Guillermo del Toro. James Cameron. Edgar Wright. These are just some of the filmmakers who still have major, exciting genre films coming to your eyeballs before the end of 2025. So while the big, blockbuster-heavy summer season might be over, there is still a lot to be excited about as we look towards fall and winter. To commemorate the turning of the calendar, we decided to go through and select 20 movies we’re most excited to see in the next few months. They range from big blockbusters to offbeat indies, animated films, and so much more.
It’s always important to remember, though, that we’re io9. So while we’re clearly pumped for dramas like One Battle After Another, The Smashing Machine, Marty Supreme, and others as film fans, those don’t fall under the site’s coverage umbrella. These are just the sci-fi, fantasy, horror, and sometimes just plain weird movies we’re looking forward to.
20. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of the first film, but I’m very interested in learning more about the mythology of this series, so fingers crossed this delivers that.
19. Now You See Me, Now You Don’t
Beyond just having the best title ever, we adore this star-studded, magical Robin Hood franchise, and we can’t wait to see what new tricks are in store.
18. Keeper
How we’re getting a third Osgood Perkins movie in less than a year and a half is hard to imagine, but it’s happening. And the last two, The Monkey and Longlegs, were both incredibly awesome, so we expect nothing less here.
17. Anaconda
The one film on this list we have yet to see anything of is this Jack Black-Paul Rudd parody of the cult classic Jennifer Lopez snake movie. Which just sounds like the perfect recipe for big action, big laughs, and really big snakes.
16. Good Boy
Good Boy kind of came out of nowhere in the past few weeks, and now, we’re panting with excitement to see it. We love a new twist on a classic genre, and this is certainly that: a horror film seen from the point of view of the dog.
15. Him
Sports and genre rarely mix. You don’t get a lot of sci-fi sports movies or horror sports movies, so when you do, you take notice. Like with this Jordan Peele-produced film about a football star who starts to follow a cultish mentor.
14. The Long Walk
Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence adapts one of Stephen King’s earliest works, about a brutal competition where people walk until only one is alive. It sounds and looks absolutely brutal, and that’s exactly what we’re hoping for.
13. Black Phone 2
The Grabber is back. How? We don’t know, but we’re very interested to find out. And if there are some scares and surprises along the way? All the better.
12. The Conjuring: Last Rites
It’s supposed to be the final film in the Vera Farmiga-Patrick Wilson mainline horror series, featuring a case so scary, their characters gave up paranormal investigation altogether. We’re not sure the film can deliver on that promise, but if it does, we’re in good hands.
11. Wicked For Good
People who know Wicked know the second act of the show isn’t quite as sweeping or exciting as the first. That’s why this sure-to-be mega-hit falls down the list a bit. Hopefully, though, director Jon M. Chu and his team have still managed to up the ante from the previous film.
10. Mortal Kombat II
The most recent Mortal Kombat was a hell of a lot of fun, and if this sequel can at least match that, it’ll be one of the more entertaining movies of the season. But, if it somehow tops it? Oh man. That’s going to be something.
9. Good Fortune
Aziz Ansari writes and directs this film about an angel (Keanu Reeves) who helps two people (Ansari and Seth Rogen) switch bodies to teach them both a lesson. Then, one of them decides he doesn’t want to switch back. There aren’t a ton of big comedies on the horizon, so with that cast and premise, we’re optimistic this fills that void.
8. Tron Ares
The Grid returns to the big screen, and it’s something we’ve been waiting for a long, long time. Whether or not the film can recapture the magic that has made the Tron franchise endure for 40 years, though, we have to wait and see.
7. Zootopia 2
This first Zootopia is a full-on masterpiece, so even if this long-awaited sequel doesn’t quite live up to that, it’ll still be good. If, however, it somehow pulls a Toy Story 2 and matches or even exceeds its predecessor, it could be a contender for one of the best films of the year.
6. Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron’s third Avatar is clearly the biggest film coming to theaters in the next few months, and we’re confident it’ll be great too. But several other awesome filmmakers have equally intriguing films coming out, so we’re sure Mr. Cameron will be okay with the ranking.
5. Bugonia
Director Yorgos Lanthimos has yet to deliver a film that wasn’t, at the very least, wildly original and unforgettable. And this film, about two guys who kidnap a CEO (played by multiple Oscar winner Emma Stone) because they believe she’s an alien, should hold suit.
4. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
From Star Wars and After Yang director Kogonada comes this glorious-looking fantasy about two strangers, Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, who go on an adventure through their pasts. Something about this one just feels like it’s going to be special.
3. Predator: Badlands
Prey was awesome. Predator: Killer of Killers was awesome. And yet, neither was released on the big screen. Now, director Dan Trachtenberg brings his third Predator film to theaters with a whole new twist. What if the Predator was the hero? Everything we’ve seen from this one just looks incredible.
2. The Running Man
There are a handful of filmmakers who, simply by their involvement, make their latest release a must-see. Edgar Wright is among those filmmakers, and the fact that he’s chosen to return to the sci-fi genre with this new take on the Stephen King story about a killer reality game show, with Glen Powell in the lead role, just has us foaming at the mouth with anticipation and excitement. It would easily be our most anticipated film of the rest of the year, except…
1. Frankenstein
Except Guillermo del Toro is also one of those guys. A filmmaker we line up for no matter what he’s doing. And this time, the master of monsters has adapted one of his favorite stories of all time. Everything about this one has us hoping it’s the all-time classic it has the potential to be.
What did we miss? What did we give too much credit or not enough? Let us know below.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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