. 9 and the second on March 9.
‘The Mandalorian’ season three
Star Wars is back, baby! And Baby Yoda is back too, baby! “The Mandalorian” and all its galactic sociopolitical complexity is returning to the flat screen TVs of dads everywhere as it premieres its third season on Disney Plus on March 1.
‘Daisy Jones & The Six’
Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber are adapting Taylor Jenkins Reid’s BookTok-certified novel of the same name into a limited series this year. Yes, there’s the drama, the mystery and the magical psychedelic wonder of the ‘70s, but we’re most excited to finally put a sound to the beloved fictional band we all know and love as the show starts streaming on Amazon Prime Video on March 3.
‘The Bear’ season two
The grungy-but-steamy culinary drama starring the wonderfully charming Jeremy Allen White as its titular character is set to renew itself for a second season this year, and we’re excited to see how the young chef is keeping his small business in Chicago alive this time around. Season two of “The Bear” is set to release on Hulu in early summer 2023.
‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’
After the Netflix show “Bridgerton” rose to icon status, fans have been itching to explore some of the show’s most interesting characters in more depth. Now, we’ll get what we want. The spin-off series, written by Shonda Rhimes, is set to release on Netflix on May 4.
‘Ironheart’
Already stealing the hearts of viewers around the world by making an appearance in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022), Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) will have her own story spotlighted in the new Marvel show. The show will follow the genius teen as she stumbles around in her Iron Man-esque suit, trying to save the world and discovering herself in the process. “Ironheart” is set to release on Disney Plus in fall 2023.
‘Succession’ season four
Back for more chaos and deception, the Roy siblings are set to be at war with virtually everyone around them as they run, hide and lie throughout New York City. The dark comedy-drama is set to return to HBO Max on March 26.
Nathan Rubin is a Junior from the Carolinas double majoring in Film & Media Studies and English. Outside of being Arts & Entertainment Editor at the Wheel, Nathan is a Writing Editor for Alloy Literary Magazine and hosts a queer radio show on WMRE. When he's not staring blankly at a blinking cursor, you can find him watching way too many horror movies and drinking way too many Baja Blasts.
