Leonardo DiCaprio’s film career has taken up three decades, a period that has been characterized by an uncompromising passion for emotionally charged story-telling and an extraordinary talent for working with the world’s finest directors. As 2025 progresses, the Academy Award-winning actor is set to again shake the ground in world cinema. From highly anticipated master auteur reunions to bold new explorations of political thrillers and speculative fiction, DiCaprio’s next films are not merely events but cultural benchmarks in the making.
In this in-depth preview, we reveal the five most highly anticipated Leonardo DiCaprio movies in production or set for release. With insider information, director quotes, and behind-the-scenes rumblings, this editorial is your ultimate guide to the next installment in DiCaprio’s remarkable career.
The return of Scorsese and DiCaprio: ‘The Wager’ promises epic storytelling
Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Historical Drama
Release Window: Late 2025 (tentative)
Studio: Apple Original Films / Paramount Pictures
Following the critical success of Killers of the Flower Moon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are teaming up once again for The Wager, an ambitious adaptation of David Grann’s nonfiction bestseller. Set in the 1740s, the film recounts the gripping saga of a British naval shipwreck and the court-martial that followed. DiCaprio is expected to portray the morally ambiguous captain who must navigate survival, mutiny, and a deadly colonial backdrop.
Scorsese, speaking with Deadline, called the project “a meditation on truth, empire, and the thin line between heroism and savagery.” With Rodrigo Prieto back as cinematographer and a screenplay by Eric Roth, this historical drama is expected to be a prestige awards contender.
“Leo has an uncanny ability to inhabit contradiction—honor and duplicity, ambition and guilt,” Scorsese said. “That’s exactly what The Wager demands.”
Why it matters: This is the seventh collaboration between Scorsese and DiCaprio—each film a benchmark of quality and risk-taking. Early production notes suggest The Wager will offer a mix of grand-scale seafaring visuals and intimate moral dissection, not unlike The Revenant or Silence.
Environmental urgency and political edge: Leonardo DiCaprio headlines Adam McKay’s next untitled satire
Director: Adam McKay
Genre: Political Satire / Black Comedy
Status: In pre-production
Platform: Netflix
After Don’t Look Up ignited global conversations about climate change through dark satire, DiCaprio and McKay are reuniting for another socio-political project. While plot details remain tightly guarded, insiders close to Netflix have described it as “a razor-sharp dissection of tech plutocracy and ecological collapse, wrapped in absurdist comedy.”
Leonardo DiCaprio is rumored to be playing a former Silicon Valley CEO turned ecological whistleblower, a role that blends urgency with irony. McKay, known for The Big Short and Vice, has described the script as “frighteningly real yet disturbingly funny.”
Why it matters: DiCaprio’s environmental advocacy is no secret. This film could serve as both artistic and ideological continuation of his off-screen activism. Expect a sharp, satirical performance that leverages his gravitas and comedic timing.
Christopher Nolan’s ensemble thriller: Is Leonardo DiCaprio set for a second round?
Director: Christopher Nolan
Genre: Political Thriller
Status: In advanced talks
Projected Release: 2026
Studio: Universal Pictures
In what could be the most electrifying reunion of the decade, DiCaprio is reportedly in advanced negotiations to join Christopher Nolan’s next untitled thriller. While neither Nolan nor DiCaprio has confirmed the casting publicly, several sources within Universal have hinted at the duo reuniting after 2010’s genre-defining Inception.
The upcoming project is described as a “non-linear exploration of global espionage and memory manipulation,” with a multinational cast and a screenplay that has been compared to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy meets Memento. If confirmed, DiCaprio is expected to portray a high-level intelligence officer with a moral crisis.
Why it matters: Few actors command the cerebral intensity Nolan’s scripts require, and DiCaprio’s performance in Inception remains one of the most iconic of the 21st century. A new collaboration could elevate both artists to new creative heights.
