2021 has been much better for Hollywood than the disastrous year, which was 2020. We’ve got quite a few amazing action movies this year, but quite a few of them were Superhero movies. Still, we did get some pretty cool hardcore action movies like Nobody, Kate, Wrath of Man, The Tomorrow War, and several others too. The superhero genre has really taken over Hollywood, and 2022 is also going to be heavy on Marvel/DC movies. But there are a lot of non-superhero action movies of 2022 that would certainly give us an adrenaline rush. So, here’s a list of those films, which are going to give the Superheroes a run for their money:
(Keep in mind that this list includes all categories in the Action genre – Action-Thrillers, Sci-Fi-Action, Action-Drama, etc.)
1. The 355 – January 7
This female-led movie features a team-up of Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Lupita Nyong’o, Marion Cotillard, and several others. These women band together to stop a global organization from getting their hands on a chaotic weapon. Oh, and yes, Sebastian Stan is also in the film!
2. Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre – January 21
Earlier this year, Guy Ritchie brought us Wrath of Man, which featured Jason Statham. And now, he and Statham are returning with another action thriller, which also includes Aubrey Plaza and Josh Hartnett. Statham plays the MI6 agent Orson Fortune, whose team takes the help of a big Hollywood star for an undercover mission!
3. Ambulance – February 18
Action Movies of 2022
Michael Bay may have failed with Transformers: The Last Knight and 6 Underground, but I’ve got high hopes from his next film, Ambulance. It stars Eiza González along with Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul Mateen-II who play two thieves in the film. As their bank robbery goes wrong, they hijack an ambulance in order to escape.
4. Bullet Train – April 8
You should be excited for this one as it is directed by the action movie maestro, David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde, Hobbs & Shaw, John Wick). And the star-studded cast includes Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brad Pitt, Michael Shannon, Sandra Bullock, Zazie Beetz, and Logan Lerman. As for the premise, we only know that 5 assassins are put on a bullet train and things get complicated from thereon.
5. Top Gun: Maverick – May 27
After several delays, Tom Cruise will end his 3 year-long dry patch and finally run on the big screen. He worked really hard on this one as he actually learned to fly a jet, and the cast also went through rigorous training. This is a highly anticipated sequel, so do watch out for it!
6. John Wick 4 – May 27
Taking on Tom Cruise would be Keanu Reeves who is ready to take on an entire army as the Baba Yaga! Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King is going to aid him. So mark your calendars to witness a total blood fest as Mr. Wick is pissed! Chad Stahelski is returning to direct, and Chapter 4’s rumored title is John Wick 4: Hagakure. Oh, and yes, Donnie Yen is also in it!
7. Havoc – Release: Unannounced
Tom Hardy’s next big action-thriller is quite exciting, as it is written and directed by The Raid director, Gareth Evans. This could be Netflix’s yet another attempt to match John Wick as the story is set after a drug deal gone wrong. We’d follow a bruised detective who’d fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue the estranged son of a politician. Timothy Olyphant and Forest Whitaker will also star!
8. Jurassic World: Dominion – June 10
This time around, Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas-Howard, and Jeff Goldblum are being joined by Sam Neill, who is also from the original Jurassic Park franchise. The Dinosaurs were unleashed into the world, and it would be interesting to see how people have learned to co-exist with them. But after discovering a human clone, we might just see Dino-Human Hybrids by the end of Dominion.
9. The Expendables 4 – Release: Unannounced
Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and the rest of the gang are returning for a final Expendables outing. This time around, Statham will battle Tony Jaa! Other new cast members involve Megan Foxx, Iko Uwais, and 50 Cent. Hopefully, the franchise will end with a bang!
10. The Gray Man – Release: Unannounced
After Avengers: Endgame and Cherry, the Russos are directing this $200 million star-studded action thriller for Netflix. Ryan Gosling will play the assassin and former CIA operative, Court Gentry. And Chris Evans will be the second lead, Lloyd Hansen, who has to hunt down Gentry. Along with them, Ana De Armas, Billy Bob Thornton, Alfre Woodard, Regé-Jean Page, and Indian actor Dhanush will also play vital roles.
11. Mission: Impossible 7 – September 30
This time around, the danger is going to be 7 times more than what we’ve witnessed as Cruise returns in the first of a two-part finale event next year. Set photos and videos have already shown Cruise battling on top of a moving train, jumping a dirt bike off of an elevated surface, running through Venice in a foot chase, and being involved in a car chase through Rome along with Hayley Atwell. The main cast of Fallout is set to return. Besides them, we’re also going to see newcomers like Pom Klementief, Hayley Atwell, Shea Wingham, and Esai Morales. Pssst… Morales is the big villain!
12. Creed III – November 23
Jordan makes his directorial debut in this action drama. For the first time, Adonis Creed will be without Rocky Balboa backing him. And it will be interesting to see how he grows as an athlete now that he is a father too. This time, his opponent is said to be played by Kang the Conqueror actor, Jonathan Majors!
13. Avatar 2 – December 16
Sam Worthington’s Jake and Zoe Saldana’s Neytiri return, and they’re a family now. But they’d be forced to leave their home, so Jake, Neytiri, and their daughter will end up spending quite a bit of time around, and under the water. This is where we’re going to see some fresh new faces like Kate Winslet. Several OG cast members will return. Can’t wait to explore the world of Pandora!
Honorable Mention – Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore – April 15
Now, this isn’t your typical action movie. It’s more of a fantasy adventure. But still, it will provide us a bit of action through wizardry taking place around giant set pieces and CGI locations. So I gave it a pass and added this potential blockbuster to the list anyway. It’ll be interesting to see how Mads Mikkelson takes over the role of Grindelwald and manipulates Aurelius Dumbledore even further.
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 wasn’t added to the list as it is nothing short of a Superhero movie. Anyway, let us know which of these Action Movies of 2022 you’re excited about.
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