Movies That Will Blow Everyone Away In 2025

As of this writing, we've still got a whole year of movies to get through before 2025 comes along. The list of films worth looking forward to in 2024 is long and includes lots of major releases, including big franchise tentpoles and major independent drops from acclaimed filmmakers. But of course, it's never too early to start thinking about the future — so let's take a look ahead to 2025. 

In 2025, we're expecting yet another round of major franchise releases, from several Marvel Cinematic Universe entries to high-powered horror sequels to the long-awaited launch of a new era of movies based on the heroes of DC Comics. We'll also enjoy a Disney live-action remake, a new Pixar adventure, and adaptations of beloved media. In short, 2025 is shaping up to be a great year for cinephiles. From "M3GAN 2.0" to "Avatar 3," here are the films we're excited to eventually check out in 2025.

Updated on August 7, 2024: As we get closer to 2025, we'll be sure to keep you updated with all the latest news about the year's most exciting movies.

Written and directed by Christian Gudegast, "Den of Thieves" hit theaters back in 2018, making off with $80 million. It's been six years since we last saw Gerard Butler's cop, Big Nick O'Brien, butt heads with O'Shea Jackson Jr.'s thief, Donnie Wilson, and we've been hearing about a potential sequel for quite some time. Now, we know exactly when the next heist will go down, as "Den of Thieves: Pantera" has been scheduled for January 10, 2025.

Per the official plot synopsis, "Big Nick is back on the hunt in Europe and closing in on Donnie, who is embroiled in the treacherous and unpredictable world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world's largest diamond exchange." Butler and Jackson will be joined here by the likes of Jordan Bridges ("Den of Thieves"), Evin Ahmad ("Snabba Cash"), and Swen Temmel ("Boss Level"), with Gudegast returning to write and direct. Combat sports fans will also be happy to hear that UFC champion Michael Bisping and kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven have joined the cast, which means we'll probably getting some epic fight scenes.

The first two "Paddington" films in the live-action franchise of the same name are almost universally beloved, with "Paddington 2" in particular singled out as one of the best movies of ... well, ever. That's a lot to live up to, but the success of the first two films means that someone has to try, so in 2025, we'll get a trip to Peru courtesy of everyone's favorite British bear.

"Paddington in Peru" will be the first film in the series not to be directed and written by Paul King, with Dougal Wilson stepping in to helm his first feature film. However, both King and his "Paddington 2" co-writer Simon Farnaby stuck around to help develop the story. As the title suggests, the new movie will follow Paddington (again voiced by Ben Whishaw) and the Browns as they travel to South America, hoping to visit Paddington's Aunt Lucy at the Home for Retired Bears. Unfortunately, Aunt Lucy has gone missing, and now, our heroes will go on the ultimate holiday in the Amazon in order to find her.

In addition to Whishaw, "Paddington in Peru" will feature fellow returning cast members Hugh Bonneville, Madeleine Davis, Samuel Joslin, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, and Imelda Staunton, with Emily Mortimer ("Mary Poppins Returns") stepping in for Sally Hawkins. In terms of new cast members, Paddington will be joined by the likes of Olivia Colman ("The Favourite"), Antonio Banderas ("The Mask of Zorro"), and newcomer Carlo Tous who's filling in for Rachel Zegler after the "Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" actress had to leave due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes.

"Paddington in Peru" hits theaters January 17, 2025.

In 2020, filmmaker Leigh Whannell took the classic "Invisible Man" story and gave it a modern-day spin, and now, he looks to do the same thing with another iconic Universal monster — the Wolf Man.

Originally, the "Wolf Man" movie was meant to star Ryan Gosling of "Barbie" fame, working under filmmaker Derek Cianfrance ("The Place Beyond the Pines"). Eventually, both left the project, and now Whannell is working with Christopher Abbott, who you'll now doubt recognize from his incredibly scary turn in "Poor Things."

According to the official plot synopsis, Abbott will portray "a man whose family is being terrorized by a lethal predator." However, we do wonder if the predator haunting Abbott's family will turn out to be Abbott himself. In addition to the "Poor Things" actor, we'll also see Julia Garner of "Ozark" and the upcoming "Fantastic Four." The Blumhouse movie was originally meant to horrify audiences in October 2024, but it's since been moved to January 17, 2025.

Steven Soderbergh is going to have a big 2025. Later in the year, we'll see his spy thriller "Black Bag," starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett. But before we get the international intrigue, first he'll creep us out with "Presence," a haunted house tale that premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

The plot will follow a family of four who move into what seems to be their dream home. However, there's a presence in the house that's watching the family at their most vulnerable moments and takes an interest in the daughter. It appears the movie will largely — if not completely — take place from a first-person POV, with the camera subbing in for the paranormal entity as it watches the family move in.

Feeling something supernatural is lurking about, the family will be portrayed by Lucy Liu ("Kill Bill"), Chris Sullivan ("This Is Us"), Callina Liang ("Foundation"), and newcomer Eddy Maday. The movie also stars Julia Fox ("Uncut Gems"), the script comes courtesy of David Koepp ("Jurassic Park"), and it will be released by Neon, which found smashing horror success with 2024's "Longlegs." Interestingly, Deadline reports that Soderbergh was inspired to make the movie thanks to an actual house he once lived in, as the story goes someone was actually murdered inside before the director moved in.

Bong Joon-ho made history at the 92nd Academy Awards when his dark thriller/comedy "Parasite" became the first foreign-language movie to ever win best picture. The Korean movie also earned best international feature film, and Bong nabbed trophies for directing and screenwriting. So film fans are all waiting with bated breath for his next feature — "Mickey 17," a sci-fi film starring Robert Pattinson ("The Batman").

Based on a novel by Edward Ashton, "Mickey 17" will find Pattinson playing an "expendable" — a clone sent to colonize an ice planet. When one clone dies, another takes his place, keeping all the previous clone's memories. We don't know much more about the plot, but we do know Pattinson will be acting alongside a murderers' row of talent, with Steven Yeun ("Beef"), Toni Collette ("Hereditary"), Mark Ruffalo ("Poor Things"), and Naomi Acke ("Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody").

Interestingly, "Mickey-17" was originally marked for a March 2024 release, but Warner Bros. eventually decided to kick it back all the way to January 31, 2025. Per Variety, that's because the movie was majorly impacted by the 2023 Hollywood strikes, and Bong needed more time to bring his vision to the screen. We're incredibly excited to see what he has in store, especially with a star like Pattinson as the lead.

Ke Huy Quan is one of the greatest Hollywood comeback stories of all time. He got his start in '80s classics like "The Goonies" and "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," but shortly after that, the parts dried up due to a lack of Asian characters in Hollywood movies. However, Quan came storming back into the spotlight with 2022's "Everything Everywhere All at Once," earning a best supporting Oscar for his incredible turn as Waymond Wang. Now, Quan has his next feature film lined up, starring — for the very first time — as the main character of a big-deal movie.

The film is titled "Without Love," and it'll be released on February 7, 2025. We know very little about the movie, but we're expecting it to be an action flick, as it's being produced by 87North, the company behind titles like "Nobody" and "The Fall Guy." Plus, it will be directed by Jonathan Eusebio, who previously worked as a stunt and fight coordinator in projects like "The Matrix Resurrections" and "Black Panther." Quan will be joined here by fellow Oscar winner Ariana DeBose ("West Side Story"), as well as Daniel Wu of "American Born Chinese."

In 2025, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) takes the lead role of Captain America for the first time on the big screen. The Disney+ series "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" showed us Wilson's road to picking up the shield, going through many obstacles along the way. Now, it'll be up to him to show us his version of the First Avenger.

"Captain America: Brave New World" is co-written by "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" showrunner Malcolm Spellman and directed by Julius Onah ("The Cloverfield Paradox"). The film has been described as a paranoid thriller, and per the official plot synopsis, it will find Sam "in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red." That last part is no doubt a reference to Red Hulk, the angry alter ego of Thaddeus Ross, played here by Harrison Ford (replacing the late William Hurt). In the film, Ross is the newly elected president of the U.S., which might make his transformation a bit problematic for the federal government.

