The Best Teen Movies of 2020
Timothée Chalamet, take my money!


2020 is shaping up to be many things (to say the least), but it's a great year for new movies. Sure, you might be social distancing and figuring out how to adjust to our new reality of quarantine, but does that mean your pop culture knowledge has to slip? Not if you don't let it! When you're done with Netflix's To All The Boys sequel, refer to this list to get pumped for 2020's best teen movies. There's a lot to be excited for, from a teen-centric X-Men spin-off to the much-anticipated Mulan reboot to a remake of The Secret Garden starring Colin Firth (sign me up right now, please).
In light of the coronavirus crisis, a ton of new films this year are hitting streaming services directly instead of the theater (you can find a full list of those here), so look out for these films coming soon to a screen near you.
All The Bright Places
Release date: February 28, 2020
Starring: Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Alexandra Shipp, Kelli O'Hara.
The Fault In Our Stars of 2020, this teen romance follows two Violet and Theadore, two young people trying to grapple with their emotional scars.
The New Mutants
Release date: Initially planned for April 3, 2020, it's been delayed indefinitely in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Starring: Maisie Williams, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga, Blu Hunt, Alice Braga
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Okay, so this one looks a little scarier than we're used to from the X-Men universe, but we love the Game of Thrones and Stranger Things inspo. Plus, Marvel + mutants—but not the X-Men themselves!—sounds pretty interesting.
The Secret Garden
Release date: April 17, 2020
Starring: Maeve Dermody, Amir Wilson, Sonia Goswami, Jemma Powell, Colin Firth
It's hard to imagine a version of The Secret Garden that isn't the 1993 Maggie Smith version, but if Colin Firth's on board, so are we. This movie looks bright, playful and imaginative.
Our Ladies
Release date: April 24, 2020
Starring: Kate Dickie, Tallulah Greive, Marli Siu, Abigail Lawrie, Sally Messham, Rona Morison
So, is this Derry Girls but Scottish? Maybe. But it looks so fun. We're living for the '90s nostalgia and the night-out-on-the-town energy.
Artemis Fowl
Release date: May 29, 2020
Starring: Ferdia Shaw, Judi Dench, Lara McDonnell, Josh Gad, Nonso Anozie, Nikesh Patel
It's been so long since the Artemis Fowl books came out that we've kind of forgotten the plot (don't tell!), but this trailer looks killer. We can't wait to see Dame Judi Dench as the kick-ass Commander Root.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Release date: July 10, 2020
Starring: Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Finn Wolfhard, Paul Rudd, Annie Potts, Carrie Coon, Mckenna Grace
Yes, it's another Ghostbusters, and the Melissa McCarthy-Kate McKinnon-Kristen Wiig version is going to be hard to beat—but this does look pretty fun.
Jungle Cruise
Release date: July 24, 2020
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Édgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, Paul Giamatti
Are we allowed to say that this trailer looks a little hokey, but still very fun? Emily Blunt kills it in every movie she touches, though, so we trust her to make this great.
The Witches
Release date: October 9, 2020
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Eugenia Caruso, Morgana Robinson
There's no trailer out yet for The Witches, but can we just talk about this cast list? Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer and Stanley Tucci can do whatever they like to this childhood classic.
Dune
Release date: December 18, 2020
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Javier Bardem, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Zendaya
There's no trailer yet for Dune, but the NAMES. Between dreamboats Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa and Timothée Chalamet (plus, um, Zendaya!!), we're sold.
Mulan
Release date: Delayed indefinitely.
Starring: Yifei Liu, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, Gong Li
Mulan was supposed to hit theaters in March, but had to be rescheduled in light of the pandemic. Still, we're super excited to see the live action version of this childhood fave.
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Cecilia Nowell is a freelance reporter covering gender, reproductive health, and the Americas. Her writing has been published in Elle, Teen Vogue, The Washington Post’s The Lily, and The Nation.
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