If you like superstar filmmakers, this is your year.
In 2025, several high-profile directors will return to the big screen. Here are five films we can’t wait to see:
5. The Running Man
Release date: Nov. 7
No film on this list has bigger boom-or-bust potential. The 1987 version of The Running Man exists today as a piece of Arnold Schwarzenegger science-fiction nostalgia, which famously predicted reality TV. A remake seems unnecessary (see the ill-advised 2012 update of Total Recall). However, with Edgar Wright directing and Glen Powell starring, that will pique anyone’s curiosity. Wright doesn’t make boring films, and Powell is on a serious winning streak after Twisters, Hit Man, Anyone But You. It will be fascinating to see what direction this reimagining of the novel by Stephen King will take. Supposedly this adaption will be closer to the source material.
4. Mickey 17
Release date: March 7
Bong Joon-ho’s highly anticipated follow-up to his Best Picture Oscar-winner Parasite is almost here. That satire came out before the pandemic, so there has been a long build-up to see what is next from the South Korean filmmaker. Joon-ho, who also directed, Snowpiercer, returns to the science fiction genre. What also makes this a must-see is the incredible cast of Robert Pattinson, Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo. Based on the trailer, Mickey 17 seems reminiscent of Duncan Jones’s Moon (2009), which also featured clones. However, instead of multiple Sam Rockwells, we’re getting multiple Pattinsons. The best sci-fi films tell stories that reflect real-world issues or questions. It’ll be fascinating to see what Mickey 17 reveals to us.
3. Sinners
Release date: April 18
Actor Michael B. Jordan and filmmaker Ryan Coogler are taking a break from their tentpole franchises to do something original. They have made numerous successful collaborations since first joining forces in Fruitvale Station (2013). Sinners is a horror story written and directed by Coogler about vampires. This time Jordan is in a dual role as twins who find themselves in trouble when they return to their hometown in the Jim Crowe-era South. Sounds like an intriguing concept where larger themes of race could be explored. As Nosferatu has shown us, audiences are eager to turn out for good stories about the undead.
2. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
Release date: May 23
Tom Cruise, 62, has starred in these movies since the inaugural one in 1996. Yet, he will continue to anchor the Mission: Impossible franchise for as long as his body and Paramount Pictures allow. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the sequel to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. When last we left Ethan Hunt, his enemy wasn’t a person, but rather an artificial intelligence called the Entity. The 2023 flick featured amazing stuntwork and set pieces, including an incredible train sequence. Dead Reckoning was a bit of a box-office disappointment due to the Barbenheimer phenomenon. We’ll see if The Final Reckoning gets the franchise back on track.
1. Superman
Release date: July 11
After Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill, David Corenswet steps in as the latest Man of Steel. Corenswet is the tallest Superman since the original movie Kal-El, Christopher Reeve, who was also 6-foot-4. The similarities don’t end there. Like the late Reeve, Corenswet attended the prestigious Juilliard School. Also, Corenswet is a relative unknown. His most recent work was as a supporting character in Twisters last year. This feature, directed by James Gunn in his first major project for DC Cinematic Universe, is expected to revitalize the franchise. There’s a hunger for new Superman stories, especially with Nicholas Hoult cast as Lex Luthor. The debut trailer set a record with over 250 million views in the first 24 hours.
