It’s been almost 20 years since Wallace & Gromit have been involved in a full length feature film caper, and the wait is almost over. Thanks to Netflix’s new trailer for the major (stop)motion picture Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, we now know that the schedule of upcoming 2025 movies will be in part kicked off by the return of our small town boys.

And believe it or not, even as a long time fan of Aardman Animations’ landmark property, there’s a laugh in this trailer that almost made me spill my morning coffee. Which leaves me tipping my gloved hat to the dastardly Feathers McGraw. As you can see above, the short but sweet footage includes a nice look at the would-be arch nemesis at the heart of Vengeance Most Fowl, looking rather comically evil.

Which, in a moment of coincidence, is the point that I needed to put down my morning cuppa. You see, it’s not just the fact that Feathers is playing Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor,” as that’s a skill that any good villain should possess. That's especially true when you're a character like Feathers, who remains a fantastic example of a villain that's stolen the show for over 30 years

And it’s not even his trademark rubber glove disguise, or the “World’s Best Boss” coffee mug. Rather, it’s a combination of those factors, along with the knowing nod that Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl’s feathered felon gives before taking a sip, that really does the job.

What’s surprisingly absent is any sort of footage involving Vengeance Most Fowl’s cracking contraption, the Norbot. I still don’t trust that potential mechanized menace as far as I can throw one, and they look pretty light for an automaton. However, what we do get is a spectacular collection of moments that highlight just how much blockbuster set-pieces from some of the best action movies still influence the Wallace & Gromit canon.

The train slide alone has me thinking of Gromit in a position similar to that of Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt towards the end of Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning. Which once again proves why he's one of the most beloved sidekicks in all of TV and Movies, as he can take those sorts of moments with a wordless charm, letting his face do all the talking.

Not to mention my love of the James Bond movies has me wondering about Feather’s organ inclusive lair, and that periscope that we saw shown off in an earlier part of the trailer. Is this beaked bad boy taking some cues from The Spy Who Loved Me and heading to the high seas?

There’s a huge potential for a new generation of fans to be forged with the release of Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, and that’s perhaps the most exciting potential staring us right in the face. With 35 years spanning that first grand day out and the cusp of this new picture’s release, it’s truly rewarding to see how the technique has evolved, while the humor remains as charming as ever.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl flies, or perhaps sails, into the digital queue on January 3, 2025. And whether you want to jump into this new movie, or revisit the wonder of The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, you can do so with the cracking contraption known as a Netflix subscription! Wensleydale, Jacob’s Cream Crackers, and World’s Best Boss mug, sold separately.

There is plenty of funny in the long history of Stephen King movies, from the intentional campiness of Creepshow to the extreme silliness of Maximum Overdrive, but comedy is rarely a dominant force. When it comes to King, audiences are much more familiar with terror and drama. All that being said, Osgood Perkins' upcoming movie The Monkey looks like it will be breaking new ground when it is released early next year, as the first full trailer features plenty of horror but also a surprisingly weird attitude.

Perkins is best known for making the horror hit of summer 2024 – the serial killer thriller Longlegs – and the Stephen King short story on which the movie is based maintains a heavy, ominous tone throughout, but The Monkey adaptation appears to be taking on a totally different energy. There is a lot of death and blood, but it all comes with a wink that lets the audience know that there are fun times ahead.

How do you make death fun? Strange circumstance is definitely a wonderful tool (as wonderfully proven time and time again in the Final Destination franchise). In this 87-second spot, we witness some fantastic examples of this, including a sliced throat during a family dinner at at a teppanyaki restaurant and a falling air conditioner that electrifies a swimming pool. The titular toy appears to be quite rascally (what's up with all the fire?), and I can't wait to chortle at his antics on the big screen in 2025.

We don't get much in the way of story from this first full trailer for The Monkey (the first teaser arrived online back in August), but it has been reported that Theo James will play a pair of estranged twin brothers who reunite when a dangerous toy from their childhood – a wind-up monkey that causes people to die whenever activated – mysteriously reappears. As you can see in the footage, the horror comedy sports an outstanding supporting cast that includes Christian Convery (who plays the twins as children), She-Hulk star Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Colin O'Brien, Halloween Ends' Rohan Campbell, and Schitt Creek's Sarah Levy.

