8 trailers that have us hyped this week: Black Widow, Stargirl, and more

A million movie trailers drop online every week, which can make it hard to keep track of what’s actually coming up in theaters and on home screens. To help parse through the endless stream of upcoming movie and TV releases, we’ve assembled a list of the most exciting (and in some cases, weirdest) trailers that came out this week, along with a hype level rating, tracking whether these particular trailers actually excited us about the upcoming product. Afraid you might have missed something? Fear no more.

This week is heavy on superhero action and nostalgia, though a few less straightforward selections bode well for moving into the future.

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Morbius

Here are just a few of the questions prompted by the Morbius trailer: Who is Morbius? Is Jared Leto allowed to play another superhero? Why is Michael Keaton in this? How twisted is this going to be? So he’s not a vampire? Is that the Doctor from Doctor Who? Who is excited for this movie? As it turns out, Morbius is a Marvel character; afflicted with a rare blood disease, Michael Morbius uses bat DNA to attempt a cure, only to become a “living vampire.”

Movie release date: July 31 in theaters

Hype level: 4. Three points for Michael Keaton, one point for Jared Harris.

Black Widow

This movie would have been cool if it came out in 2012, back when the MCU fandom actually cared about Black Widow. But she’s dead in canon now, and no amount of backstory will make up for the fact that her death kinda sucked. What’s the point in finally fleshing out the original sole female Avenger, after she died just to make Clint Barton sad?

Movie release date: May 1 in theaters

Hype level: 3, but only for Florence Pugh as Natasha Romanoff’s sister figure, Yelena Belova.

Stargirl

Wow, our 2008 dreams of seeing Jerry Spinelli’s 2000 YA book onscreen are coming true, except this trailer makes the adaptation look like Manic Pixie Dream Girl: The Movie without the heartbreaking deconstruction of the book. Boring high-school student Leo would rather blend in — till he meets quirky, free-spirited Stargirl, who would rather stand out. She’s so magical! And fun! And the trailer doesn’t remotely hint at the complicated heartbreak to follow. What will happen? Guess we’ll find out.

Movie release date: March 13 on Disney Plus

Hype level: 5, though this would be higher if this trailer didn’t feel like the film is going to reveal someone dying of cancer in the middle of it.

Guns Akimbo

In Guns Akimbo (the source of those endless “Daniel Radcliffe with two guns” memes), Radcliffe plays an internet troll who crosses the wrong people. So they bolt guns to his hands and order him to kill Samara Weaving, the number one player in a deranged live-action video game where people murder each other on a livestream for an enthused audience. It’s just as wild as it sounds, and it kinda rules.

Movie release date: February 28 in theaters

Hype level: 7, bumped up to a 8 during the scene of Daniel Radcliffe trying to open a door with his GUN HANDS.

Olympic Dreams

This soft, romantic story looks particularly endearing, but why does it sound like the volume has been cranked down to the lowest possible volume? It stars real-life Olympian Alexi Pappas and is reportedly the first film ever shot in the real-life Olympic Village, so points for authenticity.

Movie release date: February 14 in theaters

Hype level: A soft 6, just as soft as everyone’s voices.

The Lovebirds

Kumail Nanjiani is making a career out of movies where he accidentally gets pulled into a crime. Stuber was fine, but the fact that The Lovebirds has Issa Rae piques our interest. This brief trailer is funny and intriguing. We’re optimistic about this one.

Movie release date: April 3 in theaters

Hype level: 7. This looks funny! Love a rom-com that turns to crime.

Dispatches from Elsewhere

AMC has quietly been producing some of the best and strangest shows currently on TV (Better Call Saul, The Terror, R.I.P. Lodge 49), and it seems like they’ve got another gem on their hands with Dispatches from Elsewhere. Created by and starring Jason Segel, the series has an exciting cast — Sally Field, Richard E. Grant, André 3000, and Eve Lindley — and a strange premise. Grant seems to be the head of the “Jejune Institute,” a company promoting nonchalance and apparently running some kind of ARG.

Series release date: March 1 on AMC

Hype level: 10. Richard E. Grant! André 3000!!! What’s not to like?

Little Fires Everywhere

Based on Celeste Ng’s bestselling book of the same name, Little Fires Everywhere pits two very different families against each other in a sleepy suburban town. The trailer for the Hulu original is tense, and as model suburban mother Elena Richardson, Reese Witherspoon delivers some very May I Speak to the Manager vibes.

Series release date: March 18 on Hulu

Hype level: 8 — the book rules, and we’re entering a Reeseasiance!