We may still be talking about the best films of 2025, but the year ahead is already stacked with projects worth marking on your calendar. Early on, Kristen Stewart makes her feature directing debut with The Chronology of Water, a poetic adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir nearly a decade in the making. Then, Emerald Fennell takes a characteristically provocative swing at Wuthering Heights, a choice that already has the Internet buzzing thanks to its Charli xcx-scored trailer. Several directors are returning to familiar material from new angles: there’s Maggie Gyllenhaal’s 1930s-set Frankenstein musical with Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, Boots Riley making the fashion industry his target in sci-fi satire I Love Boosters, and Christopher Nolan’s sure-to-be-epic take on The Odyssey, with Matt Damon as his hero. Add in the return of the Practical Magic coven, Aaron Sorkin’s Facebook follow-up The Social Reckoning, and Denis Villeneuve’s final Dune installment, and 2026 is shaping up to be a crowded—and compelling—slate for movies.
The Chronology of Water (January 9)
Director: Kristen Stewart
Cast: Imogen Poots, Thora Birch, Jim Belushi, Tom Sturridge
Kristen Stewart has wanted to adapt Lidia Yuknavitch’s 2011 memoir, The Chronology of Water, since she first read it seven years ago. Now, after spending the interim years trying her hand at directing short films and music videos, Stewart is finally making her feature directorial debut with the project. Hedda actor Imogen Poots plays Lidia in the film, whose coming-of-age is marked by a difficult journey with alcoholism and the aftermath of childhood abuse. Along the way, though, she finds healing through competitive swimming, writing, and later, motherhood. “It’s about repossessing your voice through your body,” Stewart told Vanity Fair of the film, “and just how you process that as a woman in this motherfucking day and age.”
Dead Man’s Wire (January 16)
Director: Gus Van Sant
Cast: Dacre Montgomery, Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo, Al Pacino, Myha’la
The true story behind Dead Man’s Wire was so compelling that it inspired Gus Van Sant to make his first feature film in seven years. The crime drama stars Bill Skarsgård as real-life character Tony Kiritsis, who, in 1977, held his mortgage broker Richard Hall (Dacre Montgomery) hostage for 63 hours after falling behind on his house payments. The event was widely covered by the media, including on live TV, with Kiritsis declaring himself a “goddamned national hero” before eventually pleading not guilty to the crime by way of insanity. The Dog Day Afternoon-esque story even has an Al Pacino appearance.
The Moment (January 30)
Director: Aidan Zamiri
Cast: Charli xcx, Alexander Skarsgård, Rachel Sennott, Jamie Demetriou, Rosanna Arquette, Kylie Jenner
Charli xcx’s ultra-meta The Moment is part tour diary, part mockumentary, part artist statement. Following the success of her last album, Brat, the singer enlisted friend and creative collaborator Aidan Zamiri to follow her with a camera as her pop stardom ascended to new heights, resulting in a film that pokes fun at both fame and herself.
Wuthering Heights (February 13)
Director: Emerald Fennell
Cast: Jacob Elordi, Margot Robbie, Alison Oliver, Hong Chau
Emerald Fennell’s take on Emily Brontë’s Gothic masterpiece is sure to ruffle some purist feathers; the film’s Charli xcx-soundtracked trailer caused a stir the moment it dropped online. But leave it to the Saltburn director to get people talking—and maybe even picking up the classic book to compare notes. Fennell’s version of Wuthering Heights, though (which stars Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie as the story’s central tragic lovers), is more of an impressionistic interpretation than a faithful adaptation of the novel.
Pillion (February 26)
Director: Harry Lighton
Cast: Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling
Pillion turns what could be a trope-filled journey through BDSM culture into a sweetly touching love story between two polar opposite characters. Harry Lighton’s film stars Alexander Skarsgård as the motorcycle daddy dom to shy sub Harry Melling (whom you may otherwise remember as Harry Potter’s cousin, Dudley Dursley). Clearly, Pillion is “not a conventional gay love story,” as Skarsgård has said in interviews, but a more playful take on power dynamics and desire.
