As the wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles County, my heart goes out to those affected by this harrowing disaster. Obviously, it’s not just celebrities who lost their homes, but the film industry sure took quite a hit. To get Hollywood back on its feet, folks really need to hit the theaters more often. It directly boosts box office sales, which is crucial for keeping the film industry financially stable.
I’ve set my sights on what will be in store later this year, 2025’s lineup is already brimming with exciting new projects to look forward to. This is by no means a comprehensive list, as I may do a revised list mid-year to include those that don’t have a release date yet, i.e. Materialists, Celine Song’s follow-up to Past Lives, a rom-com starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal.
So here are 15 of my most-anticipated movies in order of its [supposed] release date:
1. Back in Action (January 17)
After a decade-long hiatus raising a family, Cameron Diaz is back in the acting game after more than a decade, joining forces with Jamie Foxx in this Netflix action comedy. Given the fact that Foxx survived a brain bleed while filming this movie (thank goodness he’s okay!) makes me want to see this one even more. The story follows a married couple who get dragged back into the world of espionage when their hidden identities are revealed. The film also features Andrew Scott, Glenn Close, Jamie Demetriou, McKenna Roberts, Rylan Jackson, and Kyle Chandler.
2. Captain America: Brave New World (Feb. 14)
Anthony Mackie is back in the MCU, and this time, his character Sam Wilson is stepping up to wield the Captain America shield. Harrison Ford took over from William Hurt’s Thunderbolt Ross aka the Red Hulk. I’m a big fan of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and this one has a similar vibe which looks promising.
3. Paddington in Peru (Feb. 14)
I love, love the Paddington movies, and this time the jolly little bear returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. It’s got the same ensemble cast, Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, etc. but a new director, Dougal Wilson took over from Paul King who chose to direct Wonka. I sure hope this threequel will at least match the fun factor of the first two.
4. Mickey 17 (March 7)
Bong Joon-ho‘s follow-up to his Oscar-winning Parasite has been delayed for nearly a year, but I think it’ll be worth the wait. The sci-fi premise seems bonkers, with Robert Pattinson starring as Mickey, a guy who’s basically an expendable crew member on a mission to colonize the icy planet Niflheim. He’s always diving into risky jobs that usually end with him dead. But here’s the twist: every time he dies, he pops back up in a new body that remembers most of his past experiences. Things seem to get even more bizarre after Mickey’s 17th round as another version of him wakes up next to him in the trailer. The cast also includes Mark Ruffalo (in Liberace getup?), Steven Yeun and Toni Collette. Hope they won’t delay this one any longer!
5. Black Bag (March 14)
I’m thrilled that Michael Fassbender is back in the movies! He’s been doing lots of spy stuff lately with The Agency series and now this one for Steven Soderbergh‘s espionage thriller which reminds me of Mr and Mrs Smith. Always love seeing Cate Blanchett who is excellent in everything she does. It also stars former 007 Pierce Brosnan who’s no stranger to spy movies of course. Looks pretty juicy!
6. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (May 9)
This one is super early in the game—there’s not even a poster out yet! I’m really looking forward to seeing Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell together. This marks Robbie’s post-Barbie movie and her first role after becoming a mom. I’m a fan of After Yang, and it’s cool that Kogonada is directing this one, based on an original script by Seth Reiss from The Menu. The plot sounds interesting too, featuring an imaginative story about two strangers and the incredible journey that brings them together.
7. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (May 23)
It’s the eighth installment in the Mission: Impossible series and directly follows Dead Reckoning: Part One. This one is set to wrap up the latest saga with some jaw-dropping stunts. It’s still up in the air whether this will be the last MI film; Christopher McQuarrie will likely return for more, but there are whispers that this might be Tom Cruise‘s final outing as Ethan Hunt. Wow, the end of an era indeed. The main cast from the first part is back: Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Esai Morales, and Henry Czerny; but there are some new faces: Hannah Waddingham, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, and Nick Offerman. I sure hope this second part would be better than the first!
8. Ballerina (June 6)
The film takes place between chapters 3 and 4 of the “John Wick” series, featuring Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a ballerina who becomes an assassin. I’d be way more pumped if Chad Stahelski was still at the helm, but at least he’s producing this one. Fingers crossed that Len Wiseman can maintain the high standards of the John Wick films and deliver more than just some flashy action scenes. Nice to see Keanu Reeves is back as the titular character, though it’ll be bittersweet to see Lance Reddick in his final role.
