This autumn is a film season for true cinephiles.
After a quieter-than-usual summer for buzzy blockbusters, we’re heading into an autumn that promises a more eclectic mix of films from some of today’s most celebrated visionary auteurs. Luca Guadagnino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Chloé Zhao all have upcoming releases poised to make us laugh, weep, and reflect on the state of our world.
With acclaimed directors come star-studded casts, and this season is no exception. Some of our favourite silver-screen mainstays— Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Mescal, and Emma Stone among them —are taking centre stage in projects that span genres and moods. Whether you’re craving the emotional depths of a sweeping historical drama like Hamnet or simply need a Josh O’Connor fix in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, this autumn has a slate of movies with something for everyone.
Ahead, discover the 15 releases we can’t wait to watch this cosy season.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (12 September)
Downton Abbey’s doors will close for good with the third and final instalment from the film series. Aptly titled Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, the movie follows the Crawleys as they enter the 1930s—a decade that promises change and modernity, whether or not they’re ready for it. As Mary (Michelle Dockery) gets embroiled in a high-society scandal, the abbey’s staff gets ready for a changing of the guard as the new generation takes its rightful place. — Chelsey Sanchez
Rory Mulvey
Him (19 September)
What would you give up in order to live out your wildest dreams? That’s the question at the heart of Him, a psychological sports horror film directed by Justin Tipping and produced by Jordan Peele. Newcomer Tyriq Withers stars as Cameron Cade, a rising football star whose future is suddenly imperilled when he suffers a violent attack just days before the NFL Combine, leaving him with a potentially career-ending brain injury. Desperate to recover, Cade accepts an offer from his sports hero, Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans), to train at White’s remote compound. While holed away, Cade ends up realising that having it all—fame, fortune, and eternal notoriety—always comes at a cost. —Bianca Betancourt
Universal Pictures
One Battle After Another (26 September)
Leonardo DiCaprio manages to transform himself yet again in this epic adventure comedy from Paul Thomas Anderson. DiCaprio portrays Bob, a perpetually stoned, washed-up revolutionary who maintains an off-the-grid lifestyle alone with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). When his lifelong nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, he sets off on a quest to find her that forces him to reckon with the consequences of his past. Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina King, and Alana Haim also star. —B.B.
Warner Bros.
The Smashing Machine (3 October)
In recent years, Hollywood has had its fair share of buzzy biographical sports dramas, from A24’s The Iron Claw to Prime Video’s Unstoppable. The latest one to generate awards buzz is Benny Safdie’s Smashing Machine, which stars Dwayne Johnson as MMA fighter Mark Kerr and Emily Blunt as Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples. The film made its debut at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the highly competitive Silver Lion award. —C.S.
A24
After the Hunt (10 October)
Cinema loves a college scandal. In Luca Guadagnino’s forthcoming drama, Julia Roberts stars as Alma Olsson, a revered professor whose world is upended when a sexual-assault case rocks the campus. When her brightest student, played by Ayo Edebiri, accuses one of Olsson’s closest colleagues, the professor finds herself caught in the fallout—while the shadows of her own buried secrets begin to surface. —B.B.
Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios
Kiss of the Spider Woman (10 October)
We promise you, this is Jennifer Lopez like you’ve never seen her before. In Bill Condon’s musical spectacle, Lopez reprises one of Chita Rivera’s most iconic roles as Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman. Aurora is an Old Hollywood film star who exists in the mind of Luis, a queer individual who quickly falls for his cellmate, a political prisoner named Valentin, played by the inimitable Diego Luna. Come for the dazzling musical numbers and Colleen Atwood–curated costumes, but stay for the central love story that will linger with you long after you leave the cinema. —B.B.
Roadside Attractions
Frankenstein (17 October)
The story of Frankenstein needs no introduction, but director Guillermo del Toro will surely transform the classic Mary Shelley tale into something we’ve yet to see on our screens. The director has assembled an all-star cast to lead this adaptation, including Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as Frankenstein’s monster. It might be easy to assume that Frankenstein will be just another Halloween horror movie, but critics have lauded del Toro’s dignified refresh on the source material, transforming the story about monsters into one that mirrors our humanity. —C.S.