The Bride (March 6)
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Cast: Jessie Buckley, Christian Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, Annette Bening, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penélope Cruz
After Guillermo del Toro turned Jacob Elordi into The Creature in this year’s Frankenstein, Maggie Gyllenhaal takes a stab at her version of the classic story. In The Bride, Frankenstein’s monster (Christian Bale) gets his wish for a female companion, in the form of a murdered woman brought back to life (Jessie Buckley) by scientist Dr. Euphronius (Annette Bening). Set in 1930s Chicago and inspired by a silent film from that era of the same name, The Bride is a “punk, monstrous love story” and a musical with “big dance numbers,” according to Gyllenhaal.
The Dog Stars (March 27)
Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin
The Dog Stars, Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Peter Heller’s 2012 novel of the same name, is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi film set in the aftermath of a deadly virus that’s nearly wiped out humanity. The story follows a pilot (Jacob Elordi) and an ex-marine (Josh Brolin) as they face invaders and other obstacles on a desperate journey toward survival. Given the over-the-top visuals of Ridley’s last film (Gladiator II) and a script by Twisters writer Mark L. Smith, The Dog Stars is sure to be a spectacle.
The Drama (April 3)
Director: Kristoffer Borgli
Cast: Zendaya, Robert Pattinson
The star power alone in The Drama is enough to make it an event, with Zendaya and Robert Pattinson playing a couple whose romance “takes an unexpected—and dramatic—turn just before their big day,” according to reports. Little else is known about The Drama, except that it’s an A24 romantic comedy with Ari Aster signed on as a producer. What else do you need?
Michael (April 24)
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Jaafar Jackson, Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller, Colman Domingo
After a few delays, director Antoine Fuqua’s Michael will finally tell the story of Michael Jackson, from his Jackson 5 days to his global ascendency as the King of Pop. The singer’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, is in the titular role, with Colman Domingo playing patriarch Joe Jackson and Nia Long as Michael’s mother, Katherine. The Michael Jackson estate fully cooperated with the making of the film, though there have been a few legal bumps along the way. Given the breadth and depth of the Jackson story, it’s an ambitious undertaking.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (May 1)
Director: David Frankel
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux, B.J. Novak, Rachel Bloom, Lady Gaga, Kenneth Branagh
It’s been ten years since Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs chucked her phone—and her career—into a Parisian fountain, but the Prada-wearing devils of fashion’s most self-referential film are back. A lot has changed in the world of glossies since 2006, and The Devil Wears Prada 2 sees the film’s original cast—including Hathaway’s Andy, Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly, Emily Blunt’s Emily, and Stanley Tucci’s Nigel—navigating the choppy waters of modern media. The real question is: will the fashion hold up?
Is God Is (May 15)
Director: Aleshea Harris
Cast: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, Josiah Cross, Vivica A. Fox, Sterling K. Brown
Is God Is marks the feature directorial debut of Pulitzer Prize-finalist Aleshea Harris (Janicza Bravo and Tessa Thompson are producing). Based on Harris’s award-winning 2018 play of the same name, Is God Is follows disfigured twin sisters (Tony-winner Kara Young and Mallori Johnson) as they seek revenge against their father (Sterling K. Brown), who inflicted the damage. Vivica A. Fox and Janelle Monáe round out the cast.
Stop! That! Train! (May 29)
Director: Adam Shankman
Cast: RuPaul Charles, Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Latrice Royale, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Monét X Change, and Symone
RuPaul has gathered some of his best queens together for the campy Stop! That! Train! Helmed by Hairspray director Adam Shankman, the comedy follows best friends and train stewardesses Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee), who, in the face of a “Stormaganza,” must team up with the rest of the cast (and President RuPaul, of course) to save the day.
