We have just dropped into 2025 and I thought it might be time to have a look at the upcoming movie releases and put together a list of some must see films or just some films that I think are worth checking out! See below.
Conclave – Jan 9
Cardinal Lawrence is tasked with one of the world’s most secretive and ancient events, participating in the selection of a new pope. Surrounded by powerful religious leaders in the halls of the Vatican, he soon uncovers a trail of deep secrets that could shake the very foundation of the Roman Catholic Church.
Conclave is a 2024 mystery thriller film directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris. The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini.
We Live In Time – Jan 16
Almut and Tobias are brought together by a surprise encounter that changes their lives. As they embark on a path challenged by the limits of time, they learn to cherish each moment of their unconventional love story.
Directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Payne. It follows the relationship of a couple (Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh) over the course of a decade. The film uses non-linear storytelling.
The Brutalist – Jan 23
Escaping postwar Europe, visionary architect László Toth arrives in America to rebuild his life, his career, and his marriage. On his own in a strange new country, László settles in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren recognizes his talent.
The Brutalist is a 2024 epic period drama film directed and produced by Brady Corbet from a script he co-wrote with Mona Fastvold. An international co-production between the United States, United Kingdom, and Hungary, it stars Adrien Brody as László Tóth, a Hungarian-born Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and emigrates to the United States, the cast also features Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn, Raffey Cassidy, Stacy Martin, Emma Laird, Isaach de Bankolé, and Alessandro Nivola.
September 5 – Feb 5
During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American sports broadcasting crew finds itself thrust into covering the hostage crisis involving Israeli athletes.
September 5 is a 2024 historical drama thriller film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Tim Fehlbaum. Starring Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch.
The Last Showgirl – Feb 20
After 30 years as the face of a Las Vegas floor show, Shelley (Pamela Anderson) and her co-workers (Brenda Song and Kiernan Shipka) face an uncertain future when their stage manager (Dave Bautista) reveals that their act has been cancelled. Supported by her brazen best friend (Jamie Lee Curtis), and with her career and identity on the line, Shelley must figure out what comes next—a daunting task when she is in her 50s, and the show has been her whole world. Feeling vulnerable, she tries to take control of her life and repair the relationship with her estranged daughter (Billie Lourd), who took a backseat to her showgirl family.
Drama film directed by Gia Coppola and written by Kate Gersten. It stars Pamela Anderson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Bautista, Brenda Song, Kiernan Shipka, Billie Lourd, and Jason Schwartzman.
Spit – March 6
After 20 years on the run overseas, small-time ex-criminal Johnny Spitieri (Spit) slips back into Australia on a false passport only to find himself locked up in an Immigration Detention Centre with a massive target on his back as old enemies come looking for him, determined to settle old scores. As he struggles to stay one step ahead, the resourceful Spit finds new friends in detention, teaching them his version of mateship, and what it means to be truly Australian.
David Wenham returns as Spit with Arlo Green, Ayik Daniel Chut Deng, David Field, David Roberts, Gary Sweet, Helen Thomson, Sam Rybka, Teagan Rybka and Directed By Jonathan Teplitzky.
Black Bag – March 13
When his wife is suspected of betraying the nation, intelligence agent George Woodhouse faces the ultimate test — loyalty to his marriage or his country.
Spy thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by David Koepp. It stars Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Regé-Jean Page, Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris with Pierce Brosnan and Tom Burke.
Mickey 17 – April 17
From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite”, Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, “Mickey 17”. The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living.
Mickey 17 a Science fiction black comedy film produced, written, and directed by Bong Joon-ho, based on the 2022 novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. The film stars Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo.
The Correspondent – April 17
Xmas Eve, 2014, in the shadow of the Great Pryamids of Egypt and Australian journalist, Peter Greste, is reporting from this most dangerous city on earth where bloody daily clashes between student revolutionaries and the government take place. No-one is safe. What Peter Greste doesn’t know on that first night as he files his news across the globe is that he is the target and within a few hours he would be arrested, strip searched, dispatched to a dungeon and accused of multiple crimes of terrorism, each one of which carried the death penalty. Welcome to Cairo.
The Correspondent – biographical legal thriller directed by Kriv Stenders from a screenplay by Peter Duncan. The film stars Richard Roxburgh, Julian Maroun, Rahel Romahn, Yael Stone, and Mojean Aria.
The Accountant 2 – April 24
Ben Affleck reprises his role as math genius Christian Wolff in the next gripping instalment of this action-packed thriller franchise.
No Images, Synopsis or Trailer yet released
Ben Affleck in the first film
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING – May 22
Our lives are the sum of our choices. Tom Cruise is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
Action spy film directed by Christopher McQuarrie from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen. The direct sequel to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), it is the eighth installment in the Mission: Impossible film series. Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Henry Czerny, Angela Bassett, and Rolf Saxon reprise their roles from the previous films.
Karate Kid: Legends – May 29
In Karate Kid: Legends, after a family tragedy, kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. Li struggles to let go of his past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates, and although he doesn’t want to fight, trouble seems to find him everywhere. When a new friend needs his help, Li enters a karate competition – but his skills alone aren’t enough. Li’s kung fu teacher Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) enlists original Karate Kid Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown.