Image Credit: IndieWire
Period romance meets geopolitical conflict: ‘The Mind’s Eye’ with director Luca Guadagnino
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Genre: Historical Romance / Drama
Status: Confirmed
Release Date: 2026
Distributor: Focus Features
Set during the Cold War era in 1960s Vienna, The Mind’s Eye follows a forbidden romance between an American intelligence analyst and a Russian defector. Leonardo DiCaprio will star opposite French actress Léa Seydoux in what is described as an “intimate epic”—an emotional narrative framed by real-world tension.
Luca Guadagnino, who helmed Call Me by Your Name and Bones and All, brings his signature sensuality and visual lyricism to the project. In an interview with The New York Times, he said, “I’ve always dreamed of working with Leonardo. He possesses a vulnerability that’s buried beneath layers of stoicism. That’s the perfect contrast for this story.”
Why it matters: This marks DiCaprio’s first foray into a full-bodied romantic lead since The Great Gatsby. It also showcases his range, as he pivots from intellectual thrillers to emotional storytelling.
A speculative sci-fi odyssey: ‘Oblivion’s End’ could be DiCaprio’s most daring role yet
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Genre: Science Fiction / Existential Drama
Development Stage: Early production
Expected Release: 2027
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
In a bold genre shift, DiCaprio will star in Oblivion’s End, a speculative sci-fi odyssey set in a post-Earth civilization grappling with memory, identity, and artificial consciousness. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Dune, Arrival), the film draws inspiration from Jorge Luis Borges and Kazuo Ishiguro, exploring themes of recursive time and synthetic nostalgia.
DiCaprio plays a man tasked with preserving human memory inside a vast interstellar archive. As reality fractures, his character becomes the unreliable narrator of humanity’s last truth.
Villeneuve told Empire Magazine: “Leonardo is not just a star—he’s a vessel. This character needed someone who could carry the existential weight of the narrative without losing the emotional soul.”
Why it matters: DiCaprio’s history of challenging roles (Shutter Island, The Revenant) primes him for a performance that will likely blur the lines between science and philosophy. With Villeneuve’s visual ambition, this could be a masterpiece in the making.
A deeper look at DiCaprio’s artistic trajectory
Each of these upcoming films reflects a different facet of Leonardo DiCaprio’s creative evolution. His choice of projects in recent years suggests an increasing gravitation toward high-concept narratives, political urgency, and directors who challenge cinematic conventions.
Patterns worth noting:
- Auteur loyalty: DiCaprio’s continuous collaborations with directors like Scorsese, McKay, and potentially Nolan, demonstrate his commitment to storytelling over commercial safety.
- Thematic resonance: From ecological breakdown to Cold War paranoia, these stories echo today’s global anxieties, indicating his desire to remain socially and politically relevant.
- Genre elasticity: Whether historical epics, romantic dramas, or science fiction mind-benders, DiCaprio refuses to be typecast, continually testing the boundaries of what leading men can portray.
Final thoughts: Why Leonardo DiCaprio’s upcoming films are more than just blockbusters
Leonardo DiCaprio is not merely returning to the screen; he is sculpting the very future of global cinema through his curated collaborations and role choices. As the entertainment world grows more saturated with IP-driven storytelling and franchise fatigue, DiCaprio remains one of the few actors capable of commanding both box office and critical prestige without compromise.
In a 2023 interview with Variety, he said, “At this point in my career, the role must terrify me a little. If it doesn’t, it’s probably not worth doing.”
This ethos underpins every project detailed above. Whether confronting geopolitical instability or exploring the collapse of truth itself, his upcoming films will not only entertain but provoke—and that is perhaps his most enduring artistic legacy.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2025 and beyond: At a glance
| Title | Director | Genre | Release | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wager | Martin Scorsese | Historical Drama | Late 2025 | Apple / Paramount |
| Untitled McKay Project | Adam McKay | Political Satire | TBD | Netflix |
| Untitled Nolan Film | Christopher Nolan | Thriller | 2026 | Universal |
| The Mind’s Eye | Luca Guadagnino | Period Romance | 2026 | Focus Features |
| Oblivion’s End | Denis Villeneuve | Sci-Fi Drama | 2027 | Warner Bros. |
This article is a tribute to the enduring brilliance and versatility of Leonardo DiCaprio—crafted for fans, cinephiles, and seekers of meaningful cinema.