We know the story will somehow involve the remains of the Celestial Tiamut, who's made of adamantium, allowing the fabled metal to finally become part of MCU lore. As for bad guys, Tim Blake Nelson will return from "The Incredible Hulk" as the uber-intelligent Leader — his plot may involve activating some dangerous sleeper agents — while Giancarlo Esposito will play the villainous Sidewinder, king of the Serpent Society. Additionally, "Hulk" star Liv Tyler will return as Betty Ross, Danny Ramirez will play the new Falcon, Carl Lumbly reprises his "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" character Isaiah Bradley, Shira Haas ("Unorthodox") will play Israeli superhero Sabra, and Rosa Salazar ("Alita: Battle Angel") will also appear.

As the son of Norman Bates himself, Osgood Perkins has horror in his blood — something he's proven with terrifying films like "The Blackcoat's Daughter" and "Longlegs." In 2025, he'll return to the scary well, albeit with a slightly lighter spin. Perkins will be adapting the Stephen King short story "The Monkey," a tale about two brothers who discover an old monkey toy. Shortly afterward, people start dropping dead, and the brothers believe the creepy primate is somehow responsible.

Speaking with Bloody Disgusting, Perkins explained the feel of his upcoming movie, saying, "It's gonna feel more like 'Misery' or 'Creepshow' or 'Gremlins' or 'American Werewolf.' ... So much of King is funny and nostalgic feeling. So we tried to make a movie that felt a little bit more like something from the late '80s – '90s. It's sorta like, if Robert Zemeckis had just like a little bit of acid and made a Stephen King picture about a monkey toy."

Helping to bring this story to life, Perkins has recruited Theo James ("The White Lotus"), Elijah Wood ("The Lord of the Rings"), and Tatiana Maslany ("She-Hulk"), among others. We'll see Stephen King's simian scareshow hit theater screens on February 21, 2025.

When it comes to the great actor-director pairings, you might think of names like Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro or Alfred Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart. Of course, you also have to add Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan to that list. This dynamic duo has been working together since 2013's "Fruitvale Station." In fact, Coogler has yet to make a feature film without his longtime buddy appearing somewhere in the movie (Jordan even had a quick cameo in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"). Now, the two "Creed" collaborators are teaming up yet again for a new tale — one that promises plenty of blood and undead action.

Yep, Coogler and Jordan are reportedly making a vampire movie. While nothing is official, rumor has it that Jordan will be playing a pair of vampire twins in the 1930s South. With the movie reportedly taking place in the Jim Crow era, it seems that Jordan's bloodsucking characters will be the heroes, and Jack O'Connell of "Unbroken" is set to play the villain. Does that mean we're getting a "vampires vs. the KKK" movie? Because that sounds incredibly awesome. In addition to O'Connell, we'll see Hailee Steinfeld ("Hawkeye"), Delroy Lindo ("Da 5 Bloods"), and Wunmi Mosaku ("Loki"). The vampire tale hits the big screen on March 7, 2025.

Steven Soderbergh has one of the most exciting and eclectic filmographies of any director working today. He's got big populist hits like "Erin Brockovich" and "Ocean's Eleven," important indie classics like "Sex, Lies, and Videotape," and weirdo experiments like "Bubble," not to mention titles like "Contagion," "Traffic," "Magic Mike," and "Out of Sight." Next up, Soderbergh is directing a spy thriller called "Black Bag," and while we don't know the plot, we know it boasts a killer cast.

Cate Blanchett (the "Lord of the Rings" franchise) and Michael Fassbender ("The Killer") will lead the upcoming espionage flick. They'll be working alongside James Bond himself, Pierce Brosnan, as well as Regé-Jean Page ("Bridgerton"), Marisa Abela ("Back to Black"), Naomie Harris ("Skyfall"), and Tom Burke ("Furiosa"). The script hails from David Koepp ("Jurassic Park"), and we'll see the film's secrets laid bare on March 14, 2025.

The Walt Disney Company has spent a lot of time over the last decade making live-action updates of its animated classics. But, despite an ever-growing roster of new live-action films, Disney's original animated masterpiece hasn't gotten the adaptation treatment ... until now. In 2025, "Snow White" will finally head into the remake realm, and she'll do it with A-list talent behind her.

Directed by Marc Webb ("The Amazing Spider-Man") and written by Greta Gerwig ("Barbie") and Erin Cressida Wilson ("The Girl on the Train"), this new vision of Snow White's tale will star Rachel Zegler, the breakout lead from Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story," in the title role. But of course, every Snow White needs an evil queen, and for that honor Webb and company turned to Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot. Throw in the promise of some new songs and storytelling twists, and it's got Event Movie written all over it — if only because we all want to see how Disney will rework its breakthrough animated film.

"Snow White" arrives March 21, 2026.

Robert De Niro loves playing gangsters, but he usually plays these complicated criminals under the direction of Martin Scorsese. However, in March 2025, De Niro will team up with filmmaker Barry Levinson to play not one but two mobsters. The upcoming crime film is titled "Alto Knights" — previously called "The Wise Guys" — and it's based on a script by Nicholas Pileggi, who wrote the books that inspired "Goodfellas" and "Casino" (and who also co-wrote those screenplays).

According to the plot synopsis, the movie will follow "two of New York's most notorious organized crime bosses, Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, and how their separate paths to power place them on a deadly collision course." De Niro will play both parts, and he'll be joined here by Debra Messing ("Will & Grace") and Kathrine Narducci ("The Sopranos"). As for Levinson, it's been a minute since he's directed a movie that's really resonated with critics and audiences, but back in the day, he helmed classic titles like "Rain Man," "Diner," "Good Morning, Vietnam."

Expect to see De Niro working double time on March 21, 2025.

"Minecraft" has risen through the video game ranks to become one of the most popular games of all time, a ubiquitous sandbox in which kids of all ages can play and build. As a result, it's expanded throughout pop culture to become a media empire. But there's still one thing it doesn't have: A feature film to call its own.

In 2025, "Minecraft" finally gets a movie, courtesy of "Napoleon Dynamite" writer and director Jared Hess. We still have no idea what the movie will be about, or how it will work with the established lore and iconography of the game, but we do know who will star. Aquaman himself, Jason Momoa, will take the lead in the movie, and Jack Black will reportedly star as "Minecraft" character Steve. You can also expect to see Jennifer Coolidge ("The White Lotus"), Matt Berry ("What We Do in the Shadows"), Kate McKinnon ("Barbie"), Jemaine Clement ("Flight of the Conchords"), Emma Mayers ("Wednesday"), and Danielle Brooks ("The Color Purple"), who'll be singing with Jack Black in the film.

That's pretty much all we know about the "Minecraft" movie at this point, but we're betting we'll learn more quite soon. The film is on track for an April 4, 2025 release, so bring your pixelated pickaxes and get ready.

There's never been a musician like Michael Jackson. The moonwalking icon delivered some of the greatest songs and most impressive dance moves of all time, and no modern pop star compares when it comes to celebrity and influence. Now, Jackson will be the subject of his very own biopic, with director Antoine Fuqua at the helm. Fuqua is best known for his collaborations with Denzel Washington in projects like "Training Day" and "The Equalizer," but he's also helmed documentaries like "What's My Name: Muhammad Ali" and "American Dream/American Knightmare."

The script hails from John Logan — who previously penned "Gladiator," "The Aviator," and "Skyfall" — and will star Jackson's own nephew, Jafaar Jackson, in the title role. Colman Domingo ("Rustin") will play Jackson's infamous father, Joe, while Nia Long ("Boyz N the Hood") will play Jackson's mother, Katherine, and Miles Teller ("Top Gun: Maverick") will portray lawyer John Branca. The biopic will reportedly cover the King of Pop's entire life, although with Jackson's nephew in the starring role and the Jackson estate involved with the film, we're unsure how the movie will address the sexual abuse allegations against Jackson, if at all.