9. How to Train Your Dragon – live action (June 13)
Normally I’m not a fan of live-action movies of a perfectly good animated movie (here’s looking at you, Disney). I still haven’t seen The Lion King and Mufasa live-action movies, not sure when or if I will do so. I do have a special affinity for the How to Train Your Dragon franchise and despite my initial skepticism about this one, the teaser got me intrigued, especially since it used the exact scene that made me fall in love with the first movie. Plus the character design of Toothless, the adorable dragon with cat-like eyes, looks faithful to the animated version. The original writer/director Dean DeBlois is back for this project, which he describes as “the epic second act of a much larger story. Plus John Powell is back as the composer of one of my all-time favorite scores!
10. 28 Years Later (June 20)
You might be surprised I have a horror flick on this list since I have no affinity for scary movies. Well, there are always exceptions and I happen to think 28 Days Later is one of the best films involving zombies. I think it’s an oversimplification to call it a zombie movie as it explores more profound themes like societal breakdown, survival instincts, and the mental effects of a virus outbreak, instead of just sticking to the slasher, flesh-eating element of classic zombies. Glad to see Danny Boyle back in the director’s seat, who also co-wrote the script with Alex Garland who also wrote 28 Days Later.
Now, those who might’ve seen a fake trailer that has Cillian Murphy back as Jim joining forces with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, well hate to break it to you but he’s NOT going to be in the first film of the new planned trilogy, per executive producer Andrew Macdonald. He is involved as a producer and might show up in the follow-up films. But hey, the cast of this one is terrific as it’s also got Jodie Comer AND Ralph Fiennes.
11. Superman (July 11)
I have written extensively about James Gunn’s Superman reboot in this post below. If I were to rank this post, this one would definitely be on my top 5 as the level of anticipation for this is sky high!
12. The Naked Gun (Aug. 1)
This remake is based on the Naked Gun film franchise and the television series Police Squad! by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker produced by Seth MacFarlane. I initially thought, ‘What?!’ But hey, Liam Neeson has been in a series of mostly awful B-movie action flicks since he became an action star with the Taken franchise. I’d say let him try action comedy on for size, it could be entertaining. Neeson will play the clumsy detective Frank Drebin made famous by the late Leslie Nielsen in the franchise. I’ve read that Neeson got along smashingly with his co-star Pamela Anderson (who’s having somewhat of a renaissance thanks to her role in The Last Showgirl). Paul Walter Hauser has also joined the cast.
13. Tron: Ares (October 10)
It’s been 15 years since Tron: Legacy was released, which was more style over substance with a cool soundtrack. Well, this is a direct follow-up to that movie, which was a sequel to the original 1982 film. Apparently, Jeff Bridges will return, joining a new cast that includes Jared Leto and Greta Lee, woot!! I’m most excited to see Lee, making her mark in her first blockbuster movie. Joachim Rønning, known for his work on Maleficent: Mistress of Evil and Young Woman and the Sea, the plot centers on a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, that’s sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission. Instead of Daft Punk, Nine Inch Nails steps in to score the movie. Let’s hope the script will match the stunning visuals this time around.
14. The Running Man (Nov. 7)
Image courtesy of Just Jared
I’m gradually warming up to Glen Powell after seeing him flex his acting muscles in Hit Man. Later this year, he’s set to step into the shoes of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character Ben Richards from the 1987 action flick, which is based on a Stephen King novel. What’s interesting is that King’s 1982 novel is set in 2025, so the timing is uncanny!
Directed by Edgar Wright, it seems like The Running Man has been a project he’s really passionate about for a while. The story unfolds in a dystopian future where a TV show features criminals, known as “runners,” trying to evade professional assassins. Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, and William H. Macy round out the cast.
15. Avatar: Fire and Ash (Dec. 19)
There are a lot of milestones happening this year, as it was 15 years ago that the first Avatar was released. I still remember my excitement during Avatar Day and at the time, the visuals were unlike anything I’ve seen before, though I’m glad the 3D craze has practically disappeared now. No trailer yet but Disney unveiled its title and a few footage at last year’s D23, check out the in-depth commentary from the video below.
