2023 Fall Movie Preview: The big awards contenders and popcorn flicks

01 of 17

Fall Movies

Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla Presley in Priscilla; Barry Keoghan as Oliver in Saltburn; Natalie Portman or Julianne Moore in May December; Tom Blyth's Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes; Olivia O’Neill as Katherine in The Exorcist: Believer — Fall Movies 2023. Alex Sandoval - Source: A24 / Amazon MGM Studios / Netflix / Lionsgate / Universal Studios

Are you hungry for more Hunger Games? Eager to see Oscar nominee Barry Keoghan (Salt)burn up the screen? Hunting for that purrfect Marvel movie? Or do you just want to see Pedro Pascal's derrière? The fall movie season has you covered. EW has exclusive looks at some of the biggest early awards contenders, as well as the films sure to dominate the box office (and TikTok memes) in the coming months.

02 of 17

The Creator

Now in theaters

After making movies about monsters (Godzilla) and spaceships (Rogue One), director Gareth Edwards knew he just had to hit the other central pillar of science-fiction: Robots. His latest movie, The Creator, portrays a future war between humans and A.I. — and though he started working on this movie years ago, it just so happens to hit theaters in a year where A.I. has been on everyone's mind. But what might be most noticeable is the unique designs of The Creator's robot characters: They have whirring gears instead of earlobes, making it impossible to mistake an android for a human. "I've spent three years designing robots," Edwards gleefully tells EW.—Christian Holub

Strange Way of Life

In New York and Los Angeles theaters Oct. 4, nationwide Oct. 6

Following The Last of Us and his now-Emmy-nominated hosting turn on Saturday Night Live, Pedro Pascal continues his hot streak with an even hotter (in a different sense) performance. The internet's resident daddy plays Silva in Pedro Almodóvar's sleek and sexy short film, Strange Way of Life. In just 30 minutes, you'll see flashes of a torrid affair between Silva and Ethan Hawke's sheriff Jake, a lover from his past, amid an already quite good-looking cast. "It's a completely male genre," Almodóvar tells EW of Westerns. "The cinema in this 120 years made a lot of wonderful masterpieces, but I found that there is something that they never explored: They never say anything about the desire between two men in a genre full of male characters."—Nick Romano

Pet Sematary: Bloodlines

On Paramount+ Oct. 6

This prequel to 2019's Pet Sematary is set in the late 1960s and stars Jackson White as a young version of Jud Crandell, the character played by John Lithgow in the earlier film. The prequel opens with Jud becoming alarmed by the behavior of his childhood friend Timmy Baterman (Jack Mulhern), a soldier recently returned from serving in Vietnam, and our hero's concerns prove horribly justified. "Timmy is a boy who comes back from the war not exactly himself," says director Lindsey Anderson Beer. "That is because his father [David Duchovny] buried him in the 'sour ground' that is famous in Pet Sematary lore."—Clark Collis

05 of 17

The Exorcist: Believer

In theaters Oct. 13

Director David Gordon Green's franchise continuation stars Olivia O'Neill and Lidya Jewett as demonically possessed young friends; Leslie Odom Jr. as the father of Jewett's character; and Oscar-winner Ellen Burstyn, reprising her role of Chris MacNeil from the late William Friedkin's original 1973 shocker. The production also benefited from the presence of Linda Blair, who plays MacNeil's daughter Regan in the first film. "We were lucky and had Linda as a technical advisor," Green says. "She helped us bring excellent performances out of young actresses. It was really valuable having a relationship with her and being able to get her as a part of this conversation."—C.C.

06 of 17

Anatomy of a Fall

In theaters Oct. 13

Anatomy of a Fall, starring Sandra Hüller, already made waves by winning the coveted Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year — a sure sign this movie is one to watch. Hüller plays a successful author accused of killing her husband, whose own writing career hasn't been as fruitful. Was his death a heat-of-the-moment incident? It's also possible he fell out of an open window... or that he took his own life. Therein lies the drama, which plays out in extensive detail during her trial where her own young son, who found his father's lifeless body, takes the stand. "What I really enjoyed was the fact that I was moved from one side to the other all the time," Hüller says. "If I thought that she was innocent — whatever that means — also if I believed her or not, and I constantly had to question my own projections on her. The script constantly mirrored back my own opinion about certain behavior or certain narratives or things that she said, and I found the way that Justine is playing with those projections really masterful."—Gerrad Hall

