As 2024 comes to a close, these are the films you should be excited about next year.
JOE has always tried to spotlight hidden gem movies or TV shows that may otherwise be overlooked by the masses.
In fact, earlier this month we compiled a list of our favourite underseen films from 2024 and where they can be streamed.
But now we are looking ahead to the future, because a new year looms and with it, a lot more movies.
And so, here are 25 films you may not be aware of coming out in 2025.
Amongst the Wolves (release date: January)
“On the streets of Dublin, Danny (Luke McQuillan), a homeless man grappling with the ghosts of his past, finds himself caught in a cycle of despair and survival. Haunted by memories of his time serving in the Royal Irish Army, Danny’s life takes a turn when he encounters Will (Daniel Fee), a young teenager on the run from a dangerous drug gang.”
Director: Mark O’Connor (Cardboard Gangsters), Other cast: Aidan Gillen, Dane Whyte O’Hara, Helen Behan, Peter Coonan
After the Hunt (TBA)
“A college professor (Julia Roberts) finds herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star pupil (Ayo Edebiri) levels an accusation against one of her colleagues (Andrew Garfield) and a dark secret from her own past threatens to come to light.”
Director: Luca Guadagnino (Challengers), Other cast: Chloë Sevigny, Michael Stuhlbarg
The Battle of Baktan Cross (August 8)
A new crime thriller drama from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood) starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Alana Haim, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor and Wood Harris. Plot details have been kept under wraps.
Black Bag (March 14)
“Black Bag is about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) and his beloved wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.”
Director Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven), Other cast: Marisa Abela, Naomie Harris, Pierce Brosnan, Regé-Jean Page, Tom Burke.
Bugonia (November 7)
“Two conspiracy-obsessed young men (one of whom is played by Jesse Plemons) kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company (Emma Stone), convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.”
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things), Other cast: Alicia Silverstone, Stavros Halkias
Caught Stealing (TBA)
“Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.”
Director: Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), Other cast: Bad Bunny, Liev Schreiber, Matt Smith, Regina King, Vincent D’Onofrio, Zoë Kravitz
Die, My Love (TBA)
“In a remote forgotten rural area, a mother (Jennifer Lawrence) struggles to maintain her sanity as she battles with psychosis.”
Director: Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Other cast: Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield, Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek
Drop (April 11)
“A widowed mother’s (Meghann Fahy) first date in years takes a terrifying turn when she’s bombarded with anonymous threatening messages on her phone during their upscale dinner, leaving her questioning if her charming date (Brandon Sklenar) is behind the harassment.”
Director: Christopher Landon (Freaky)
Eddington (TBA)
“Revolves around a couple stranded in a small New Mexico town during the pandemic. Initially welcomed, the town takes a sinister turn by nightfall.”
Director: Ari Aster (Hereditary), Cast: Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Clifton Collins Jr, Deirdre O’Connell, Luke Grimes, Micheal Ward
Fréwaka (March 28)
“Haunted by a personal tragedy, home care worker Shoo (Clare Monnelly) must temporarily leave behind her pregnant partner as she is sent to a remote village to care for an agoraphobic woman (Bríd Ní Neachtain). The fearful woman suspects her neighbours as much as the Na Sídhe – sinister entities who she believes abducted her decades before. As the two develop a strangely deep connection, Shoo is consumed by the old woman’s paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, eventually confronting the horrors from her own past.”
Director: Aislinn Clarke (The Devil’s Doorway)
Friendship (TBA)
“Tim Robinson portrays a suburban dad obsessively pursuing camaraderie with his charming neighbour (Paul Rudd).”
Director: Andrew DeYoung (Dave), Other cast: Kate Mara, Jack Dylan Grazer, Conner O’Malley, Ivy Wolk, Josh Segarra
The Gorge (February 14)
“Two highly-trained operatives (Anya Taylor-Joy and Miles Teller) are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late.”
Director: Scott Derrickson (Sinister), Other cast: Sigourney Weaver, Sope Dirisu
Havoc (TBA)
“After a drug deal has gone wrong, a bruised detective (Tom Hardy) must fight his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son, unravelling a deep web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his entire city.”