According to the official plot synopsis, "'Michael' will bring audiences a riveting and honest portrayal of the brilliant yet complicated man who became the King of Pop. The film presents his triumphs and tragedies on an epic, cinematic scale — from his human side and personal struggles to his undeniable creative genius, exemplified by his most iconic performances. As never before, audiences will experience an inside look into one of the most influential, trailblazing artists the world has ever known."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

"Thunderbolts*" feels like a payoff to years of Marvel Cinematic Universe storytelling, the kind of film that couldn't happen without a half-dozen other stories in between. In 2025, we'll finally get to see if all that piecing together turns into something exciting.

Based on the comic book team of the same name, "Thunderbolts*" will star a group of antiheroes and former villains from throughout the MCU, including Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), Red Guardian (David Harbour), and more, all under the watchful eye of Contessa Valentina Allega de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). Unfortunately, both Ayo Edebiri of "The Bear" and Steven Yeun of "Beef" were meant to star in the film but have since pulled out due to scheduling conflicts. Edebiri — who was playing an unknown character — will be replaced by Geraldine Viswanathan ("Miracle Workers") while Yeun — who was rumored to play the superhero Sentry — will be replaced by Lewis Pullman ("Top Gun: Maverick").

So, what kind of hijinks will the Thunderbolts get up to? We don't know yet, but we do know to expect something like a "Suicide Squad" for the MCU, with loads of characters and lots of action. The film was originally supposed to arrive at Christmas 2024, but after a bit of shuffling around the board, it'll hit movie theaters on May 2, 2025. Also, we have no clue why there's an asterisk in the movie's title, but Kevin Feige says we'll find out after the movie hits theaters.

It's been a while since we've seen a David Robert Mitchell movie. After his initial feature-length debut, "The Myth of the American Sleepover," Mitchell directed an instant horror classic with the incredibly creepy "It Follows." He followed that up with "Under the Silver Lake," and while that otherworldly neo-noir definitely has its supporters, it wouldn't be unfair to say the film's disappointing box office and mixed reception landed Mitchell in directors' jail.

However, it appears that Mitchell has finally been set free, as he'll release a new movie on May 16, 2025. Titled "Flowervale Street," the film has an air of mystery about it. We know that it stars Ewan McGregor ("Obi-Wan Kenobi") and Anne Hathaway ("The Idea of You"), as well as Christian Convery ("Sweet Tooth") and Maisy Stella ("My Old Ass"). Mitchell is writing the script, and there have been rumors floating around that the movie might involve dinosaurs and might be set in the '80s, but that's very much speculation at the moment.

We do know for a fact that the film will be released in IMAX, and it's being described as a "thrill-ride." That right there is enough to get us fired up about what's sure to be a fascinating fourth film from Mitchell.

In 2021, we learned the plan for the future of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise is back-to-back seventh and eighth installments, shot almost simultaneously and geared toward a massive sendoff of Tom Cruise's lead character, Ethan Hunt. Now, it seems many of those plans have changed, but no matter what the story turns out to be, we're still getting an eighth movie in 2025.

Cruise will of course return as Hunt, alongside writer-director Christopher McQuarrie and stars Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, and Pom Klementieff. You can also expect to see newcomers Hanna Waddingham ("Ted Lasso"), Nick Offerman ("Parks and Recreation"), Katy O'Brian ("Love Lies Bleeding"), Tramell Tillman ("Severance"), and Holt McCallany ("Mindhunter"). Originally billed as "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Two," the film now has no official subtitle, as things get somewhat retooled following the release of "Dead Reckoning." What the new title will be isn't clear, and it's also not clear that the film is intended as a conclusion, as McQuarrie has noted there are still plenty of ideas for more installments.

However it turns out, "Mission: Impossible 8" is set to hit theaters May 23, 2025, so we'll know more soon enough.

For the longest time, we all assumed there was zero connection between the original "Karate Kid" movies and the 2010 reboot starring Jackie Chan ... but we were wrong. On May 30, 2025, the "Karate Kid" films will collide, with Ralph Macchio's Daniel LaRusso meeting up with Jackie Chan's Mr. Han for an all-new adventure.

The upcoming movie will be directed by Jonathan Entwistle, behind Netflix series such as "I'm Not Okay" and "The End of the F***ing World," and the script will hail from Rob Lieber of "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." The lead of the film will be played by Ben Wang of "American Born Chinese," and his character will move from China to the East Coast where he'll find direction on the path of martial arts.

Along the way, we're assuming he'll be mentored by either Daniel or Mr. Han — or perhaps both! Rounding out the cast, we'll see Ming-Na Wen ("The Book of Boba Fett"), Joshua Jackson ("Dr. Death"), and Sadie Stanley ("Cruel Summer"), among others. The film was originally meant to be a 2024 release, but among other reasons, it was kicked back to 2025 so "Cobra Kai" could finish its six-season run before the movie hit theaters, implying the beloved Netflix series must be canon in this world as well.

On June 6, 2025, we'll be heading back to the world of bulletproof suits and secret assassin societies with "Ballerina." Directed by Len Wiseman of "Underworld" and "Live Free or Die Hard," the movie will follow Ana de Armas ("Knives Out") as the titular ballerina, a killer "trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma," per the official plot synopsis. If you'll remember, John Wick came out of the Ruska Roma crime family, a group that also trains female assassins in the arts of murder and ballet dancing, thus the title of the film.

It's also been reported the movie will find de Armas' character trying to get revenge against the villains who killed her parents. Joining the "Blonde" star, Anjelica Huston will reprise her role as the Director, the late Lance Reddick has reprised the part of Continental concierge Charon, Ian McShane will charm everyone as Continental head Winston, and Keanu Reeves will appear as John Wick. (The film is reportedly a midquel, taking place between the third and fourth "John Wick" movies.)

Newcomers to the film include Gabriel Byrne ("The Usual Suspects"), Norman Reedus ("The Walking Dead"), Catalina Sandino ("Maria Full of Grace"), David Castañeda ("The Umbrella Academy"), and Sharon Duncan-Brewster ("Sex Education"). The original script was penned by Shay Hatten — who previously worked on "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" and "John Wick: Chapter 4" — with rewrites done by Emerald Fennell of "Saltburn" and "Promising Young Woman." Interestingly, "Ballerina" was supposed to hit theaters in 2024, but franchise overseer Chad Stahelski was brought on to help Len Wiseman shoot some new action scenes.

After three hit animated movies, three animated series, and countless spinoffs into other realms of entertainment, the "How to Train Your Dragon" franchise is still going strong — but there's one frontier it hasn't conquered yet. In 2025, that changes: The franchise is gearing up for its first-ever live-action entry.

Described as a live-action reboot of the original story, the new "How to Train Your Dragon" film will feature the return of franchise mastermind Dean DeBlois as both writer and director, which means the story is in safe hands for longtime fans. To help him along the way, DeBlois has enlisted young stars Mason Thames ("The Black Phone") and Nico Parker ("The Last of Us") to play the live-action versions of Hiccup and Astrid. Serving as a bridge between the animated and live-action films, Gerard Butler will reprise the role of Stoick, the Viking leader and father of Hiccup. We'll also see Julian Dennison ("Deadpool 2"), Gabriel Howell ("Bodies"), Bronwyn James ("The Dig"), and Harry Trevaldwyn ("The Bubble") playing Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut, respectively.

So, how will the new film diverge from the old? What will the live-action visuals accomplish that the animated ones couldn't? We don't know yet, but we can't wait to find out. The new "How to Train Your Dragon" film was originally scheduled for March 14, 2025, but it's since been pushed back to June 13, 2025.

In 2025, Pixar Animation Studios will celebrate 30 years since the release of "Toy Story," its first feature animated film and the start of one of the most impressive creative runs anyone can remember. But Pixar's not just all about its beloved franchises. The studio continues to churn out original films based on exciting ideas from up-and-coming talent, and "Elio" is the latest one to emerge from that tradition.