The Monkey is the first of multiple upcoming Stephen King projects set to arrive in 2025. Neon is set to release both The Monkey (on February 21, 2025) and Mike Flanagan's The Life Of Chuck (at some point during the summer), and Paramount Pictures has dated Edgar Wright's The Running Man for November 21, 2025. Francis Lawrence's adaptation of The Long Walk doesn't have a set release, but it has completed production, and there are two King TV shows expected to debut as well: the IT prequel series Welcome To Derry and MGM+'s The Institute.

Everyday we’re getting closer to the final innings of the 2024 movie schedule, with some select delights awaiting just around the bend. The upcoming A24 movie Heretic is one of those very films to look forward to, and somehow this Hugh Grant led journey into holy dread is still somewhat of a mystery.

In fact, the only thing that impressed me more than Grant’s deliciously creepy performance is the fact that we’ve seen three trailers for this flick, and I feel we’re not even closed to being spoiled.

Heretic’s Secret Keeping Abilities Need To Be Commended

In an age where you hear people say “The trailer gave too much away!” on a regular basis, having a well-received horror film remain a mystery this far out feels like a blessing. And trust me, what we know about Heretic is already enough to send our imaginations racing.

Especially when Hugh Grant’s “Mr. Reed” is about to send young Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) through a journey of inner faith. Of course, that sort of enterprise normally entails some sort of personal conflict, at least in the more traditional sort of narrative where a person of faith has this very common personal crisis.

However, Heretic writers/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have seemed to have taken that prospect and translated it into something much more horrific. As you can see throughout all three trailers, whatever that journey entails, and the end result, is still as cryptic as ever.

Much like any of the other best A24 movies, we're all asking questions about what we're not seeing. In that particular spirit, I'd like to share a theory on where I think the madness that is Heretic is heading.

My Best Guess As To Where Heretic Is Going

With the limited knowledge at hand, I have to openly wonder just where the story for Heretic is going. More so than any normal trailer, as again, we the audience seem to be as in the dark as Sisters Barnes and Paxton. However, I have a wild theory that has been sparked by the main thrust of the picture’s story.

Let’s just say that while this role seems to break Hugh Grant’s “orange role” streak, it was with good purpose. Especially when the center of Heretic’s story is Mr. Reed, a man who’s supposedly well read in the ways of comparative religion, forcing our young Mormon protagonists to choose between “Belief” and “Disbelief.”

Through a home crafted maze, and the potential assistance of some psychotropic drugs that sound like they can make a person feel rather unwell, that simple choice that must be simply chosen is going to unfold. That, to me, sounds like a dash of cosmic horror is going to invade Heretic’s oh so secretive confines.

I think that Sisters Barnes and Paxton are about to be shown a peek beyond the veil of our world, and what they see just might drive them to the point of near madness. Which, ultimately, will force them to either see comfort in Belief, or live disillusioned with Disbelief…and carry on Mr. Reed’s work.

I’m willing to risk being wrong, because it proves my point that Heretic’s marketing has revealed next to nothing, and the ride towards enlightenment is all the more fun. This is all mere speculation, and I can’t wait to see if I’m right or wrong. Also, this picture had me on the hook the moment Hugh Grant was shown to be a holy terror that might become one of the greats in the landscape of upcoming horror movies.

Heretic doesn’t have long before it reveals its secrets to all of us, as the movie has been pushed up into a theatrical debut on November 8th. And while we're unsure when it'll head to streaming, A24's current deal that allows Max subscription holders to enjoy the spoils of their library has probably secured that fate.

But if you've decided to wait until streaming, good luck avoiding spoilers in the meantime. Whatever the truth of Heretic may turn out to be, it looks like we'll be talking about those reveals for some time.

Nicole Kidman is one of the hardest working people in the entertainment industry, constantly filming both film and TV projects, on top of being a successful producer. And while audiences are still recovering from The Perfect Couple (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription), we've been treated to the first trailer for a new thriller from A24. The trailer for Babygirl shows Kidman going full Fifty Shades of Grey, and I'm so into it.

Recently Kidman had an age gap romance movie opposite Zac Efron in A Family Affair, but Babygirl looks way darker and more tense. What we know about Babygirl is limited, but the trailer above showed that Kidman's Romy is going to get involved with a young employee, who turns their power dynamic on its head by establishing a dom/sub relationship. And it certainly doesn't seem like we'll be given a happy ending.

This trailer for Babygirl opens on Romy walking through a city, and nearly being attacked by a dog. She's saved by a mysterious younger man Samuel (The Iron Claw's Harris Dickinson), who shows up shortly after to begin interning the company where Romy is a CEO. The chemistry is electric, as Samuel almost immediately catches her off guard with a joke about training her like a dog.