I Love Boosters (May 22)
Director: Boots Riley
Cast: Demi Moore, Keke Palmer, LaKeith Stanfield, Naomi Ackie, Eiza González, Poppy Liu, Taylour Paige, Will Poulter
Sorry to Bother You director Boots Riley’s latest film takes on the fashion industry as his latest object of satire. The sci-fi comedy follows Corvette (Keke Palmer) and her “Velvet Gang” of shoplifters who survive by stealing from luxury clothing stores. The group begins targeting a CEO (Demi Moore) as part of a revenge plot gone wrong. We can always count on Riley for pointed social and political commentary mixed with his signature eccentric humor and storytelling, and with its cast, plot, and color palette, I Love Boosters looks like it’ll be no exception.
The Odyssey (July 17)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, John Leguizamo, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Bill Irwin, Samantha Morton, Mia Goth, Corey Hawkins, Logan Marshall-Green
Christopher Nolan will bring his larger-than-life filmmaking techniques to Homer’s great epic, with Matt Damon as Odysseus and a star-studded cast accompanying him on his hero’s journey (Tom Holland plays his son, Telemachus). There are reports that Nolan is using massive animatronics rather than straight CGI to depict the story’s many mythical creatures—but it’s also the first film shot entirely on IMAX cameras, so like most Nolan films, it’ll blend the otherworldly with the cutting edge.
Practical Magic 2 (September 18)
Director: Susanne Bier
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Joey King, Xolo Maridueña, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace, Stockard Channing, Dianne Wiest
One of the few reboots we can wholeheartedly get behind is Practical Magic 2, which brings back Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman for another round of fabulous coastal witchiness. Danish filmmaker Susanne Bier is helming the film (Griffin Dunne directed the original), which is based on another book in Alice Hoffman’s series about the Owens sisters (Bullock and Kidman), The Book of Magic. Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing will reprise their original roles, while Joey King and Maisie Williams join the cast as the new generation of witches tasked with defeating a family curse.
The Social Reckoning (October 9)
Director: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen, Betty Gilpin, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Anna Lambe
A lot has changed since Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay for The Social Network, David Fincher’s 2010 film about Facebook’s origin story. For the follow-up, Sorkin will direct his own movie, with Jeremy Strong replacing Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg. This time around, the story will focus on 2021, when data scientist Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) risked everything to blow the whistle on the social network’s secrets—including its suppression of research on Facebook’s negative impact on teenage mental health, misinformation, and political division. Jeremy Allen White will play Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, who helped Haugen. No word yet on whether Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross will return to compose another Oscar-winning score.
Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew (November 26)
Director: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Emma Mackey, Daniel Craig, Meryl Streep, Carey Mulligan, Denise Gough
C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia book series has been adapted for the screen several times since it was first published in the 1950s, especially fan-favorite The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. That’s exactly why Greta Gerwig wanted to direct what is technically the sixth book in the series (The Magician’s Nephew), though chronologically, it’s a prequel: by making a film about Narnia’s origin story, Gerwig gets to put her own fresh take on the well-tread material. Given the way Gerwig used old-Hollywood production techniques to create a very tactile Barbie universe and set, it’ll be exciting to see what she’ll do with one of the most imaginative children’s stories of all time.
Dune: Part 3 (December 18)
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Jason Momoa, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert Pattinson
It’s your last chance to see Timothée Chalamet potentially ride a sandworm. Based on Frank Herbert’s novel Dune Messiah, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three will mark the end of the director’s film trilogy based on the sci-fi book series. The principal cast from the first two films will return (and Hans Zimmer will once again provide the score), though there’s one major casting addition: Robert Pattinson will play the villain, Scytale, to Chalamet’s antihero, Paul Atreides.
Werwulf (December 2026)
Director: Robert Eggers
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Lily-Rose Depp
After drawing inspiration from Bram Stoker’s Dracula for his 2024 vampire thriller Nosferatu, Robert Eggers has once again cast Lily-Rose Depp in a Gothic horror film about a supernatural villain. In this case, it’s Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the titular Werwulf. Early set images show Depp with a split lip in what’s reportedly meant to be 13th-century England. Little else is known yet about the film, except that Eggers has called it “the darkest thing I’ve ever written.”
Source: W Magazine
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