Perhaps even more than usual, many of the biggest movies of the next year will be remakes, reboots, sequels, and adaptations. But as in any year, there’s a wealth of promising new projects, from the indies to the IP fare and potential blockbusters. Here are the most anticipated movies coming up in 2025.
This Netflix action comedy from director Seth Gordon (Baywatch, Identity Thief) reunites Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, who last co-starred in 2014’s Annie. This time, they’re playing former CIA agents who return to the spy game after being exposed. Diaz came out of acting retirement to play the part.
This political drama, Brazil’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming Academy Awards, received critical acclaim at the Venice International Film Festival this year. Particular praise went to Fernanda Torres’ lead performance as Eunice Paiva, the real-life activist whose dissident politician husband went missing in 1971 during the military dictatorship in Brazil.
SZA makes her acting debut in this raunchy buddy comedy opposite Keke Palmer. The pair play two best friends and roommates on a madcap race to cobble together some last-minute rent money. (Think: Friday.) The script comes courtesy of Syreeta Singleton, showrunner of the two-season Max comedy Rap Sh!t, making her own feature debut.
Leigh Whannell’s 2020 reboot of The Invisible Man brought attention back to the historic Universal Monsters franchise. Now Whannell returns with a reimagining of the 1941 film The Wolf Man, this one starring Christopher Abbott as a man who turns into a werewolf after an attack at the farmhouse where his father disappeared. Julia Garner co-stars as his wife.
Stephen Soderbergh’s latest slow-burn psychological thriller takes a unique angle: it’s presented from the POV of a ghost haunting a suburban home, watching them live their lives.
Ke Huy Quan returned to Hollywood in a big way with Everything Everywhere All at Once, and this action comedy similarly plays on his knack for pairing killer martial arts skills with his natural wide-eyed earnestness. Quan stars as a friendly realtor whose crime-lord brother comes after him, forcing him to come to terms with his past as a deadly hitman.
Based on Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel of the same name, the fourth Bridget Jones movie, which will stream on Peacock, brings back Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, and Emma Thompson (along with Colin Firth as a ghost) and adds two new love interests to the cast: the young and charming Roxster (Leo Woodall) and Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a handsome teacher at Bridget’s kids’ school.
The first Captain America-centered movie since Civil War in 2016, this one picks up where The Falcon and the Winter Soldier left off on the small screen and officially introduces Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson as the new cinematic Captain America. Harrison Ford will be replacing the late William Hurt in the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the newly elected president of the United States, who also doubles as the Red Hulk.
Sadly, Paul King was too busy making Wonka to return to direct the third installment in this winsome series about a talking bear who loves marmalade sandwiches (and Emily Mortimer has taken over the role once played by Sally Hawkins). But reviews from across the pond have been (mostly) positive for this adventure comedy, which focuses on Paddington’s return to his homeland of Peru with the Brown family to visit his Aunt Lucy.
Osgood Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins) has made several solid horror movies, but it wasn’t until this year that he really broke out and reached a new audience with his hit Longlegs. His newest darkly comic flick adapts Stephen King’s 1980 short story of the same name about a cursed vintage toy monkey—and the two brothers who make it their mission to destroy it once and for all.
This fantasy adventure film from A24 centers on a young villager named Yuri (Helena Zengel) who discovers a baby ochi—a widely feared species that dwells in the nearby forest—and sets out to reunite it with the pack that left it behind. Willem Dafoe, Finn Wolfhard, and Emily Watson co-star.
Ryan Coogler’s newest is his first horror film. Michael B. Jordan stars as twin brothers who return home to leave their dark pasts behind—and find themselves confronting a greater threat. The trailer leaves the nature of the evil unclear, but it’s safe to say demons and/or ghosts are involved.
Marc Webb’s reimagining of the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, co-written by Greta Gerwig, stars Rachel Zegler in the title role, with Gal Gadot playing the Evil Queen. The production has been riddled with controversy, from the color-blind casting of Zegler to the CGI dwarfs played by mostly non-dwarf actors to the leads’ outspoken opposing stances on the war in Gaza.
In this biographical crime drama from Barry Levinson and Goodfellas co-writer Nicholas Pileggi, Robert De Niro plays two roles: Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, the legendary warring Italian-American crime bosses of the Luciano family.
Based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell, this thriller stars Rami Malek as a CIA cryptographer who blackmails the agency into training him in order to hunt down the terrorists who killed his wife.
More than five years after Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite won the Oscar for Best Picture, we’re finally seeing his studio-delayed follow-up. Adapted from Edward Ashton’s sci-fi novel Mickey7, the darkly comic film stars Robert Pattinson as an “expendable”—an employee who, after dying, receives a new body pre-installed with prior memories. But when one of Mickey’s bodies accidentally survives, it’s Pattinson vs. Pattinson.
Seth Reiss’ script for this romantic fantasy was originally featured on the Blacklist—but with South Korean-born director and video essayist Kogonada (Columbus, After Yang) on board, it’s finally coming to theaters. A romantic fantasy starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, it’s poised to be Kogonada’s most commercial and accessible feature yet.
Michel Gondry’s latest is a coming-of-age musical film set in summer 1977 and inspired by Pharrell Williams’ childhood living in Virginia Beach’s Atlantis Apartments. Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays Williams, with Halle Bailey, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Brian Tyree Henry, and many others onboard. Williams also teamed up with Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, known for La La Land and Dear Evan Hansen, on the soundtrack.
The eighth Mission: Impossible movie (and fourth directed by Christopher McQuarrie) was shot back-to-back with the previous film, Dead Reckoning—which means that in addition to the usual gang of IMF agents, this sequel will bring back franchise newcomers Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, and Pom Klementieff. Tom Cruise was spotted holding onto the wings of an upside-down flying biplane, which suggests this installment will feature just as many jaw-dropping stunts as usual for the series.
