It’s safe to say that 2024 dished up a fresh slate of original stories and newly-minted stars, served with dramatic comeback stories and narratives that made for an interesting season of film. Looking ahead, 2025 promises the enthralling return of Hollywood’s heavy-hitters, fresh newcomers, and the stories we love—here’s the 25 films we’re looking forward to this year.

MICKEY 17

dir. BONG JOON-HO

Mickey 17 sees the return of Bong Joon-ho to the sci-fi genre, only six years after Parasite and its historic four-award-sweep at the Oscars. Leading its all-star cast is Robert Pattinson as an “expendable” undertaking an intergalactic mission, joined by Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette, Naomi Ackie and Steven Yuen. After a regeneration gone wrong, two Pattinsons come together for double the fun.

SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE

dir. TIM MIELANTS

After a blockbuster run with Oppenheimer, Cillian Murphy reverts to a much quieter hero in a small Irish town. Small Things Like These adapts Claire Keegan’s homonymous novel, and is a thought-provoking exploration of the battle between one’s faith in the Church against one’s own morals.

TWINLESS

dir. JAMES SWEENEY

Grief takes on an unconventional form in James Sweeney’s Twinless, where Dylan O’Brien and Sweeney himself play young men who meet at a twin bereavement support group. Things to look forward to: how the black comedy cleverly infuses motifs from The Sims, and how O’Brien’s emotionally-charged performance could very well cement his name in Hollywood.

OPUS

dir. MARK ANTHONY GREEN

The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri is a young journo invited to a sequestered listening party of a mega pop star (John Malokivich) after his disappearance 30 years ago in A24’s latest offbeat thriller OPUS. It’s The Menu meets Blink Twice, and former GQ Editor Mark Anthony Green’s directorial debut is a promising deep dive on the horrors of celebrity culture packed with satiric edge.

SORRY, BABY

dir. EVA VICTOR

Writer/director Eva Victor spent much of the early 2020s shadowing the singular Jane Shoenbrun, so it’s no surprise that her debut feature garnered rave reviews out of its Sundance premiere. Victor also stars in this finely-tuned dramedy, playing a character plagued by her trauma and discovering what it takes to pull herself out of her rut.

BLUE MOON

dir. RICHARD LINKLATER

The Before Trilogy creator Richard Linklater and star Ethan Hawke reunite once more for the auteur’s sensitive tribute to Broadway legend Lorenz Hart. Blue Moon depicts the defining night of 31 March 1943 where Hart (Hawke) grapples with former long-time collaborator Richard Rodgers’ success with ‘Oklahoma!’.

BRING HER BACK

dir. DANNY & MICHAEL PHILIPPOU

Talk to Me is a landmark piece of contemporary Australian cinema, becoming one of the highest-grossing films to come out of our shores this decade. Directing duo Danny and Michael Philippou follow it up this year with Bring Her Back, which follows Sally Hawkins as a foster mother and what unfolds when her new foster kids stumble upon one of her ritualistic practices.

28 YEARS LATER

dir. DANNY BOYLE

Danny Boyle seeks to revitalise the zombie genre with his directorial return, 28 Years Later. Three decades since an incurable virus obliterated London in 28 Days Later, the virus has all but eradicated the nation, bar a group of survivors living in a guarded remote island. If not the return of an iconic series, let the stellar cast of Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Erin Kellyman, and Edvin Ryding entice you to the theatres.

F1

dir. JOSEPH KOSINSKI

For the past year, Formula 1 viewers have seen Brad Pitt and Damson Idris occasionally join the grid as racing drivers and feuding teammates for F1. The film, produced by Scuderia Ferrari’s very own Lewis Hamilton, makes its long-awaited premiere this winter. Top Gun: Maverick’s director Joseph Kosinski promises an action-packed display of the sport—loaded with exciting driver cameos, of course. Only time will tell if it’ll live up to its hype or merely be a copy of Netflix’s reality sports series Drive to Survive.

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

dir. PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON

Paul Thomas Anderson is one of cinema’s most valuable voices, and his next feature promises another stellar contribution to his filmography. One Battle After Another is described as a three-hour chase film, wherein Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor play civil rights activists pursued by white nationalist forces. Anderson’s latest seems like it’s going to be quite the spectacle.

CAUGHT STEALING

dir. DARREN ARONOFKSY

Another member of young Hollywood looking to continue their winning streak this year, Austin Butler stars in this New York-set crime thriller from the director of Black Swan. Butler plays a former basketball star with ties to the criminal underworld, whose shifty side hustles thrust him into a brutal fight for survival. Aronofsky’s macabre directing style promises that Caught Stealing will be an unforgettable cinematic experience, and Butler’s performance might just land him several coveted nominations this time next year.

THE BRIDE!

dir. MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL

The Bride! feels like quite a sudden departure from Maggie Gyllenhaal’s debut feature, The Lost Daughter, but everything we know about the film so far seems like it’s set to be a major success. With Jessie Buckley starring asin the titular bride, Christian Bale as the monster in this Frankenstein tale, and Annette Benning as the doctor that brings them together, Gyllenhaal promises a thoroughly inventive take on the classic horror story.

