History lovers, take heart: over the next year and change, there are a slew of historical movies hitting the big screen from some of the very best filmmakers in the biz, spanning an impressive breadth of subject matter, time period, and genre. Period films tend to be a tougher sell to studios given their higher production price tag in order to make them, but historical dramas (and comedies, and thrillers…) make for some of the most vivid and memorable films in all of cinema. In release order, here are the top seven movies we’re most excited about and whose cool factor we can already vouch for.
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1) Kiss of the Spider Woman – October 10th, 2025
The movie musical is back, baby! Andor’s Diego Luna stars in the big screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical about two prisoners in 1980s Argentina who use the classic film star Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). Bill Condon (Beauty and the Beast, Dreamgirls) directed the film, which, from the trailer, seems to be a lush feast for the eyes as the story switches from the dull, drab reality of the protagonist’s prison to the larger-than-life world of their imagination. Even if musicals aren’t your thing, Kiss of the Spider Woman promises a vibrant tale about the power of imagination, and what looks to be a career-best performance from Luna.
2) Dracula: A Love Tale – Fall 2025
While Robert Eggers’s recent take on the Dracula myth, Nosferatu, had an ashen, desaturated feel, The Fifth Element director Luc Besson has taken a completely different approach when telling the story of literature’s most famous vampire. His Dracula: A Love Tale tells the story of Dracula’s search for his late wife in breathtaking technicolor, with nearly every frame resembling a masterpiece painting. That alone is reason for us to go and check out the film when it crosses the Atlantic and is distributed in the States, but Dracula also seems to be a return to form for the director, seeing as he looks to compellingly mix horror, action, and romance in his latest movie.
3) Hamnet – December 12th, 2025
Hamnet was one of the most beloved and award-winning books of 2020, and lucky for lovers of the novel, there’s a star-studded, award-winning team bringing it to life on screen. Oscar winner Chloé Zhao helms the adaptation of the beautifully complex and heartbreaking story about the death of William Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, and how it may have inspired the Bard to write his magnum opus Hamlet. Gladiator II’s Paul Mescal stars as Shakespeare, with indie darling Jessie Buckley playing his wife, Agnes, whom we experience most of the story through. Hamnet deals with love, creativity, and grief with such a delicate, dexterous hand, so we’re pumped that such a talented team is behind the movie version of it. And though standards are high, we doubt we’ll be disappointed when Hamnet premieres everywhere December 12th.
4) Wuthering Heights – February 13, 2026
After her explosive sophomore film Saltburn, fans and critics of Emerald Fennell alike have been eager to see what her next movie will be. The filmmaker, who won the Oscar for Best Screenplay of the brilliantly subversive Promising Young Woman, will be tackling the classic novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. Though the internet was up in arms over Fennell casting Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the film’s iconic leads Catherine and Heathcliff, we know at least Fennell will bring a fresh perspective to the piece, lest it stray from the source material.
5) The Bride! – March 6, 2026
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s upcoming reimagining of The Bride of Frankenstein has been described as a mix of Bonnie and Clyde and Wild at Heart. As if we needed more convincing to see the new film, Batman himself, Christian Bale, will star opposite Jessie Buckley’s Bride, which is set in 1930s Chicago. While this isn’t the only monster tale on the list, something tells us that The Bride! may be the most ingenious to hit screens over the next eighteen months.
6) The Odyssey – July 17, 2026
Christopher Nolan is no stranger to a period drama, but for his next opus, he’s gone all the way back to ancient Greece to bring The Odyssey into the 21st century. We don’t know anyone other than Nolan who can sell out IMAX Theaters a year in advance, and apart from the star-studded cast and sure to be stunning visuals, we’re perhaps most excited by the prospect of Nolan bringing back the old school Hollywood epic.
7) Werwulf – December 25, 2026
Can anyone do a supernatural period piece quite like Robert Eggers? We think not. The filmmaker has spent the last decade making thought-provoking, bone-chilling films all set in the past, such as The VVitch and, most recently, Nosferatu. Given Nosferatu‘s success at the box office and with critics, we’re especially looking forward to his next film: Werwulf, where not only will he tackle another iconic monster in a medieval setting but also reteam with collaborators Lily-Rose Depp, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Willem Dafoe.
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Image courtesy of Starz
