15 Things We Still Have To Look Forward To From The World Of Entertainment In 2024

We are fast approaching the halfway point of 2024, and what a year it’s been for entertainment so far.

From surprise streaming hits like Baby Reindeer and big box office phenomenons like Challengers, Civil War and Inside Out 2, to awards season and other pop culture highlights like the Met Gala and Super Bowl, there’ve been plenty of memorable showbiz moments that have had the whole world talking.

But we still have the next six months of concerts, albums, gigs, films, TV shows and more to look forward to – and there are some real biggies to come on the calendar.

Here are the highlights of what we’re most excited for in the world of entertainment for the rest of 2024…

Is it just us, or has this past year of Eras tour FOMO been unbearable?

Taylor Swift’s record-breaking tour has already stopped off for a few select dates in the UK, with more shows planned at Wembley Stadium across June and August. Plus, we have the added bonus of a whole new section in the setlist dedicated to new album The Tortured Poets Department.

Here’s hoping we may even get some surprise guest appearances, with Taylor having previously welcomed her support artists like Phoebe Bridgers and Sabrina Carpenter to the stage for duets.

It’s time to make the friendship bracelets and go full Swiftie mode.

With Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA all set to headline Glastonbury this year (plus Shania Twain in the coveted “Legends” slot), it might just be one of the most exciting bills we’ve seen from the iconic festival in recent years.

And whether or not you managed to score those ever-so-coveted tickets to the legendary annual music event, watching the sets on BBC iPlayer or listening on the radio is always a good time, and at least helps you get in the Glasto spirit, even if you’re not actually at Worthy Farm.

As well as the scheduled line-up, we know from previous years that the festival is guaranteed to be full of big pop surprises, whether it was Lily Allen and Olivia Rodrigo teaming up for a politically-charged rendition of Fuck You or Foo Fighters turning up for a secret set.

From teasing us with the L-bomb to featuring the first teaser of Billie Eilish’s romantic new song Birds Of A Feather, season three of Heartstopper looks like it might just be the biggest yet.

We already know that things are about to get “darker” and “raunchier” as Nick and Charlie’s relationship progresses, and we can’t wait to catch up with the rest of the gang, too.

Whether or not you were a fan of the first Joker film starring Joaquin Phoenix, it’s hard to not be at least a little intrigued by its sequel, Folie À Deux.

Lady Gaga is joining the franchise as Harley Quinn in this musical origins story, which depicts Dr Harleen Quinzel meeting Arthur Fleck at Gotham City’s Arkham Asylum, where they swiftly fall madly in love.

This new film has been described as “mostly a jukebox musical” rather than a full-scale musical production, meaning there’s a good chance you’ll know many of the songs that crop up. Fingers crossed we might even get a new Gaga original, if we’re lucky.

We know, we know, it’s been a long old (yellow brick) road. The film version of the hit stage musical was first announced back in 2016, but now we’re finally close to seeing the finished movie – or movies, we should say!

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are bringing the beloved characters of Elphaba and Glinda to the big screen for two movie instalments, after director Jon M. Chu said he’d found it “impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it”.

Plus, the supporting cast is stellar, with man of the hour Jonathan Bailey playing love interest Fiyero and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard. We have never been more ready to belt Defying Gravity at the top of our lungs.

Paul Mescal in a gladiator skirt fighting off a pack of baboons? Count us in.

Giving such a beloved sequel a sequel 20 years later is undoubtedly a risky move, but with Ridley Scott behind the camera again, we can be pretty confident it’s going to honour the legendary first film, which starred Russell Crowe (who, by the way, doesn’t want to talk about the new film so please leave him alone, alright?).

Along with the Normal People star, part two will feature Connie Nielsen returning as Lucilla, with Stranger Things actor Joseph Quinn, The Last Of Us’ Pedro Pascal, Denzel Washington and more all joining the cast. With an ensemble boasting that much talent, it’s hard to not be excited.

Granted, Emily In Paris is hardly the most accurate depiction of life in the French capital, but it’s exactly the kind of shiny, feel-good escapism we just love to binge on Netflix.

