December's most anticipated films: Ferrari, The Color Purple, Wonka, and more

Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Adam Brody, Keith David, Issa Rae, and Sterling K. BrownDirector: Cord JeffersonWriter/director Cord Jefferson already had a sterling resume that includes Watchmen, Succession, and Station Eleven. His first feature, , promises to put him over the top. In this pseudo-companion to The Holdovers, Jeffrey Wright stars as Monk, a curmudgeonly English professor seething with professional jealousy, who returns to his family home outside Boston to care for his ailing mother. After years of failing to produce a book audiences want to read, Monk writes a pandering novel about “the Black experience” as a goof that turns into a literary sensation. [Matt Schimkowitz]

Cast: Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons, Lily James, and Holt McCallanyDirector: Sean DurkinZac Efron’s bodily transformations continue with , a nostalgic and heartbreaking tour through the 1980s pro-wrestling boom via one of the sport’s most tragic stories. Director Sean Durkin (The Nest, Martha Marcy May Marlene) finds a new dysfunctional family dynamic in the Von Erichs, a supposedly cursed family led by a brutal taskmaster father, Fritz (Holt McCallany), who brings about their downfall. The family of babyfaced grapplers had championship promise yet could never escape the pressure of the patriarch’s headlock. [Matt Schimkowitz]

Starring: Jason Momoa, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, Patrick Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Temuera Morrison, Nicole Kidman, Indya Moore, Pilou AsbaekDirector: James WanAquaman and his estranged brother Orm must make relatively nice as they team up to take on a larger threat. Black Manta’s still out there and enraged, but our money’s on Pilou Asbaek as a big bad, given his recent arch-villain turn in the Sylvester Stallone superhero flick Samaritan. One thing we know for sure: Aquaman will don a blue costume at some point in . Ben Affleck and/or Michael Keaton may or may not appear as Batman. [Luke Y. Thompson]

Cast: Sofia Boutella, Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, Ray Fisher, Jena Malone, Charlie Hunnam, Michiel HuismanDirector: Zack SnyderZack Snyder continues his partnership with Netflix for , which, as its title indicates, is split into two parts (the second part will be released next year). The space epic stars Sofia Boutella as a disenfranchised former government worker who leads a rebellion against her planet’s corrupt rulers, and it all takes place on—you guessed it—a moon. Subtlety has never been Snyder’s thing, but it’s clear that he hasn’t lost his talent for creating striking visuals, as the trailer looks ridiculously pretty. [Jen Lennon]

Cast: Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Jamie Bell, Claire FoyDirector: Andrew HaighPaul Mescal is coming off a surprise Best Supporting Actor nomination at last year’s Oscars, and Andrew Scott is coming off an entire career of award-worthy work (he’s got a BAFTA, two Laurence Olivier awards, a Critics’ Choice Award, and nominations for Emmys and Golden Globes), so awards season pundits have their eye on this British romance film. centers on Adam (Scott), a Londoner who sparks up a relationship with his neighbor, Harry (Mescal), as Adam is simultaneously plagued by memories and visions of his parents who died 30 years ago. Early reviews are strong, and while this film isn’t likely to be a massive success at the box office, it’ll probably end up on a lot of critics’ year-end lists. [Jen Lennon]

Cast: Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley, and Patrick DempseyDirector: Michael MannFor his first film in nearly a decade, director Michael Mann brings a classical approach to his career-long interest in difficult geniuses. Mann’s fourth piece of non-fiction filmmaking, following The Insider, Ali, and Public Enemies, is less fractured, focusing on the kitchen table melodrama between Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) and his estranged gun-toting wife Laura (Penélope Cruz). Punctuated by thrilling race sequences, promises a return to form for Mann and something we’ve never quite seen before from him. [Matt Schimkowitz]

Cast: Callum Turner, Joel Edgerton, Jack Mulhern, Sam Strike, Alec Newman, Peter GuinnessDirector: George Clooney just might be one of the rare inspirational sports stories that translates well to film without becoming a total schmaltz-fest. The film is based on the book of the same name, which tells the story of the U.S. men’s eight rowing team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. They’re underdogs in a hostile environment, two ingredients for any great sports narrative. Clooney has proven effective as a steward of stories with a big emotional heart, and he seems well-suited for this project. The book was a publishing sensation and was nominated for several awards; it won’t be too much of a surprise if Clooney pulls off the same feat with the film. [Jen Lennon]