One of the common themes in Hollywood last year was “Survive to 25.” Due to the strikes and the economic hardships of COVID-19, many studios pushed high-profile projects to 2025. It’s now 2025, and the year’s slate is loaded. From Superman and The Fantastic Four to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and Jurassic World Rebirth, 2025 should surpass 2024’s cumulative box office.
This year is stacked with thrillers in action, horror, and suspense. Steven Soderbergh, Gareth Evans, Ryan Coogler, and Paul Thomas Anderson all have thrillers coming out in 2025. Those four find themselves on our most anticipated list. Check out the rest of our rankings.
7. Black Bag (March 14, 2025)
Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, and Soderbergh team up for Black Bag, a spy thriller from Jurassic Park scribe David Koepp. By the looks of the trailer, Black Bag will not be as funny and lively as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which might work out in its favor. Kathryn (Blanchett) and George Woodhouse (Fassbender) are a married couple who both happen to work as intelligence agents.
When Kathryn is accused of treason, George must investigate the matter, complicating his relationship. The more George digs, the worse it seems to get. When it’s time to deliver a verdict, will George be willing to cross his wife if he finds her guilty? With Soderbergh behind the camera, expect a slick thriller from a stylistic filmmaker.
6. Companion (January 31, 2025)
This is how the latest trailer for Companion starts. In a voiceover, Sophie Thatcher’s Iris says, “There have been two moments in my life when I was happiest. The first was the day I met Josh. And the second, the day I killed him.” If that doesn’t raise your suspicions, then “from the creators of Barbarian” should.
5. The Amateur (April 11, 2025)
Rami Malek’s career is fascinating to study. Malek won an Emmy for playing Elliot Alderson in Mr. Robot and received an Oscar for portraying Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. With that much prestige and awards recognition, you would think Malek would be a butts-in-seats star. It hasn’t worked out that way, though. Malek hasn’t been the lead in a movie since Bohemian Rhapsody in 2018.
In 2025, Malek will test the waters of being the headliner in The Amateur. In this espionage thriller, Malek plays Charlie Heller, an underestimated CIA decoder working in the basement at Langley. After his wife dies in a terrorist attack, Charlie goes on the offensive, embarking on a treacherous journey to make those responsible pay for their sins. If The Amateur works, more projects built around Malek could materialize.
4. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (June 6, 2025)
Can a John Wick movie work without the titular character as the star? This theory will be tested in Ballerina, the first John Wick movie spinoff directed by Len Wiseman. Ana de Armas plays Eve Macarro, the titular ballerina who studies to be an assassin with the Ruska Roma criminal syndicate. Driven by revenge, Eve hunts down those responsible for murdering her parents.
After poor test screenings, Lionsgate delayed Ballerina and conducted reshoots with John Wick director Chad Stahelski, who reportedly reshot most of the film. Considering Stahelski’s proven track record in this franchise, the reshoots should be viewed in a positive light. Plus, it wouldn’t be a John Wick film without an appearance by Reeves, who shows up at the end of the trailer.
3. Havoc (TBD 2025)
Evans sits in the elite class for action filmmakers. Evans is the mind behind The Raid, The Raid 2, and Gangs of London. The Raid movies, in particular, are always mentioned when discussing the best action thrillers of the 21st century. Evans is back in 2025, and he’s bringing Tom Hardy with him for this latest directorial effort, Havoc.
Per Netflix, “Havoc follows a bruised detective who must fight his way through a criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son after a drug deal gone wrong.” Hardy as a detective navigating the criminal underworld? Sign us up. With Evans behind the camera, expect some crazy action sequences that will make you say, “How did he do that?”
2. Sinners (April 18, 2025)
It’s been 10 years since Coogler directed a non-Black Panther movie. That film in 2015 was Creed, the excellent Rocky spinoff starring Michael B. Jordan as Apollo Creed’s son. Coogler is teaming up with Jordan again for Sinners, an original horror for Warner Bros. Jordan is pulling double duty in Sinners, playing twin brothers who return to their hometown for a new start.
Unfortunately for the brothers, their hometown reunion is short-lived, as sinister creatures now rule the area. Though not specifically stated, the creatures appear to be vampiric. Leaving the steadiness of the MCU to direct a $90 million genre movie is the type of risk more filmmakers with Coogler’s reputation should take.
1. Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson film (August 8, 2025)
Anderson is known for his dramas about complicated characters who explore their feelings about family, regret, and loneliness. Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood, The Master, etc. In his next film, Anderson will enter new territory with a crime thriller described as his “most mainstream” film to date.
The rumored title is The Battle of Baktan Cross, reportedly inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland. The budget is rumored to be around $140 million, the largest of Anderson’s career. The cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, Benicio del Toro, and Shayna McHayle. Action thrillers are a change of pace for PTA, adding more to the anticipation.
