This summer's movie lineup looks familiar ... and exciting

While the 2024 summer movie lineup felt a little flat, a number of franchises — along with a few newcomers — should have film fans heading to theaters this summer.

"Superman," "Jurassic Park" and even "The Karate Kid" are in the mix, along with the final (unlikely) installment in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise.

Co-hosts Bruce Miller and Terry Lipshetz discuss what is on the way and which films have them most excited.

Here is Miller's breakdown of the biggest movies:

APRIL

A MINECRAFT MOVIE (April 4) – At long last, a movie. Jack Black and Jason Momoa star as Steve and Garrett.

THE AMATEUR (April 11) – A decoder (Rami Malek) decides to take matters into his own hands when the CIA won’t investigate a terrorist attack that claimed his wife. Rachel Brosnahan (the star of summer) co-stars.

WARFARE (April 11) – Familiar faces turn up as soldiers embedded with an Iraqi family. Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland wrote and directed this “verite” look at war.

DROP (April 11) – How’s this for a first date: You get messages during dinner that says you’ve got to do something about the man across the table. Like kill him. Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar star.

SNEAKS (April 18) – A designer sneaker (no kidding, a shoe) has to find his sister after she has been stolen by a collector. Bringing a ragtag band of shoes together, he heads to New York to move in for the kill. Yup, it’s animated.

SINNERS (April 18) – Just when you thought those Gothic vampires had gone under, Ryan Coogler pops up with drama about twin brothers who return to their home to deal with things that are fang-tastic.

THE RITUAL (April 18) – Al Pacino gets involved in an exorcism. (And to think he could have done this back in the 1970s.)

PRIDE & PREJUDICE (April 20) – Yup, this has been done before. But it has a blue-chip crowd of actors telling the Jane Austen story. Keira Knightley and Judi Dench star.

THE ACCOUNTANT 2 (April 25) Ben Affleck returns as the crime solver. This time, he’s looking for the person who killed an acquaintance. He calls on his brother (Jon Bernthal) to help. 

MAY

THUNDERBOLTS* (May 2) – With the Avengers out of commission there’s a need for superheroes to do the government’s bidding. Unfortunately, they’re not exactly the cream of the crop, nor are they particularly united. Sebastian Stan, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Florence Pugh star.

ROMEO & JULIET (May 9) – Rebel Wilson, Jason Isaacs, Dan Fogler and the Ruperts (Graves and Everett) try their hands at a different version of the classic. Like “Moulin Rouge,” it uses modern music. 

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (May 9) – As much as Frendo might seem like a nice guy, he could be behind a series of teen disappearances. Set in the Midwest, it might be that “Children of the Corn” sequel you were seeking.

HURRY UP TOMORROW (May 16) -- Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan in this story of a musician who just can’t sleep.

LILO & STITCH (May 23) – Disney’s gameplan: If an animated film is successful, turn it into a live-action one. If a live-action one works, try animation. That’s what’s behind this live-action version of the E.T.-like bonding between a Hawaiian girl and an alien. Maia Kealoha plays Lilo.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING (May 23) – For those of you who forgot, there was a second part to “Dead Reckoning,” the last “Mission: Impossible” film. Here, Tom Cruise gets to go to even more locations to hang from dangerous buildings/mountains/you name it in an effort to fight the Entity. In  case you don’t remember a thing, look at the first film and you’ll be just as confused.

KARATE KID: LEGENDS (May 30) – Ralph Macchio gets back to business in this look at a troubled kid and a karate competition. 

JUNE

FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: BALLERINA (June 6) – How do you get John Wick back in a film? You back things up and tell a side story. In this case, it’s the training of Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas). Yup, Keanu makes an appearance.

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME (June 6) – Wes Anderson gets Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks and Jeffrey Wright back together for a story about a rich man, his daughter and her tutor.

THE MATERIALISTS (June 13) – A New York matchmaker has a little fence mending of her own to do. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans star. Celine Song writes, directs and stars.

ELIO (June 13) – In this Pixar film, a kid gets beamed up to Communiverse, an interplanetary organization where he’s expected to deliver.leads the charge 

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (June 13) – A live-action version of the popular film is being released just in time for Universal Studios’ newest theme park to open. There, you, too, can ride dragons and discover what matters most. 

28 YEARS LATER (June 20) – The world is still in a mess (even after “28 Days Later” and “28 Weeks Later”). A virus has wiped out a lot of the population and, yup, even Oscar winners like Cillian Murphy have to go to work to stop it.

F1 (June 25) – Brad Pitt gets his own need for speed in this drama about a Formula One has-been who has to get back on track. From the folks who did “Top Gun: Maverick,” it has all the hallmarks of a summer blockbuster. Load up the popcorn.

MEGAN 2.0 (June 27) – Hello dolly. She’s back, this time to prove a new version can have just as many glitches as the original 

JULY 

JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH (July 2) -- Before that Jurassic Park unleashed a dinosaur world on the planet, there was a research island where some creatures still roam. If scientists can get a bit of the DNA, they might be able to solve some medical mysteries. Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey lead the charge (expect a trilogy).

SUPERMAN (July 11) – David Corenswet gets to don the tights in this reboot from James Gunn. Nicholas Hoult plays Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan is Lois Lane. The real scene-stealer, though, is Mutt Krypto, a dog that gets to fly through the air with the greatest of ease.

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (July 18) – The gang is back in this revisit to the land of the hook-wielding maniac.

SMURFS (July 18) – They’re back, but now Papa Smurf is missing and the others have to find him. John Goodman plays the patriarch. 

THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (July 25) – Try, try again. That’s the case with the Fantastic Four. Now, with new actors in the roles, Marvel is hoping something will stick. Pedro Pascal leads the charge as Mr. Fantastic. 

SEPTEMBER

SAW XI (Sept. 26) – This is getting to be “Friday the 13th” ridiculous. We’re up to the 11th torture film, now with new methods of madness.

About the show

Streamed & Screened is a podcast about movies and TV hosted by Bruce Miller, a longtime entertainment reporter who is now the editor of the Sioux City Journal in Iowa and Terry Lipshetz, a senior producer for Lee Enterprises based in Madison, Wisconsin. The show was named Best Podcast in the 2025 Iowa Better Newspaper Contest.

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