What to Watch in June 2025

All the best new films and TV shows coming your way in June...

FILM

Ballerina (June 7)

Sometime late in 2012, screenwriter Derek Kolstad sold a script he’d written named Scorn to film producer Basil Iwanyk, formerly of Warner Bros. and The Weinstein Company and, since 2006, head of newly-established studio Thunder Road Pictures. Iwanyk loved Kolstad’s revenge-fuelled, action-thriller story about an assassin coaxed from retirement and set about finding a leading man and a director. 

He then made two very bold moves. Firstly, he singled out Keanu Reeves as the right man for the starring role – a risky choice at the time, given that Reeves hadn’t enjoyed an action movie hit since 1994’s Speed. Secondly, Iwanyk suggested that David Leitch and Chad Stalheski, a pair of highly experienced stunt choreographers, should direct the action – despite neither of them having any previous directing credits to their name. As it turned out, both decisions proved to be utterly inspired. 

Leitch and Stalheski had a simple idea; let’s make an action film that harks back to all the great movies of our youth, but let’s shoot it like an art-house flick – out with the fast-paced edits that saturated modern action films, and in with long, kinetic shots of beautifully-staged set-pieces and impressively-choreographed fight scenes that combined martial arts with firearms – pioneering a style now commonly referred to as ‘Gun-Fu’. Keanu Reeves, for his part, had a suggestion; instead of Scorn, they should name the film after the story’s protagonist: John Wick.

The film made its debut late in 2014 and, in the 10 years that have elapsed since, the filmmakers behind John Wick have wasted no time in building out what must surely rank as one of the most successful franchises of the modern era. In that time, the film has spawned three sequels (with a fourth currently in the works), as well as TV series The Continental and even a series of comic books. There’s also a prequel film planned, as well as two spin-offs, one of which will be based on the character Caine and is set to be directed by martial arts legend Donnie Yen.

First though we’re treated to the arrival of Ballerina, the first of the spin-offs, which arrives this weekend (June 7) and stars Ana De Armas (No Time to Die, Blade Runner 2049) as the film’s titular assassin, alongside franchise regulars Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Keanu Reeves himself and, in his final screen appearance, the late Lance Reddick as the ever-faithful concierge of The Continental Hotel – a presence that will certainly be missed. Len Wiseman directs the action, with Gabriel Byrne and Norman Reedus also joining the cast for this latest instalment in the John Wick saga.

Tornado (June 13)

The words “Scottish” and “Samurai” are not often found in the same sentence, much less in the synopsis of a film, but that’s not the only unlikely combination to be found in this new feature from Slow West director John Maclean, which is billed as a “period action drama” – a phrase that conjures visions of some unholy cross between Downton Abbey and Rambo.

Despite the unusual pitch, Tornado is nevertheless an absorbing tale featuring an impressive starring turn from young Japanese actress Koki, alongside a cast that also includes Tim Roth and Slow Horses star Jack Lowden. The story is set late in the 18th century and centres around a young woman and her father, both of whom are puppeteers in a travelling circus. 

When a young pickpocket steals a hoard of gold from a gang of thieves, he is pursued and takes refuge in the circus, hiding the gold with the woman and her father before being thrown out. The gang then pursue the pair, leading first to tragedy, then to vengeance, as the young woman reveals she has some other impressive skills – ones not usually put to use in a puppet show. If the idea of ‘Kill Bill, but in the Scottish highlands’ sounds appealing to you, this is well worth a watch.

28 Years Later (June 20)

28 Days Later is often credited as the film that revived - even revolutionised - the ‘zombie flick’ genre (although it could be argued the latter claim largely boils down to giving the undead the ability to run like Olympic sprinters), and though director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland had originally planned to work together on its sequel, 28 Weeks Later, which arrived four years afterwards, their commitments elsewhere at the time meant that writing and directing duties were handed over to Rowan Joffe and Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, respectively.

Fast-forward 18 years, though, and not only have Boyle and Garland teamed up for a third film in the series, they’ve also filmed the imminent 28 Years Later and its upcoming sequel (titled 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple) back-to-back, with the next instalment currently slated to arrive next year. 

Due to land in cinemas on June 20, 28 Years Later stars Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connor and follows a group of survivors who have learned to live amongst the infected in the aftermath of the rage virus outbreak, secluding themselves on an island accessible only be a heavily-defended causeway. When two of them decide to venture onto the mainland, they encounter the wonders and horrors of the outside world - and meet a shady cult leader with a dark past. 

F1: The Movie (June 25)

It’s fair to say that there are not too many great examples of films about Formula 1 racing – the only memorable exception being James Hunt biopic Rush, detailing the British driver’s sole championship victory and his bitter rivalry with racing legend Niki Lauda. But if anyone can spin this high-octane sport into a box office blockbuster, it’s legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer. With a long list of hits to his name that includes everything from Bad Boys and Beverly Hills Cop to Top Gun and Pirates of the Caribbean, you wouldn’t bet against him.