Nyad

In select theaters Oct. 20, on Netflix Nov. 3

Annette Bening trained for a year to get into swimming shape as Diana Nyad, who claims to be the first person to swim the daunting 110 miles from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Fl. at the age of 64. Directed by Free Solo Oscar winners Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, Nyad costars Jodie Foster as the legendary swimmer's best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll. Vasarhelyi says working with the two acting icons was a "gift," considering she and Chin had never directed actors before. "It's not lost on me that there were these two incredibly accomplished actors who are also mothers who are also just showing up every day," Vasarhelyi tells EW. "We felt lucky. We felt very lucky. And it was kind of like, 'Don't mess it up.'"—Lester Fabian Brathwaite

Five Nights at Freddy's

In theaters and on Peacock Oct. 27

This prequel to 2019's Pet Sematary is set in the late 1960s and stars Jackson White as a young version of Jud Crandell, the character played by John Lithgow in the earlier film. The story opens with Jud becoming alarmed by the behavior of his childhood friend Timmy Baterman (Jack Mulhern), a soldier recently returned from serving in Vietnam, and our hero's concerns prove horribly justified. "Timmy is a boy who comes back from the war not exactly himself," says director Lindsey Anderson Beer. "That is because his father (David Duchovny) buried him in the 'sour ground' that is famous in Pet Sematary lore."—C.C.

09 of 17

Priscilla

In theaters Nov. 3

Sofia Coppola is heading back to the 1960s, chronicling the legendary relationship between Priscilla Presley and her rock star husband Elvis. Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi headline Priscilla, an intimate drama that charts the pair's rocky relationship and how they navigated unprecedented global scrutiny. "We started with research because it's based on history," costume designer Stacey Battat explains. "But at the same time, it's about their private lives and moments that were never public. So, how do we interpret those things that we've seen through public photos into private moments? It was really important to see her intimate view of Elvis, and not the world's view of Elvis."—Devan Coggan

Fingernails

In select theaters and on Apple TV+ Nov. 3

How do you quantify love? Director Christos Nikou raises that question with Fingernails, a tender sci-fi romance starring Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed, and Jeremy Allen White. Buckley stars as an unemployed teacher named Anna, who gets a job at the Love Institute, a scientific facility that can determine whether two people are in love by analyzing their fingernails. But when she finds herself torn between her longterm boyfriend (White) and her charming new coworker (Ahmed), Anna starts to wonder whether romance can really be reduced to science. "The whole idea came when I, personally, was trying to think: What is love?" explains Nikou, who makes his English-language debut with the film. "Then, of course, I was seeing people around me that were looking for love in a different way than I was thinking, whether it be by using dating apps, by using social media, or other things. But they were using their fingers to just swipe right and left in order to find love."—D.C.

Rustin

In select theaters Nov. 3, on Netflix Nov. 17

In Rustin, the new biopic from Netflix, an electric Colman Domingo portrays late civil rights leader Bayard Rustin as outside pressures surrounding his sexuality fracture his friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Aml Ameen) and he's tasked with organizing the historic March on Washington. Rustin recruits a deep bench of esteemed character actors to portray pillars of the Civil Rights Movement who, despite having similar objectives, differed greatly from Rustin in method. Chris Rock plays the openly homophobic Roy Wilkins, head of the NAACP; Jeffrey Wright is Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the bombastic congressman representing Harlem who repeatedly tries to oust Rustin from his positions of power; and Glynn Turman, CCH Pounder, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Audra McDonald round out the impressive cast.—L.F.B.