From there things quickly escalate between the two characters. During a meeting he makes a ton of assumptions about Romy, claiming the powerful business woman actually likes "being told what to do." And that's exactly what Samuel starts doing, as the stakes of their situtionship continue to rise.

For instance, when Nicole Kidman's character tries to kiss the intern, he pulls away, and then becomes the aggressor in the kiss. We also see him making her drink milk at a bar, in a sequence that would make The Boys' Homelander proud. And while she's consistently flabbergasted by the things he's asking her to do, it also seems to be a huge turn on.

Unfortunately, it also seems like disaster is looming from this torrid affair. To start, it Romy is seemingly married to Antonio Banderes' character Jacob. And given her position of power in the company and Samuel's status as her employee/intern, she's also in a dangerous legal situation. Especially because Dickinson's character reminds her of this in a thinly veiled threat, on top of showing up at her family's home unannounced.

There are clear 50 Shades vibes going on in the trailer for Babygirl, especially since there have been so few projects that are focused on sub/dom dynamics. And I'm eager to see how the story plays out, and if it ends up being one of Nicole Kidman's best movies.

All will be revealed when Babygirl hits theaters December 25th. For now, check out the 2025 movie release dates.

While our next visit to what’s now called The World of John Wick was supposed to arrive earlier this summer, the film formerly known as Ballerina was postponed into the realm of upcoming 2025 movies. The supposed reason was because Lionsgate and director Len Wiseman wanted to beef up the action in the Ana de Armas-led spinoff.

If the first trailer is any indication, that decision looks to have paid off, as this definitely looks badass. However, there’s a couple reasons that make this fresh peek into Mr. Wick’s neighborhood, specified to be taking place while John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum’s story unfolds, rather bittersweet in the long run.

Ana De Armas Is Going To Totally Own Her John Wick Spinoff

Let’s start with the happier stuff, shall we? Though there’s reasons to be a bit sad when watching Ballerina’s trailer, the big thing to celebrate is the fact that Ana de Armas’ Eve Macarro is going to positively own this midquel in the John Wick story. Personally, I hadn’t doubted this fact for a moment, as the Cuban actor’s work in both No Time To Die and The Gray Man showed her as a powerful actor with great physicality.

The result is something that inspired Ana de Armas’ hype for Ballerina to come out in a recent interview. Highlighting that the material from those reshoots for the new 2025 release date “had to be there,” I’m starting to think that this might be another case where a picture’s choice to delay into another calendar year ended up being the best decision possible.

But for as much fun as there is to behold in From the World of John Wick: Ballerina’s introduction into the world, there’s some sadness that lies within as well. Part of it is due to the events of John Wick: Chapter 4, with a sad dose of reality also making its way into the mix.

Why Ballerina’s Trailer Is Such A Bittersweet Watch

After Lance Reddick’s untimely passing in 2023, his appearances in this franchise have been warm memories of his talent, as well as unfortunate reminders that he is no longer with us. As the trusty concierge of New York’s branch of The Continental, Reddick and his portrayal of Charon have always been staples in this burgeoning action franchise. Not to mention, the character’s surprise execution at the behest of the High Table in the film that succeeds this entry also becomes a fresh wound to contend with.

And then there’s the fallout from John Wick: Chapter 4’s heartbreaking ending, which saw Mr. Wick (Keanu Reeves) seeming to die in combat. A fact that makes his reappearance in this footage even more dour, though for very different reasons. This upset is purely thematic, as John would appear to be resting in fatal peace as a result of his climactic battle with the Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård).

I get that this is a midquel that will potentially set up Ana de Armas’ character, and perhaps the post-John Wick: Chapter 4 spinoff starring Donnie Yen’s Caine, for future installments. This is, after all the world of John Wick, and new players will need to be on the board. At the same time, it’s hard to escape such a powerful sendoff for Keanu Reeves’ sleeper hit assassin, even if it means we’ll get to see him kicking ass once again.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is currently slated for a June 6, 2025 release date. However, with the trailer only promising that the film is “Coming Soon,” that date could change at any point in the near future. Meanwhile, if you want to break your heart all over again, you can currently stream John Wick: Chapter 4 through Starz, which can easily be added to your existing Prime Video subscription.