James Cameron talks in D23 interviews about exploring two new cultures that inhabit the planet Pandora: The fire Na’vi and the ash Na’vi, the latter is supposedly a villainous group. I’m guessing there’ll also be friction between the Fire Na’vi and the ocean Na’vi in The Way of Water and the forest people from the first movie. Amazingly, Cameron keeps expanding the Avatar universe with more spectacular visuals and crazy action sequences, now the real question is whether he can take Jake Sully and Neytiri’s narratives to new heights in the process.
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The ones I’m excited for are… Superman, Mickey 17, Ballerina, The Running Man, and 28 Years Later. My only interest in Tron Ares is the soundtrack by NIN. Everything else… I don’t know. Don’t care for the next Mission: Impossible because Tom Cruise sucks. I don’t have high expectations for Captain America: Brave New World as I heard reports that it is a mess. Thunderbolts* I am interested for while I’m on the fence for the new Fantastic 4 film. The only film I’m anxious to see is The Way of the Wind by Terrence Malick as I read recent reports that it might come out at Cannes this coming May although it might not happen since Malick is notorious in his approach to editing.
At least you didn’t put the new Snow White. Honestly, who the fuck wants to watch that shit?
Yeah, I think NIN would do an amazing job scoring the new TRON movie! I do love Daft Punk’s score of the first movie but excited to hear what NIN comes up with!
Ahah well I know u don’t care for Cruise but his action movies are entertaining.
Oooh I forgot about The Way of the Wind!! That will be in my next list, the cast for that looks amazing and I’m curious what he would do with the Biblical stories.
Ahah, heck no!! Even the trailer of SW looks horrid, not a fan of the casting and that’s just one of its many problems.
I’ll probably see more movies in theaters this year than the last couple of years. I think I only saw 4 movies in theater in 2024, which is rare for me. But I’m glad to Hollywood is releasing movies that I want to check out in theater.
These are the ones I’ll likely see in theater:
– Mission: Impossible 8 – The last one was kind of lame, let’s hope this one is an improvement.
– Mickey 17 – Looks like fun thriller.
– 28 Years Later – Not a fan of the look of the movie since it was shot entirely on iPhone 15 but like you said, 28 Days Later is the best of the zombie genre. And this one looks like it will be great.
– The Running Man – I’ve been waiting to see a proper adaptation of King’s novel for a long time. It’s one of my favorite books of his and now they’re finally following the book very closely. Powell is perfect as Ben Richards, in the book he’s kind of d-bag and Powell is that d-bag. Also, with our current political climate worldwide, the story from the book is very relevant now than ever.
– Superman – Depends on the reviews, if it gets good reviews, I’ll see it in theater. If not, I’ll wait till it hist Max.
– Avatar 3 – I’ll see this in theater because I’m one of the few who enjoys 3D now. It’s funny, Hollywood finally doing 3D right but the gimmick has faded because they made so many terrible 3D movies back in the early 2010s.
– Tron 3 – If it’s in 3D, I’ll see in theater since the last Tron looked great in 3D. If not, I’ll wait till it hits Disney+.
– Black Bag – If it get lots of good reviews, I’ll see this one in theater. Fassbender is great in The Agency and he looks great here too. I think he realized he’ll never get to play 007, so now he’s accepting all these spy related shows and movies.
The rest, I’ll see them when it hits streaming.
Hey Ted! I remember you included The Running Man as one of the books you wish would be remade. I still need to see the original but then again maybe I’ll just start fresh and see this new one with Powell.
I think Avatar was the only 3D movie I enjoyed but glad Hollywood is done with that craze.
I wanna see The Agency but don’t wanna pay for another streaming service LOL! 😆
The Running Man film starring Arnold is nothing like the book. So, I wouldn’t even bother with it. This new version will stay very close to King’s book. I mean if you want to see a typical cheesy 80s action film with Arnold saying one liners, then you might enjoy the 1987 version. The only thing the original film have in common with the book was the concept and main character’s name. They rewrote everything to fit Arnold’s style of action and of course the 80s cliches.
After Avatar came out and was a massive hit, Hollywood decided to convert all of their movies to 3D and they all looked awful. Then Peter Jackson and Alfonso Cauron finally shot movies in 3D correctly and it has gotten better since. But by mid 2010s, the 3D craze has died down.