The Marvels

In theaters Nov. 10

The Marvels is a star-studded affair, uniting Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, and Samuel L. Jackson. But the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe also introduces two up-and-coming young actors — actors of the four-legged, fuzzy variety. Cat trainer Jo Vaughan discusses working with the two felines who portray the flerken known as Goose. "There was no diva behavior [on set], but cats are cats," Vaughan says. "That's why you have two cats. So, if one goes, 'Do you know what? I'm not really feeling it today,' then you can switch to the other one. They both have their strengths and weaknesses, so they back each other up that way."—D.C.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

In theaters Nov. 17

Tom Blyth breaks bad in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the Hunger Games prequel centered on a teenage Coriolanus Snow (played by Donald Sutherland in the original franchise) before his turn as authoritarian Panem president. It's the 10th annual Hunger Games and the future tyrant is tasked with mentoring Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the wily and musical District 12 female tribute. A complex love story takes root, one that just might evoke the one between a certain Girl on Fire and her beloved baker boy. "The draw to Peeta is because of this shared trauma," franchise director Francis Lawrence (Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1 and 2) says. "He needs her to win and survive so he wins, she needs him to help her win and survive so she survives. It's shared trauma" — but! — "there's manipulation on both sides. Neither of them are entirely trustworthy." Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, and Hunter Schafer also step into Panem come Nov. 17.—Jessica Wang

14 of 17

May December

In select theaters Nov. 17, on Netflix Dec. 1

The latest from melodrama master Todd Haynes escalates his exploration of women, desire, and transgression to a new level. Actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) travels to Savannah, Ga. to enmesh herself in the lives of couple Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) and her husband Joe (Charles Melton) to prepare to play Gracie in a film. Gracie and Joe were tabloid fixtures 20 years prior when 36-year-old pet shop worker Gracie was discovered having a sexual relationship with then-13-year-old 7th grader Joe, and Elizabeth discovers that their lives are far more complicated than expected as she searches for Gracie's "truth." "It's exploring the issues that women have to balance in their lives and the contradictory roles that they're often asked to play as objects of desire, and yet, as mothers and guardians of the family and the institution of marriage," Haynes told EW. "They have to navigate all of these complicated demands that come out of society. I find that to be the place where so much universal experience resides."—Maureen Lenker

Saltburn

In select theaters Nov. 17, wide release on Nov. 22

Writer-director Emerald Fennell wants audiences to come "get rowdy and sexy" when they watch Saltburn in theaters this fall — which shouldn't be a problem. The second feature from the Promising Young Woman Oscar-winning scribe, which she describes as a "macabre dark comedy," is an evocative wild and wicked tale of lust and obsession that is sure to spark conversations and strong reactions. It follows Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan), an outcast who becomes drawn to the wealthy and bewitching Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family's jaw-dropping estate, for a life-changing summer. Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, and Carey Mulligan round out the pitch-perfect cast. And though Fennell admits that "the laugh-gasp is the thing" she's always looking for in a movie, she hopes audiences engage with why they're reacting a certain way. Says Fennell, "I think it's also where you start to question yourself as an audience member. Those places where you're like, 'Is this sexy? Is it revolting? Do I love him? Do I hate him?' That's part of what this movie is about."—Lauren Huff

Wish

In theaters Nov. 22

"When You Wish Upon a Star" is a song that has come to define the entire legacy of Walt Disney. Made popular by 1940's Pinocchio, the piece has become the theme music that precedes just about every Disney animated or live-action film. But now the wishing star gets its tale in Wish, the upcoming film that was made as a celebration of Disney's past. Seventeen-year-old Asha (voiced by West Side Story Oscar winner Ariana DeBose) lives with her pet goat Valentino (Strange World and Encanto's Alan Tudyk) in Rosas, the kingdom of wishes ruled by Chris Pine's King Magnifico. Asha makes a wish so powerful that she gets an answer from an actual wishing star, called simply Star, a whizzing-about ball of energy. In honor of Disney's 100-year anniversary, the movie is filled with dozens upon dozens of "legacy nods" to classic Disney films of the past, from the Snow White poison apple lingering off in the corner of Magnifico's lair to the Sleeping Beauty aspect ratio used for the film.—N.R.

Napoleon

In theaters Nov. 22

In order to make his epic new film about one of the most renowned generals in history, director Ridley Scott (The Last Duel, Blade Runner) had to think like a military commander in his own right. He would regularly meet with his various department heads, like a general would with his officer corps, and discuss any problems or obstacles that arose during the shoot. That way, "everybody's in the picture and the left hand always knows what the right hand is doing," according to Scott. But at the center of this grand military machine is a human heart: The romance between world-conquering Napoleon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) and his great love, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).—C.H.