AFTER THE HUNT

dir. LUCA GUADADIGNO

It’s not a proper theatrical calendar without a new Luca Guadadigno entry. Following Challengers and Queer, the experimental auteur continues his hot streak with psychological drama After the Hunt, where Julia Roberts plays a Yale professor at a crossroads after a top student (Ayo Edebiri) accuses her colleague (Andrew Garfield) of sexual assault. Could this be the film that gives Guadagnino his long-overdue directorial nods?

BURGONIA

dir. YORGOS LANTHIMOS

Burgonia marks Emma Stone’s third collaboration with auteur director Yorgos Lanthimos, and this latest instalment in their creative partnership might also be their most bizarre. The film follows Stone as a high-powered CEO, as she is kidnapped by a rogue conspiracy theorist played by Jesse Plemmons. Burgonia is also the reason for Stone’s new pixie cut, the actress shaving her head for the role a là Anne Hathaway in Les Mis.

NOW YOU SEE ME 3

dir. RUBEN FLEISCHER

The iconic troupe of magicians, The Four Horsemen, make their comeback in Now You See Me 3. While the original cast is set to reprise their roles (including the iconic Isla Fisher who abstained from Now You See Me 2), newcomers Ariana Greenblatt, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, and Rosamund Pike strive to make an impression.

MARTY SUPREME

dir. JOSH SAFDIE

Timothée Chalamet is in pursuit of greatness, and what better way to accelerate that journey than by depicting enigmatic table tennis hustler, Marty “The Needle” Reisman. Joining in the craze of biopics, Josh Safdie reunites with long-time collaborator Ronald Bronstein in Marty Supreme, which also marks his first solo directorial venture in 17 years without his brother Benny. With Uncut Gems and Good Time tucked under their belts, we’re expecting a dynamic sports production in this one.

WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

dir. RIAN JOHNSON

2025 is truly the year of returning franchises, as detective Benoit Blanc is set to take on his most dangerous case yet in Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man. While the plot of Knives Out’s third instalment is still under wraps, the highly coveted ensemble cast is one to look forward to: including Josh O’Connor, Cailee Spaeny, Andrew Scott, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, and Jeremy Renner.

FRANKENSTEIN

dir. GUILLERMO DEL TORO

Gothic auteur Guillermo del Toro has long considered Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ his life inspiration, with themes of the novel evident in his own oeuvre. And so, Frankenstein is not only del Toro’s adaptation of the grotesque sci-fi tale, it’s also a passion project that’s been in the works for decades. Oscar Isaac (Dr. Viktor Frankenstein), Mia Goth (Elizabeth), and Jacob Elordi (The Monster) take on the iconic troika for a bold reimagination of the novel.

THE DRAMA

dir. KRISTOFFER BORGLI

Kristoffer Borgli pivots from his trademark satiric comedy features and taps Zendaya and Robert Pattinson for a romantic spin in The Drama. The two are set to play a couple whose relationship goes out of turn just before their wedding day. With a scarce rom-com landscape in the current times, Borgli could very well restore the industry’s passion for the genre.

EDDINGTON

dir. ARI ASTER

Kristoffer Borgli pivots from his trademark satiric comedy features and taps Zendaya and Robert Pattinson for a romantic spin in The Drama. The two are set to play a couple whose relationship goes out of turn just before their wedding day. With a scarce rom-com landscape in the current times, Borgli could very well restore the industry’s passion for the genre.

MATERIALISTS

dir. CELINE SONG

Past Lives, with its indie spirit and quiet melancholy, enraptured audiences when it premiered in 2023, and Materialists is writer/director Celine Song’s much anticipated follow-up. This second feature from Song has certainly leveled up budget-wise, revolving around a love triangle between characters played by Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal.

HAMNET

dir. CHLOE ZHAO

Chloe Zhao’s Oscar-winning Nomadland remains a seminal fear of contemporary cinema, and Hamnet marks what should be a return to form for the visionary director. Starring Paul Mescal as Shakespeare and Jessie Buckey as Anne Hathaway, the film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name in which the historic couple mourn the untimely passing of their son.

THE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM IS DOWN

dir. RUBEN OSTLUND

Ostlund’s satirical European sensibilities landed him at the top of the pecking order with his last film, Triangle of Sadness, and his next project seems like it will only compound upon that success. The Entertainment System is Down features an ensemble cast led by Kirsten Dunst and Keanu Reeves, following what unfolds when boredom sets in after the entertainment system crashes out on a long-haul flight and boredom sets in.

DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE

dir. SCOTT COOPER

A Complete Unknown, last year’s Timothee Chalamet-starring Bob Dylan biopic, seemed to revitalise the played-out genre, a renaissance that Scott Cooper hopes to take advantage of with his new Bruce Springsteen film. It stars The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White as the Americana singer, in a role that is sure to not only test his musical skill, but also Cooper’s capacity to direct a film of this scale.

DIE, MY LOVE

dir. LYNNE RAMSAY

In this new film from thoroughly visceral filmmaker Lynne Ramsay, Jennifer Lawrence plays a mother living in the French countryside who suffers from postpartum depression and enters a state of psychosis. This synopsis doesn’t sound entirely dissimilar from Lawrence’s polarizing 2017 work, mother!, but Ramsay’s unique directorial touch seems to bode promisingly for Die, My Love.