The Year Ahead in Superheroes
2024 was a quiet year for a superhero machine trying to navigate years of perceived fatigueβand 2025 is ready to come out swinging.
From anticipated sequels like "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" to Marvel blockbusters like "Thunderbolts*," there's much to be excited about at the movies in 2025.
Here are the 32 titles we're most excited to see this year.
Director Leigh Whannell follows up his acclaimed remake of "The Invisible Man" in 2020 with another remake of a horror classic.
With "Wolf Man," he again teams with Blumhouse to modernize this thriller. Here, Christopher Abbott plays a father attacked by a werewolf who transforms into something horrifying, especially when there's a full moon.
In this thriller set inside a small plane, Michelle Dockery plays an FBI agent who transports Topher Grace, who's playing a mafia informant.
Mark Wahlberg portrays the plane's pilot, who turns out to be a hitman hired to take out Grace's character.
Mel Gibson directs this movie, which will surely be one of the wackiest thrill rides of the year.
Anthony Mackie returns as Sam Wilson, the latest Captain America.
Wilson must uncover the mastermind behind an incident that follows the election of President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford).
In the latest installment of the popular franchise, the beloved Paddington Bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) returns to his native Peru with the Brown family in tow to check in on his Aunt Lucy.
Writer-director Ryan Coogler took a break from the "Black Panther" franchise to make this horror movie.
It stars Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers who, after a tough stretch, return to their hometown for a restart only to encounter a great evil.
Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, and Delroy Lindo also star.
This is the latest live-action remake of a beloved Disney animated movie.
Rachel Ziegler plays Snow White, while Gal Gadot is cast as the evil Queen.
Jack Black, Jason Momoa, and Danielle Brooks star in this big-screen take on the popular video game Minecraft.
Expect a lot of zany comedy, as "Napoleon Dynamite" director Jared Hess is at the helm.
Six years after his acclaimed movie "Parasite" became the first non-English-language movie to win the best picture Academy Award, director Bong Joon-ho finally gives us his next movie β and he's going in a different direction.
In this sci-fi black comedy, Robert Pattinson plays an "expendable," a disposable employee who sets out on extremely dangerous tasks that always result in his death. Afterward, his body always regenerates, leading to an unusual situation when one of his iterations survives.
Kicking off the 2025 summer movie season is this Marvel movie that focuses on the anti-heroes of the MCU. It includes Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and Red Guardian (David Harbour).
We will get two live-action Disney remakes in 2025.
Here, Dean Fleischer Camp, the director of "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On," will update the beloved 2002 animated movie.
Chris Sanders, who directed that movie, will voice Stitch as he's done since 1985 when the character was originated . Zach Galifianakis, Bill Magnussen, Tia Carrere, Courtney B. Vance, and Hannah Waddingham also star.
Marking the eighth installment in the "M:I" franchise and the direct sequel to 2023's "Dead Reckoning" (that's the one where Tom Cruise drove his motorcycle off a cliff), get ready for a thrilling end to this latest chapter that's certain to be full of dazzling stunts.
Ana de Armas stars as Eve Macarro, a ballerina turned assassin.
The movie is set between chapters 3 and 4 in the "John Wick" franchise.
In the latest movie from Pixar, we follow Elio, a young boy who accidentally becomes Earth's ambassador when aliens from the Communiverse make contact.
Now, Elio must form bonds with lifeforms across the galaxy to fix a major intergalactic crisis.
In the latest movie in the zombie franchise, original director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland return.
Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O'Connell, and Cillian Murphy returns are starring this time.
In this sports drama from "Top Gun: Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski, Brad Pitt plays a popular Formula 1 driver from the 1990s who was forced to retire after a horrific crash.
Now, an old friend (Javier Bardem) convinces him to come out of retirement and join his team to mentor a rookie (Damson Idris).
When the summer hits, Blumhouse is blessing us with the sequel to its hit 2022 horror movie. Allison Williams returns to battle M3GAN, presumably AI, after her doll form was destroyed at the end of the first movie.
Hollywood and moviegoers seemingly can't get enough of the "Jurassic" franchise.
