2014 Fall Movie Preview

Jennifer Lawrence, Ben Affleck and Bill Murray are just a few of the stars taking over the multiplex in the coming months, as Hollywood rolls out its impressive slate of fall movies. Which films are coming soon to a theater near you? Check out our Fall Movie Preview to find out. 

Idris Elba takes a break from heroic roles by playing a predatory escaped convict who invades the home of an ordinary wife and mother (Taraji P. Henson). Expect lots of suspense in this cat-and-mouse thriller.

Here’s more casting against type: ‘Saturday Night Live’ alums Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader forgo belly laughs for raw emotion as sad-sack siblings who reunite after years apart. The film won a screenwriting award at Sundance.

Tom Hardy stars as a Brooklyn bartender who plays along with a money laundering operation run by local thugs -- until things go sour. James Gandolfini delivers his final performance as an embittered ex-mobster.

Jessica Chastain really does play a character named Eleanor Rigby, but there’s no Father McKenzie in this melancholy portrait of a broken marriage, told from both the wife’s and the husband’s perspectives. James McAvoy costars.

Morgan Freeman and Harry Connick return for this sequel to the 2011 film, which continues the “based on a true story” tale of Clearwater Marine Aquarium’s most famous dolphin, Winter.

Based on the YA novel, ‘Maze Runner’ centers on Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) – a new member of a group of teens struggling to survive a mysterious island maze and its dangerous secrets. 

After more than a decade in development, writer-director Scott Frank’s adaptation of Lawrence Block’s novel is finally hitting the big screen. In a role once earmarked for Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson now stars as an alcoholic ex-cop eager to go all ‘Taken’ on the bad guys when a kidnap victim is found murdered.

‘Star Trek’s’ Simon Pegg and ‘Gone Girl’s’ Rosamund Pike star in this comedy-drama about a shrink searching for ways to live a more “glass half full” life. Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer also star.

Tina Fey, Jason Bateman and Rose Byrne are just some of the big names you’ll find in this hotly anticipated film about a dysfunctional family struggling to sort themselves out. 

Laika, the stop-motion animation wizards who brought ‘Coraline’ (2009) and ‘ParaNorman’ (2012) to life, return with a whimsical tale of a young English boy raised by the titular beasties -- so named for the boxes they wear as clothes.

A very loose adaptation of the 1980s TV series, this action drama stars Denzel Washington as an OCD-afflicted vigilante who goes up against the Russian Mafia in order to protect a wayward teenager (Chloë Grace Moretz).

David Fincher directs this adaptation of the popular novel of the same name, which finds Ben Affleck at the center of a media storm when he’s suspected of murdering his wife (Rosamund Pike). If you’ve read the book, keep the twists to yourself.

Remember that creepy, demonic doll from ‘The Conjuring’? Well she’s back, now with her own movie and 100% more nightmare fuel.

This Disney comedy takes the 1972 children’s book, where only young Alexander was going through said horrible day, and now lets his entire family share in the misery. Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner star as the beleaguered parents.

Sharon Leal plays a loyal wife whose loyalty flies out the window after she has a scorching hot affair with a painter. She soon becomes, well, addicted to sleeping around. Based on the erotic novel by “Zane."

It’s been years since the heyday of the big-screen courtroom drama, but ‘The Judge’ tries to revive the genre, with Robert Downey Jr. as a hotshot lawyer who must defend his estranged father (Robert Duvall), the titular judge, in a murder case.

Brad Pitt takes on the Nazis once again, this time from the confines of a battle-seeking tank in this WWII epic from David Ayer (‘End of Watch’).

If early buzz from film festivals is any indication, Michael Keaton may score an Oscar nod for his turn as an actor -- once famous for playing a superhero -- struggling to make opening night of his new Broadway play.

The paterfamilias of vampires gets the ‘Batman Begins’ treatment with this epic origin story that’s more ‘300’ than Bram Stoker.

Guillermo del Toro produces this animated tale centered on Mexico’s Day of the Dead celebration. Stars like Channing Tatum and Zoe Saldana headline the voice cast.

Bring tissues for this weepie based on Nicholas Sparks’ novel. James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan play former high school sweethearts reunited for a second chance at love.

In no-brainer casting, Bill Murray plays a slovenly old reprobate who mentors the neighbor’s boy. The comedy costars Melissa McCarthy, Chris O’Dowd and Naomi Watts as a pregnant Russian hooker (!).

With a title like this, you might expect an ‘X-Men’ spinoff, but ‘Nightcrawler’ is more in the ‘Taxi Driver’ vein: Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a disturbed videographer who explores the dark side of Los Angeles – and finds his own dark side.

Keira Knightley plays a twentysomething slacker who, fleeing from a marriage proposal, bonds with a teenage girl (Chloë Grace Moretz once again) and flirts with the girl’s father (Sam Rockwell). This breezy rom-com debuted at Sundance.

In what may be the wildest film of the season, Daniel Radcliffe dons an American accent – and a pair of horns – as a man who acquires diabolical powers after his girlfriend’s murder. Cult status is almost a sure bet for this twisted fantasy.

Christopher Nolan trades in Gotham City for outer space in his first truly sci-fi film. Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway star as explorers who must use a wormhole in an attempt to save our troubled planet. 

Disney's first animated film based on a Marvel property centers on Hiro, a robotics whiz who, with the help of his robot pal, Baymax, must assemble a team of green crime fighters to take down a criminal plot threatening the fictional city of San Fransokyo. 

This psychodrama, based on actual events, is already garnering major awards buzz, especially for Steve Carell’s chilling turn as unstable wrestling coach/millionaire John du Pont. Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo costar.

We hope the hilariously misspelled title isn’t the funniest thing about this sequel to the 1994 hit. But with Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and directors the Farrelly Brothers all back, a gross-out comedy couldn’t ask for a better pedigree.

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) returns for the first half of the ‘Hunger Games’ finale, which finds Ms. Everdeen on the brink of revolt against President Snow and his permanent scowl.

‘Sherlock’ fans rejoice! Benedict Cumberbatch stars in this film based on the life of Alan Turing, who cracked the Germans’ Enigma code and turned the tide against the Nazis in WWII. 

Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day reunite for this sequel to their 2011 comedy hit. This time, our trio decides to be their own bosses and start a business -- only to find themselves forced to deal with a troublesome investor played by Oscar winner Christoph Waltz.