For as much as I’ve gushed about the upcoming 2025 movies ahead, I haven’t paid enough attention to one of the earliest titles that has captured my heart and mind. As director Bong Joon-Ho’s Mickey 17 is finally going to hit theaters after suffering a horrific delay, I’m finally letting myself get excited about this one all over again. And there’s no time like the present to do so, as thanks to the first full trailer for this darkly comic sci-fi adventure, I’m already feeling sorry for Robert Pattinson’s "Expendable" hero.

Mickey 17 sounds like what would happen if you crossbred some of the best sci-fi movies of all time. More specifically, Moon, Wall-E and Snowpiercer are the titles I’d throw into my metaphorical blender, especially after this footage given to us by Warner Bros. The brass tacks explanation of this overall plot is that since poor Mickey 1 (Robert Pattinson) signed up to become an Expendable for a far flung space colony, he's basically given people the right to use "human printing" to create another him, until the job is done.

Living up to its reputation of using Dean Martin's "Ain't That A Kick In The Head" as background music, this movie already looks like a load of fun. Especially when Mickey 17 (Pattinson again) manages to survive a brush with almost certain death... much to the chagrin of Mickey 18 (guess who). So for those of you who were anxiously awaiting this footage, I hope you have your faith in Mickey 17's release date holding up is once again restored.

It also seems like our own Eric Eisenberg’s Mickey 17 Cinema-Con footage reaction was right on the money with the dark comedy vibes. My earlier Snowpiercer comparison seems to be especially apt thanks to that quick shot of Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo playing what look like absolutely unhinged colony administrators. Ruffalo's comments about playing a "nasty dictator" are coming back to me now.

But let’s go back to Robert Pattinson’s titular Mickey 17 for a moment, because that seems to be a huge indicator that the wait will indeed be worth it. In addition to the morbidly dark humor, and Bong Joon-ho's sharp commentary on modern life being ever present, Pattinson absolutely works as whatever Mickey you're rooting for.

Which is especially important when the bureaucratic adversaries trying to decide which Mickey dies look like this:

Here come those Snowpiercer vibes again, right on schedule. Of course, no matter who you're pulling for, there's a good chance that the Mickey you can get behind will be expended by the time Mickey 17 concludes.

Though this film plays with the subject of mortality like a breezy sci-fi adventure comedy, there's probably going to be some high stakes present. Robert Pattinson greets it all with varying dispositions, and a voice reminiscent of his wild southern drawl from The Devil All The Time.

Mickey 17 is set to show us the bright side of death on January 31, 2025, only in theaters. And before you run off to the library to secure a copy of author Edward Ashton’s Mickey7, no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Apparently, Bong Joon-ho told the audience at this year's CinemaCon that he killed Mickey off 10 more times than the source material. Ain't that a kick in the head?

Stephen King fans have been waiting a long, long time for writer/director Gary Dauberman's Salem's Lot. This is a feature that went into production all the way back in 2021 in advance of a set September 9, 2022 release date... but plans were changed in summer 2022, and after a temporary push to April 2023, the film was taken off the calendar completely.

Hope was restored that the adaptation wouldn't simply be deleted by Warner Bros. when a pivot to streaming was announced earlier this year, but only now do we finally have our first public look at the upcoming Stephen King movie, as seen above.

It was all the way back in spring 2022 that footage from Salem's Lot was first debuted at CinemaCon, but now everybody can enjoy a preview of the new horror film, which will be made available for anyone with a Max subscription on October 3. It's the first feature adaptation of what was Stephen King's second published novel, with two previous efforts turning the source material into TV miniseries.

Emmy nominee Lewis Pullman (Top Gun: Maverick, Lessons In Chemistry) stars as Ben Mears, an author who hopes to explore the greatest trauma from his childhood by writing a new book. When he returns to his hometown of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, however, he discovers that the house he wants to rent (the setting of the aforementioned trauma) is being occupied by mysterious new tenants.

As Ben settles into town, he gets to know people in the community, but he also comes to recognize that the little hamlet has been plagued by a vampire infestation, and he and his friends must do everything in their power to stop it before it's too late.

In addition to Pullman, the talented cast also includes Makenzie Leigh, Alfre Woodard, Bill Camp, Pilou Asbæk, John Benjamin Hickey, Jordan Preston Carter, Spencer Treat Clark, and William Sadler.

