Future Film Fridays: 2025 Predictions
Welcome back to the first #FutureFilmFridays of 2025.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve revisited everything I’ve written here in 2024, tracking the trends and seismic shifts brought forth by emerging technologies, most notably generative AI. The entertainment industry stands on the edge of transformation, with disruption reverberating across every corner. Production in L.A. is at an all-time low, and many of my peers are reconsidering their future in this business.
Yet amidst the upheaval, I see one truth reverberating: the power of story. Whether that is found in a blockbuster movie like Wicked, an A24 indie film, a streaming series like Silo or Shrinking, a Fortnite game, an XR experience, a YouTube creator’s content, or a new story format that is just emerging, narrative’s power over the human heart, especially during times of uncertainty, is not wavering.
As a writer, filmmaker, and futurist — someone who is passionate about storytelling, the power of cinema, and the opportunities that come with technological change — here are 9 predictions for how Hollywood in 2025. Let’s dive in and discuss.
1️⃣ It’s ‘Everything Change’
As Margaret Atwood said, “It’s not Climate Change, it’s Everything Change.” This sentiment acutely captures what Hollywood is confronting. 2025 will see generative AI and other emerging technologies like virtual production and XR (extended reality) platforms terraform the industry in ways that will upend almost every sector. Jobs in animation, VFX, and post-production (to name a few) will be displaced, but new roles and micro-industries will emerge. And here’s the twist: this transformation won’t be orchestrated by legacy Hollywood companies, many of which are struggling to adapt. Instead, I see the reshaping of the industry being driven by outliers — visionaries leveraging tech to break the old system. We’re at an inflection point, where you can be one of these change makers. Already, new AI-driven studios like @LTXStudio and Promise, and renegade filmmaker Harmony Korine’s EDGLRD are charting bold new paths. In this era of Everything Change, where sustainable productions and ethical AI are also critical, the future is being created by those willing to rebuild.
2️⃣ Story is Network
“Story is Network” will be a defining mantra in 2025. Studios like Universal are expanding their park and virtual world offerings, Blumhouse is bringing interactive versions of its horror franchises to life, and New Regency’s library, with sci-fi projects like In Time, is finding new futures in Fortnite. Virtual production, as seen in Amazon’s Fallout, will become more of an industry standard (especially as costs decrease), enabling creators to build entire immersive worlds in-studio. Novel 3D world-building platforms like Genesis, Odyssey, and MidJourney’s collaborative Patchwork will invite audiences to co-create storyworlds. While XR wearables like Apple’s Vision Pro may have stumbled in 2024, the groundwork has been laid for a new era of audience engagement, with wearables from Meta and Google on the horizon that will connect people in virtual worlds. Imagine shaping a VR narrative or actively contributing to a game’s evolving storyline — I see this becoming a reality in 2025.
3️⃣ The Creator Economy Will Drive AI Innovation
Creators on platforms like TikTok, IG’s Reels and YouTube will lead the charge with AI adoption. I make this call based on two observations: The consistent rollout of Gen AI tools on social media platforms that can hyper-charge a creator’s tool box, and a notable lack of stigma around AI as compared to TV/film directors and creators. Also, digital doubles, interactive avatars, and AI-enhanced fan interactions will allow for new standards for engagement; already influencers are using anonymous proxies on OnlyFans. Influencers will soon be able to deploy their digital twin, a version of themselves who can connect with fans (and sell products) 24/7. And I expect hybrid content that merges personal storytelling with high-quality production values typically reserved for studios to proliferate across these platforms.
4️⃣ Brands Will Become Entertainment Powerhouses
Walmart’s shoppable movies on Roku and Chick-fil-A’s storytelling initiatives, along with LVMH’s partnership with Superconnector Studios, mark a turning point: brands are poised to become full-fledged entertainment networks. In 2025, more brands will launch original content, creating immersive experiences that merge commerce with storytelling. Bolstered by AI tools, these brands won’t just advertise with a snazzy short film or offer the ‘branded content’ webseries from the ’10s — they’ll have the resources to compete directly with traditional studios as they seek to bolster their existing brand ‘fans’, redefining what “entertainment” means in the process.
