US release date: July 11
The Fantastic Four: The First Steps
Could the third time be the charm for the Fantastic Four? That's what fans are wondering about this superhero team, who seem to be cursed with film adaptations of their works. In 2005, we had Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans before Captain America; 10 years later, it's Kate Mara, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell. Because The Fantastic Four: The First StepsThe cast is certainly impressive: Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic; Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing. But perhaps the missing ingredient in previous iterations was the creative force behind the camera, in this case Matt Shakman, who is better known for his television career, where he has directed TV episode. Game of Thrones, WandaVision, Great Emperorand—at most—more than 40 parts of It's always sunny in Philadelphiaincluding fan favorite “The Nightman Cometh.”
US release date: July 25
Battle of the Baktan Cross
Just because we don't know what Paul Thomas Anderson's new movie is about doesn't mean we don't want to find out more. Especially based on what we DO know about it. Specifically: This will be Anderson's first film released in IMAX and will feature an all-star cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Wood Harris and Alana Haim.
US release date: August 8
Bride!
Like a more independent Greta Gerwig, actress-turned-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal has been quietly building an impressive filmography behind the camera. Five years after earning an Oscar nomination (her second) in 2022 for Best Adapted Screenplay for Lost daughterGyllenhaal is following up on that film—and jumping on the Universal Monster Movie bandwagon—with this remake of Bride of Frankensteinsomething the writer-director wanted to convey a strong sense of feminism. The film will reunite Gyllenhaal with Jessie Buckley, whom she directed and received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for the film. Lost daughter and here plays the eponymous consort of Frankenstein's monster, who will be played by Christian Bale—reuniting Gyllenhaal with her ex batman costar. Maggie's brother Jake and husband Peter Sarsgaard will also appear. Although the official release date of Guillermo del Toro FrankensteinStarring the yet-to-be-announced Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Mia Goth, it looks like this pair could make for a great little marathon.
US release date: September 26
Bugonia
Will this really be a real year for cinema if we don't get at least one absurdist comedy from Yorgos Lanthimos? (Answer: no.) Will Tracy (Menu) will write the script for the English remake of Jang Joon-hwan's film Let's save the green planet! The film will reunite Lanthimos with current muse Emma Stone, who will play the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company kidnapped by conspiracy theorists (one of whom is played by Jesse Plemons, now a another member of Lanthimos' regular stable), who believes she is an alien with plans to take over Planet Earth.
US release date: November 7
Avatar: Fire and Ash
No matter how much time has passed, or how many originals there are Avatar seemingly disappearing from the cultural conversation, there's no denying that James Cameron's greenies know how to put their butts in seats. Although it felt like the second film in the series didn't receive much buzz after its release nor did it receive much positive buzz, The path of water somehow still made enough money ($2.3 billion and some change) to secure its spot as the third highest-grossing film of all time—knock on wood the Titanic down to number 4 and sits directly below the original Avatar (2009) et Avengers: Endgame (2019). From what we know about the movie, the “Ash” of the title refers to a much less kind group of Na'vi people who are changing everything we know about Pandora.
US release date: December 19
Peaky Blinders
One year later Oppenheimer (and Barbenheimer phenomenon) that made Cillian Murphy one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, the Irish actor is returning to his roots. For more than a decade, Murphy played gangster politician Tommy Selby on the Steven Knight-created period crime show, Peaky Blinders. Soon, he will take on the role in the big screen version of the Knight franchise. He will be joined by a number of familiar faces, including Stephen Graham, Sophie Rundle and Paul Anderson, along with a host of exciting additions to the cast, including Barry Keoghan, Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth. Although we probably won't see a big-screen version of the Peaky Blinders until early 2026, recording our forecast certainly doesn't help. Who knows – maybe it could even help?
US release date: 2025/2026