In addition to looking back on some of the best films of the past year, many people take some time right around now to look at the year ahead to see what’s in store. While some may look at some significant sports matches or can’t miss concerts, for us here at ScienceFiction.com, that means we share some of our most anticipated films debuting in the New Year.

Just as my past lists, I’ll only be looking at the movies that the site covers, which means that it will be solely sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. Also, following the precedent that I set last year, I’ve chosen ten films instead of my usual five because there are just so many interesting projects coming our way. But first, an honorable mention…

Honorable Mention: ‘Jupiter Ascending’

The sci-fi epic from the Wachowskis starring Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis was on my list last year, but it has since been pushed back to 2015. Now, I’m not saying that it was pushed back because it’s not so good, but there had to be a reason why they moved it, right? Let’s just say that my expectations aren’t as high as they were last year, but I still want to see ‘Jupiter Ascending’.

Release date: February 6, 2015

10. ‘The Fantastic Four’

Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell
Photo credit: Helga Esteb / s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Aside from casting Ioan Gruffudd as Mister Fantastic, the first two ‘Fantastic Four’ films didn’t really do anything spectacular. But now 20th Century Fox is calling in the big guns to change that as veteran screenwriter Simon Kinberg has been brought on to write the script for up and coming director Josh Trank’s reboot of the franchise titled ‘The Fantastic Four’. But despite the impressive talent attached in front of and behind the camera, some fans are up in arms about Michael B. Jordan being cast as the Human Torch. Even before the cast was announced, I was interested just because I wanted to see if the studio would finally do right by Marvel’s First Family, but now I want to see Jordan be awesome and shut up his detractors.

Release date: August 7, 2015

9. ‘Project Almanac’

While some people may have grown tired of found footage films, I’m interested to see what director Dean Israelite does with the genre when time travel is brought into the equation. Plus, it also looks like the first time director will also explore some interesting scenarios that real people would actually find themselves in if they had time travel technology. Even if it doesn’t end up being as cool as the trailers make it look, I’m a sucker for time travel films and will probably sit through the whole thing regardless.

Release date: January 30, 2015

8. ‘Selfless’

This was a movie that I didn’t even know about until I was doing research for this list. Tarsem Singh of ‘Mirror Mirror’ and ‘The Cell’ has assembled a cast of impressive talent including Ryan Reynolds, Ben Kingsley, Matthew Goode, and Victor Garber for a movie about a terminally ill billionaire that undergoes an experimental procedure that allows him to transfer his consciousness to the body of a younger man in order to stay alive longer. Based on Singh’s past work, things are likely to be vibrant and freaky, so I look forward to seeing just how far he goes with this intriguing premise.

Release date: July 31, 2015

7. ‘Ex Machina’

Before they star in my number one most anticipated film of 2015, Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson will appear in ‘Ex Machina’, where their characters participate in an experiment involving a revolutionary artificial intelligence system. Though news has been circulating for some time about this film, it wasn’t until I saw the trailer for the film that I really got interested. Though tonally different, it almost reminds me of ‘Her’ since it appears that the two of them are in some sort of love triangle with the AI from the experiment. That could either be really cringe-worthy or really interesting, so I’m curious to see which one it’ll be.

Release date: April 15, 2015

6. ‘Jurassic World’

Chris Pratt had an insane year in 2014 after starring in ‘The Lego Movie’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’ Now, he’s suddenly being considered for more blockbuster leading man roles. Even though I’m not entirely down with the storyline (or the lack of Jeff Goldblum), I am a Pratt fan and a dinosaur fan, so it’s a no brainer that ‘Jurassic World’ should be on this list.

Release date: June 12, 2015

5. ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’

When the credits rolled on ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1’, I immediately wanted more. After being introduced to Katniss, Peeta, and the rest of Panem in 2012, we’re finally at the end of the cinematic version of their story. Somehow I’ve managed to avoid spoilers this long, so I’m patiently (yet anxiously) awaiting the day that ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’ comes out.

Release date: November 20, 2015

4. ‘Ant-Man’

As devastated as I was to hear that Edgar Wright was no longer directing ‘Ant-Man’ after all this time he spent developing it with Joe Cornish, it’s still a Marvel movie. Somehow that studio has managed to generate hit after hit. Even movies that weren’t as good like ‘Iron Man 2’ and ‘Thor: The Dark World’ still built up the Marvel Cinematic Universe to some degree. But for all we know, Scott Lang and Hank Pym could find the same success as Peter Quill and the Guardians of the Galaxy. We could have another surprise hit on our hands! Hopefully the old saying about pizza applies to these films: Even a bad slice isn’t so bad that I won’t eat it.

Release date: July 17, 2015

3. ‘Tomorrowland’

Even though I was in the crowd at New York Comic Con to see the exclusive footage from Brad Bird and Damon Lindelof’s ‘Tomorrowland’ that hasn’t surfaced anywhere else yet, there is still an insane amount of mystery surrounding this film. As a huge fan of the Disney theme parks, I really want to know how the story starring George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, and Britt Robertson ties into Disneyland history.

Release date: May 22, 2015

2. ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’

When Earth’s Mightiest Heroes assembled for the first time in ‘The Avengers,’ I said that it was the best superhero movie out there. Now that Joss Whedon’s sequel is on its way, a small part of me is wondering whether or not the second one will surpass the first, which is something that almost never happens. But then again, the rest of me is just super hyped most of the time since characters like Ultron, the Vision, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch are joining in on the action and these events will all lead to ‘Captain America: Civil War’. I mean, if it wasn’t for a little thing that J.J. Abrams is doing in December, then ‘The Avengers: Age of Ultron’ would be my most anticipated film of the year.

Release date: May 1, 2015

1. ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

I feel like I don’t even have to say anything about this. To some degree, everyone in the world is anticipating the release of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’. We all saw what happened when the prequels debuted, but now that George Lucas has handed off the reins, will we finally get the adventures in a galaxy far, far away that we’ve been waiting for? Disney, you’re our only hope, so hopefully you are the droids we’re looking for and we get some epic new ‘Star Wars’ movies that please the long-time fans while simultaneously bringing in the new ones.

Release date: December 18, 2015

What are some of your most anticipated films of 2015? Are there any that are noticeably missing from my list? Let us know in the comment section.