Every Upcoming Action Movie Sequel Releasing In 2025

One good action movie deserves another. Hollywood's been living by that principle for decades, as seen by the ceaseless exploits of James Bond or the various "Rambo" sequels that have hit cineplexes over the years. If a motion picture centered around kicks and bloodshed proves lucrative at the box office, there's a rigid formula at this point for how to best exploit it over multiple follow-ups. 2025's current slate of new theatrical releases promises to keep that trend going with flair. A slew of action movie sequels, big and small in scope, are set to open in theaters throughout the year. Some have already begun extensive marketing campaign efforts stoking pre-existing love for their predecessors among the general public.

These action movie sequels heading for multiplexes in 2025 are an eclectic bunch of titles. Some feature actors who are legends in this genre, while others are anchored by performers making splashy inaugural forays into headlining action films. Some sequels are following hot off the successes of their respective predecessors, while others have stewed behind the scenes for years before hitting theaters. Whatever informs the individual casts and release plans of these titles, they all reflect how Hollywood loves squeezing every possible dollar out of hit action movies. So, get your fists ready and prepare to watch your back, it's time to break down the biggest action movie sequels heading your way in 2025.

Action movie fans who fell head over heels for 2018's "Den of Thieves" have had to wait several years for a sequel, but the follow-up is just around the corner now: "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera" is due to hit cineplexes in January 2025. Writer/director Christian Gudegast returns for this project which chronicles Nicholas "Big Nick" O'Brien (Gerard Butler) tracking down master thief Donnie Wilson (O'Shea Jackson Jr.) to Europe. Here, these former foes form a very different relationship since Bick Nick is "tired of being the hunter." This cop is going rogue and helping Wilson with an incredibly intricate new heist.

Like nearly all of Butler's post-"300" movies, "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera" promises to be full of action movie spectacle. Its trailers alone highlight cars flipping off high hilltops, explosions, and even a dinnertime reunion between Big Nick and Wilson emphasizing some gunplay. Underpinning all of that action is, inevitably, questions surrounding the loyalty of Big Nick. Is this former cop really down for the unsavory criminal life? Can Donnie Wilson trust the man who ruthlessly pursued him in the first "Den of Thieves" film? Uncertain moral allegiances dominate the "Den of Thieves" saga, mirroring the modern world's plethora of murky principles. Such potentially relevant thematic material will, of course, be filtered through punching and bullets. "Den of Thieves" fans wouldn't have it any differently, especially after that long wait.

Release date: January 10, 2025

If you're tired of cosmic threats and multiversal shenanigans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Captain America: Brave New World" aims to satisfy your cravings. This follow-up to the three previous "Captain America" solo movies and Disney+ program "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" is reportedly a more grounded creation, albeit one with a giant Red Hulk and an "Eternals" tie-in. This installment will see Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) getting used to his new Captain America superhero identity when Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (Harrison Ford) is elected as U.S. President. As he settles into his job, a bizarre conspiracy begins to form around this new leader that may just involve "Incredible Hulk" supporting character Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson). Who can Wilson trust in this brave new world?

The film's marketing has made sure to emphasize lots of down-to-earth thrills, including shots of the nefarious Seth Voelker/Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito) looking menacing and being in close proximity to explosions. While there are lots of small details you probably missed in the "Captain America: Brave New World" trailer, the marketing materials so far have emphasized in-your-face airborne skirmishes featuring Wilson and his famous wings, not to mention some dynamic fight choreography. Previous solo "Captain America" movies like "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" had some of the most memorable action beats in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. If "Brave New World" lives up to its grounded ambitions, it will no doubt enthrall action movie aficionados without breaking a sweat.

Release date: February 14, 2025

In 2016, Ben Affleck first played Bruce Wayne/Batman in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." His incarnation of the character has its devoted fans, but it was also a portrayal that drew a divided response from audiences thanks to it anchoring an incredibly polarizing blockbuster. What you may have forgotten is that Affleck starred in another action movie that year, playing Christian Wolff, the autistic protagonist of the fully-original action movie "The Accountant." A box office hit back when it first hit theaters, "The Accountant" went on to become the most-rented movie of 2017 through both physical and digital retailers. Years of constant airings on cable television stations has only increased the notoriety and fanbase of this Affleck character.

For years now, a sequel to "The Accountant" has been stewing in Hollywood, though it once looked guaranteed to rot in Development Hell. Thankfully, the project is now finally happening, with Affleck reprising the role of Wolff while Jon Bernthal will also be back as Braxton, Wolff's brother. Plot details for this follow-up are scarce, though original director Gavin O'Connor is back to help provide continuity across the two "Accountant" installments. Amazon MGM Studios has set a Spring launch date for this particular sequel, promisingly upgrading it from original plans to launch the title on Prime Video streaming. Given that "The Accountant 3" is already brewing, there's a good chance next year's sequel won't be the last time audiences see Affleck's most beloved 2016 action movie protagonist.