Three years after closing out the "Jurassic World" trilogy, we now fast-forward five years later after the events of "Dominion" to follow a covert operations expert, played by Scarlett Johansson. She leads a team to secure genetic material from three massive dinosaurs that will bring life-saving benefits to mankind.
Gareth Edwards ("Rogue One," "The Creator") is directing the movie, which also stars Mahershala Ali.
We all have July 11 circled to catch a glimpse of James Gunn's anticipated take on the Man of Steel.
It will star David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Despite not having an official title yet, we have a good idea there will be a lot of slashing in the fourth movie in this horror franchise, created in the late 1990s.
Madelyn Cline ("Outer Banks," "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery") stars along with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt, who both appeared in the first two movies.
The latest reboot of the beloved superhero team is set in a 1960s retro-futuristic Earth where they take on Galactus and Silver Surfer.
Pedro Pascal plays Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby is Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Joseph Quinn plays Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach is Ben Grimm/The Thing.
The characters from the popular children's book series return for a sequel.
Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramon, Richard Ayoade, Zazie Beetz, Alex Borstein, and Lilly Singh all reprise their roles.
Twenty one years after the beloved body swap tale, starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, the two return for another freaky tale.
Bob Odenkirk returns as the unlikely badass.
Connie Nielsen, RZA, and Christopher Lloyd return for the sequel, complete with new characters played by Sharon Stone and Colin Hanks.
Maggie Gyllenhaal writes, directs, and produces this remake of the 1935 classic "Bride of Frankenstein."
Jessie Buckley ("The Lost Daughter") will play Frankenstein's bride with Christian Bale portraying Frankenstein's monster.
The movie is a family affair as Gyllenhaal's husband, Peter Sarsgaard, and her brother, Jake, will star. PenΓ©lope Cruz, Annette Bening, and Julianne Hough also star.
Director Antoine Fuqua takes on the complex life and legacy of Michael Jackson.
Jaafar Jackson, the nephew of Michael, is playing the late King of Pop. Colman Domingo and Nia Long also star as Michael's parents.
Ethan Hawke returns as The Grabber in the sequel to Scott Derrickson's spooky 2021 horror from Blumhouse.
This marks the second adaptation of the Stephen King novel; the first famously starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987.
In this version, directed by Edgar Wright, Glen Powell stars as Ben Richards, the latest contestant in the deadly game show where you literally have to run from hunters to win your freedom.
Josh Brolin, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, and William H. Macy also star.
We return to the Land of Oz for the thrilling conclusion of the box-office hit musical.
Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande return to once more play the leads.
After the original was released in 2016 and grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, you knew it was only a matter of time before Disney hit us with a sequel. Eight years later, it's finally here.
Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) return to use their detective skills to crack the latest big case in Zootopia.
Following the surprising 2023 box-office success of the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game series, Blumhouse gives us a sequel.
We once again return to Na'vi and catch up with Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his family following the events of 2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water."
We cannot wait for Daniel Craig to play detective Benoit Blanc again for Rian Johnson's latest chapter in his whodunit franchise.
Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Josh O'Connor, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Thomas Haden Church, Cailee Spaeny, and Andrew Scott star this time.
Though Netflix has not shared a release date yet, if the previous films are any hint, it will likely come out around Thanksgiving 2025.
It's been over a decade since audiences last saw a solo "Superman" movie in theaters, but director James Gunn has finally revealed the first trailer for his new DC reboot.
The film stars "Twisters" actor David Corenswet as the new version of the Man of Steel, as he takes over the role from Henry Cavill. The trailer starts with Superman crashing down in the snow before calling his dog, Krypto, for help.
It then introduces audiences to the new iteration of the DC Universe as Clark Kent balances his life as a young reporter at the Daily Planet and as a superhero. It puts some of the focus on his relationship with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) a fellow reporter, as well as Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), a nefarious tech billionaire.
The action also sees Superman fighting a huge monster and a mysterious black-suited figure. Take a look below.
