Latest news with #OmniscientReader:TheProphecy
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
The big list of the most anticipated films for the rest of 2025
(Clockwise from top left) Superman, Fantastic Four, Avatar and Wicked. PHOTOS: 2025 WBEI, THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY, UIP 2025 movie guide: The best of the rest of the year SINGAPORE – Ne Zha 2, A Minecraft Movie and Lilo & Stitch are the top three highest-grossing movies of 2025 so far, but there is still plenty of time for a fresh slate of titles to catch up at the box office. From June to December, expect plenty of strong contenders that have something for everyone, from tentpole blockbusters and franchise sequels to noteworthy indie and Asian offerings. Adapted from the globally popular webtoon of the same title, South Korean action-fantasy Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy (July 31) deals with Kim Dokja (Ahn Hyo-seop), an ordinary office worker who enters a world in which the events of his favourite web novel, set in an apocalypse, have come to pass. It also stars Jisoo from K-pop girl group Blackpink as Jihye, a member of Kim's group of survivors. Jisoo as Lee Jihye in the action-fantasy Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy. PHOTO: GOLDEN VILLAGE Another Asian title with star appeal is the action-crime thriller The Shadow's Edge (Aug 8), featuring two greats of Chinese cinema, Jackie Chan and Tony Leung Ka Fai. Fans are cheering the action-filled, darker tone of the trailer, signalling Chan's return to the hardcore police drama genre. He plays a retired surveillance expert called back to service to hunt an old nemesis, Leung's master criminal. Jackie Chan in the crime drama The Shadow's Edge. PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION Third time could be the charm for the Downton Abbey (2019 to 2025) and Now You See Me (2013 to present) film series. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (Sept 11) marks the final chapter of the historical drama based on characters created by English screenwriter Julian Fellowes for the TV series of the same name (2010 to 2015). The sequel to Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022) finds returning characters Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville), Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) and others from the aristocratic family dealing with the challenges of a turbulent new decade: the 1930s. (From third left) Laura Carmichael as Lady Edith, Harry Hadden-Paton as Bertie Hexham, Elizabeth McGovern as Cora Grantham, Hugh Bonneville as Robert Grantham and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. PHOTO: UIP The latest instalment of the popular heist franchise, Now You See Me: Now You Don't (Nov 13), sees the return of the Four Horsemen group of illusionist-thieves (played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher). This time, the team risks it all to steal a diamond owned by a crime syndicate run by the ruthless matriarch Veronika (Rosamund Pike). (From left) Justice Smith as Charlie, Ariana Greenblatt as June, Dominic Sessa as Bosco, Jesse Eisenberg as Daniel Atlas, Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves and Dave Franco as Jack Wilder in Now You See Me: Now You Don't. PHOTO: ENCORE FILMS When it comes to streaming services, Netflix's line-up leads the pack. Frankenstein, Oscar-winning Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro's take on Mary Shelley's 1818 Gothic novel of the same name, premieres in November. Oscar Isaac will take the title role of the scientist hoping to resurrect the dead while Jacob Elordi will play the monster in a movie that del Toro has been shaping for close to 30 years. Oscar Isaac in Gothic science-fiction horror Frankenstein. PHOTO: NETFLIX Also on Netflix at year's end will be Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Dec 12), the third instalment of the Agatha Christie-inspired whodunnit franchise, after Knives Out (2019) and Glass Onion (2022). English actor Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc, the urbane private detective with the mellifluous Southern accent. This time, he is called upon to investigate a murder set among members of the Catholic Church, if the number of characters who are members of the clergy is anything to go by. Josh O'Connor and Josh Brolin play priests . (From left) Josh O'Connor and Daniel Craig in the mystery film, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. PHOTO: NETFLIX If you are buzzing only about the biggies, here is what you need to know about the 10 most anticipated major releases in the second half of the year. 28 Years Later (June 19) Aaron Taylor-Johnson (left) and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later. PHOTO: SONY PICTURES This horror franchise sets itself apart from others through its chilling realism. Getting hit by a droplet of contaminated blood means infection; no bite necessary. Safe zones are breached not by zombie armies, but by careless residents. The shocks are grounded in scarily plausible events, borne out by the global pandemic events of 2020 to 2023. Director Danny Boyle has argued that the original movie, 2002's 28 Days Later, and its 2007 sequel 28 Weeks Later were never zombie movies, despite the films sparking a revival of movies in that genre. Rather, they are horror films about sickness and infection. Whatever he believes, the third movie, 28 Years Later, is eagerly awaited, especially as it marks the return of the original creators, Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland. Set in a post-apocalyptic landscape dotted by highly protected islands of the uninfected, it stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes as survivors. The film is the first of a new series set in the same virus-ridden world. The second entry, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta, is due on Jan 15. A third film by Boyle is in the works. F1 The Movie (June 26) Brad Pitt is race driver Sonny Hayes in the sports drama F1 The Movie. PHOTO: 2025 WBEI This movie takes the honour of being the lone original property on this list, more proof that Hollywood has retreated to franchises and sequels in 2025. Director Joseph Kosinski has argued that his naval aviator drama Top Gun: Maverick (2022) was