Lily Collins is back as the oh-so-chic social whizz Emily, and you might remember things ended on a massive cliffhanger when we found out that Camille was pregnant.

Here’s hoping that the new season jumps right back into the action, so we know exactly where things stand with Emily and Gabriel.

The first two seasons of The Bear quickly became a TV phenomenon, landing the kitchen drama a string of Emmys and winning over plenty of devoted fans in the process. It also made stars of its leads Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edibiri, who we really just can’t get enough of these days.

While there aren’t too many details about the plot of season three just yet, we do know that there’s a death to reckon with, which potentially means the mother of pastry chef Marcus has passed.

Shhh! If Joseph Quinn and Lupita Nyong’o’s red carpet appearances didn’t get us excited enough for the origins story from the thrilling horror franchise, then the epic trailer most certainly did.

Since the introduction of the A Quiet Place franchise in 2018, the simple yet terrifying premise has actually made it ripe for sequels, following A Quiet Place Part II in 2020.

With The Office’s John Krasinki back writing (though Michael Sarnoski is in the director’s seat this time), it’s set to be another heart-pounding cinema experience – even if that means us holding our breath for minutes at a time.

Scream queen Mia Goth is back for the third instalment in the X series, which is set after her character’s escape in the first instalment in the horror saga.

MaXXXine follows the titular star trying to make it as an actress in 1985 Los Angeles while the infamous Night Stalker serial killer is on the loose.

The third film in the trilogy also boasts the most seriously star-studded cast yet, featuring the likes of Halsey, Kevin Bacon, Lily Collins, Elizabeth Debicki and more.

If you haven’t been able to get Sabrina Carpenter’s outrageously catchy hit Espresso out of your head for weeks, there’s plenty more where that came from.

Her new album Short N’ Sweet is due out on 23 August, meaning it’s pretty likely we’re going to get some new catchy summer hits.

In case you missed it, long-rumoured (and now, it seems, pretty official) beau Barry Keoghan starred in the music video for Sabrina’s latest single Please Please Please.

The Olympics always bring a great summer buzz to any city in the summer. There’s 24/7 coverage of incredible athletes and their respective sports (you can catch us glued to the gymnastics) but one highlight is always the performances at the opening and closing ceremonies.

The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo (which took place in 2021 due to Covid) saw performances from John Legend, Keith Urban and more, and this year is set to be an especially unique one.

For the first time in the history of the summer Olympics, the Opening Ceremony will not take place in a stadium, but rather on the Seine river. We can’t wait to see who lands that gig.

The rumours were true, there really is going to be a Gavin & Stacey Christmas miracle this year.

In what is being billed as the last ever episode of the beloved British sitcom, apparently the “majority of the main cast” will be returning for one last get together for a Christmas Day special this year, written by James Corden and Ruth Jones, who also star as Smithy and Nessa.

As far as the annual Christmas special programming goes, this is bound to be a highlight. We might just have to treat ourselves to an Indian takeaway for this one…

If you’re still belting the soundtrack to the first Moana film all these years later, you’re probably already counting down the days until the sequel this November.

An official synopsis teases that “Moana, Maui and a brand-new crew of unlikely seafarers” will set sail on a brand new voyage after “receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestor”.

The original cast will be returning, including Auli’i Cravalho as Moana, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Maui and Nicole Scherzinger as Sina.

However, even though his last score landed him an Oscar nomination, sadly Lin Manuel-Miranda won’t be returning. Instead, he’ll be replaced by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the TikTok writers behind the Bridgerton musical.

It’s hard to imagine how anything could outdo the perfection that was Paddington 2, but the next instalment looks like it may come close.

As Paddington and the Brown family embark on a journey to Peru to visit beloved Aunt Lucy, they discover that she’s nowhere to be found, and they need to venture into the Amazon to bring her back.

While we’re sad to hear that Sally Hawkins won’t be returning as Mrs Brown this time around, the Wonka actor has promised that her replacement Emily Mortimer will very much embody the essence of the character.

And, if the brand new trailer is anything to go by, Paddington In Peru might just be our marmalade sandwich-eating bear’s biggest adventure yet.