Director: Gareth Evans (The Raid), Other cast: Forest Whitaker, Luis Guzmán, Narges Rashidi, Timothy Olyphant
Highest 2 Lowest (TBA)
“An upcoming American crime thriller directed by Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman). It is an English-language remake of the 1963 Japanese film High and Low.”
Cast: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky, Ice Spice, Michael Potts.
Honey Don’t! (TBA)
“Set in Bakersfield, California, the film focuses on a private investigator (Margaret Qualley), a cult leader (Chris Evans), and a mystery woman (Aubrey Plaza).
Director: Ethan Coen (Drive-Away Dolls), Other cast: Billy Eichner, Charlie Day, Kristen Connolly, Talia Ryder
Hope (TBA)
“A mysterious discovery is made on the outskirts of the remote harbour town. The residents find themselves in a desperate fight for survival against something they have never encountered before.”
Director: Na Hong-jin (The Wailing), Cast: Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Hoyeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton
Jay Kelly (TBA)
“Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) is writing and directing a new movie for Netflix, and he’s bringing along a few famous friends. The Oscar-nominated filmmaker is teaming up with George Clooney and Adam Sandler for a new film that is described as a funny and emotional coming-of-age film about adults.”
Other cast: Billy Crudup, Emily Mortimer, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Isla Fisher, Jim Broadbent, Laura Dern, Patrick Wilson, Riley Keough, Stacy Keach
The Monkey (February 21)
“After stumbling upon their father’s vintage toy monkey in the attic, twin brothers Hal and Bill (both played by Theo James) witness a string of horrifying deaths unfolding around them. In an attempt to leave the haunting behind, the brothers discard the monkey and pursue separate paths over time. However, when the inexplicable deaths resurface, the brothers are compelled to reconcile and embark on a mission to permanently eliminate the cursed toy.”
Director: Osgood Perkins (Longlegs), Other cast: Elijah Wood, Tatiana Maslany, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy.
The Naked Gun (August 1)
Liam Neeson headlines this reboot of the beloved series that parodies cop stories.
Director: Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod), Other cast: Busta Rhymes, CCH Pounder, Danny Huston, Kevin Durand, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Houser
Power Ballad (TBA)
“An uplifting music-driven story about a wedding singer (Paul Rudd), a rock star (Nick Jonas), and the song that comes between them.”
Director: John Carney (Sing Street), Other cast: Havana Rose Liu, Jack Reynor, Peter McDonald, Peter McGann
Presence (January 24)
“A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they’re not alone.”
Director: Steven Soderbergh (Black Bag), Cast: Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan
Saipan (TBA)
“Steve Coogan stars as Mick McCarthy and Éanna Hardwicke stars as Roy Keane in Saipan, a new Irish film about the events leading up to Ireland’s 2002 World Cup campaign.”
Directors: Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D’Sa (Good Vibrations)
Star Trek: Section 31 (January 24)
“Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) joins Section 31, a secret division of Starfleet tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, and must face the sins of her past.”
Director: Olatunde Osunsanmi (The Fourth Kind), Other cast: James Hiroyuki Liao, Kacey Rohl, Omari Hardwick, Sam Richardson.
Visitation (TBA)
“A 14-year-old girl is sent away to live with Catholic nuns when her mother is sick and dying, but her arrival slowly turns sinister as one of her caretakers becomes enamoured with her for all the wrong reasons.”
Director: Nicolas Pesce (The Grudge), Cast: Olivia Cooke, Alfie Allen, Emily Healy, Hannah Brady, Penelope Wilton, Stephen Rea
Warfare (TBA)
“Warfare embeds audiences with a platoon of American Navy SEALs in the home of an Iraqi family, overwatching the movement of US forces through insurgent territory. A story of modern warfare, told in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it.”
Directors: Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza (Civil War), Cast: Charles Melton, Cosmo Jarvis, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Finn Bennett, Henry Zaga, Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor, Michael Gandolfini, Noah Centineo, Will Poulter