While we've been waiting ages to see Salem's Lot, it's worth noting that Stephen King has had the opportunity to see the movie, and he has given it his stamp of approval. Earlier this year, he posted about it on his personal Twitter account, writing,

Salem's Lot is set to be part of a spooky season that includes a number of exciting upcoming horror movies, including the Christmas-themed return of Art The Clown in Terrifier 3 and the extreme insanity of The Substance, but Gary Dauberman's film is a special title as the first Stephen King adaptation of the year.

Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more updates about the title as we get closer to its streaming premiere, and for a full look at everything on the way to the big screen and subscription services in the months ahead, head over to our 2024 Movie Release Calendar.

Dear readers, we’re officially at that point in the calendar where not only are the horrors of cinema coming out to play, but the upcoming 2025 movies are teasing even more scares ahead. Co-writer/director Leigh Whannell is a master at both sides of that coin, as franchises like Saw and Insidious have made any month on the calendar feel like it’s the middle of that spookiest of seasons.

Now that we’ve seen our first look at his Universal/Blumhouse Wolf Man reboot in the clip above, next January already looks like it’ll have a night from hell on its hands. And while I’m still psyched, I am kind of bummed the original concept didn’t work out.

Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man Is Going To Be A Heartbreaker, Isn’t It?

Universal’s first trailer for Wolf Man paints a pretty harrowing picture. Starting off with some unsettling Praying Mantis imagery, we eventually get to see snippets of danger beset upon a single family. With Blake (Christopher Abbott) and “his high-powered wife” Charlotte (Julia Garner) trying to save their marriage with a family vacation, they decide to take daughter Ginger (Matlida Firth) to a cabin he’s recently inherited.

Of course, this location is smack dab in the middle of nowhere, and Blake looks like he’s about to find out how his father mysteriously disappeared/died. Cue the animal attack you’d expect to kick off Wolf Man’s story, and one inherent truth starts to creep into your mind: Blake’s probably not going to make it out alive, with Charlotte and Ginger more than likely needing to be the ones to take him out.

This all sounds like a stone cold bummer, and I have a feeling that intense horror is only going to be met with equally powerful heartbreak. Which is something I love about modern horror films such as Wolf Man, and how they seem to embrace emotionally intelligent narratives through grim spectacle.

But if I’m being totally honest, the original pitch that kicked all of this off still has its grimy claws around my heart. And if you'll allow me a moment, I'd like to mourn another Ryan Gosling project that I wish could have seen the light of day.

RIP - Ryan Gosling’s Network Inspired Wolf Man

Friends, I gather you here today at the Dark Universe Cemetary to bury yet another promising concept that was staked before it could yell “Action!” Back in 2020, the original Ryan Gosling attached Wolf Man pitch kicked off the process that gave us the potential tear jerker above. 

Now casting Sir Baby Goose was the first move that won me over with this project, however with a description that suggested “a Network/Nightcrawler vibe” involving a transforming network anchor had me absolutely howling for this to happen. You try not getting excited about a Network/Nightcrawler sandwich, with a side of The Howling for good nature. 

So what happened to this promising play of peril? Well, I’m willing to guess two factors came into play. First, Leigh Whannell’s hiring for Wolf Man saw his writing team, consisting of himself and co-scribes Corbett Tuck, Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo ditched the nightly news angle for this more family centered angle. Which, based on the footage we have above, crashed right into Gosling’s reasons for turning down darker roles.

f you’re as bummed out as I am that Ryan Gosling’s Wolf Man didn’t happen, you can visit it’s plot between the failed Angelina Jolie/Javier Bardem Bride of Frankenstein picture and Paul Feig’s MIA Dark Army project. But fear not, because the Christopher Abbott/Julia Garner version that’s heading to theaters still looks like it could be a brutally good time. 

Come to think of it, I don’t know which I’m more looking forward to: Abbott’s intensity as he feels his humanity slip away, or Garner’s prime scream queen abilities returning to the silver screen? There’s plenty of time to choose, as Wolf Man is set to slash at its potential theatrical audience on January 17th. 

To keep up with the rest of the upcoming horror movies heading our way, feel free to use our guide as a sort of shriek preview for what’s to come. Oh, and that other Ryan Gosling project I'm still mourning? It's totally Guillermo del Toro's abandoned take on Disney's Haunted Mansion. But that's a conversation for another day, at another graveyard in development hell.

