2025 has a major line-up offantasy moviesset for release, including some heavy-hitting franchises and a few wholly original films. January starts off strong withWolf Man, a reinvention of the classicUniversal Horror monster movie directed bySawco-creator Leigh Wannel. February will be absolutely packed, with the feature-length animated spinoff of Netflix’sThe Witcher, Sirens of the Deep, as well as the George R. R. Martin-derivedInthe Lost Landsand A24’s fantasy adventureThe Legend of Ochi.
Spring will blossom with even more excitement as the animal-zombie-comedyNight of the Zoopocalypseand new live-action Disney adaptationSnow Whitehit in March, followed byA Minecraft Moviein April andA Big Bold Beautiful Journeyin May. Summer brings anotherlive-action update of a classic withHow to Train Your Dragon, while the back half of the year is packed with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s musical of FrankensteinThe Bride!, plus a newMortal Kombat,Wicked Part 2, and the thirdAvatar.
Release dates are subject to change; the following dates are for United States releases only and may vary by region.
07-06-2025
11-06-2025
01-06-2025
Night of the Zoopocalypse
02-07-2025
31-05-2025
07-08-2025
14-06-2025
11-06-2025
20-06-2025
01-08-2025
15-07-2025
Avatar: Fire and Ash
08-06-2025
The Carnival at the End of the World
Wolf Man
Cast
Wolf Man, released on July 29, 2025, follows Blake and his wife Charlotte as they visit his secluded childhood home in rural Oregon. After a mysterious animal attack, they become trapped inside, and Charlotte is forced to confront Blake’s disturbing transformation amidst growing tension and fear.
Universal Studio’s plan for a new unified cinematic universe for their classic horror movie monsters fizzled when 2017’sThe Mummytanked, but their 2020The Invisible Manremake performed well enough that they decided to take a looser approach to future monster mashes. As a result, Ryan Gosling is producingthe newWolf Man, which is being directed and co-written bySawmastermind Leigh Wannell.
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Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man took inspiration from a body horror classic for its main character, and that explains his controversial look.
Starring Christopher Abbot (Catch-22) after Gosling backed out of the lead role, this new take on the classic horror film promises to be particularly hair-raising, with the film’s stars saying thenew design of the werewolf shocked themwith how realistic and horrifying it was. With little else to stand in its way on the release schedule,Wolf Manis likely to leave audiences howling for more.
The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep
Based on the hit novel and video game series, The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep is an animated film directed by Kang Hei Chul for Netflix. Series protagonist Geralt of Rivia takes center stage once more as he is hired for a nearly impossible task- to ease tensions between humans and merpeople before they break out into an all-out war.
While the next season of Netflix’sThe Witcherhas yet to get a release date, itsanimated spinoffThe Witcher: Sirens of the Deeppromises to land with a splash in early February. Interestingly, neither the original live-action Geralt, Henry Cavill, or his season 4 replacement Liam Hemsworth will be playing the titular witcher; instead, the role will be played by Doug Cockle, the actor who provided Geralt’s voice for all of CD Projekt Red’sWitchervideo games.
Sirens of the Deepwill be set in the relative past of Netflix’s version of the series timeline, between episodes 5 and 6 of the first season. As it fits into their version of the timeline, it’s only appropriate that series stars Anya Cholatra and Joey Batey will be voicing their respective characters of Yennifer of Vengeberg and Jaskier, although it isn’t clear yet how the film’s plot will interface with the live-action series. The original Andrzej Sapkowski story it’s based on, “A Little Sacrifice,” was a standalone part of theSword of Destinycompliation.
In the Lost Lands
A queen seeks to obtain the power to shape-shift and enlists the sorceress Gray Alys to venture into the perilous Lost Lands to retrieve it. Gray Alys, accompanied by a guide named Boyce, faces deadly creatures and treacherous landscapes. The journey challenges their resolve and reveals the true cost of the queen’s desire.