5️⃣ Ethical AI Will Be an Engine of Change
The debate around AI’s use of copyrighted material for training data will continue to polarize, even when current lawsuits are settled. Though it is clear (to me) when reading the Copyright Act Section 107 that using copyrighted materials to train models to generate similar forms of content is a blatant violation of IP rights, I can’t see tech giants having invested billions in their AI models being forced by the courts (especially under the incoming administration) to shut them down and retrain. What I do hope is that moving forward, there will be myriad opportunities for creators to license their work as training data (AI models are in desperate need for new training data). Platforms like ProRata.ai are setting a standard for fair attribution and licensing, while ethical AI studios like Astera have just emerged. With pushback on Coca Cola’s AI-generated holiday commercial, Lionsgate’s partnership with Runway and Marvel’s AI generated opening for Secret Invasion, productions that prioritize transparency and the value of a human fingerprint in art will gain audience trust and longevity.
6️⃣ Old Stories Awaken
Throughout countless industry conversations this past year, the phrase “unlocking value in studio libraries” kept coming up. While not the most glamorous topic, Hollywood’s vast archive of legacy IP presents a massive opportunity to be revitalized through AI — a crucial revenue stream as traditional studios compete with platforms like YouTube and TikTok for eyeballs. AI tools can not only scan, categorize, and train on petabytes of movie and TV content but also analyze digitized pre-edit raw footage. Essentially, this provides the “source code” to the IP, enabling studios to create new iterations of story worlds at a fraction of the original production cost (though environmental and union considerations remain). For better or worse, studios and networks will rely on AI to pinpoint where “value” lies in their existing libraries. Classics could be reimagined as immersive VR experiences or interactive narratives, blending nostalgia with cutting-edge formats. This isn’t just about preserving the past — it’s about reanimating it to engagie audiences in entirely new ways.
7️⃣ Pandora’s (Creative) Box Opens
The fusion of art and AI is poised to give rise to entirely new genres. What will they be? It’s hard to say! It’s a black box, perhaps even a Pandora’s Box — but I’m convinced that 2025 will usher in an entirely new form of art and storytelling. Visionaries like Jaron Lanier with his AI-influenced performance events and Kimbal Musk’s AI-coordinated drone installations offer glimpses of what lies ahead. Similarly, immersive concerts at The Sphere, Rafik Anadol’s large-scale AI-driven installations, and Krista Kim’s paradigm shifting digital art provide markers along the path to this evolution. In 2025, we may see generative art, live performances, and audience interaction converge into experiences that defy categorization. These groundbreaking experiments will stretch the boundaries of what we define as “entertainment” and open up entirely new creative possibilities.
8️⃣ Web3 For the Win
Blockchain will be big in 2025. This technology will have the opportunity to step into the spotlight as a solution for artist attribution in AI. Decentralized systems have the ability to track artist rights and ensure fair compensation, offering a transparent way for creators to license their work. As tensions around AI and IP reach a boiling point, Web3 will emerge as a viable framework for ethical and equitable monetization. As a creator, I am bullish on the Theta Network and their new Edge Cloud platform.
9️⃣ Human-Centric & Climate Stories Take Center Stage
And finally… as I touched upon in my Script Magazine ‘Protopian’ piece… 2025 is the year where we create bold and far reaching visions of better futures. Futures that take into account the challenges that we face globally but that show a world that is incrementally better than today, giving hope and an actionable path forward. We, as a society and as an audience, will move away from bleak dystopian narratives and crave deeply human stories that explore connection, resilience, and hope. Thus, the concern of AI generated movies usurping our human generated ones will be null. For no AI has the ability to reflect and create art out of our present experience. It does not have our senses nor our soul. At the same time, climate storytelling — bolstered by initiatives like Climate Spring — will become more prominent, giving audiences narrative tools to deal with our changing landscapes. In 2025, audiences will look for stories that reflect humanity’s challenges and aspirations in an uncertain world and Hollywood will be forced to adapt.
MY FINAL THOUGHT: 2025 is set to be a year of transformation, collaboration, and innovation. The tools and trends emerging today are laying the foundation for a future where storytelling knows no bounds and can be shaped outside of the existing system.
As a creator and director with a passion for impact storytelling to reshape our future, don’t forget to check out my ‘Futurists Handbook for Hollywood’ Part 1 and Part 2. And for a dose of climate storytelling inspiration, please watch my Scirens short film “THE ASSIGNMENT” (in collaboration with ASU Center for Science and the Imagination).
I started #FutureFilmFridays in 2024 to explore the nexus of technology and entertainment and am grateful for all the support it has received. If you enjoy these posts and find them insightful, please share. If you are looking to create and realize future facing storyworlds, please reach out.
The future is coming fast. See you there.