Don’t Paramount+ give you access for free as a new customer? I think there’s only 2 or 3 episodes left of The Agency, you can sign up for free and binge watch it!
Ah ok, well that explains why the ’87 Running Man was not a good movie then. I sure hope they do this remake right but sounds like the casting (including Lee Pace + Josh Brolin) is spot on.
Very true about 3D, but even when they did it right, I still didn’t like having to wear the pesky glasses, ahah.
I think Paramount does have a free trial. So yeah, I might sign up for it once ALL the episodes are available and binge watch it, good idea!
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Quite interested in Ballerina. Is Ian McShane in it? Fan of his. Worked with him when I was a newbie peasant.
Hope Running Man turns out better than the remakes of Total Recall and Blade Runner (loser remakes) Love the original Running Man!
The Naked Gun sounds cool! Hope they did it right. Huge fan of Liam Neeson, (worked with Leslie Neilson) the Taken movies…and yeah like some of the other…B movies. I quite liked Non Stop.
Black Bag sounds interesting… I will watch that!
Not sure why but Tom Cruise…MEH!
Hello Resa!! Hope your hand is on the mend.
Yes, Ian McShane will reprise his role as Winston Scott, the owner of the New York Continental. I love him too, so cool that you worked with him before. He’s got such a screen presence, he seems menacing but I bet he’s a sweetheart in real life.
I haven’t seen the Arnold version of Running Man but I heard the book is very good so I’m hopeful this new one would be much better.
I just love the idea of Neeson doing an action comedy, with Pamela Anderson no less. I read that he loves working with her. I do have an affinity for Neeson’s action flicks though most of them aren’t a hit with critics, ahah. So you worked with Leslie Nielsen from the original movies?
I love Cate Blanchett + Michael Fassbender; those two are the main draw for me. As for Cruise, I’m not super fond of him personally, but I do love the Mission Impossible movies, they’re a lot of fun! Thanks, Resa!! XOXO
Adore Ian!
It was my first full time “On Set” job. I was doing the truck. IE: wardrobe maid, organizer and gopher with laundry duties.
When the show was over, I couldn’t help shedding some tears. He passed by the truck, and asked what was wrong. I burst and wailed I’m going to miss you so much! I’ll never get to smell your cologne again!
LOL
Anyway he gave me big hugs and before he left gave me his almost empty bottle of cologne.
It was my first gift from an actor. 😂
Well, I’ve got high hopes for The Naked Gun!
I did work with Leslie twice, but not on the Naked Gun movies.
I did some dailies on a film “Prom Night”, and he was in it. I was still in college & I did NOT want to work in film, but needed $$$.
Years later, when I was a designer in film, he played Santa Claus (the lead) in “Santa Who” for Disney.
Great anecdotes about Leslie from both experiences, but that’s another time.
Hmm, maybe I’ll give the MI series another shot!
XOXO
Aiyaah I almost missed your comment [again!] Sorry dear!
THANK YOU for sharing your nifty experience with Ian, how sweet of him to notice you crying and then gave you his cologne; that is so special and makes me love him so much more!!
Leslie Nielsen sounds like a fun guy; is he as funny as his characters? Did you know he auditioned to play Messala in Ben-Hur? Yes the 1959 film! I just can’t picture him as a villain though, especially someone as evil as Messala!
If you’re curious about MI series, I’d start with Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation. Watch it for the phenomenal Rebecca Ferguson, just the Vienna Opera scene alone makes it worth a watch!
Never worry about comments. I miss them all the time.
Ian will always be special to me. I can hardly wait to see him in “Ballerina”!
Leslie is a hoot! He’s not like some comedians, who are always “on”. However, he is a joker, and I’ll have to tell you a couple of anecdotes one day.
xoxo
Okay “Rogue Nation” it is!
I love hearing all your sweet experiences with the actors you worked with. Sounds like Ian is a real sweetheart.
You’re right that most comedians are always ‘on.’ It’s interesting how many of them seem to be that way to camouflage a darkness in their life… i.e. Robin Williams who was depressed even though it seems like he was always happy.
I hope you enjoy Rogue Nation. Rebecca Ferguson really made an impression on me even though the first time I saw her was in The White Queen miniseries about the English War of the Roses.
Thank you, Ruth!
I can’t type long, as once again the furnace broke down. I just want to lay under the electic blanket!
I will check to see if we get Rogue Nation!
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