Netflix
Hedda (22 October)
What happens when a woman of privilege is given everything she could possibly desire—without facing any repercussions? You end up with someone like Hedda Gabbler. In Nia DaCosta’s upcoming reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s play, Tessa Thompson stars as the titular character, a woman caught between the lingering ache of a past love and the suffocating confines of her present life as both wife and social fixture. This 2025 retelling doesn’t simply revive Ibsen’s text—it reshapes it for the current moment, infusing the story with queer dimensions that makes Hedda’s story as resonant now as it was in its original time. —B.B.
Courtesy of Prime
Bugonia (31 October)
Another cinematic offering from Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone? Yes, please. The director-and-actress duo have once again reunited, this time to deliver an English-language remake of Jang Joon-hwan’s South Korean film Save the Green Plant! In Bugonia— which premiered this August at the Venice Film Festival — Stone stars as a high-powered CEO who gets kidnapped by two tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracists who believe that Stone is secretly an alien. It sounds weird and thrilling—everything you’d want in a spooky October watch. —C.S.
Atsushi Nishijima/Focus Features © 2025 All Rights Reserved.
Christy (7 November)
Don’t ever underestimate the impact of Sydney Sweeney. In David Michôd’s upcoming biographical sports drama, she steps into the role of real-life boxer Christy Martin, whose meteoric rise in the ring made her a trailblazer in the sport. But beyond the glory and grit, the film delves into the harrowing toll of her abusive marriage to her former manager—a story of resilience, survival, and the cost of breaking barriers. —B.B.
Courtesy of Black Bear | Photo by Eddy Chen
Die My Love (7 November)
Is it really the autumn film season if there isn’t a Jennifer Lawrence Oscar contender in the mix? In Lynne Ramsay’s upcoming drama, Die My Love, Lawrence portrays Grace, a new mother coming to terms with her ever-changing reality as she battles psychosis. If the film’s abstract trailer gives any hints of what to expect, it’s that this won’t be your typical sparkling portrait of young motherhood. Robert Pattinson also stars as Grace’s husband, Jackson, along with Lakeith Stanfield as her lover, Karl. —B.B.
Courtesy of MUBI
Jay Kelly (14 November)
A-list actor George Clooney starring in a comedy in which he plays an A-list actor? Sure, why not? Noah Baumbach has once again partnered with Netflix for his latest film, which appears to offer meta commentary on the inner workings of Hollywood. The film follows fictional celebrity Jay Kelly (Clooney) as he travels through Europe with his loyal manager, Ron (Adam Sandler). The likes of Laura Dern, Riley Keough, Billy Crudup, Eve Hewson, and Greta Gerwig round out the rest of the cast. —C.S.
Peter Mountain/Netflix
Wicked: For Good (21 November)
The wait is over. A year after Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande made their cinematic mark as two of Broadway’s most recognisable characters, the two will defy gravity in the second and final instalment of the Wicked adaptation. For Good follows Elphaba and Glinda as they stand on opposing sides: Glinda works as a glorified mouthpiece for the Wizard, while Elphaba leads the secret resistance against his regime. The sequel promises more emotional performances from our lead stars, as well as supersized choreography, sets, and costumes. —C.S.
FlixPix / Alamy Stock Photo
Hamnet (27 November)
Four years after her last film, Academy Award–winning director Chloé Zhao is back with an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s celebrated 2020 novel, with a cast led by Paul Mescal, Jessie Buckley, and Joe Alwyn. The story imagines how William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, dealt with the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, and how that event may have even inspired the iconic playwright’s most famous work. Early reviews promise a heartrending tale on grief and fate, so make sure to come to the cinema with your tissues ready. —C.S.
Agata Grzybowska
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (12 December)
Benoit Blanc is on the case once again. Daniel Craig returns as the brilliant detective in Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out instalment, Wake Up Dead Man, which focuses on the mysterious murder of the firebrand priest of a small and tight-knit parish. Like previous Knives Out films, Wake Up Dead Man’s cast brims with A-list stars, including Glenn Close, Josh O’Connor, Kerry Washington, Mila Kunis, and Andrew Scott. —C.S.
Netflix
You Might Also Like
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.yahoo.com ’
