The most exciting movies of 2025 that aren't sequels, prequels or remakes

We'll all be spending a lot of time looking back at the films of 2024 at the moment, but it's also worth taking a look in the other direction towards the most exciting movies coming our way in 2025. In particular, we want to praise the entirely original stories heading to cinemas and streaming platforms in the next 12 months — those that aren't sequels, prequels, or remakes.

There's nothing wrong with franchise storytelling, of course, and Marvel has an intriguing roster in 2025 after taking most of 2024 off. There's also the rebirth of the DC Universe with James Gunn's Superman: Legacy. But there's just something really special about seeing a story that has been conjured completely fresh from the minds of its filmmakers.

So here are the best original movies you should keep your eyes open for in the months to come. Maybe some of them will become franchises in future but, for now, they stand alone.

Babygirl | 10 January

2025 is starting off with a slew of exciting movies which are all likely to be acknowledged during awards season in some form or another, one of which is Babygirl. The erotic thriller stars Nicole Kidman as CEO Romy Mathis who begins a relationship with her intern Samuel, played by Harris Dickinson, and explores the toxicity of their affair.

The film premiered at Venice Film Festival and has been getting a huge amount of praise and awards buzz since, Kidman even won the award for Best Actress. Babygirl is sure to entice viewers with its dramatic, tense relationship which is cemented by two fearless performances.

A Complete Unknown | 17 January

If 2024 was dominated by Robbie Williams' biopic Better Man, 2025 will be shaped by Bob Dylan's A Complete Unknown which stars Timothée Chalamet as the folk music legend. The film has already got the seal of approval from the man himself, and has received resoundingly positive reviews for its approach to Dylan's rise to fame. It will certainly introduce a whole new generation to the power of Dylan's music.

Back in Action | 17 January

Cameron Diaz has been off our screens for some time, so it's no wonder her return to movies is getting so much hype. The actor is teaming up with Jamie Foxx for the Netflix spy thriller Back in Action, which is sure to be a fun bingeable watch that will banish the January blues.

The Brutalist | 24 January

Critics have tipped The Brutalist for multiple awards in 2025, including another Best Actor nod for Adrien Brody who last won an Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist. In Brady Corbet's three-and-a-half hour epic, the actor plays Hungarian-Jewish architect László Tóth and it charts his journey to America after surviving the Holocaust, and his experience building a career in the country.

Presence | 25 January

Presence, a new team-up between veteran screenwriter David Koepp — responsible for both Jurassic Park and Spider-Man — and director Steven Soderbergh is definitely worth getting excited about. It's a psychological thriller starring Lucy Liu as the head of a family who move into a new house, only to discover they're not alone. It sounds simple and played-out, but Koepp has flair for twisty, unpredictable storytelling.

Critics are already getting very excited about Presence since it debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 91% approval score at the time of writing. That's not to be sniffed at.

Companion | 31 January

You may have seen the trailer for Companion if you've been to the cinema over the last few months. It's one of the best teasers in years. It takes place in a beautiful kitchen, in which characters played by Jack Quaid and Sophie Thatcher are served a posh meal. Eventually, though, it's revealed that Thatcher's character is handcuffed to her chair. We then see flashes of violence — guns, knives, gore, etc — before Quaid's character sets Thatcher's arm on fire with a candle.

Read more: Jack Quaid agrees that he's a nepo baby (Entertainment Weekly, 2 min read)

Companion is being sold as coming from the team behind the breakout 2022 horror Barbarian — the films share several producers, including Barbarian director Zach Cregger — and that is probably a sign that this will be the most messed-up film of the year.

Love Hurts | 7 February

After his sensational, Oscar-winning comeback in Everything Everywhere All at Once, we should all be excited every time Ke Huy Quan is on screen. That's especially true when he gets the chance to flex his action muscles in Love Hurts, which he will in director Jonathan Eusebio's feature debut.

Quan plays Marvin, who is now an estate agent but has been a hired killer in the past. As is so often the case in stories like this, his past comes back to haunt him in very violent fashion. West Side Story standout Ariana DeBose is also in the cast alongside Rhys Darby, with the movie being sold as an action-comedy. Count us in.