never about fast planes but about the pilots. In the sports drama F1 The Movie, set in the world of competitive racing, he has said the same. Kosinski appears to be re-applying the Top Gun story template: In an arena in which the best of the best compete, an older man is called into action and becomes a mentor to a younger one. Brad Pitt is Sonny Hayes, a veteran who comes out of retirement to mentor the up-and-coming Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris). For extra realism, Pitt and Idris trained to hit top speeds of over 280kmh in a camera-studded car, placing viewers in the heart of the action, with scenes filmed at real F1 racing circuits such as Japan's Suzuka International Racing Course and Italy's Monza Circuit. As it is an original movie, it is low on the anticipation list. But Kosinski's ability to meld character-driven emotion with action could give F1 The Movie good word of mouth after its release. Jurassic World Rebirth (July 2) (From left) Luna Blaise and the T-Rex in Jurassic World Rebirth. PHOTO: UIP We know. The previous film in the franchise, Jurassic World Dominion (2022), was a mess, earning the lowest Rotten Tomatoes score of the series (26 per cent), with waning box-office figures greeting each release. Its maker, Universal Pictures, hopes to claw back the audience goodwill lost over the years. Director Gareth Edwards is new to the franchise and helmed the well-received prequel Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), as well as another film about scaly monsters, Godzilla (2014), which was a hit. Also, it is goodbye to Chris Pratt's Owen Grady, a figure whose bro energy not everyone liked. An all-new cast headed by Scarlett Johansson, backed by Mahershala Ali and Jonathan Bailey, is in charge. The story marks a return to the franchise's roots: surviving an island of horrors. Humans live in a dinosaur-free world, with the reptiles' territory reduced to small tropical sites. Special operative Zora Bennett (Johansson), led by team leader Duncan Kincaid (Ali) and aided by palaeontologist Henry Loomis (Bailey), is to sneak onto a dinosaur island to retrieve biological samples that hold the key to a revolutionary new drug. The big bad here is the Distortus rex, a mutated Tyrannosaurus rex with six limbs. Superman (July 10) (From left) Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman in the superhero reboot Superman. PHOTO: 2025 WBEI Based on trailer views and other metrics, this could be the most anticipated flick of them all. As with Jurassic World Rebirth, 2025's Superman hopes to fight franchise fatigue with an overhaul. This rebooted superhero origin story comes loaded with a new actor as the hero (David Corenswet), new director (James Gunn) and a brighter tone that contrasts with previous helmer Zack Snyder's grimmer, greyer take. Clark Kent (Corenswet) is a naive young man from rural America, new to the intensity of both Metropolis city and his employer, the newspaper The Daily Planet, where he meets hotshot reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Despite being labelled naive and unrealistic, Kent/Superman stays true to the values he picked up at home in Smallville, Kansas. His belief that kindness must prevail over shades of grey is what drives the story, says Gunn (Guardians Of The Galaxy, 2014 to 2023; The Suicide Squad, 2021), writer-director and chief executive of DC Studios. The movie introduces characters who will loom large in future chapters of the rebooted franchise, including villainous mastermind Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), and the superheroes Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 24) (From left) Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY The third Marvel movie releasing in 2025, after Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*, could be the one Marvel fans are looking forward to most. This fresh do-over comes after three previous attempts (Fantastic Four, 2005; Rise Of The Silver Surfer, 2007; and the reboot that tanked at the box office, 2015's Fantastic Four). What is new here is that the beloved characters, known as Marvel's First Family, will exist alongside other superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), opening the door to collaborations. The 1960s setting – on a version of Earth with advanced technology – is interesting too. The new cast is also stacked with talent: Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm/The Thing and Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm/Human Torch. As the superhero team, they must prevent Earth from being consumed by the cosmic being Galactus, whose arrival is announced by his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). Director Matt Shakman won praise from critics for directing all nine episodes of the WandaVision (2021) Marvel miniseries for Disney+, after having worked on episodes of shows like the fantasy hit Game Of Thrones (2011 to 2019). Tron: Ares (Oct 9) A scene from Tron: Ares. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY Tron: Ares comes 15 years after the previous film, Tron: Legacy (2010), which itself came 28 years after the original film Tron (1982). Will anyone care or even remember? This standalone sequel's release being scheduled for the latter part of the year, after the crowded summer blockbuster season, indicates that Walt Disney Pictures does not hold high hopes for it. However, trailer views and other online trends indicate that Tron: Ares has a fan base willing to turn out in numbers strong enough to give it a good chance of success at the box office. Predator: Badlands (Nov 6) Thia (Elle Fanning) in Predator: Badlands. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY Director Dan Trachtenberg revived the Predator franchise with Prey (2022), the story of an 18th-century Comanche woman's fight for survival against a technologically advanced alien foe. This time, the action will move from Earth to the future, on a planet far away. Also, this is the first film with a Predator as its primary focus, rather than a human. Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi) is a young Yautja – the race of hunters known on Earth as Predators – who has been cast out because he lacks the aggression and strength his race admires. He and the android Thia (Elle Fanning) must beat the odds on a dangerous planet to not just survive, but also reclaim his honour. Wicked: For Good (Nov 20) (From left) Ariana Grande is Glinda and Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba in Wicked: For Good. PHOTO: UIP The second part of the film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical will conclude the story of the misunderstood Elphaba and the popular Glinda, played by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande respectively. While Wicked: For Good lacks the broad appeal of superhero and action films like Superman, Fantastic Four: First Steps or Avatar: Fire And Ash, its healthy trailer views still point to strong interest among those waiting to see the outcomes for both characters, now labelled the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good following the events of Wicked (2024). Fans of the musical have responded well to director Jon M. Chu's lavish sets, costumes and fidelity to the music, and are likely to shower as much love on the next chapter as they did the first. Zootopia 2 (Nov 27) Zootopia 2 marks the return of rookie cops Nick Wilde (voiced by Jason Bateman) and Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin). PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY The return of the brave, cheerful rabbit detective Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin) and her cop colleague, the sly fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), is a long time coming, making it the only animated movie to crack The Straits Times' top 10 list. In this sequel to Zootopia (2016), winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2017, a new villain appears. Gary De'Snake (voiced by Ke Huy Quan) is causing chaos in the mammal republic of Zootopia and the two officers are assigned to the case. The first movie won critical acclaim for addressing issues of racial and cultural bias and stereotyping while keeping the tone light and family-friendly, at the same time making over US$1 billion (S$1.28 billion) at the global box office. Avatar: Fire And Ash (Dec 18) Zoe Saldana as Neytiri in Avatar: Fire And Ash. PHOTO: THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY The Avatar movies (Avatar, 2009; Avatar: The Way Of Water, 2022) continue to be outliers, releasing at the end of the year even though blockbusters traditionally head to cinemas from June to September. Director James Cameron has said he likes the December dates because of reduced competition from other films, but it should be said that his Avatar movies will be box-office smashes no matter when they come out. The science-fiction saga of soldier-turned-rebel Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his partner and fellow warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) has been hugely successful , putting this film in the top three alongside Superman and Fantastic Four . In Fire And Ash, the couple and their children explore the planet of Pandora, discovering the Ash People, a civilisation that lives near volcanoes. This film will be followed by the fourth and fifth chapters, to be released in 2029 and 2031. 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Time of India
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Lee Min Ho, Ahn Hyo Seop & BLACKPINK Jisoo's Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy drops character posters, teaser ahead of July release
Fans of Korean fantasy are in for a wild ride this summer. The upcoming film Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy (2025), based on the bestselling web novel and webtoon, has just released a fresh batch of character posters alongside a gripping teaser trailer. Starring Ahn Hyo Seop, Lee Min Ho, Chae Soo Bin, Nana, Shin Seung Ho, and BLACKPINK's Jisoo, this highly anticipated adaptation dives into a reality-bending apocalypse where fiction and reality collide brutally. Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy character posters out now: meet the faces of the end times As noted by K-media outlet iMBC, the newly revealed character posters capture the raw tension of a world on the brink. Ahn Hyo Seop leads as Kim Dok Ja, an ordinary office worker who's read every word of a decade-long fantasy novel — and now finds himself living it. His intense stare and the chilling line, 'I'm the only reader who knows how this world ends,' set the tone for what's to come. Opposite him is Lee Min Ho as the novel's original protagonist Yoo Joong Hyuk, grappling with a collapsed reality and asking, 'Why did the world end up like this?' Chae Soo Bin plays Yoo Sang Ah, a co-worker turned survivor who reacts with disbelief, then resolve: 'Do we have to fight every day here?' Shin Seung Ho's Lee Hyun Sung questions Kim Dokja's strange foresight ultimately makes him his loyal protector. Nana's Jung Hee Won, fierce and principled, warns, 'There's still one left. One who gave up on being human,' while Jisoo transforms into Ji Hye, a cold yet compelling fighter who bluntly states, 'Only the strong survive in this world.' Young actor Kwon Eun Sung rounds out the cast as Lee Gil Young, who brings innocence and determination to the team with, 'I want to fight monsters too.' Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy teaser trailer brings the chaos to life The teaser trailer wastes no time throwing viewers into the deep end. Kim Dok Ja's quiet train ride home turns into chaos when a booming voice announces the start of a paid survival scenario. 'This is exactly how the novel starts,' he says in shock, just as a mysterious goblin-like creature named Bi Gyung appears and declares, 'All humans will receive a scenario. Kill at least one lifeform.' What follows is a flurry of action, fear, and rising tension as everyday life gives way to monsters, missions, and moral dilemmas. With only the knowledge from his favourite story to rely on, Kim Dok Ja must guide a mismatched crew of allies, both fictional and real, through a collapsing world filled with deadly twists. The film combines a fresh premise with jaw-dropping visuals and high-stakes character dynamics. With its July release fast approaching, Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy is shaping up to be a must-watch for fantasy and action fans alike. For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here.