Written and directed by "Coco" writer Adrian Molina, "Elio" tells the story of the titular boy (Yonas Kibreab) as he's unexpectedly beamed up and out of his Earthly home and into a kind of intergalactic Senate, where representatives from countless worlds gather to discuss the wellbeing of the universe. Mistaken for Earth's representative, Elio must learn how to speak for a whole planet while making new friends along the way.

With a promising plot, and a voice cast that includes standouts like America Ferrera, Jameela Jamil, and Brad Garrett, "Elio" sounds like our kind of space adventure. The film beams up June 13, 2025.

Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" is a landmark horror movie, bringing the zombie genre back to life and paving the way for horror fare like "The Walking Dead." The film found Cillian Murphy playing a man waking up from a coma to discover the world has been overrun with the flesh-hungry infected, and it eventually gave way to the sequel "28 Months Later." Now, if you're wondering what happened in this post-apocalyptic world 28 years later ... well ... we're about to find out.

Boyle is returning to the zombie space with the appropriately named "28 Years Later," the first in a planned trilogy. Alex Garland — who wrote the original and has directed projects like "Ex Machina" and "Civil War" — will pen the script. The start of a new series will feature major actors such as Ralph Fiennes ("The Menu"), Jodie Comer ("Killing Eve"), Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kraven the Hunter"), Erin Kellyman ("The Falcon and the Winter Soldier"), and Jack O'Connell ("Unbroken"), along with the man who started it all — the Oscar-winning Cillian Murphy. The terrifying tale will hit theater screens on June 20, 2025, and a sequel directed by Nia DaCosta ("Candyman") will follow soon after.

In the early months of 2023, "M3GAN" emerged as a runaway horror hit for Universal Pictures, setting the stage for another round of adventures for the killer doll and the family she's out to keep, no matter the cost. It took just days for the studio to greenlight a sequel after the film's premiere, confirming that "M3GAN 2.0" would reunite writer Akela Cooper and stars Allison Williams and Violet McGraw, with director Gerald Johnstone also returning for the second film. Ivanna Sakhno of "Ahsoka," Timm Sharp of "Percy Jackson and the Olympians," Aristotle Athari of "Hacks," and Jemaine Clement of "Flight of the Conchords" have all joined the cast, and we'll also see the return of Brian Jordan Alvarez as Cole and Jen Van Epps as Tess.

We don't know much about what the follow-up will do in terms of story, but the original film leaves a teaser that suggests M3GAN has managed to survive as a piece of software moving between systems, so it's possible she'll get a new body (and a few new dances) the second time around. Producer James Wan elaborated on this a bit with Empire Magazine (via Collider), saying, "The first film came just at the right time [when concerns about AI were mounting], and we're definitely leaning into that on the next one. We're exploring the AI universe even further."

Whatever happens, we know we won't want to miss it. "M3GAN 2.0" hits theaters on June 27, 2025.

"Top Gun: Maverick" was one of the biggest hits of 2022, soaring up the box office to earn $1.5 billion. Now, the creative minds behind the Tom Cruise blockbuster are joining forces with a new movie star for what's sure to be another big-screen thrill ride. Director Joseph Kosinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and screenwriter Ehren Kruger are about to burn some serious rubber with Brad Pitt. The "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" star will lead a Formula 1 racing movie from Apple, with Warner Bros. overseeing the IMAX release.

Alongside Pitt, the untitled racing movie will feature Kerry Condon ("The Banshees of Inisherin"), Javier Bardem ("Dune: Part Two'), Damson Idris ("Snowfall"), Tobias Menzies ("The Crown"), and Sarah Niles ("Ted Lasso"), among others. The film will utilize actual racing footage, captured with the 6k camera technology utilized in "Top Gun: Maverick," and Pitt elaborated a bit on the plot with Sky Sports, saying that he plays an F1 driver "who raced in the 1990s ... who has a horrible crash, craps out and disappears, then he's racing in other disciplines. His friend, played by Javier Bardem, he's a team owner, contacts him. They're a last place team, they're 21-22 on the grid, they've never scored a point. But they have a young phenom, played by Damson Idris, and they bring me in as kind of a Hail Mary and hijinks ensue."

Pitt went on to hype the movie even more, explaining, "Tell you what's amazing about it — there are cameras mounted all over the car — you've never seen speed, you've never seen just the G-forces like this. It's really, really exciting."

Dinosaurs might be extinct, but no meteorite can kill the "Jurassic Park" franchise. The 1993 original has given way to a billion-dollar series, and while there have been some high and lows along the way, that T-Rex keeps coming back for more box office dollars. And following the "Jurassic World" trilogy — led by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard — it looks like Universal plans on rebooting the franchise, with a release date already set for July 2, 2025.

That ... is not very far away. How can a massive blockbuster reliant on elaborate special effects be ready in such a short amount of time? Well, if anyone can pull it off, it's Gareth Edwards. The filmmaker has helmed some colossal movies like "Rogue One" and 2014's "Godzilla," and he also made "The Creator" for just $80 million. While the plot of that 2023 sci-fi thriller didn't blow anyone away, everybody was impressed with its Oscar-nominated visual effects.

So with Edwards' keen eye, there's a good chance the new "Jurassic World" movie will look fantastic. Plus, the screenplay is coming from David Koepp, who penned the original "Jurassic Park." As for the plot, all we know is that the movie is being billed as a "new Jurassic era," which seems to imply that stars like Pratt, Howard, and even OGs like Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern won't be back. Instead, Scarlett Johansson of MCU fame, Mahershala Ali of "Leave the World Behind," Jonathan Bailey of Showtime's "Fellow Travelers," Manuel Garcia-Rulfo of "The Lincoln Lawyer," and Rupert Friend of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" will star alongside big-name stars like T. Rex and Velociraptor.

Matt Stone and Trey Parker are legends when it comes to edgy, controversial comedy. They created one of the most infamous animated series of all time, "South Park," and also went on to make the hilariously shocking "Team America: World Police." Now, they're creating a live-action comedy with one of the most important musicians of the 21st century: the Pulitzer-, Emmy-, and Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar.

At the moment, we have no idea what the project will be about or who will star. We know it isn't a musical, despite some early reports describing it that way. As for the script, it comes from Vernon Chatman, who was a writer and producer on "South Park" and was also involved with the first "Jackass" movie. Talking about the upcoming film at 2024's CinemaCon, executive Brian Robbins of Paramount announced, "This script is one of the funniest and most original scripts we've ever read, and it's certain to create some fireworks when it hits theaters on July 4th, 2025."

In November 2022, James Gunn became co-head of DC Studios, and in the process ushered in a new era for DC's superhero films. In 2025, the first fruits of all that work will finally emerge in the form of "Superman," formerly titled "Superman: Legacy" and the character's first standalone film since "Man of Steel" more than a decade earlier.

Written and directed by Gunn, the new film is set to star a younger version of the title character, thus introducing a new version of the DC universe that Gunn and company can build out into something exciting. In March 2023, Gunn revealed that David Corenswet is his choice to play the new Superman, while Rachel Brosnahan of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" will play Lois Lane. This casting news sets the stage for an exciting new era of Superman stories, but that's only the beginning. 

Nicholas Hoult of "The Menu" will portray Lex Luthor, and you can also expect to see Nathan Fillion ("The Rookie") as Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Skyler Gisondo ("The Righteous Gemstones") as Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce ("The Wire") as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White, and Isabel Merced ("Dora and the Lost City of Gold") as Hawkgirl. The line-up will also include Anthony Carrigan ("Barry") as Metamorpho, Maria Gabriela de Faria ("The Moodys") as Angela Spica/The Engineer, Edi Gathegi ("For All Mankind") as Mister Terrific, and Sara Sampaio as Lex Luthor's henchwoman Eve Teschmacher.

We can't wait for this one, and "Superman" will fly into theaters on July 11, 2025.

Leslie Nielsen found fame in movies like "Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun," along with the TV show "Police Squad!" The secret to Nielsen's success was that he always played the jokes straight — no matter how absurd they were. So if you rebooted a beloved property like "The Naked Gun," you'd need someone who could play stone-cold serious in the most insane circumstances.