Karate Kid: Legends a martial arts drama film directed by Jonathan Entwistle and written by Rob Lieber. Featuring a storyline placed three years after the events of the final season of the series Cobra Kai, it is the sixth film in The Karate Kid franchise, following The Karate Kid (2010). It stars Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio, both reprising their roles from previous films, while introducing Ben Wang as the main lead for his film debut alongside Joshua Jackson, Sadie Stanley, and Ming-Na Wen.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – June 5
The world of John Wick expands with BALLERINA, as Ana de Armas stars as an assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (or simply Ballerina) is an upcoming American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Len Wiseman and written by Shay Hatten. It is the fifth film in the John Wick franchise, serving as a spin-off set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4 – Hagakure. It stars Ana de Armas in the lead role, alongside Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Norman Reedus in supporting roles. Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick (in his final screen appearance), Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves reprise their roles from the previous films.
How To Train Your Dragon (Live Action) – June 12
On the rugged isle of Berk, where Vikings and dragons have been bitter enemies for generations, Hiccup stands apart, defying centuries of tradition when he befriends Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their unlikely bond reveals the true nature of dragons, challenging the very foundations of Viking society.
How to Train Your Dragon is an upcoming American fantasy film written, co-produced, and directed by Dean DeBlois. It is a live-action remake of DreamWorks Animation’s 2010 animated film How to Train Your Dragon, which itself was loosely based on the 2003 novel How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell. The film stars Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, Ruth Codd, Peter Serafinowicz, and Murray McArthur, with Gerard Butler reprising his role as Stoick the Vast from the animated films. It is the first live action production from DreamWorks Animation, as well as the first DreamWorks Animation production to be a remake.
28 Years Later – June 19
It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected. One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.
28 Years Later is an upcoming post-apocalyptic horror film produced and directed by Danny Boyle, and written by Alex Garland. It is the third film in the 28 Days Later series, following 28 Days Later (2002) and 28 Weeks Later (2007). It stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes. The film marks the returns of Boyle, Garland, and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle to the series, all of whom worked on the original 28 Days Later film, with that film’s star Cillian Murphy also serving as an executive producer.
F1 – June 26
From Apple Original Films, “F1” stars Brad Pitt as a former driver who returns to Formula 1, alongside Damson Idris as his teammate at APXGP, a fictional team on the grid. The feature is being shot during actual Grand Prix weekends as the team competes against the titans of the sport.
F1 is an upcoming American sports action drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger featuring the Formula One World Championship, created in collaboration with the FIA, its governing body. The film stars Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Tobias Menzies, Javier Bardem and Sarah Niles.
Superman – July 10
Guardians of the Galaxies James Gunn writes and directs – Superman, a cub reporter in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.
Superman is an upcoming American superhero film based on the eponymous character from DC Comics. Produced by DC Studios and to be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it will be the first film in the DC Universe (DCU) and a reboot of the Superman film series. The film is written and directed by James Gunn and stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman, alongside Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, María Gabriela de Faría, Wendell Pierce, Alan Tudyk, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Neva Howell.
THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS – July 24
No Official Synopsis yet – One of Marvel’s most iconic families makes it back to the big screen, the Fantastic Four.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (stylized as The Fantastic 4: First Steps) is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Fantastic Four. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is intended to be the 37th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the second reboot of the Fantastic Four film series. The film is being directed by Matt Shakman from a screenplay by the writing team of Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer, Josh Friedman, Cameron Squires, Eric Pearson, and Peter Cameron. It features an ensemble cast including Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as the titular team, alongside Ralph Ineson, Julia Garner, Paul Walter Hauser, John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles.
THE BRIDE! – Sept 25
In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein asks Dr. Euphronius to help create a companion. They give life to a murdered woman as the Bride, sparking romance, police interest, and radical social change. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Christian Bale and Jessie Buckley directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
No trailer or official synopsis as yet
Tron: Ares – Oct 9
A highly sophisticated Program, Ares, is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission. Starring Jared Leto, Steven Lisberger, Justin Springer, Sean Bailey, Emma Ludbrook, Jeffrey Silver and directed by Joachim Rønning with the films score by Nine Inch Nails.
No trailer or official full synopsis as yet
Wicked: For Good – Nov 20
Wicked: For Good is an upcoming American musical fantasy film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. The sequel to Wicked (2024), it is the second installment of a two-part film adaptation of the stage musical of the same name by Stephen Schwartz and Holzman, which is loosely based on the 1995 novel, in turn based on the Oz books and the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. The film stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, with Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum rounding out the principal cast.
Set in the Land of Oz, before and after Dorothy Gale’s arrival from Kansas, the plot will cover the events of the musical’s second act, following Elphaba and Galinda’s friendship being put to the test as they embrace their new respective identities as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, and how the consequences of their actions will change all of Oz forever.
That’s it so far for 2025! I’m sure some other amazing films will drop into the release chart in the coming weeks, there’s always some great indie films that will pop up. See you at the movies!