Release date: April 25, 2025

The first trailer for "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" promises something resembling a grand finale to this Tom Cruise saga. So far, the eighth installment's marketing campaign has centered around somber dialogue regarding the end being near for Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his motley team, as well as the grand apocalyptic stakes of their latest mission. Beloved supporting character Luther (Ving Rhames) even states "I don't regret anything," as if he knows that time is almost up for him and/or the franchise itself. It's all quite gloomy — but that doesn't mean "The Final Reckoning" is going to be a melancholy affair. After all, the "Mission: Impossible" films are known for Tom Cruise performing breath-taking stunts, and we fully expect the next one to up the ante.

The next entry's trailer teases all sorts of high-stakes action mayhem, including lots and lots of shots of Hunt navigating chilly water. There are also images of people kicking and punching foes, but the most eye-catching shots take place in the air. This trailer features countless shots of brightly colored biplanes soaring across a gloriously sunny landscape, including one especially tense image of Hunt dangling from one of those planes for dear life. The prospect of seeing that skirmish in IMAX ensures that action movie lovers everywhere will be lining up to secure tickets to see "The Final Reckoning." If they need even more convincing, maybe seeing the potential ending of the mammoth "Mission: Impossible" film series will do the trick.

Release date: May 23, 2025

At the end of "John Wick: Chapter 4," John Wick (Keanu Reeves) definitively dies. There is no way to get around that reality — Wick perished and got buried in the ground. However, in Hollywood, you can't keep a lucrative brand name down. Now, this saga is set to continue through a spin-off set between the third and fourth installments. This outing is entitled "From the World of John Wick: Ballerina" and stars Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro. Like the franchise's previous lead character, she's also got a craving for revenge, though this time around it's centered on her slaughtered dad. Equally adept in both ballerina performances and dispatching foes, Macarro goes on a quest for vengeance for the ages in "Ballerina."

De Armas was cast as Macarro a whopping three years before the first "Ballerina" trailer dropped, so it's been a long and winding road to completion for this action movie follow-up. Allegedly, extended reshoots conducted under the direction of original "John Wick" filmmaker Chad Stahelski were done after incredibly poor test screenings, though Stahelski played the reports down, insisting that he just gave the action sequences "a little shine" during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. The reshoots supposedly focused on bringing the action closer to the hand-to-hand fights people love from previous "John Wick" movies. Die-hard fans of this saga will be crossing their fingers that "Ballerina" lives up to the franchise's esteemed legacy.

Release date: June 6, 2025

Life finds a way... and so do extensions of lucrative franchises. Though there are countless reasons we'll likely never see a "Jurassic World Dominion" follow-up, the action-packed "Jurassic Park" saga continues with next summer's "Jurassic World Rebirth." A decade after "Jurassic World" debuted and pushed in a new era focused on fresh protagonists, "Rebirth" is now preparing to shift focus to another crop of previously unknown lead characters. The production will follow Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johansson) and her team colliding with a shipwrecked family whilst trying to reach especially important dinosaurs for a pharmaceutical company. This saga's storytelling norms suggest lots of chase scenes and humans getting gobbled up by dinosaurs will ensue. 

This particular installment comes courtesy of director Gareth Edwards, the man behind 2014's "Godzilla" and 2016's "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." In his most recent film, 2023's "The Creator," Edwards debates heavy topics like AI, evil, and the robo-apocalypse. However, he's also a filmmaker whose works can deliver lots of memorable action sequences, such as Donnie Yen's various "Rogue One" fight scenes and the climactic duel in "Godzilla." On paper, he sounds like a good pick to carry on the spectacle and intellect driving the best "Jurassic Park" installments. Most importantly, how many other 2025 action movie sequels promise dinosaur carnage? Let alone dinosaur carnage featuring esteemed actors like Mahershala Ali? That facet alone makes "Jurassic World Rebirth" something special in 2025's tentpole cinema sphere.

Release date: July 2, 2025

Most of the action movie sequels scheduled for release in 2025 are deadly serious affairs. If you're hankering for a sillier dose of action sequel cinema, prepare for the latest take on the "Naked Gun" franchise derived from the "Police Squad!" TV show. Sadly, the late, great Leslie Nielsen is now gone, but Liam Neeson is taking over as Frank Drebin Jr. in this new film. Pamela Anderson, Seth MacFarlane, and Paul Walter Hauser are some of the many eye-catching names in the movie's ensemble cast. However, if any name attached to the upcoming "Naked Gun" installment should catch people's eyes, it's director Akiva Schaffer.

A member of internet comedy group-turned-Hollywood force The Lonely Island, Schaffer has extensive experience directing hilarious features like "Hot Rod" and "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping." More importantly, his contributions to various "Saturday Night Live" Digital Shorts have shown a deep knowledge of the world of action movie filmmaking. Speaking of that realm, "Naked Gun" leading man Neeson is no stranger to punch-heavy cinema thanks to "Taken" and the many similarly-themed films that followed it. He can not only lend some credibility to the action-oriented sequences in "Naked Gun" but also skewer his own big-screen reputation. Despite being the umpteenth entry in a long-running franchise, there's lots of potential for action comedy fans within this upcoming "Naked Gun" flick.