Starring action-movie veterans Dave Bautista (Dune: Part Two) and Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil),In the Lost Landsadapts a George R. R. Martin short story by the same name that was first published in the 1982 fantasy anthologyAmazons II. Jovovich plays Grey Alys, a witch charged by a queen to bring her the power of shape-shifting, and who sets out into the Lost Lands to find what she needs to grant the queen’s wish. Along the way, she is aided by the enigmatic hunter Boyce (Bautista) in fights against the Lost Lands' monstrous inhabitants.
While the most successful adaptations of Martin’s work, namelyGame of Thrones, have all been set in Westeros,In the Lost Landshas its own original post-apocalyptic setting.
While the most successful adaptations of Martin’s work, namelyGame of Thrones, have all been set in Westeros,In the Lost Landshas its own original post-apocalyptic setting. The film is directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, who has worked with Jovovich extensively on theResident Evilfranchise and other films, as well as being married to her; he described the film as “set in a post-apocalyptic land, so on the surface it’s not a western, but at its heart it is most definitely a western” (viaCinema Retro).
The Legend of Ochi
The Legend of Ochi is a fantasy adventure film set in a remote village on the island of Carpathia. It follows Yuri, a shy farm girl, who embarks on a quest to return a wounded baby ochi to its home, challenging her community’s fear of the mysterious species.
Independent studio A24 continues to expand their wheelhouse withwhimsical fantasy adventureThe Legend of Ochi, starring Helena Zengel,Stranger Things' Finn Wolfhard, and A24 casting mainstay Willem Dafoe. The film is also the feature debut of director Isaiah Saxon, who has received copious critical acclaim for his work directing music videos for various artists.
Some artists Saxon has worked with are Björk, Grizzly Bear, and Panda Bear (no relation).
InThe Legend of Ochi, Yuri (Zengel) discovers a young Ochi, a mysterious forest creature that she has been taught to fear by the members of her isolated island community. When the small creature proves to be much less dangerous than she was told, Yuri makes it her mission to return the Ochi to its family, despite everything her monster-hunting father says. While the visuals of the film look epic, it still looks to be very much an A24 film, with a deep focus on personal connection.
Night of the Zoopocalypse is a sci-fi thriller set in 2025, where a meteor-induced virus turns zoo animals into zombies. A wolf and a mountain lion join forces with other survivors to reclaim the zoo and thwart the plans of a deranged mutant leader seeking to spread the virus.
Inspired by a short story by horror legend Clive Barker (Hellraiser) and directed by animation veterans Ricardo Curtis (The Incredibles) and Rodrigo Perez-Castro (The Book of Life), this family-friendly zombie apocalypse takes place in a zoo that has been struck by a strange meteor which releases a virus that turns the zoo animals into zombies. A group of plucky animals band together in order to prevent the virus from spreading and destroying the world.
With voice work fromStranger Things’s David Harbour andThe Mandalorian’s Paul Sun-Hyung Lee,Night of the Zoopocalypsepromises to be an interesting film, with much of the production using gimmicks from horror films but dressing them up in more kid-appropriate garb. This zombie in sheep’s clothing had its film festival premiere in October 2024, and will have its theatrical release in the U.S. and Canada in March of 2025.
Snow White
A live-action adaptation of the classic fairy tale. The film follows Snow White as she escapes into the forest and seeks refuge with seven dwarfs to elude her jealous stepmother, the wicked Queen, who is threatened by Snow White’s surpassing beauty.
Disney’s latest in their series of live-action remakes of their Golden Age animated hits,Snow Whitestars Rachel Zeglerin the title role, fresh off her princess debut in competitor Netflix’sSpellbound. The Evil Queen, Disney’s very first villain, will be played by Gal Godot (Wonder Woman).
The adaptation promises to change some things from the original, with at least one new song from songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who also wrote the new songs for Disney’s live-action 2019Aladdin, although originalSnow Whiteclassic tunes “Heigh-Ho” and “Whistle While You Work” will still feature in the film. With numerous controversies and delays dogging the production since 2020, andSnow White’s budget possibly nearing an absurd $270 million, Disney’s newSnow Whitewill have a lot to prove at the box office when it releases in March.