Film adaptation of video games have historically fared poorly in theaters, but that's been changing over the last few years. Following the success of titles like Sonic the Hedgehog (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) and Detective Pikachu, a variety of upcoming video game movies were greenlit by studios. That includes A Minecraft movie, and the first trailer is a bonkers mix of live-action and animation... although I'm distracted by Jason Momoa's hair.

What we know about A Minecraft Movie has been limited, which is what makes the first footage that's shown above so exciting. Set to The Beatles' "Magic Mystery Tour", we see some of the action that looks straight out of the beloved video game series. But one thing that didn't come from the source material is Momoa's hair, complete with bangs.

Because this is just the first footage, the specifics and plot details of the upcoming movie remain a mystery for the time being. We see the cast of A Minecraft Movie looking thoroughly amazed by the animated world they're in, so it seems they are likely from the real word and are transported there. That is... except for Jack Black's Steve, who is the character that gamers get to play as throughout the franchise. 

After his performance as Bowser, it seems like Jack Black has found a subgenre of his own with video game movies. Because on top of playing Steve in Minecraft, Black also had a role in Borderlands. And the Minecraft movie will mix animation and live-action in a unique way. 

Other familiar faces in this brief trailer for this video game flick include Orange is the New Black and Peacemaker actress Danielle Brooks, as well as Wednesday's Emma Myers. But at the time of writing this story, Jack Black is the only actor whose character's name is has been shared with the public. 

It should be fascinating to see how the Minecraft games are brought to life on the big screen, given their wild popularity and distinct visual style. The franchise is known for letting its players build anything they can dream of, so the possibilities seem endless. This first teaser showed the game-accurate depiction of the square franchise, which extends to castles, animals, and trees. 

Trying to put live-action characters into the Minecraft franchise seems like an impossible task, but this limited footage looks pretty great. And considering how many young fans Black has thanks to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it loos like his next video game adaptation might be a family affair capable of a big box office haul. I just have to wonder how many other people will be distracted by Momoa's bangs like me.

A Minecraft Movie hits theaters on April 4th. For now, check the 2025 movie release dates to plan your trips to the theater next year. 

More to come...

Putting my cards from the 2024 movie schedule on the table, I honestly haven’t expected too many surprises from the remaining films on the lineup that will be debuting between now and the end of the year. That being said, even having a decent handle on what we know about Nightbitch hadn’t prepared me for what we’ve seen in the first trailer for director Marielle Heller’s latest.

For a movie that centers around the trials and tribulations of being a stay-at-home mom, this new flick has some very sharp teeth. Now I’ve read the synopsis for the Amy Adams starring film, and author Rachel Yoder’s novel has been on my “to read” pile ever since I saw it on shelves back in 2021.

But that knowledge didn’t prepare me for Ms. Adams actually turning into a dog in the middle of this Nightbitch trailer. And that moment, quite honestly, seems to lock the rest of this upcoming horror movie’s promising energy into place.

To be fair, I knew there was an expectation that saw Nightbitch’s protagonist reckoning with the possibility that she was turning into a symbol of four-legged freedom. That being said, I didn’t actually know a transformation of some sort would be shown, which is where the line between a dark comedy and a dark horror comedy seems to be drawn.

My expectations for Nightbitch have raised a bit higher after seeing this trailer in action, and that’s all thanks to Amy Adams’ transformation into a commanding husky/husky adjacent breed. As far as dog casting is concerned, landing a canine that feels like a natural fit to be Ms. Adams’ animal counterpart is another surprising joy that I’ve gotten out of seeing this first reel of clips from Searchlight Pictures’ genre-bender.

Knowing that Nightbitch is one of the upcoming book-to-screen adaptations we have to look forward to in the near future has this movie a bit more prominently featured on my radar. That much is especially true after this year's box office gave audiences a huge dog loving win through the release of Arthur the King, which apparently prompted Mark Wahlberg's thankful attitude towards viewers who loved that movie. But at the same time, if you loved Arthur the King, I don't think Nightbitch is going to be a slam dunk. 

I mean, if the distinction of whether or not Amy Adams is turning into a dog is features so distinctly in the first reel of footage, what is Marielle Heller’s movie actually hiding? Also, is there a potential for another addition to our list of moments where a dog saved the day in a movie that doesn’t involve another member of Amy Adams’ pack being killed? 

We’ll see what happens when Nightbitch looks to lead the pack at the box office when it debuts in theatrical release on December 6th. But if you’re keeping an eye on this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the picture will be making its festival premiere on September 7th.