Well, Paramount is indeed rebooting "The Naked Gun," and they've found the perfect lead. Liam Neeson will step in for the late Nielsen, and while the Irish star is best known for action fare, he's proven his comedy chops in the sitcom "Life's Too Short" and voicing the character of Bad Cop/Good Cop in "The Lego Movie." Similar to Nielsen, Neeson made us hold our sides laughing because he delivered over-the-top jokes with a perfectly straight face.

As for the rest of the cast, Paul Walter Hauser ("Black Bird") will play his partner, Ed, and we'll also see the likes of Pamela Anderson ("Baywatch"), Kevin Durand ("Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes"), Danny Huston ("Yellowstone"), Liza Koshy ("Transformers: Rise of the Beasts"), CCH Pounder ("The Shield"), and rapper Busta Rhymes, as well as a cameo by – spoilers – WWE champion Cody Rhodes.

Akiva Schaffer of The Lonely Island will be directing, as well as co-writing with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. These three were responsible for the shockingly good "Chip n' Dale: Rescue Rangers movie," and Schaffer has also helmed the comedy classics "Hot Rod" and "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping." With those names involved, we feel pretty confident that "The Naked Gun" will produce more than a few chuckles on July 18, 2025.

Screenwriter Kevin Williamson was on a tear in the 1990s, penning scripts for meta horror films featuring rising stars a la "Scream" and "The Faculty." Williamson also wrote the screenplay for 1997's "I Know What You Did Last Summer," a thriller starring the likes of Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Sarah Michelle Gellar. In the twisty beach-side film, these young actors find themselves being hunted by a mysterious killer after their involvement in a deadly automobile accident, and the film led to two additional sequels and a TV series.

However, it's been quite a while since we've seen any good summer slashings, and if you're ready to see a murderous fisherman hunt down unlikable teens, you're about to have your very particular wish fulfilled. A new "I Know What You Did Last Summer" movie is headed to theaters on July 18, 2025. Hewitt and Prinze will return to the franchise, and they'll be accompanied by a host of young stars, many of whom might wind up on the wrong end of a meat hook: Camila Mendes ("Riverdale"), Madelyn Cline ("Outer Banks"), Sarah Pidgeon ("Tiny Beautiful Things"), Tyriq Withers ("Atlanta"), and Jonah Haur-King ("The Little Mermaid"). 

As for who's calling the shots, the movie will be directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson of "Do Revenge" fame, who co-wrote the screenplay along with Sam Lansky. She also revealed on X that the 1998 sequel "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer" is canon in her movie's universe, so we wonder how that will impact the plot or the characters involved with the slasher flick.

The Fantastic Four is one of the most famous superhero teams ever — and seemingly cursed to star in subpar movies. But now that they're in the MCU fold, we're hoping for a movie that exceeds all expectations. We don't know much about the plot for the upcoming film — other than it takes place in alternate universe's 1960s New York – but we do know who's portraying Marvel's First Family. After years of online speculation, Marvel Studios revealed the cast on Valentine's Day 2024. Pedro Pascal of "The Mandalorian" will portray Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise will play Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn of "Stranger Things" will star as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch), and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will play Ben Grimm (aka the Thing). 

Julia Garner of "Ozark" will appear as the Silver Surfer, Ralph Ineson of "The First Omen" will play Galactus, and Natasha Lyonne ("Poker Face"), John Malkovich ("Con Air"), and Paul Walter Hauser ("Black Bird") will portray unknown characters. As for who's running the show, "WandaVision" director Matt Shakman has taken the helm, replacing "Spider-Man: Homecoming" director Jon Watts. After initially being a scheduled for a May 2025 release date, "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" has been shuffled back a little further in the year. Now, we'll finally get to see Marvel's most famous family join the MCU on July 25, 2025.

The Bad Guys are back, baby. After Mr. Wolf and company cleaned up their act in the first film, the villains turned heroes are back for more heisty adventures with "The Bad Guys 2." Sam Rockwell returns to voice Mr. Wolf, alongside Marc Maron as Mr. Snake, Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula, Craig Robinson as Mr. Shark, and Anthony Ramos as Mr. Piranha. Other returning cast members include Zazie Beetz (Diana Foxington) and Richard Ayoade (Professor Marmalade).

Pierre Perifel is also coming back to direct, alongside JP Sans who worked on the first movie as the head of character animation. As for the plot, the official logline lets us know that our anthropomorphic antiheroes "are struggling to find trust and acceptance in their newly minted lives as Good Guys, when they are pulled out of retirement and forced to do 'one last job' by an all-female squad of criminals."

When Paul Thomas Anderson directs a movie, it's a major cinematic event. The man has only released nine movies to date, but almost all of them have been instant classics, a la "Boogie Nights," "There Will Be Blood," "Phantom Thread," and "Licorice Pizza." Now, the master — see what we did there? — is returning with an untitled project that just might be the biggest movie of his career thus far.

This untitled project stars the one and only Leonardo DiCaprio, hot off the heels of "Killers of the Flower Moon." The movie will also star Sean Penn ("Mystic River"), Benicio del Toro ("Sicario"), Regina Hall ("Girls Trip"), Teyana Taylor ("A Thousand and One"), Wood Harris ("Creed"), Alana Haim ("Licorice Pizza"), and newcomer Chase Infiniti. In addition to directing, Anderson is writing the script, but we're not 100% sure what the film will be about.

However, rumor has it that the untitled film will be adapting Thomas Pynchon's novel "Vineland." (If true, this would be Anderson's second Pynchon adaptation after "Inherent Vice.") The plot of the aforementioned book involves an ex-hippie on the run from a vengeful federal agent, along with plenty of family drama and political/cultural satire. Interestingly, it's also believed the movie will take place in modern day, as opposed to the novel's 1980s setting.

Of course, the Pynchon stuff hasn't been confirmed, but IndieWire has reported that the movie will be Anderson's most "commercial" project, which seems like an odd way of describing a possible Thomas Pynchon adaptation. Regardless of what source material Anderson is or isn't working with, we'll see the story play out in IMAX on August 8, 2025.

Seriously, who among us thought that the guy who played Saul Goodman could also play a John Wick-style assassin? Ahem — nobody. But we were all very wrong, as Bob Odenkirk unleashed hell on an army of Russian mobsters in 2021's "Nobody." The "Better Call Saul" star will get another chance to show off his martial arts chops with "Nobody 2," and we're expecting an even bigger and bloodier affair.

This time around, the movie will be directed by Indonesian filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto, who made one of the goriest action films of all time with "The Night Comes for Us." (Tjahjanto is also pretty skilled in the horror department, with "May the Devil Take You" and installments in two of the "V/H/S" movies.) Connie Nielsen will be coming back as Odenkirk's wife, Christopher Lloyd will return as his retired FBI agent dad, and Sharon Stone of "Basic Instinct" fame will be playing the main villain. As for the script, it will be penned by original writer Derek Kolstad, Umair Aleem ("Kate"), Aaron Rabin ("Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan"), and Odenkirk himself. Expect the mayhem to play out on August 15, 2025.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga have been battling demons as Ed and Lorraine Warren since 2013. The two have starred in three proper "Conjuring" movies, and their initial horror tale kicked off a whole entire franchise that's given us films like "Annabelle," "The Nun," and "The Curse of La Llorona." However, while the spin-offs will keep on stirring up scares, it seems the Warrens are about to exorcize their last evil spirit.

Yep, "The Conjuring: Last Rites"" — currently dated for September 5, 2025 — is reportedly the last installment in the main "Conjuring" franchise. At the moment, we don't know what the plot is for sure, but the post-credit scene for "The Nun II" hinted that the Warrens might be called into action against the big bad Valak. Michael Chavez, who helmed the aforementioned "Nun" and "The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It," will direct the fourth film, and the script comes courtesy of David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, who penned the second and third "Conjuring" movies.

