Welcome back to our coverage of CinemaCon 2025, one of the world’s biggest film industry conferences. Yesterday, Sony Pictures opened the event with an exciting first look at their slate of upcoming films, including The Beatles, Beyond the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man 4 and more.
This morning, at 9AM PDT (12AM MYT for us) it was Lionsgate’s turn to take the stage. Here’s what they had in store:
1. The John Wick… Cinematic Universe?
We’ll be getting four new films set in the John Wick universe, starting with Ballerina (or “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina”) on June 6, which stars Ana De Armas as the titular ballerina-assassin. This will be followed by John Wick 5, once again starring Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves; and a spinoff starring Donnie Yen, reprising his role as Caine from John Wick 4.
We will also be getting an animated John Wick prequel directed by Shannon Tindle (Ultraman RIsing), which is said to be inspired by anime. With so many spinoffs in the works, let’s hope Keanu Reeves isn’t planning to retire anytime soon.
2. New Projects from Francis Lawrence
Director Francis Lawrence discussed two of his upcoming projects, the first being The Long Walk, an adaptation of the 1979 Stephen King novel, starring Mark Hamill and David Johnson. The film is described as a dystopian thriller which sees 100 teenage boys being forced to walk without stopping, with the last man standing recieving a prize. The Long Walk is set for a September 12, 2025 release.
Lawrence is best known for directing four of the five Hunger Games films, having worked on every film in the series since its second instalment, Catching Fire. He will return to the franchise with Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, a prequel about fan-favourite character Haymitch Abernathy. A new logo for the film was unveiled at the event.
3. Two New Comedies
Visitors got their first look at two new comedies from the studio, starting with Good Fortune, the directorial debut from Aziz Ansari. Ansari plays the poor assistant of a rich tech entrepreneur (Seth Rogen), who makes a wish to switch lives with his boss. An angel (Keanu Reeves) grants his wish to teach him a lesson, only for things to backfire hilariously.
Meanwhile, director John Carney’s Power Ballad will follow a wedding singer (Paul Rudd) who meets and befriends a pop star (Nick Jonas). The pop star ends up stealing the wedding singer’s song and turns it into a huge hit, which ends up driving a wedge between them.
4. Sydney Sweeney To Star In The Housemaid
The Housemaid is an adaptaton of a thriller novel of the same name by Frieda McFadden, set to hit theatres this Christmas. Directed by Paul Feig, the film will feature a star-studded cast with big names like Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried, who appeared at CinemaCon to share their thoughts on the film.
The story follows a housemaid named Millie (Sydney Sweeney) who lands a job cleaning for a rich couple, Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew (Brandon Sklenar). However, as she spends more time with the couple, she begins to realise that there’s more than meets the eye.
5. The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow
The Lionsgate presentation ended with a bang as Abel Tesfaye (formerly known as The Weeknd) showed off a new trailer for Hurry Up Tomorrow, a film that will serve as a companion piece to Tesfaye’s recently released album of the same name. The movie stars Tesfaye as a fictionalised version of himself, being dragged onto an existential journey by Jenna Ortega’s character Anima.
Both the film and the album have been described as Tesfaye’s final tribute to The Weeknd, as he plans to retire the persona and pursue a different creative direction under his real name, so this will be a must-see for any fans of the musician.
Day 2 of CinemaCon doesn’t end here, as the Lionsgate presentation was followed by Warner Bros., who, among other things, gave more details on James Gunn’s highly anticipated Superman movie. Click here to read all about it.
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