Release date: August 1, 2025

2021's "Nobody" focused on suburban family guy Hutch Mansell's (Bob Odenkirk) government assassin past coming back to haunt him. Just as he had settled down with a family, violence crept its way back into his life. "Nobody" concluded with Mansell defeating that film's baddies and seemingly returning to tranquillity — with a tease of maybe more violence heading his way. "Nobody 2" is poised to follow up on Mansell and see what new challenges he's forced to face. Franchise newcomer Timo Tjahjanto is helming this installment, while Sharon Stone will play the main villain. Colin Hanks, Chris Pine, Mckenna Grace, and John Ortiz are also joining the "Nobody" universe in this sequel.

Plot details remain scarce, though we can say with near-certainty that "Nobody 2" will be an action-packed film. The first entry set a high bar: Inspired bursts of gunfire and hand-to-hand combat made "Nobody" a favorite of action movie lovers and general moviegoers. What especially made this title sing, though, was Odenkirk's winning everyman presence as the film's protagonist. No matter how skilled he was in fighting, Odenkirk never lost sight of emphasizing Mansell as an ordinary guy. If that quality persists in "Nobody 2," then this sequel should only enhance rather than harm the original film's legacy.

Release date: August 15, 2025

Fans had to wait a long time for a sequel to 1982's "Tron," the groundbreaking sci-fi action film starring Jeff Bridges as a computer programmer who gets sucked into a mainframe and has to try and escape. Viewers were taken back inside the Grid in 2010's "Tron: Legacy," which fared similarly in that the visuals were dazzling but a lot of people were confused by the story. Disney execs will be hoping that the next feature-length installment, titled "Tron: Ares," will both make money and satisfy audiences. The upcoming "Tron" chapter takes place in the real world, as the digital figure Ares (Jerod Leto) enters this realm with an important task. Our world and the digital one will collide in unexpected ways, and there will be a bunch of new faces to see it: Greta Lee, Evan Peters, and Jodie Turner-Smith are joining Jeff Bridges, who reprises the role of Kevin Flynn.

Some long-time "Tron" fans are bound to be disappointed by the prospect of an entry in this franchise removed from the Grid. However, the idea of colliding the everyday world with fixtures and people from the Grid could produce some all-time great action sequences if director Joachim Rønning gets imaginative. Plus, this "Tron" installment will feature an original score from Nine Inch Nails, which is enough to excite in itself. After all this time waiting, "Tron" fans will take what they can regarding the promise of more action spectacle in this universe, though whether or not it will live up to the original is anyone's guess.

Release date: October 10, 2025

2021's "Mortal Kombat" has its fans, but it got mixed reviews from critics and moviegoers alike. In 2025, there'll be a chance for some creative course correction for this franchise with "Mortal Kombat 2," which will reportedly feature elements building on criticisms of "Mortal Kombat." Director Simon McQuoid is back after making his directorial debut with the first film, and the main cast members are reprising their roles. Joining them is Karl Urban as "Mortal Kombat" fan-favorite character Johnny Cage, previously portrayed by Linden Ashby in 1995's "Mortal Kombat." It will be interesting to see a fresh, modern version of Cage inhabited by an actor as beloved as Urban, who brings a star quality to this 2025 action sequel.

A confirmed R-rating for "Mortal Kombat 2" should also whet the appetite of devotees of the video game franchise. This rating solidifies that the graphic gnarliness of 2021's "Mortal Kombat" will not be watered down for this sequel. Also, it's rumored that "Mortal Kombat 2" will feature some shocking deaths, so the creators are definitely preparing to up the ante. There's no getting around the fact that the reboot let people down, particularly when it came to the screenwriting. However, there are plenty of reasons to be hyped for "Mortal Kombat 2," which might just give people the adrenaline-fueled jolt of video game action movie goodness they've been craving.

Release Date: October 24, 2025

There's a good chance that the film "Greenland" flew right over your head. After all, it came out in 2020, a year when people's minds were far more focused on the COVID-19 pandemic than new Gerard Butler star vehicles. However, this disaster/action movie featuring Butler as structural engineer John Garrity made just enough coin overseas to justify a sequel in the form of "Greenland: Migration." Per Variety, the film's logline reads as follows: "In the film, the Garrity family, having found the safety of the Greenland bunker after the comet Clarke decimated the Earth, must risk everything to embark on a harrowing journey across the wasteland of Europe to find a new home."

There's actually a lot to be excited about here: "Greenland" scored way better than usual reviews for a Gerard Butler action vehicle, and the hefty $90 million budget of this installment means we can expect another big spectacle from Ric Roman Waugh, the stuntman-turned-director who helmed the first flick. The sequel comes by way of Lionsgate, which is in desperate need of a win after a string of disappointing releases – "Borderlands" bombed hard at the box office and Francis Ford Coppola's long-gestating passion project "Megalopolis" also flopped amid a lot of controversy. Producers have teased a possible third entry if all goes well with "Greenland: Migration."

Release date: 2025 (TBD)