The Gorge | 14 February

Zach Dean, who wrote The Tomorrow War and Fast X, is bringing his action chops to the fore again in The Gorge — with the help of director Scott Derrickson — for this survival thriller, which appeared on the 2020 Black List of the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood. Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy play snipers standing guard on either side of a gorge, with neither having any idea what lies between them.

Read more: Anya Taylor-Joy thinks her close bond with Miles Teller improved quality of The Gorge (BANG Showbiz, 3 min read)

Perhaps an unlikely film to watch on your Valentine's Day night in, but you'll be able to stream it from then via Apple TV+. Sigourney Weaver is also in the cast, if you needed another reason to get excited.

The Last Showgirl | 28 February

Pamela Anderson makes a comeback in The Last Showgirl, and it is said to be the best performance of her career so who wouldn't want to see that? The Baywatch star portrays a seasoned showgirl who is forced to rethink her life after her 30-year career is brought abruptly to a stop after her show is suddenly closed down. Critics are hailing Anderson's work in the Gia Coppola film, and it's about time people give her the credit she deserves.

Sinners | 7 March

After his work on the Creed and Black Panther franchises, anything Ryan Coogler does is a cause for excitement. Now the prolific filmmaker is turning to the vampire genre with Sinners, collaborating once again with Michael B Jordan for a thrilling, terrifying story of brothers returning to their hometown to discover a new evil is waiting for them.

Mickey 17 | 18 April

Mickey 17, Bong Joon-ho is following up his Oscar-winning film Parasite with a weird and wonderful sci-fi film starring Robert Pattinson as a man who agrees to become a "dispensable" human, someone who is sent out on dangerous missions and re-printed when it, inevitably, goes wrong. Except when one of the clones survives he returns only to find his doppleganger has been made, causing all kinds of drama. The weirder Pattinson's accent is the more fun he is having with a role, and this film might have his strangest one yet.

Black Bag | 21 March

Steven Soderbergh has not one but two movies coming out in 2025, and spy thriller Black Bag is another collaboration between him and David Koepp. The film stars Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, as a husband and wife who are pitted against each other when one is accused of treason. The calibre of stars attached to the film both in front of and behind the production are exciting enough to make this a must watch movie.

Wise Guys | 21 March

Black Bag will have competition at the box office with the release of Wise Guys, formerly known as Alto Knights, which sees Robert De Niro portray rival gang leaders. Vito Genovese and Frank Costello head up two Italian American crime families, and when the former tries to assassinate the latter there will be hell to pay. De Niro is joined by Shogun's Cosmo Jarvis and Debra Messing.

Golden | 9 May

Quinta Brunson may be synonymous with her hit sitcom Abbott Elementary, but she has an even more exciting project in 2025 which is Golden. Directed by Michael Gondry —the visionary behind Eterenal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind— the film is described as a musical inspired by Pharrell Williams' childhood. Brunson will be joined in the cast by Brian Tyree Henry, Tim Meadows, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Janelle Monáe amongst others. Colour us excited.

Elio | 13 June

A new Pixar film is always a cause for celebration, and Elio looks to be the studio's most fun film yet. The narrative follows its titular character as he is abducted by aliens and must become friends with them in order to find a way home, the film's trailer is fun, colourful and exactly what you want from a Pixar movie. Can it mirror the success of 2024's Inside Out 2? Fingers crossed.

F1 | 27 June

In F1, Brad Pitt stars as a retired racing driver who decides to get back behind the wheel in order to help his young prodigy on the track. The Apple TV+ film stars Damson Idris, Javier Bardem, Simone Ashley, and Kerry Condon, and looks set to be an thrilling watch with its intense races.

The Battle of Baktan Cross | 8 August

Paul Thomas Anderson's work is always an exciting prospect, and his 2025 movie — currently titled The Battle of Baktan Cross — will be even more so because it marks his first team up with Leonardo DiCaprio. The film has a wealth of talent in its cast which includes, but is not limited to, Regina Hall, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn and Alana Haim. While not a lot of known about the plot this is reason enough to get excited.

Mercy | 15 August

Night Watch director Timur Bekmambetov returns with a new crime thriller starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson, which follows a cop trying to prove his innocence when he is accused of a crime. The movie also stars True Detective: Night Country breakout Kali Reis as well as Malignant's Annabelle Wallis.