Between sure blockbusters and surprises, there are several most anticipated films of 2025. Here's a quick roundup.
January begins with a real barrage that lines up popular characters such as Robbie Williams (protagonist and singer in BETTER MAN by Michael Gracy) , the divine Callas (MARIA by Pablo Larrain with Angelina Jolie and Pierfrancesco Favino) , but also genres rarely frequented by the masters of cinema such as Jacques Audiard who tries his hand at the musical in EMILIA PEREZ (in the running as favorite for the Oscars and the Golden Globes) or the rising star Robert Eggers who signs the return of NOSFERATU with Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe. Then it will be the turn of the stars: for the romantic comedy BRIDGET JONES MAD ABOUT THE BOY by Michel Morris with Renée Zellweger ; for the auteur drama OH CANADA by Paul Schrader with Richard Gere and Jacob Elordi.
A possible surprise? THE RETURN by Uberto Pasolini who travels around the myth of the Odyssey with the contemporary eye of James Joyce. If the auteur cinema category certainly includes the imposing THE BRUTALIST by Brady Corbet, the disturbing THE SHROUDS by David Cronenberg and above all the refined QUEER by Luca Guadagnino with Daniel Craig, entertainment cinema will respond with the horror thriller BABYGIRL by Halina Reijn with Nicole Kidman and the spectacular F1 by Joseph Kosinski with Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem on the Formula One tracks. Robert Zemeckis relies on Tom Hanks and Robin Wright for his nostalgic HERE, while Roberto Andò with L'ABBAGLIO rewrites in picaresque style Garibaldi's Expedition of the Thousand relying on Toni Servillo, Tommaso Ragno (the General), but above all on the unlikely red shirts Ficarra & Picone.
The most anticipated film between now and the summer remains A COMPLETE UNKNOWN by James Mangold with Timothée Chalamet and Ellen Fanning for an auteur biopic dedicated to the young and unknown Bob Dylan. A few months later it will be the turn of MICHAEL by Antoine Fuqua with Jaafar Jackson in the role of the famous uncle. A double for Steven Soderbergh who challenges the laws of the box office with the spy story BLACK BAG with Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett, while trying to amaze critics with the virtuosity of a truly personal horror, PRESENCE. Among thrillers, horror and espionage there is no shortage of proposals: VICIOUS by Bryan Bertino with Dakota Fanning, THE MONKEY by Oz Perkins (from Stephen King), MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (will it be the last chapter?) by Christopher McQuarrie with Tom Cruise, OPERATION VENGEANCE by James Hawes with Hugh Jackman and Rami Malek, 28 YEARS LATER by Roddy Doyle with Ralph Fiennes and Cillian Murphy who starts a new trilogy, the eternal JURASSIC WORLD by Gareth Edwards with Scarlett Johansson and above all ALTOKNIGHTS by Barry Levinson for which the ninety-year-old Nicholas Pileggi rewrote the mafia feud between Vito Genovese and Frank Costello entrusting both roles to the quick-change artist Robert De Niro.
Whether dystopian science fiction, fantasy and video game cinema is still a winning card will be seen thanks to the return in force of Marvel with three titles including FANTASTIC FOUR or CAPTAIN AMERICA, the new SUPERMAN by James Gunn (for DC Comics), as well as the already disputed live action of SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. But along the same lines as the joyfully unlikely attention to MINECRAFT by Jared Hess with Jack Black, the highly anticipated MICKEY 17 by Bong Joon-ho with Mark Ruffalo and Robert Pattinson, the mysterious A BIG BOLD BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY by Kogonada with Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie, the new Pixar bet - namely ELIO by Adrian Molina - and the more tested ZOOTOPIA 2 by Byron Howard of Disney. And the Italians? If some of the great masters like Marco Bellocchio choose seriality again (IL CASO TORTORA) or try to renew themselves (Paolo Virzì with the generational CINQUE SECONDI) while others work in silence (Gabriele Salvatores), the diversification of genres is intriguing.
Here is FOLLEMENTE by Paolo Genovese with Edoardo Leo and Pilar Fogliati, I AM THE END OF THE WORLD by Gennaro Nunziante with the newcomer Angelo Duro , the return of a brand new Gabriele Mainetti with THE FORBIDDEN CITY (in the cast the young Enrico Borello and Yaxi Liu alongside Sabrina Ferilli, Marco Giallini and Luca Zingaretti), the first work by Tiziano Russo written by Roberto Proia FATTI VEDERE by with Matilde Gioli, Pierpaolo Spollon and Asia Argento, eagerly awaited for Valentine's Day.
On a different register also IL NIBBIO by Alessandro Tonda with Claudio Santamaria (in the role of Nicola Calipari) and Sonia Bergamasco (Giuliana Sgrena). Among the many possible surprises, some of which were discovered by the big festivals: WHEN AUTUMN COMES by François Ozon with Josiane Balasko, THE SINNERS by Ryan Coogler with Michael B. Jordan, WOMEN ON THE BALCONY by Noémie Merlant, BRIEF HISTORY OF A FAMILY by the Chinese JJ Lin and two titles already on everyone's lips such as WARFARE by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza and FATHER, MOTHER, SISTER, BROTHER by Jim Jarmusch with Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling, probably expected at Cannes. The season finale instead is already booked by a well-known blockbuster: AVATAR - FIRE AND ASHES by James Cameron, the third part of a saga that already announces two other episodes for the following years.
(Online Union)
