With tons of epic releases coming this year, I wanted to shine a light on ten films I’m most looking forward to.

Hamnet
Release date: 9th January
Synopsis: After losing their son Hamnet to plague, Agnes (Buckley) and William Shakespeare (Mescal) grapple with grief in 16th-century England. A healer, Agnes must find strength to care for her surviving children while processing her devastating loss.
Why I’m looking forward to it: The book was phenomenal, possibly my favourite read of last year, and I loved director Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland. Put those together and throw in Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal (along with all the praise the film has already received), two exceptional performers, and I think we’re on to a real winner.

Rental Family
Release date: 16th January
Synopsis: An American actor in Tokyo struggling to find purpose lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency, playing stand-in roles for strangers. He rediscovers purpose, belonging, and the beauty of human connection.
Why I’m looking forward to it: Brendan Fraser. Need I say more? Well ok. It certainly has a very intriguing premise, and if Fraser’s performance is anything like his performance in The Whale, then this could be another serious award contender.

No Other Choice
Release date: 23rd January
Synopsis: After being unemployed for several years, a man devises a unique plan to secure a new job: eliminate his competition.
Why I’m looking forward to it: Because I’m a big fan of Park Chan-wook, mostly, and lead actor Lee Byun-hun is an excellent performer who has chosen many intriguing parts to play in his career. Park is a creative and insightful filmmaker, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he has in store in this film.

“Wuthering Heights”
Release date: 13th February
Synopsis: A passionate and tumultuous love story set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors, exploring the intense and destructive relationship between Heathcliff (Elordi) and Catherine Earnshaw (Robbie).
Why I’m looking forward to it: The book is one of my favourites and the 1939 film is wonderful, and although people are sceptical about Emerald Fennell’s adaptation and the direction she’s taking it, perhaps it’s time for a fresh take. Fennell’s Promising Young Woman was critically acclaimed, and I very much enjoyed Saltburn, so you can colour me intrigued on this one.

The Bride!
Release date: 6th March
Synopsis: In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein (Gyllenhaal) asks Dr. Euphronius (Bening) to help create a companion. They give life to a murdered woman as the Bride (Buckley), sparking romance, police interest, and radical social change.
Why I’m looking forward to it: It’s the age of Frankenstein, and between Zelda Williams’s Lisa Frankenstein in 2024 and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein last year, the reimaginings and adaptations are exciting. With Maggie Gyllenhaal giving her take on the Bride of the creature, I’m looking forward to seeing what she does with a 1930s setting.

The Mandalorian and Grogu
Release date: 22nd May
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Sigourney Weaver, Jeremy Allen White, Steve Blum
Synopsis: Once a lone bounty hunter, Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pascal) and his apprentice Grogu embark on an exciting new Star Wars adventure.
Why I’m looking forward to it: The television show The Mandalorian was a great success, its characters becoming extremely popular, especially little Grogu. With Dave Filoni and and Jon Favreau writing and Favreau directing, I expect it to be a great adventure film that furthers the relationship between Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu.

Disclosure Day
Release date: 12th June
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Eve Hewson, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo, Wyatt Russell
Synopsis: If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that frighten you?
Why I’m looking forward to it: Steven Spielberg + aliens = YES PLEASE. Obviously E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind are incredible, and I personally love his adaptation of War of the Worlds, so I am highly anticipating another extra terrestrial film from the great director.

Supergirl
Release date: 26th June
Synopsis: It follows Kara Zor-El’s story and her darker origin before she finally made her way to Earth.
Why I’m looking forward to it: The DCU is making great strides where DC has not been able to before when it comes to creating their movie universe. 2025’s Superman was fantastic, and Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is an incredible graphic novel, so I fully expect this to be a terrific adaptation, especially with Milly Alcock in the lead role.

The Odyssey
Release date: 17th July
Synopsis: After the Trojan War, Odysseus (Damon) faces a dangerous voyage back to Ithaca, meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Circe (Theron) along the way.
Why I’m looking forward to it: The Odyssey is a big project, but considering Christopher Nolan’s previous films, he was probably the right filmmaker to take on Homer’s epic poem. I personally find The Iliad to be very interesting, and so I’m looking forward to seeing this take on Odysseus’s next part of this epic story.

Clayface
Release date: 11th September
Director: James Watkins
Cast: Tom Rhys Harries, Naomi Ackie, Eddie Marsan, Max Minghella
Synopsis: A shape-shifting creature made of magical clay haunts Gotham City, alternating between villain and ally of Batman. Multiple tragic figures have taken on the Clayface mantle over the years.
Why I’m looking forward to it: DCU movies are to me as MCU movies are to Marvel fans, so anything that the DCU is going to put out, I will watch. I’m not as a familiar with Clayface as I am many other DC characters, but you can bet your bottom dollar I will be doing my homework before seeing this film.

Other movies I’m curious about this year:

28 Days Later; The Bone Temple (16th January)
The Rabbit Trap (30th January)
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (20th February)
Scream 7 (27th February)
Project Hail Mary (20th March)
The Magic Faraway Tree (27th March)
The Drama (3rd April)
Michael (24th April)
The Devil Wears Prada 2 (1st May)
Masters of the Universe (5th June)
Scary Movie 6 (12th June)
Toy Story 5 (19th June)
Moana (10th July)
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (31st July)
Evil Dead Burn (TBC July)
Practical Magic 2 (18th September)
Digger (2nd October)
Sunrise on the Reaping (20th November)
Avengers: Doomsday (18th December)
Dune: Part Three (18th December)