The fluid fight choreography of the John Wick movies often draws comparisons to ballet, and this spin-off leans into the idea by focusing on a ballerina-assassin on a mission to avenge her father. Set between the third and fourth Wick films, it stars Ana de Armas, Gabriel Byrne, and Norman Reedus alongside previous cast members Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves himself.
Pixar’s latest original feature follows an introverted 11-year-old alien obsessive who is beamed up to outer space for the adventure of a lifetime after being mistaken for the ambassador of Earth. At the Communiverse, a sort of United Nations in space, representatives from alien races come together to solve crises all over the universe—and now, Elio is one of them.
Danny Boyle’s original 2002 zombie apocalypse film 28 Days Later brought an unsettling new idea to the genre: what if the undead could run? Now Boyle is back to direct the third film set in this world, the first of a planned sequel trilogy. Original screenwriter Alex Garland is also back, along with original star Cillian Murphy.
In this underdog sports drama by Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski, made in collaboration with FIA, a retired Formula One racer (Brad Pitt) takes a young rookie prodigy (Damson Idris) under his wing. Filmed during actual grand prix races, real-life Formula One teams and drivers will also appear.
Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Brian Jordan Alvarez, and the titular killer doll herself return for this higher-stakes sequel to 2022’s campy horror delight M3GAN.
The DC Universe’s next slate of movies, given the reboot title “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters,” begins with James Gunn’s take on DC Comics’ most iconic character. David Corenswet plays a 25-year-old version of the title role, along with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
It’s been over 25 years since I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, the last theatrical sequel to the original slasher film. The upcoming fourth installment, co-written and directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (Someone Great, Do Revenge), will reportedly feature the return of Freddie Prinze Jr.
Most would agree that the Fantastic Four, despite being some of Marvel Comics’ most well-known superheroes, have never gotten the right cinematic treatment. The new MCU attempt could be different, though, with its 1960s-inspired retrofuturism and the quartet of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing.
The Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer’s reboot of this classic crime spoof-comedy franchise will feature Liam Leeson as the son of Leslie Nielsen’s original protagonist, Detective Sergeant Frank Drebin. The cast also includes Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, and CCH Pounder, among others.
Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are back for this sequel to the 2003 body-swap comedy, itself based on the children’s novel, along with Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal, and several of the other original stars.
Jordan Peele is a producer on this sports horror film from director Justin Tipping, originally titled Goat, which centers on a retiring star athlete who trains a younger talent. Marlon Wayans will star.
Maggie Gyllenhaal made an impressive directorial debut with her Elena Ferrante adaptation The Lost Daughter. Now she’s back with this sci-fi musical monster film drawing inspiration from the 1935 Bride of Frankenstein. Jessie Buckley stars as the titular bride, with Christian Bale as Frankenstein’s monster.
Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines) hasn’t directed a movie since 2016’s The Light Between Oceans, which makes this one highly anticipated. It’s a crime drama biopic about the fugitive Jeffrey Manchester (here played by Channing Tatum), a real-life spree-robber who stole from McDonald’s locations in the early 2000s by drilling and dropping through the roof.
Antoine Fuqua is tackling this wide-ranging biopic of Michael Jackson, with Jackson’s nephew Jaafar stepping into the role of the King of Pop himself. Regarding the depiction of sexual abuse allegations against Jackson, producer Graham King has explained his intent to “humanize but not sanitize and present the most compelling, unbiased story.” The movie has also cast Colman Domingo as patriarch Joe Jackson and Nia Long as Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson.
Poor Things and The Favourite filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest bizarre sci-fi comedy is actually a remake of the 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet! In Lanthimos’ version, two conspiracy theorists (one played by Kinds of Kindness star Jesse Plemons) kidnap a powerful CEO (Lanthimos veteran Emma Stone), convinced she’s an alien here to destroy the planet Earth.
This is the second film adaptation of Stephen King’s 1982 dystopian novel of the same name (originally published under his pseudonym Richard Bachman). Glen Powell plays Ben Richards, a contestant on a game show based around running from hitmen (a familiar topic for Powell) to earn money.
This year’s film adaptation of the famous stage musical Wicked (itself based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel) only covered the first act, ending with a cliffhanger following the “Defying Gravity” performance. Part Two, also directed by Jon M. Chu, will continue the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda (Ariana Grande) as their new roles of Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good challenge their close friendship.
According to James Cameron’s plans, there are still at least three more Avatar films to go. The third entry, Fire and Ash, began filming concurrently with 2022’s The Way of Water. It will explore the culture of the volcano-dwelling “Ash People” clan, who complicate the idea of the Na’vi being intrinsically good. New characters include Peylak (David Thewlis) and Varang (Oona Chaplin), the latter of whom is the leader of the Ash People.
Guillermo del Toro writes, directs, and produces this adaptation of Mary Shelley’s tale, with a cast that includes Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth.
Boston boys Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, back together again: the duo will co-star in a tale about a group of Miami cops that discovers millions of dollars hidden in a ramshackle house. Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, and Kyle Chandler also star.
The third installment in Rian Johnson’s Netflix Knives Out mystery series features the usual large ensemble of major actors, including Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, and Andrew Scott. Daniel Craig, as always, returns as detective Benoit Blanc.
Andrew Ahn and James Schamus co-wrote this remake of Ang Lee’s groundbreaking 1993 romantic comedy of the same name (also co-written by Schamus). In this take, queer friends Min (Han Gi-chan) and Angela (Kelly Marie Tran) decide to get fake-married in a traditional Korean ceremony. This way, Min can secure a green card and stay in the States with his partner Chris (Bowen Yang), while Angela and her real girlfriend Lee (Lily Gladstone) can collect the money for IVF treatments.