Armed with an A-list leading man in Brad Pitt, an experienced director in Joseph Kosinski, and an eye-watering $300 million budget, Bruckheimer seems determined to give it a shot. Based on a screenplay by Ehren Kruger (Top Gun: Maverick, Ghost in the Shell), the tale revolves around an ageing racing driver given one last shot at reviving his once-promising career by the head of a racing team that is itself a patron of the last-chance saloon. It’s ride-or-die for everyone involved, but if he is to succeed he’ll need to find a way to work with his team partner, an ambitious young driver who has no intention of stepping aside to let his more famous teammate hog the limelight. 

Due to arrive on June 25, F1: The Movie will no doubt appeal to hardcore motorsports fans, but will it appeal to the casual racing fan? We’ll find out soon enough...

M3GAN 2.0 (June 27)

Blumhouse have turned out some impressive horror films in recent years and one of the finest examples is surely the dystopian M3GAN, a gripping tale of cutting-edge robotics, AI gone rogue, and a genuinely unsettling living doll who turns out to be a lethal killing machine.

A sequel was inevitable and, sure enough, just three years after the original film, M3GAN 2.0 debuts in cinemas this month. This time we find the murderous AI confined within, shall we say, a much more manageable container. Unfortunately, the technology used to create her has been stolen and put to use by a defense contractor, who use it to build a military robot which, they are certain, will absolutely not become sentient and kill them all - which, of course, it immediately does.

With a new, deranged robot on the loose and planning to take over the world’s AI systems, there’s only one thing for it: release the old, deranged robot and fight fire with fire. What could possibly go wrong?

TV

C*A*U*G*H*T (ITVX, June 1)

First aired in its native Australia late in 2023, this odd but highly entertaining comedy revolves around a group of Australian soldiers serving in the (fictional) war-torn island of Behati-Prinsloo, where they are captured and taken hostage by a group of freedom fighters after being mistaken for American spies. 

When it becomes clear that the Australian government has no intention of helping them, the men hatch a plan alongside their captors to get their attention – by making the best hostage video the world has ever seen.

The brainchild of Kick Gurry, who both writes and directs the show as well as starring as one of the soldiers, the show has finally been snapped up by ITV in the UK and is available to watch on the channel’s streaming service from the beginning of June. 

The Gold: Series 2 (BBC One / iPlayer, June 8)

The first series of Neil Forsyth’s gripping drama proved to be an instant hit and although a second series was quick to be announced, it has been slower to materialise than fans of the show would have liked, but The Gold finally makes its return to screens this month and is set to arrive on BBC One and iPlayer in June 8. 

The show details the story of the infamous Brink’s-Mat robbery in 1983, which saw thieves make off with cash, diamonds and gold bullion worth an estimated £26million (£111m in today’s money) – the largest robbery in history at the time. Where the first series took us through the build-up to the robbery itself, the second finds the increasingly nervous thieves in the aftermath – and the police realise the trail they’ve been following only leads them to half of the missing loot.

Hugh Bonneville, Jack Lowden, Charlotte Spencer, Tom Cullen and all the other regulars return to reprise their roles for the new series. If it’s anything like the first run, this will be essential viewing.

FUBAR - Season 2 (Netflix, June 12)

He said he’d be back… and this month Arnold Schwarzenegger returns for a second season of this riotous action-comedy. The first season ended with the Luke and Emma discovering the truth about each other’s involvement with the CIA, and the Brunner family having to flee as their location is discovered thanks to a mole in their midst.

Now Luke is once again being dragged out of retirement as he works to discover who is leaking information. Monica Barbaro, Aparna Brielle, Milan Carter and Gabriel Luna all returns for the second season, with a stellar new addition to the cast this time around in the form of Carrie-Anne Moss. Due to land on June 12, this is too much fun to miss.

We Were Liars (Prime Video, June 18)

Based on the young-adult novel of the same name by E. Lockhart, We Were Liars is a taut mystery-thriller adapted for the screen by Vampire Diaries creator Julie Plec and Roswell mastermind Carina Adly Mackenzie. Emily Alyn Lund stars as Cadence, a young woman from a wealthy family that spends their summers on the private island near Matha’s Vineyard owned by her grandparents. 

However, not all summers are the same, and one year while Cadence is aged 15 she suffers a serious head injury, causing her to lose most of her memories of what she refers to as ‘summer fifteen’. When she eventually returns two years later, she finds the old family home has been demolished and replaced with a new architectural monstrosity. That isn’t all that has changed, and when she reunites with the old friends that she spent her previous summers with, she begins to learn that not everything is at it seems – and eventually uncovers a terrible secret. 

Also starring Caitlin Fitzgerald, Mamie Gummer, David Morse and Wendy Crewson, We Were Liars is set to debut on Prime Video on June 18.

 Squid Game - Season 3 (Netflix, June 27)

The big finale of Netflix’s most-watched show in history is on the horizon this month as we return to the mysterious island of games for one final time in what is sure to be a high-stakes crescendo in this thrilling series. The show’s last outing left us mid-way though the lethal games and with both the prize fund and the body count piling higher – and with our hero Gi-hun witnessing the death of his best friend at the hands of the mysterious Front Man, but still unaware that he has been posing as his fellow contestant Young-Il.

Will Gi-hun discover the truth and manage to take revenge? Or will the cops hunting down the organisers manage to locate the island before the games reach their bloody conclusion? We’ll find out on June 27 when the third and final season arrives on Netflix. We can’t wait…