2021 was a fantastic resurgence of new and old on television and in theaters. As my fellow writers broke down those series and feature films, I began thinking about 2022. Warner Bros and Marvel Studios are gearing up for some wild rides in this year’s release slate, but I wanted to go beyond those and see what else my friends here at The Cosmic Circus are excited about aside from Marvel and DC.
Lizzie Hill – Editor-In-Chief, Writer (Author’s Page)
Our EIC Lizzie is a long-time fan of Star Wars and fantasy so she listed right off the bat: Kenobi, Lord of The Rings, Willow, and House of Dragons. I love how Lizzie chose to scatter around the platforms, some Disney, some Amazon, and HBO Max. It’s really cool how she bounces back and forth from space to Middle Earth and other lands. I can’t wait until we finally host the Watch Parties for all of these for our wonderful Patreon supporters on Discord. [Editor’s note: Neither can I!!]
Alex Perez – Writer (Author’s Page)
Alex always keeps it interesting by throwing me a couple of anime series with the upcoming 6th season of My Hero Academia and a sophomore season for Tokyo Revengers. Even if I don’t keep up with anime anymore, I’m thrilled to see good shows thrive and even more excited to see him write about them in the future.
Brian Kitson – Writer (Author’s Page)
My partner in misdemeanor crimes, Brian, must have snuck some potions while watching The Witcher season 2. He tells me that the spinoff The Witcher: Blood Origin is one that he looks forward to and if you haven’t, he is also a big Whovian. So he confided in me that the BBC’s Centenary Special Episode of Doctor Who is his most anticipated as he waits to see the next Doctor regenerate onto the screen. His double-hearted passion is one we at Cosmic Circus enjoy each time he blesses us with an article.
Vin – Writer, Cosmic Circle Podcast host (Author’s Page)
Vin, who I’d describe as espresso personified, lept at this query and gave me a dozen options. Thankfully, he trimmed it down to a final four with some salt and pepper! I’m totally on board with his inclusions of Turning Red and the Avatar Sequel. Salem’s Lot (which he excitedly wrote about earlier here) and Nope are out of the usual ballpark for me as they are both horrors, but with the former being a Stephen King novel adaptation, I might have to check it out! I have given past Jordan Peele movies a shot so Nope might turn into Yup.
Ayla Ruby – Writer (Author’s Page)
Ayla has consistently had a great taste for grander-looking productions, with the 2nd season of both Bridgerton and Shadow and Bone on her list. The first is a streaming phenomenon that is amongst Netflix’s most successful releases so we can expect them to keep that train going. Shadow and Bone earned themselves the 2nd season rapidly and Ayla already provided a breakdown of what to expect, Netflix also shared some viewing numbers (which is rare for them) and showed commendable success in a single month period.
Emily Maack – Writer (Author’s Page)
From the newest team member, Emily, her love of Star Wars came through first as she mentioned the 2nd season of The Bad Batch. Then she threw me a curveball with Only Murders In The Building and The Gray Man, both having thriller components and “killer” casts. The Gray Man is interesting because The Russo Brothers are directing and producing with their company AGBO. Finally bringing this to life, as it was first attempted back in January 2011 with Brad Pitt as the lead, now instead Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans will star.
Tucker Watkins – Writer (Author’s Page)
I know Tucker has a love for anything that has suspense or big action sequences so it came as no surprise when he listed off Mission Impossible: 7 and Knives Out 2. These two seem like absolute thrill rides in the theater so I can’t wait for his reviews on these exciting sequels, I thought Knives Out was great and want to hear more of Daniel Craig’s southern accent!
Drew Reed – Writer (Author’s Page)
Drew keeps it real with me and slides over Cobra Kai Season 5 (as we both finished Season 4) and the Halloween Ends movie. Again, not big into horror, but if fans keep showing up then keep making them! As has been reported elsewhere, they are already filming the 5th season of Cobra Kai in Puerto Rico.
Jake Hansen – Writer (Author’s Page)
Our other recent addition to the squad is Jake who started with Archer and its 13th(!) season and then the follow-up to Love, Death, and Robots from Netflix. Like Alex, he is a fan of anime and wants to enjoy more Attack on Titan when an English dubbed version is released.
Julia Delbel – Writer (Author’s Page)
Julia continues providing great variety with a period piece and biographical drama selections, Babylon and Elvis. One set during the Golden Age of Hollywood and an interesting one about “The King”. Babylon looks incredibly stacked, I look forward to her tweets and thoughts on it.
Uday Kataria – Writer, Cosmic Circle Podcast host (Author’s Page)
Uday has The Flight Attendant S2 and Inventing Anna on his list. I know nothing on these and some light Googling has me adding Inventing Anna to my personal viewing for this year, it stars Julia Garner as the woman who conned her way across the globe based on a true story. Also, I’ve been a long-time fan of Kaley Cuoco so seeing her continue to get work on her series The Flight Attendant is just brilliant, and I wish her even more success in the future.
Anthony Flagg – Writer (Author’s Page)
And now, as for myself; I’m going back to the beginning and naming a franchise always dear to my heart, Jurassic Park! I intend to shell out some extra bucks to enjoy Jurassic World: Dominion in IMAX, I’ve never experienced a Jurassic Park in theaters so this has been on my film bucket list.
I like being at home more though so expect me to be present weekly when The Boys Season 3 finally comes out. Meanwhile, Netflix is going to have me for an entire weekend whenever The Sparrow, I mean Umbrella Academy Season 3 lands onto the streaming service. A couple of special mentions I wanted to add were Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Lightyear, with Idris Elba as Knuckles and Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear.
For more thought from the “Cosmic Crew,” visit their author’s pages linked above or give the Cosmic Circle Podcast a listen some time!
What are you excited to see this year? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