We last visited the Crawleys and their lovable servants back in 2022, with "Downton Abbey: A New Era." Now, we're returning to their luxurious estate on September 12, 2025, with the third installment in the "Downton Abbey" film series. The last film left off with — spoiler alert — Maggie Smith's Violet Crawley passing away, a change-up in the position of butler, and the 1920s coming to a close. We don't exactly know what's going to happen in part three, but the sequel film established quite a few storylines to work with.

As for the cast, pretty much all the old favorites are coming back, such as Hugh Bonneville (Robert), Elizabeth McGovern (Cora), Michelle Dockery (Mary), Laura Carmichael (Edith), Jim Carter (Carson), Phyllis Logan (the former Mrs. Hughes), Robert James-Collier (Barrow), Joanne Froggatt (Anna), Allen Leech (Tom), and Brendan Coyle (Bates), among many others. We'll also see the return of Dominic West as silent movie star Guy Dexter and Paul Giamatti as Cora's playboy brother, Harold Levinson. Newcomers to the franchise include Joely Richardson ("Nip/Tuck"), Alessandro Nivola ("Kraven the Hunter"), and Simon Russell Beale ("House of the Dragon").

The script will be penned by Julian Fellowes, the creator of "Downton Abbey," while "A New Era" director Simon Curtis returns to helm the threequel. However, there may be some sad news for long-time "Downton" fans. Speaking with BBC Radio 2, actress Imelda Staunton — who played Lady Maud Bagshaw in the previous two movies — said the end might be nigh for the franchise, describing the third movie as the "final film."

When Jordan Peele isn't directing his own movies, he's busy producing films through his Monkeypaw banner. He's been behind eclectic titles such as "Candyman," "Wendell & Wild," and "Monkey Man," and now he's lending his producing powers to the upcoming sports horror film "Him."

Originally titled "GOAT," "Him" will follow a promising NFL star who gets to train with a world-famous quarterback at his remote compound. Needless to say, things don't exactly go as planned, with the log line suggesting we'll get a "blood-chilling journey into the inner sanctum of fame, power, and the pursuit of excellence at any cost."

Tyriq Withers ("Atlanta") will play the young athlete, and Marlon Wayans (the "Scary Movie" series) will portray the older football player who takes him under his wing. The film also features the likes of Julia Fox ("Uncut Gems"), Tim Heidecker ("Us"), rappers Tierra Whack and Guapdad 4000, and comedian Jim Jeffries. The script — which wound up on the revered Blacklist — comes from Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie of "Limetown," and directing duties will go to Justin Tipping, who's worked on series such as "The Chi," "Dear White People," and "Joe vs. Carole."

One of the biggest cinematic surprises of 2024 was that "Saw X" actually turned out to be pretty awesome. By bringing back Tobin Bell's John Kramer and actually making him sympathetic, the minds behind the franchise injected new life into the horror series. "Saw X" was the first "Saw" film with a positive Rotten Tomatoes score, and it scared up $111 million at the box office against a $13 million budget. So naturally, we're going to play some more games when "Saw XI" hits theaters on September 26, 2025.

At the moment, we're unsure if the movie will be a midquel like "Saw X" — taking place between the first and third "Saw" films when Kramer was still alive — or if it'll pursue a new storyline. But given the success of the last movie, we're assuming the eleventh installment will pick up where the last movie left off, especially given "Saw X" had a mid-credit scene where Jigsaw reunited with protege Mark Huffman (Costas Mandylor). "Saw X" director Kevin Greutert (who also helmed "Saw VI" and "Saw 3D") is coming back for more gruesome fun, and Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton — who previously penned the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh films — will be writing the script. Speaking with ScreenRant, Dunstan said we should expect a film that's "got something new to say, and it's angry."

We're in a bit of a Frankenstein-aissance these days with movies like "Poor Things" and "Lisa Frankenstein" and Guillermo del Toro's upcoming take on the creature. Now, you can add "The Bride!" to that list. Written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal — following the success of her debut film, "The Lost Daughter" — this upcoming movie will star Jessie Buckley ("Men") in the title role.

Per the official logline, the plot will follow a lonely Frankenstein who "travels to 1930s Chicago to seek the aid of a Dr. Euphronius in creating a companion for himself. The two reinvigorate a murdered young woman and the Bride is born. She is beyond what either of them intended, igniting a combustible romance, the attention of police, and a wild and radical social movement."

Buckley will be joined by an all-star lineup with Christian Bale (the "Dark Knight" trilogy) as Frankenstein, Peter Sarsgaard ("The Batman"), Annette Bening ("Apples Never Fall"), Penelope Cruz ("Ferrari"), and Julianne Hough ("Dancing With the Stars"). The movie will stagger onto IMAX screens just in time for Halloween season, with a September 26 release date.

Get your Light Cycle ready because we're heading back to the world of Tron with the upcoming "Tron: Ares." The last time we were sucked inside a video game, we got a score by Daft Punk and met a de-aged Jeff Bridges. This time around, we'll get Jared Leto as a computer program who breaks free into the real world, bringing tiding of artificial intelligence with him.

Leto will be joined by Greta Lee of "Past Lives," Evan Peters of "American Horror Story," Gillian Anderson of "The X-Files," and Jodie Turner-Smith of "After Yang." The threequel will also see the return of Bridges, the only actor to appear in all three "Tron" films. Rounding out the cast, the movie will feature Arturo Castro, Cameron Monaghan, and Hasan Minhaj. Joachim Rønning of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" and "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" will direct. "Tron: Ares" was shut down during the actor and writer strikes of 2023, but now, the movie is moving forward again, with a release date of October 10, 2025.

One of 2022's most successful horror releases, "The Black Phone" combines top talent both in front of and behind the camera to craft a terrifying ghost story that also features an unforgettable and all-too-human villain. Now, the same creative team will get together to do it all again.

In November 2023, we learned that "The Black Phone 2" isn't just on track to hit theaters in 2025, it's returning all of the original cast to the story of a child killer, a mysterious ghostly telephone, and the kids who try to fight back. That means Ethan Hawke is back as the Grabber, Mason Thames is back as the kid who escaped him, and Madeleine McGraw is back as Gwen, the girl with often frightening prophetic powers. To make things more exciting, original co-writers Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill are also on board for the next chapter, and Derrickson will also be returning to the director's chair.

"The Black Phone 2" will call you back on October 17, 2025.

Ready for more gory fatalities? Then prepare for "Mortal Kombat 2." The first film was released during the weird day-and-date COVID year of 2021, and despite those setbacks, it still earned $83 million and became Max's most-streamed movie at the time. Needless to say, we expect it to earn a whole lot more this time around when it punches its way onto IMAX screens on October 24, 2025.

The last movie left off with Cole Young (Lewis Tan) heading out to find new recruits for the Mortal Kombat tournament. The film teased a potential appearance by video game favorite Johnny Cage, and the movie star turned Kombatant will be played by Karl Urban of "The Boys" fame. Jessica McNamee (Sonya Blade), Mechad Brooks (Jax), Ludi Lin (Liu Kang), Tadanobu Asano (Lord Raiden), Chin Han (Shang Tsun), Josh Lawson (Kano), Max Huang (Kung Lao), Joe Taslim (Sub-Zero), and Hiroyuki Sanada (Scorpion) are all returning for the sequel, even though some of them died in the first movie.

As for newcomers, Urban will be joined by Adeline Rudolph ("Riverdale") as Kitana, Tati Gabrielle ("You") as Jade, Martyn Ford ("F9") as Shao Kahn, Damon Herriman ("The Bikeriders") as Quan Chi, Ana Thu Nguyen ("Suka") as Queen Sindel, and Desmond Chiam ("Joy Ride") as King Jerrod. The script hails from Jeremy Slater of "Moon Knight," and Simon McQuoid returns to direct the many bloody battle scenes between the champions of Earthrealm and Outworld.

Honestly, we really doubt that "Blade" will hit its November 2025 release date. Marvel hasn't said that the movie is getting pushed back to 2026, but we're thinking the chances are pretty good. Since the project was first announced in 2019, "Blade" has lost two different directors in Bassam Tariq ("Mogul Mowgli") and Yann Demange ("White Boy Rick"). The studio has also cycled through at least six screenwriters — Stacy Osei-Kuffour ("Watchmen"), Beau DeMayo ("X-Men '97"), Michael Starrburry ("When They See Us"), Nic Pizzolatto ("True Detective"), Michael Green ("Logan"), and most recently, Eric Pearson ("Black Widow").

