Celine Song had one of the best debuts as a writer/director in recent memory with her beautiful romance drama Past Lives, which was nominated for two Oscars and earned plenty of rave reviews (it’s 95% “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes). So what is she doing for her much-anticipated follow-up? How about a star-studded romantic comedy, Materialists.
As with Past Lives, Song is reteaming with A24, as the specialty distributor is backing the movie. It joins a big slate of 2025 A24 movies, including Death of a Unicorn, Warfare, The Legend of Ochi, Friendship and more.
Get all the info you need on Materialists, from when it's premiering to its cast, right here.
Materialists release date
Materialists premieres on June 13 exclusively in movie theaters nationwide in the US. The movie is scheduled to release on August 15 in the UK.
Song’s Past Lives was also released in June back in 2023, though that was a limited release that expanded in subsequent weeks. Materialists will be widely available from the get-go.
Materialists cast
The cast of Materialists is led by the trio of Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal. All we know about their characters at this point is that Johnson is playing a matchmaker, while Evans and Pascal play a new love interest and her ex (unclear which is which).
Johnson broke out after starring in the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise and has since starred in titles like A Bigger Splash, Suspiria, The Peanut Butter Falcon, The Lost Daughter, Persuasion, Daddio and Madame Web.
Evans is best known for playing Steve Rogers/Captain America in the MCU, but his post-Marvel career includes movies like Knives Out, The Gray Man, Ghosted, Pain Hustlers and Red One.
Pascal, meanwhile, also has Marvel ties, as he stars as Reed Richards in the upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but he is also well-known for starring in The Last of Us, Gladiator 2, The Mandalorian, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Game of Thrones.
Materialists plot
Just as she did with Past Lives, Song wrote the screenplay for Materialists. Here is the synopsis for the movie via A24:
“A young, ambitious New York City matchmaker finds herself torn between the perfect match and her imperfect ex.”
Materialists trailer
Watch the trailers for Materialists directly below:
A final trailer for Materialists is now available, with a callback to an iconic commercial:
Materialists reviews
Find out what we thought of Celine Song's new movie with WTW's official Materialists review.
If you're curious about the general consensus on the movie, as of June 12 it is "Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with a strong score of 86%.
Materialists director
As mentioned, Materialists is the second feature directorial effort from Celine Song. Prior to making her debut as a film director, Song was a playwright and theater director, while also being part of the writing team for multiple episodes on The Wheel of Time. But she clearly showed a knack for filmmaking with Past Lives.
She was awarded the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Feature Film from the Director’s Guild of America, Best Director from the Film Independent Spirit Awards, Best Directorial Debut from the National Board of Review and a number of other awards and nominations for her directing. She was also Oscar-nominated for her original screenplay of Past Lives.
Materialists behind-the-scenes
In addition to reuniting with A24, Song is also reteaming with her Past Lives’ producers David Hinojosa of 2AM as well as Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon of Killer Films. Song is also listed as a producer.
If you're a fan of the band Japanese Breakfast, then you'll enjoy the fact that they've written an original song for Materialists.
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