A Minecraft Movie
A Minecraft Movie follows four misfits transported into the Overworld, a cubic world of creativity. To return home, they must navigate its challenges while on a magical quest with experienced crafter Steve, learning to master the intricate environment of this imaginative realm.
Minecrafthas become one of the most popular video games of all time, and so it’s no surprise that it’s getting a big-screen adaptation, although the project has actually been in development since 2014.A Minecraft Moviewill follow a group of four misfitMinecraftplayers who somehow find their way into the video game’s literally cubist world and be confronted with challenges that will help them succeed in their lives if and when they can make it back to the real world.
With an all-star cast including Jason Momoa (Dune), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), Jennifer Coolidge (Shotgun Wedding), Matt Berry (theWhat We Do In The Shadowsseries), and Jack Black (Borderlands),A Minecraft Moviewill be a fascinating exploration of the source game’s open world. Although theMinecraftgame is fairly light on story, the trailers forA Minecraft Moviepromise epic adventure and a world of possibility.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
A chance meeting at a wedding sends two strangers on a magical road trip guided by an uncanny GPS.
While very little information aboutA Big Bold Beautiful Journey’s story has come to light, it’s clear that the film is a real passion project for director Kogonada (After Yang). Described as a “romantic fantasy” and an “exploration of self-discovery and resilience,” the film was written by Upright Citizens Brigade and late-night talk show writers' room veteran Seth Reiss.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journeystars Margot Robbiein her first role since 2022’sBarbie, with Colin Farrell alongside her, and an impressive supporting cast. With this much talent both in front of and behind the camera, this enigmatic film may yet prove to be an award-winner once it releases in late spring 2025.
How to Train Your Dragon
How to Train Your Dragon, released in 2025, depicts the story of Hiccup, a young Viking who defies tradition on the isle of Berk by befriending Toothless, a feared Night Fury dragon. Their friendship uncovers the true nature of dragons, challenging entrenched Viking perceptions and societal norms.
DreamWorks has jumped on the live-action adaptation bandwagon withHow to Train Your Dragon, based on the hit 2010 CGI fantasy adventure. Like the original, the film will follow young Viking misfit Hiccup, here played by Mason Thames instead of Jay Baruchel, as he discovers that the dragons that have been plaguing his village of Berk maybe aren’t such a menace as his community thinks.
People were split between praise for the faithful recreation of the beloved film and concerns that the adaptation would be too derivative.
Gerard Butler will be reprising his role as Hiccup’s father, Stoick the Vast, but none of the other actors from the original film are slated to return. After the first trailer for the live-actionHow to Train Your Dragonrevealed a significant number of frame-for-frame recreations of shots from the original, people were split between praise for the faithful recreation of the beloved film and concerns that the adaptation would be too derivative. Audiences will be able to find out for themselves in June.
The Bride!
The Bride! is a 2025 horror romance film written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal. The film is set in 1930s Chicago, where Dr. Euphronius creates Frankenstein a companion. Christian Bale stars as Frankenstein alongside Annette Benning, Jessie Buckley, Penélope Cruz, and Peter Sarsgaard.
The Bride!promises to be one of the most unique and strange films hitting movie theaters in 2025, and that’s even accounting for the fact that it’s not the only Frankenstein-related film coming out that year. Yet while monster-movie mastermind Guillermo del Toro’sFrankensteinpromises to be as full of sympathy for the monstrous as any of his other films,The Bride!has an even more unique take thanks to director Maggie Gyllenhaal.
This Universal Monsters Detail Makes Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Upcoming Frankenstein Movie Even More Exciting
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s upcoming Frankenstein movie The Bride! has a creative spin on the setting that’s equal parts an homage and a twist on the classic.
Unlike other Frankenstein films (excepting Mel Brooks’Young Frankensteinon a technicality),The Bride!will be a musical — a genre that star Christian Bale has plenty of experience with, considering one of his first starring roles in a film was in 1992’s musicalNewsies. With additional star power from Jessie Buckley (Wicked Little Letters) as the titular Bride, Annette Benning (Nyad), and Peter Sarsgaard (September 5), this song-and-dance spin on the classicBride of Frankensteinis potentially one of the most exciting films of 2025.