As a result, the plot has shuffled through various incarnations. The Hollywood Reporter detailed how one version of the movie would've taken place in the 1920s and another would've featured a huge train set. Variety reported that one script would've been a "narrative led by women and filled with life lessons," while Blade was "relegated to the fourth lead." Jeff Sneider of The InSneider also claimed that one version of the script featured a grand total of two action scenes, which isn't a lot in your superhero blockbuster flick.

We have no idea why a story about a man who kills vampires with a sword is proving so difficult to crack. However, we do know that two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali ("Moonlight," "Green Book") is still starring as the Daywalker, even though he's reportedly growing quite frustrated with the whole affair. Mia Goth of the "X" trilogy is also still connected to the movie, although cast members Aaron Pierre ("Mufasa: The Lion King") and Delroy Lindo ("Da 5 Bloods") have walked. With no director and no set screenplay, we're expecting this one will eventually wind up with a 2026 or 2027 release date soon enough — but we'll keep it on this list until Marvel's eventual announcement.

Evidently, Yorgos Lanthimos doesn't believe in taking vacations because the man is churning out one movie after another. We got "Poor Things" in December 2023, then there was "Kinds of Kindness" in June 2024, and now he's blessing us with "Bugonia" on November 7, 2025. A remake of a South Korean movie titled "Save the Green Planet!," the new Lanthimos joint follows two conspiracy theorists who suspect that a powerful CEO is actually an extraterrestrial that plans to destroy the world and kill all of humanity. As a result, they decide it's time to kidnap her.

Proving to be one of the very best actor-director duos, Lanthimos is bringing Emma Stone aboard (we're assuming to play the CEO). Stone won an Oscar for her work in "Poor Things," and she also collaborated with Lanthimos in the features "Kinds of Kindness" and "The Favourite." Stone will be working alongside "Kindness" co-star Jesse Plemons, who actually won the Cannes Film Festival award for best actor in the aforementioned Lanthimos project. As for the rest of the cast, the director told Collider we should expect unknowns, saying, "There's nobody else you would know. It's a very contained, short cast. A lot of it is unknown professional actors. There's not that many big parts in that film."

On November 14, 2025, Jesse Eisenberg will make your money disappear — because that's when you'll be buying a ticket for "Now You See Me 3." We last visited this world of criminal magicians back in 2016, and the core cast is just as eager as audiences for more magic and more heists. Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, and Morgan Freeman are all coming back, and the Four Horsemen and Freeman will be joined by Justice Smith ("I Saw the TV Glow"), Dominic Sessa ("The Holdovers"), Ariana Greenblatt ("Barbie"), and Rosamund Pike ("Saltburn").

We're unsure what the plot is going to be, but speaking with Collider, Eisenberg said of the script, "For me, the thing I love about it so much, having just read the script, it celebrates intelligence and it's non-violent but exciting, and it's so weird to see that because it sounds so obvious, and it sounds like that would be common, but it's actually quite uncommon to have a movie that's this franchise, this Hollywood-style movie that's really just about teamwork and intelligence, rather than just violence." Said screenplay hails from Eric Warren Singer ("Top Gun: Maverick"), Seth Grahame-Smith ("The Lego Batman Movie"), and Mike Lesslie ("The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes"), with directing duties going to Ruben Fleischer of "Venom" and "Zombieland."

In 2023, the Broadway smash "Wicked" celebrated 20 years as one of the most successful musicals of its era. In 2024, the celebration will continue with the release of "Wicked: Part One," the first half of a massive film adaptation from "In The Heights" director John M. Chu. But of course, as the title suggests, the first film is only half the story. In 2025, we'll get to see the conclusion.

"Wicked: Part Two" will feature all of the same talent from part one, including Chu in the director's chair and a cast that includes Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Galinda, and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz himself. The film, based on the musical adaptation of Gregory Maguire's novel of the same name, is set to tell the "true story" of the witches of Oz, complete with hit songs like "Defying Gravity" and "For Good."

What we still don't know at this point is where exactly "Part One" will cut the story off to set up "Part Two," but we don't have that much longer to wait. "Wicked: Part One" hits theaters November 22, 2024, followed by "Part Two" almost exactly a year later on November 26, 2025.

Back in 2016, "Zootopia" became the fourth highest-grossing movie of the year, earning $1 billion and beating out movies like "Doctor Strange," "The Jungle Book," and "Moana." The animated film was also greeted warmly by critics, so all these years later — when Disney is struggling both financially and critically at the box office — it makes sense that they'd want to give "Zootopia" another go.

All that to say, we're getting "Zootopia 2" on November 26, 2025, right in time for Thanksgiving. At the moment, we don't know the plot, but we're assuming both Jason Bateman and Ginnifer Goodwin will be reprising their respective roles of Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps. Speaking with ScreenRant back in 2016, Bateman gave his pitch for a sequel, saying, "The fact that he becomes a cop with Judy is pretty cool. I'd like to see them tackle some big cases and bring down some heavyweight criminals. That would be kinda fun if we can kinda scope things out a little bit more."

After taking nearly 10 years to get to theater screens, "Five Nights at Freddy's" absolutely cleaned up at the box office. Hailing from Universal and Blumhouse, "Five Nights" earned nearly $300 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Blumhouse movie ever. (For comparison's sake, that means it made more money than titles like "Get Out," "M3GAN," "Insidious," and "Paranormal Activity.") With all that money pouring in, no wonder we're going back to that haunted pizza restaurant for more robotic terror.

Yep, the "Five Nights at Freddy's" sequel was confirmed in April 2024 at CinemaCon, and those creepy animatronics will be slowly stalking our way in late 2025. Industry insider DanielRPK reports that the sequel will be scarier than the previous film, which was a bit of a flaw with the original movie, as it was light on hair-raising moments. Blumhouse also tweeted an image from Jim Henson's Creature Shop, where it seems the fine folks who made the robots for the first film are bringing the terrifying Mangle (the messed-up fox monster from the sequel game) to life. Better still, it appears Matthew Lillard is coming back as serial killer William Afton, as he revealed on the JayBee and Milly YouTube channel that he'd be shooting "Five Nights" in October 2024.

"Five Nights at Freddy's 2" hits theaters on December 5, 2025.

It took more than a decade for James Cameron to finally release "Avatar: The Way of Water," his long-awaited sequel to "Avatar," but for many fans it was worth the wait. The sequel was once again a blockbuster, and paved the way for the rest of Cameron's ambitious story to move forward. Thankfully, we won't have to wait that long for a third installment.

"Avatar 3," which has yet to receive an official subtitle, is set to hit theaters over the 2025 holiday season, and will once again feature Cameron in the director's chair, guiding his characters through the world of Pandora. Alongside Cameron will be returning cast members Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, and many more stars. Oona Chaplin of "Game of Thrones" fame will portray Varang, the leader of a villainous Na'vi fire tribe called the Ash People, while David Thewlis ("Wonder Woman") and Michelle Yeoh ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") will also join the cast.

We don't yet know exactly where the film will take Jake Sully and his family as they enter the next stage of the fight for their home, but we know it'll be spectacular. "Avatar 3" is due in theaters December 19, 2025.

Benoit Blanc is back, baby. The gentleman detective with the Southern drawl first appeared in "Knives Out," investigating the death of a famous mystery writer. He returned for "Glass Onion," where he found himself invited to the private island of an eccentric billionaire. And now, he'll put his sleuthing abilities to the test in "Wake Up Dead Man," which will be released on Netflix sometime in 2025.