Corenswet is known for his roles in "Pearl," "The Politician" and "Look Both Ways." He also starred in 2024's "Twisters" alongside Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones.Β
He told the "Manly Things (Sort Of)" podcast that he bulked up significantly for the role.
Corenswet said: "Getting to bulk up for 'Superman'Β was...Β I was looking for an excuse to really throw on some weight. I thought 210 was going to make me happy, but then I got up to 238... I wasn't 238 when we started shooting. 238 was my max."Β
He added: "It didn't feel great... I did it so quickly that my body just hadn't adjusted to the extra weight... But that was at the peak of my bulk, and then I slowly lost weight before we started shooting.Β
"I started shooting at about 228. I put on one of those sweatshirts, and I was like an XL or double XL, and I was like, 'I fill this out. This is amazing.' I didn't fit into any of my pants."
Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane, a determined reporter at the Daily Planet and the love interest of Superman/Kent.Β
The actor is known for her roles in "House of Cards" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," she reportedly beat actors like "Sex Education" star Emma Mackey, "Bridgerton" lead Phoebe Dynevor, and "Ready or Not" actor Samara Weaving to the role.
In February, Brosnahan told Variety what drew her to the role, saying: "I have always loved Lois Lane. She's smart, ambitious, and can be funny. She knows she's the smartest person in the room more often than not."
British star Nicholas Hoult originally auditioned to play Superman in the film, but Gunn decided to cast him as the hero's archnemesis, Lex Luthor, instead.Β
Hoult told The Hollywood Reporter that he enjoyed working with Gunn on getting Luthor right.
He said: "I was like, 'Oh, this is exciting where he imagines this character being, and hopefully I can bring the energy that he wants to what he's written on the page.'Β Yeah, you do want him to be imposing and dangerous. That's something about that character. Whenever you're playing the villain, I suppose you want people to feel that they are dangerous."
Nathan Fillion voiced the Hal Jordan Green Lantern in several animated movies and starred in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" and "The Suicide Squad."
In "Superman," he's playing Guy Gardner, a hot-headed member of the Green Lantern Corps.
Isabela Merced is playing Hawkgirl, a hero with a complicated backstory involving reincarnation. She also appeared in the Sony Marvel movie "Madame Web" as another superhero, Anya Corazon, and had a very gross role in "Alien: Romulus."
Edi Gathegi is playing Mr. Terrific, a tech genius who uses his inventions to fight injustice. The actor has also played a superhero before β Darwin in "X-Men: First Class."
Carrigan can briefly be seen as Metamorpho toward the end of the trailer β although he's easily mistaken for another character, Brainiac, due to the alien-like design of his face.
But it is definitely Metamorpho due to his purple crystal shoulder that can be seen on the right of the screen.
βJorge (@djodjeee_) December 19, 2024
The character is typically a hero in the comics, but this ominous shot might suggest he has a villainous role to play in the film.
Carrigan is best known for his role in "Barry" but he has played two supervillains in DC shows "Gotham" and "The Flash."
James Gunn previously told fans on Instagram that his version of the character was inspired by his rescue dog, Ozu.
He wrote: "Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?" - and thus Krypto came into the script & changed the shape of the story as Ozu was changing my life."
The Internet has been buzzing the last few days about James Gunn's Superman reboot slated for release next year. The studio released a "motion poster" earlier this week set to a moody cover of John Williams' "Superman March," as well as a teaser for a teaser for the film. That teaser just dropped.
Clearly, given all the buildup, what director James Gunn wants for Christmas is for everyone to get excited over his Superman movie. And you know what? It kinda worked, especially since Superman's dog Krypto makes an adorably welcome appearance.
Gunn describes his take as less of an origin story and more of a journey, with Superman struggling to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage and aristocratic origins with his small-town, adoptive human family. Gunn tapped David Corenswet to play Clark Kent/Superman, at 25 a bit more established than the young cub reporter of Smallville, for instance. Rachel Brosnahan plays Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo plays Jimmy Olsen, and Nicholas Holt is arch-nemesis Lex Luther. (Holt's son shaved his head for the role.) Luther's sidekicks are played by Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher and Terence Rosemore as Otis.