Needless to say, Daniel Craig will return as the genteel private eye, and he'll be accompanied here by Josh Brolin ("Avengers: Endgame"), Glenn Close ("Fatal Attraction"), Jeremy Renner ("The Mayor of Kingstown"), Mila Kunis ("That '70s Show"), Andrew Scott ("Ripley"), Cailee Spaeny ("Priscilla"), Kerry Washington ("Django Unchained"), Thomas Haden Church ("Spider-Man 3"), Josh O'Connor ("Challengers"), and Daryl McCormack ("Good Luck to You, Leo Grande"). Rian Johnson is again writing and directing, and he's hoping to take the third movie in an interesting new direction.

"I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is," Johnson wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). "There's a whole tonal spectrum from [John Dickson] Carr to [Agatha] Christie, and getting to explore that range is one of the most exciting things about making Benoit Blanc movies."

Interestingly, it seems the title of the film might also be a musical reference. The second "Knives Out" movie — "Glass Onion" — was a nod to the Beatles song of the same name, which is featured on their "White Album." Similarly, U2 has a song called "Wake Up Dead Man" on their 1997 album "Pop," although what the thematic connection might be to the story, we'll just have to wait and find out.

In the fall of 2023, director Eli Roth finally made good on a years-old promise and released "Thanksgiving," the feature-length version of his "Grindhouse" trailer about a small New England town stalked by a killer in a pilgrim mask. The film was an immediate hit with critics and audiences, putting up great numbers for a horror film. Now, we know that in 2025, we can expect a follow-up.

Roth announced in late November 2023 that "Thanksgiving 2" will be coming in two years, as the filmmaker will take a year off to work on the script, then shoot the sequel to the story of a town plagued by a killer posing as John Carver, its Pilgrim founder. We don't have any details yet as to what the film will do to top the first movie's dose of holiday-themed gore, but we know that the original "Thanksgiving" leaves us with the setup for a sequel, and we know that there's still plenty of story left to mine for future helpings of the franchise.

"Thanksgiving 2" arrives in 2025. It doesn't have a firm release date yet, but expect this one to come sometime around Turkey Day.

The original "Final Destination" was released in 2000, introducing us to a delightfully macabre world where there's no escaping Death. Okay, that's true in the real world too, but in the "Final Destination" universe, if you skip your date with the Grim Reaper, you'll find yourself on the wrong end of a Rube Goldberg-style death scenario where you might get mangled during a gymnastics routine gone wrong, get fried inside a tanning bed, or wind up cooked at the family barbecue.

Fortunately for gorehounds, Death isn't done taking names just yet — the franchise is coming back to life 25 years after the original film played in theaters. The sixth installment is titled "Final Destination: Bloodlines," and the film features a list of young actors that includes Brec Bassinger ("Stargirl"), Teo Briones ("Chucky"), Richard Harmon ("The 100"), Anna Lore ("They/Them"), Owen Patrick Joyner ("Julie and the Phantoms"), Max Lloyd-Jones ("The Mandalorian"), and Kaitlyn Santa Juana ("The Flash").

Bloody Disgusting also reported in September 2023 that franchise veteran Tony Todd will return as the incredibly eerie William Bludworth, the mortuary worker who knows a whole lot about the way Death works. The horror mag also reported that the movie would reveal a bit more about Bludworth's past and that the story will have something to do with first responders. None of that has been confirmed, but no matter what happens, we're eagerly waiting to see what fiendish delights Death has in store.

Paramount has long tried to bring a new "Star Trek" movie to the screen, hoping to create the fourth installment of the Kelvin Timeline series created by J.J. Abrams. While the studio is still in the process of getting that starship off the ground, they seem to be much closer with putting a prequel onto the big screen.

At 2024's CinemaCon, Paramount announced the upcoming prequel film would be boldly going into theaters sometime in 2025. The film will be directed by Toby Haynes — who's worked on sci-fi properties such as "Andor," "Doctor Who," and "Black Mirror" (notably, the "USS Callister episode") — and the script hails from Seth Grahame-Smith of "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" fame. We don't know anything about the plot except that it takes place decades before the 2009 film starring Chris Pine, which means the story will be set before the creation of the Kelvin Timeline and possibly even before the events of the "Enterprise" series.

After the box office failure of "Babylon," we all assumed Damien Chazelle would be locked up in directors' jail for a while. However, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind "La La Land" already has his next movie lined up, and ironically, it seems like it'll take place in an actual jail. Chazelle's new movie was announced at 2024's CinemaCon, with Paramount revealing it'll come out sometime in 2025 and Deadline reporting it'll take place inside a prison. Will this be some sort of behind-the-bars musical? Or will it be a darker drama along the lines of "Whiplash?" No matter which direction Chazelle goes, we're definitely interested in seeing what the man has in store.

The horror genre was having a major moment in the late '90s, with titles like "Scream," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," and "The Blair Witch Project" terrorizing audiences. Then, a goofy little movie came along to poke fun at these blockbuster hits, and thus, the "Scary Movie" franchise was born. With big names like Anna Faris, Regina Hall, and Marlon Wayans involved, the series took aim at horror classics like "The Exorcist," "The Grudge," and "Paranormal Activity." However, the series — and the parody genre in general — petered out after "Scary Movie 5."

In the meantime, horror filmmakers have churned out massive hits a la "It," "Midsommar," and "Talk to Me." Don't these modern-day classics deserve a little bit of hazing too? Well, the folks at Paramount certainly think so as they're teaming up with producer Neal H. Mortiz (the "Fast and Furious" movies) and studio Miramax to resurrect the "Scary Movie" series. The sixth installment will be released sometime in 2025. We don't know who's directing, writing, or starring, although we do know that Melissa Barrera of the recent "Scream" movie has said she'd love to star, especially after she was controversially fired from the Ghostface franchise.

"Freaky Friday" fans have been wanting a Jamie Lee Curtis-Lindsay Lohan reunion for some time — 20+ years actually. And now, their patience has paid off, as "Freaky Friday 2" will be released in 2025. Curtis and Lohan are returning as Tess and Anna, respectively, the mother-and-daughter duo who swapped bodies in the first film. They'll be joined here by returning cast members Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray, Christina Vidal Mitchell, Haley Hudson, Lucille Soong, Rosalind Chao, and Stephen Tobolowsky.

As for newcomers to the cast, you can expect to see Manny Jacinto ("The Acolyte"), Julia Butters ("Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"), Sophia Hammons ("Under Wraps"), and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan ("Never Have I Ever"). As for the plot, Entertainment Weekly reports that Anna will have her own daughter and will soon be getting married to a restaurateur, who also happens to have his own kid. Things get freaky when the two teens switch bodies with Anna and Tess.

Directing duties will go to Nisha Ganatra, best known for helming "Late Night," the 2019 comedy starring Emma Thompson and Mindy Kaling. And don't worry, theater purists. "Freaky Friday 2" will indeed be getting a big-screen release.

When you look at Dwayne Johnson's filmography and see titles like "Red One," "Black Adam," and "Fast X," it quickly becomes apparent that it's been a while since the man has taken a true risk in the acting department. However, that's all about to change as Johnson is putting on some prosthetics and stepping into the Octagon with "The Smashing Machine."

Directed by Benny Safdie — one-half of the duo behind critically revered and anxiety-inducing films like "Uncut Gems" and "Good Time" — "The Smashing Machine" will the real-life story of Mark Kerr, a world-renowned wrestler who fought during the Wild West days of MMA and found success in organizations like PRIDE FC, World Vale Tudo Championship, and the UFC. But while he won championship gold in the UFC, he also grappled with an addiction to painkillers, adding an extra layer of drama to a story of blood, pain, and adversity.

Kerr's story is so compelling that it was already captured in a 2002 documentary, also called "The Smashing Machine." Emily Blunt — who previously starred alongside the Rock in "Jungle Cruise" — will reunite with Johnson in the film, playing Kerr's wife, Dawn Staples. The movie will also boast some real-life combat stars in acting roles, including boxer Oleksandr Usyk and MMA fighters Ryan Bader and Bas Rutten. The movie will release sometime in 2025, and we're hoping that Johnson will dig deep and deliver a performance that's dark, complex, and gritty — even if he's way older than Kerr was during his UFC days.